GB2173774A - Milk bottle crate - Google Patents

Abstract

A doorstep milk bottle container for protecting full bottles against attack by birds has a main portion 10, 12 which is of such internal height that it closely receives a standard pint-sized milk bottle or milk bottles. Above the space for containing the milk bottle or bottles, is a pivotable closure which is opened by a downwardly and inwardly directed movement of one of a pair of flaps 16 which has a locus only slightly above a milk bottle or bottles when in the container. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Milk bottle crate This invention relates to milk bottle containers for use on door-steps. Many types of container have been suggested by which milk bottles may be carried to or from a door step, or which can usefully remain empty on a door step to receive fresh milk bottles on delivery. Such containers, apart from providing for convenience of bottle carrying, also reduce the danger of bottles being knocked over and broken.

A further problem which has, as far as is known, never been satisfactorily solved, is that filled milk bottles, when left by a milkman on a door step, even for a short period, tend to get attacked by birds such as sparrows, tits and the like. The conventional 'silver paper' type of a milk bottle top is very often attacked by birds to obtain access to the cream at the top of the bottle. This often occurs very soon after the milk bottles are left by a milkman but it is an even greater problem when milk bottles are left out for long periods, for example when the housewife, and other occupants of the house, are out at work during the day. A number of proposals have been made to try and overcome this problem.For example various forms of loose caps can be obtained, but these have to be left on the doorstep, and they require the cooperation of the milkman, if they are to be satisfactorily used to protect the bottles against attack by birds. Other, relatively crude, methods are used for example placing strips of wood or stones on tops of bottles for the same purpose, and it is believed that a variety of somewhat amateur approaches have been made to providing storage compartments on doorsteps, or in porches, which have various forms of overhanging or hinged lids.

The present invention has as a principal object the provision of a simple and readily used construction which requires little or no extra effort by the milkman on delivery of fresh bottles, and aims to provide a construction which is relatively foolproof, in that, if attempts to use the container provided by the invention are made at al'l, it automatically provides the required protection.

The invention accordingly has a variety of aspects directed to this end. According to one aspect of the present invention, a doorstep milk bottle container has upstanding side walls which together define an upwardly facing aperture through which one or more milk bottles can be inserted and removed, and a hinged closure for the aperture which is capable of being opened by the use of one hand on inserting a milk bottle into the container, and which is capable of swinging closed gravitationally.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a doorstep milk bottle container has a main portion thereof which is of such internal height that it closely receives a standard pintsized milk bottle or milk bottles and the container has, above the space for containing the milk bottle or bottles, a hinged closure which is opened by a downwardly and inwardly directed movement of a portion of the lid which has a locus only slightly above a milk bottle or bottles when in the container.

The lid of such an arrangement can advantageously be so dimensioned and proportioned that the knuckles of a hand gripping a bottle during its insertion into the container can continue to maintain the lid open during the final inserting movement of the bottle, again enabling a one handed operation.

The characteristic of one aspect of the present invention which enables a one handed operation is of considerable significance, bearing in mind that a milkman often has the other hand occupied, carrying either empty bottles or other full bottles for another household.

According to a specific arrangement, the lid is in the form of swing type having a pair of oppositely sloping sides which extend downwardly and outwardly from an apex region, that apex region providing a hinge axis between the lid and the remainder of the container.

For this purpose, the body of the container may be formed by a front, a back, and two ends, each of the ends being of gable form generally to conform to the slope of the sides of the lid, with a hinge being provided between the lid and the upper portions. of the gable ends.

Specifically, the container may be of generally square cross section, in plan, in order to accomodate four standard milk bottles, in two rows of two, and the container may have a closure of swing-lid type which hinges about a horizontal axis positioned generally in a vertical plane which would pass between the two rows of milk bottles.

One or more handles may be provided for carrying the container. These may comprise slots, for example in upper regions of the end walls of the container. Alternatively, or in addition, the container may have a separate hinged carrying handle which desirably may be formed such as to provide common hinge elements with the closure for the container.

In order that the housewife can readily see when milk has been delivered, one or each of the side walls of the container is preferably provided with one or more apertures for example vertical slits, through which full bottles of milk can readily be seen. Naturally, any apertures provided in the sides of the container, whether for observation purposes, or for the provision of carrying slits, would be carefully dimensioned to prevent access by sparrows, tits etc.

The invention may be carried into practice in various ways but one specific embodiment will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a doorstep milk bottle container according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a vertical cross section through the container of Figure 1, with a lid thereof, in a closed position; Figure 3 is a view in cross section, similar to Figure 2 showing the lid in a partially open position, during the insertion of a milk bottle into the container; and Figure 4 is a partial underneath view of the container showing the configuration of a number of feet for the container.

In the light of the foregoing description of various aspects of the invention, it is believed that the drawings which show an embodiment of this invention, are virtually self-explanatory. The container comprises a main body which may conveniently be made as a plastics moulding has a front (10), a back (12), and a pair of ends (14), the upper portions of which are generally of gable form as shown in Figure 1. Between the gabled upper portions of the ends of the container there is an upwardly facing aperture through which milk bottles can be inserted or removed. This aperture is normally closed by a lid or inverted V form, thus providing a pair of flaps (16) which, when the lid is in its closed position of Figures 1 and 2, lie at substantially the same angle as the upper edges of the gable portions of the ends.As shown in Figure 1 that upper portions of the gable ends are provided with inwardly directed flanges 13 which partially define the aperture normally closed by the lid.

These flanges provide suitable reinforcing of the structure as a whole.

As shown in Figure 2, at the apex 15 of the flaps (16) there is a thickened section (18) which facilitates the formation of a hinge between the lid and the rest of the structure. This hinge, in this particular arrangement, is conveniently formed by inwardly directed ends (20) of an otherwise generally U shaped carrying handle 22.

As an alternative, or an addition to, the U shaped carrying handle (22) a narrow slot (26) can be provided at each end, these slots being carefully dimensioned not to be large enough to allow entry by sparrows, tits etc.

In order to assist the housewife in knowing whether or not milk has been delivered, one or more apertures may be provided in the sides of the container and these are specifically shown in this embodiemnt to be two vertical slots 23 in each side, again dimensioned not to allow entry of birds into the container as a whole.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the container is provided with a base (25) and this may have corner feet 27 and one or more upstanding ribs, for example as shown at (28), to provide for location of the milk bottles. These ribs may be conveniently be integrally formed as a small cross, as viewed in plan, in the centre of the base.

Whilst the design shown is basically of a simple nature, considerable care has been exercised in its design, particularly to faciiitate one handed operation during insertion and removal of a milk bottle.

Thus, as shown, the structure as a whole is such that a standard milk bottle is only just cleared by the hinging movement of the two flaps of the lid during the movement between the closed position of Figure 2 to the open position of Figure 3. Thus the locus of the lower edge of the inwardly moving flap of the lid only just clears the top of the milk bottle. By this arrangement, on delivering a milk bottle, it is firstly possible by single-handed operation for the bottle itself to be used to tilt the flap from the Figure 2 position to the Figure 3 position, and thereafter the bottle can be inserted downwardly to its fully inserted position, and at this time the knuckles of the hand of the milkman inserting the bottle will be positioned in the general area just above the bottle and adjacent the opened lid. In this way the knuckles can hold the lid open during this movement, and the lid does not tend to close on the wrist as it is inserted as would be the case if the whole structure were deeper. The same criteria apply if one considers the removal of empty bottles by the milkman, or full bottles by the housewife. In this case, an otherwise empty hand can be inserted downwardly with the back of the hand opening the lid to the position of Figure 3, so that the fingers and thumb can then grip the neck of the bottle and remove it. At first the lid is held open by the back of the hand or the knuckles, and thereafter by the bottle itself, as it is removed. Naturally, as the bottle is fully removed (or for that matter inserted), the lid will automaticaliy close by gravity to the position of Figure 2.

Claims (10)

1. A door-step milk bottle container having upstanding side wails which together define an upwardly facing aperture through which one or more milk bottles can be inserted and removed, and a hinged closure for the aperture which is capable of being opened by the use of one hand on inserting a milk bottle into the container, and which is capable of swinging closed gravitationally.

2. A door-step milk bottle container having a main portion thereof which is of such internal height that it can closely receive a standard pintsized milk bottle or milk bottles and, above the space for containing the milk bottle or bottles, a hinged closure which is opened by a downwardly and inwardly directed movement of a portion of the closure which has a locus only slightly above a milk bottle or bottles when in the container.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2 whioh is so dimensioned and proportioned that the knuckles of a hand gripping a bottle during its insertion into the container can continue to maintain the lid open during the final inserting movement of the bottle by the use of one hand.

4. A container as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3 in which the closure is of swing type having a pair of oppositely sloping sides which extend downwardly and outwardly from an apex region, that apex region providing a hinge axis between the closure and the remainder of the container.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4 in which the body of the container is formed by a front, a back, and two ends, each of the ends being of gable form generally to conform to the slope of the sides of the closure, with a hinge being provided between the closure and the upper portions of the gable ends.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5 which, in plan, is of generally square cross section in order to accommodate four standard milk bottles, in two rows of two, and the closure hinges about a horizontal axis positioned generally in a vertical plane which would pass between the two rows of milk bottles.

7. A container as claimed in claim 5 including handles, for carrying the container, in the form of slots in upper regions of the ends of the container.

8. A container as claimed in claim 6 including a separate hinged carrying handle which is formed to provide hinge elements between the closure and the main portion.

9. A container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims having side walls at least one of which is provided with one or more apertures, for example vertical slits, through which full bottles of milk can readily be seen.

10. A door-step milk bottle container substantially as specifically described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.