GB2175882A

GB2175882A - Partition inserts for crates

Info

Publication number: GB2175882A
Application number: GB08513554A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Phillip David Gale
Original assignee: Lin Pac Mouldings Ltd
Current assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd
Priority date: 1985-05-29
Filing date: 1985-05-29
Publication date: 1986-12-10
Also published as: GB8513554D0; GB2175882B

Abstract

An insert for location on the floor of a partitionless crate is a one piece plastics moulding with hollow pillars 12 extending upwardly from a base 10 by which the insert sits on the floor of the crate. The pillars 12 define locations within the crate for the reception of bottles. Resilient brackets 16 are deflectable to engage with a wall of the crate for retaining the insert. Catches 26 extend downwardly from the base 10 and are engageable with the floor of the crate for retaining the insert. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Crate This invention relates to a partitionless crate for containers, for example a partitionless bottle crate.

A partitionless crate is light and easy to clean but has the disadvantage that if even only one container is left out of the crate, the remaining containers will distribute themselves in a pattern which precludes their removal by a standard de-crating head adapted to deal with a predetermined arrangement of containers.

The invention provides an insert for partitionless crates which has elements for locating containers positively within the crate. The insert can be removably located in a partitionless crate so that the crate can serve as a partitionless crate, with attendant advantages, if the insert is removed and can be used in the same way as a partitioned crate when the insert is in place. Compared with the cost of manufacturing a new crate mould (such crates are made by injection moulding plastics material) the manufacture of the present inserts can be carried out comparatively cheaply, even more cheaply than modifying a mould for a partitionless crate in order to introduce partitions.

According to the invention, an insert for a partitionless crate comprises a base for location on the floor of a partitionless crate, and locating elements upstanding from the base and serving for positive location of containers within the crate.

The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan of an insert according to the invention, Figure 2 is a section on the line A-A of Fig.

1, and Figure 3 is a cross section through a partitionless crate fitted with an insert according to the invention.

The insert shown in Fig. 1 is injection moulded of synthetic plastics material and comprises a flat base 10 formed with apertures 11 of various shapes which reduce the quantity of plastics material required to produce the insert and serve also to reduce its weight. The apertures are of such a size and so distributed that they do not detract unduly from the strength of the base and leave sufficient material in the base to support containers, in this case soft drinks bottles, thereon.

Upstanding from the base 10 and moulded in one piece therewith are locating elements constituted by hollow pillars 12. The hollow pillars 12 form an array of pillars arranged in a regular pattern of three equally spaced columns (horizontai in Fig. 1) and five rows (vertical in Fig. 1) equally spaced apart by the same distance as the columns. Any four adjacent pillars 12 are thus located at the four corners of a square.

The outermost pillars 12 of the array of pillars are inwardly spaced from the periphery 13 of the base 10 by a distance equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the pillars in the array. The spacing of the pillars is such that a soft drinks bottle will nestle between any four pillars in the array or between any two of the outermost pillars of the array and an adjacent wall of a crate, when such wall is contiguous to the periphery of the base of the insert.

Each pillar 12 has the form of a hollow pin open through the base 10 and with an aperture 12a at the top. The pillars in each adjacent pair of pillars 12 are joined by a thin web 14 of plastics material and similar webs 14 extend from each outer pillar of the array to the periphery of the base 10 along the line of the associated column or line of pillars 12.

Where each outer web reaches the periphery of the base 10, except in four cases mentioned later, a tab 1 5 is upstanding from the periphery and is integral with the adjacent web 4 and the base 10. In each of the four exceptional cases mentioned above, a bracket 16, considerably taller than a tab 15, and with an outwardly projecting lip 1 7 at its upper end is integrally formed with the base 10 and associated web 14. When the insert is located in a suitable partitionless crate 18 (Fig. 3), each lip 17 is releasably engaged beneath an inwardly extending ridge 19 or 20 formed on a wall 21 or 22 of the crate 18.As indicated in broken lines at the left hand side of Fig. 3, each bracket 16 can be resiliently deflected inwardly to allow the corresponding lip 17 to clear the associated ridge 19 or 20 to allow the insert to be inserted in or removed from a crate 18.

The insert is also retained in a crate 18 by means of hook-like resilient catches 26 and 27 depending from the base 10 and positioned so that each extends, when the insert is located in a crate 18, through an aperture in the base 28 of the crate and has its hook portion engaged beneath the periphery of the aperture.

When the insert is located in a partitionless crate 10 retained by the lips 17 and catches 26 and 27, it provides positive location for soft drinks bottles, or other containers of suitable size, positioned between pillars 12 or between pillars 12 and the wall of the container.

The insert can be readily removed to enable the crate 18 to be used as a partitionless crate.

1. An insert for a partitionless crate comprises a base for location on the floor of a partitionless crate, and locating elements upstanding from the base and serving for posi

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Crate This invention relates to a partitionless crate for containers, for example a partitionless bottle crate. A partitionless crate is light and easy to clean but has the disadvantage that if even only one container is left out of the crate, the remaining containers will distribute themselves in a pattern which precludes their removal by a standard de-crating head adapted to deal with a predetermined arrangement of containers. The invention provides an insert for partitionless crates which has elements for locating containers positively within the crate. The insert can be removably located in a partitionless crate so that the crate can serve as a partitionless crate, with attendant advantages, if the insert is removed and can be used in the same way as a partitioned crate when the insert is in place. Compared with the cost of manufacturing a new crate mould (such crates are made by injection moulding plastics material) the manufacture of the present inserts can be carried out comparatively cheaply, even more cheaply than modifying a mould for a partitionless crate in order to introduce partitions. According to the invention, an insert for a partitionless crate comprises a base for location on the floor of a partitionless crate, and locating elements upstanding from the base and serving for positive location of containers within the crate. The invention will be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan of an insert according to the invention, Figure 2 is a section on the line A-A of Fig. 1, and Figure 3 is a cross section through a partitionless crate fitted with an insert according to the invention. The insert shown in Fig. 1 is injection moulded of synthetic plastics material and comprises a flat base 10 formed with apertures 11 of various shapes which reduce the quantity of plastics material required to produce the insert and serve also to reduce its weight. The apertures are of such a size and so distributed that they do not detract unduly from the strength of the base and leave sufficient material in the base to support containers, in this case soft drinks bottles, thereon. Upstanding from the base 10 and moulded in one piece therewith are locating elements constituted by hollow pillars 12. The hollow pillars 12 form an array of pillars arranged in a regular pattern of three equally spaced columns (horizontai in Fig. 1) and five rows (vertical in Fig. 1) equally spaced apart by the same distance as the columns. Any four adjacent pillars 12 are thus located at the four corners of a square. The outermost pillars 12 of the array of pillars are inwardly spaced from the periphery 13 of the base 10 by a distance equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the pillars in the array. The spacing of the pillars is such that a soft drinks bottle will nestle between any four pillars in the array or between any two of the outermost pillars of the array and an adjacent wall of a crate, when such wall is contiguous to the periphery of the base of the insert. Each pillar 12 has the form of a hollow pin open through the base 10 and with an aperture 12a at the top. The pillars in each adjacent pair of pillars 12 are joined by a thin web 14 of plastics material and similar webs 14 extend from each outer pillar of the array to the periphery of the base 10 along the line of the associated column or line of pillars 12. Where each outer web reaches the periphery of the base 10, except in four cases mentioned later, a tab 1 5 is upstanding from the periphery and is integral with the adjacent web 4 and the base 10. In each of the four exceptional cases mentioned above, a bracket 16, considerably taller than a tab 15, and with an outwardly projecting lip 1 7 at its upper end is integrally formed with the base 10 and associated web 14. When the insert is located in a suitable partitionless crate 18 (Fig. 3), each lip 17 is releasably engaged beneath an inwardly extending ridge 19 or 20 formed on a wall 21 or 22 of the crate 18.As indicated in broken lines at the left hand side of Fig. 3, each bracket 16 can be resiliently deflected inwardly to allow the corresponding lip 17 to clear the associated ridge 19 or 20 to allow the insert to be inserted in or removed from a crate 18. The insert is also retained in a crate 18 by means of hook-like resilient catches 26 and 27 depending from the base 10 and positioned so that each extends, when the insert is located in a crate 18, through an aperture in the base 28 of the crate and has its hook portion engaged beneath the periphery of the aperture. When the insert is located in a partitionless crate 10 retained by the lips 17 and catches 26 and 27, it provides positive location for soft drinks bottles, or other containers of suitable size, positioned between pillars 12 or between pillars 12 and the wall of the container. The insert can be readily removed to enable the crate 18 to be used as a partitionless crate. CLAIMS

1. An insert for a partitionless crate comprises a base for location on the floor of a partitionless crate, and locating elements upstanding from the base and serving for posi tive location of containers within the crate.

2. An insert as claimed in claim 1 and comprising a one piece plastics moulding.

3. An insert as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2 in which the locating elements comprise an array of pillars.

4. An insert as claimed in claim 3 in which the pillars are hollow and open through the base..

5. An insert as claimed in either claim 3 or claim 4 in which the pillars are disposed in a regular pattern of rows and columns.

6. An insert as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5 in which adjacent pillars are interconnected by webs upstanding from the base.

7. An insert as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and comprising retaining means for engaging with the partitionless crate during location of the insert therein to retain said insert.

8. An insert as claimed in claim 7 in which the retaining means comprises at least one bracket upstanding from the base at the periphery thereof and which bracket is resiliently deflectable on location of the insert within a partitionless crate for engaging with a wall of the crate.

9. An insert as claimed in either claim 7 or claim 8 in which the retaining means comprises at least one catch extending downwardly from the base for engaging within an aperture in the floor of the partitionless crate.

10. An insert for partitionless crates which has elements for locating containers positively within the crate.

11. An insert for a partitionless crate substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

12. The combination of an insert as claimed in any one of the preceding claims and a partitionless crate on the floor of which said insert is located.