GB2206864A

GB2206864A - Stackable containers

Info

Publication number: GB2206864A
Application number: GB08816048A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Maurice Verchere
Original assignee: Injectaplastic
Current assignee: Injectaplastic
Priority date: 1987-07-10
Filing date: 1988-07-06
Publication date: 1989-01-18
Anticipated expiration: 2008-07-06
Also published as: GB8816048D0; DE8808824U1; FR2617803B1; BE1007981A3; CH676454A5; IT8821562V0; ES1008137U; ES1008137Y; FR2617803A1; IT215188Z2; GB2206864B

Description

2 2' u 6 8 6 4 A PARALLELEPIPEDAL HANDLING AND STORAGE CONTAINER The

invention relates to a parallelepipedal container for handling and storage and comprising a rectangular bottom and four walls.

Known containers of this kind, which are open on top, usually have means at the bottom and top for stacking, i.e. for piling the containers so that the top of a first container receives the bottom of a second container piled on the first. The means comprise positioning meanshaving matching shapes on the top and bottom of the containers, the means being designed and disposed so that when two containers are piled, the means on the two containers interpenetrate.

These positioning means are very useful during handling, since this method can be used to pile containers in stable vertical stacks in which the piled containers are positioned relative to one another. However, when container.s are piled in this manner, it is impossible to gain access to the interior, since the open top of each container except the top container in the-stack is covered by the bottom of a container piled on top of it. it is therefore necessary to unstack the containers to gain access to.the interior.

The invention relates to a container which, while retaining the uses of conventional containers,. also enables a number of containers to be piled in a stable 1 stack in which the interior of each container is accessible. The invention also relates to containers which can be piled and juxtaposed to obtain variable stable storage assemblies.in which the interior of each container is accessible.

The parallelepipedal container according to the invention, which hasa bottom and.four walls, comprises external positioning means of matching shape on'at least two opposite walls and the tops and bottoms and disposed so that when two containers are superposed via the aforementioned walls, then the tops and bottoms of the containers are vertical, the aforementioned means on the two containers Lnterpenetrate and position the containers relative to one another.

Preferably the container according to" inmiticn can comprise external positioning means on its four sides. This enables the containers to be superposed on either one of their pair of walls, so that the containers can be superposed and juxtaposed to form storage assemblies comprising a number of juxtaposed stacks, each stack of containers being also positioned with respect to the neighbouring stack or stacks.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, containers are manufactured in at least two sizes, and two opposite walls of the large container have a length equal to an integral multiple of the length of two opposite walls of the small container. In that case, the two opposite walls of the large container comprise a 2 number of positioning means which is an integral multiple of the number of positioning means on the two opposite walls of the small container, so that the means 'for positioning the large container can cooperate with the aforementioned means for positioning a number of small containers juxtaposed with one another and stacked on the large container.

This method can be used to produce variable stable storage assemblies from containers having at least two different sizes.

Advantageously the means for positioning the container walls comprise male parts projecting from the walls and hollow female parts having a shape matching that of the male parts and surrounding them on all sides when two containers are superposed and the male parts engage in the female parts.

Preferably the male parts are formed on one wall and the female parts are formed on the opposite wall of at least one pair of opposite walls in each container. In this manner, containers can always be stacked with a wall having female parts facing the ground, so that the projecting male parts on the opposite wall face upwards and do not reduce the stability of the stack.

Alternatively at least one male part and one female part can be provided on each wall of a container. In that case the containers can be stacked on one another in either direction.

-Z The containers according to the invention can be constructed with thick or perforated or non-perforated walls. In a preferred embodiment, each container is moulded from a single piece of plastics with thin walls reinforced by external projecting ribs. In that case the male and female positioning means are moulded integrally with the walls in the form of projecting parts, the hollow female parts projecting from the walls at the same height as the ribs and the male parts projecting from the walls at a height greater than that of the ribs.

The male and female parts can have any shape in crosssection which ensures that each male part on a wall of a first container is surrounded on all sides by a female part of the adjacent wall of a second container superposed or juxtaposed with the first container. The parts can e.g. have a square or hexagonal or preferably circular shape. 9 A number of illustrative non-limitative embodiments of a container acciording to the invention will be now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the invention in a first embodiment; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the container in Fig. 1, in the plane of the positioning means provided on the container walls; Fig. 3 is a front view of a set of fixed containers superposed in pairs in three juxtaposed stacks; 4 Fig. 4 is a larger-scale section through the area of interpenetration of the means for positioning two superposed containers; Fig. 5 is a front view of a container comprising four positioning means on two opposite walls; Fig. 6 is a front view of a container having two opposite walls equal in length to half the length of the walls bearing four positioning means on the container in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 shows a set of a number of large containers according to Fig. 5 and two small containers according to Fig. 6, superposed and juxtaposed.

A parallelepipedal container 1 according to the invention as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises a flat bottom 2 and four walls 3, 4, 5 and 6 i.e. two opposite side walls 3, 4 and two opposite end walls 5, 6.

Container 1 is open at the top, where it has an external peripheral flange 7 projecting towards the exterior over walls 3, 4, 5, 6.

A corresponding external peripheral flange 8 is provided at the bottom of the container.

The two end walls 5, 6 eachlhave a hole 9 serving as a handle for gripping the container.

Two vertical ribs 10 are formed so as to project towards the exterior from each of the two side walls 3, 4, near the ends thereof. Correspondingly, two vertical ribs 11 projecting towards the exterior are formed on each end wall 5, 6 near the two ends thereof.

A horizontal peripheral rib 12 is formed externally on the four sides 3, 4, 5, 6 at a short distance below flange 7 and level with holes 9.

Flanges 7, 8 and ribs 10, 11, 12 all project for the same distance towards the exterior from the walls of container 1.

Also, walls 3, 4, 5, 6 are connected to one another via round portions.

At the intersection between each vertical rib 10 and the horizontal rib 12, wall 3 has a cylindrical hollow lug 13 projecting towards the exterior for a distance slightly greater than the height of flanges 7, 8 and of ribs 10 and 12. Wall 6 also has two studs 13 at the intersection between vertical ribs 11 and horizontal rib 12.

At the intersection between vertical ribs 10 and horizontal rib 12, wall 4 has two hollow cylindrical studs 14 projecting towards the exterior from wall 4 for a distance equal to the height of flanges 7, 8 and ribs 10, 12. Correspondingly, wall 5 has two studs 14 at the intersection between its vertical ribs 11 and the horizontal rib 12.

The internal diameter of studs 14 is slightly greater than the external diameter of studs 13 (see Fig. 3).

6 By means of studs 13 and 14, two containers 1 can be superposed "on edge,, so that the wall 4 of the top container 1 bears on the wall 3 of the bottom container 1 which in turn rests via wall 4 on the ground, the bottoms 2 of the containers being vertical and the openings in the two containers extending towards the same side, resulting in a stack which rests in stable manner flat on the ground, and in which the containers are exactly positioned relative to one another owing to the interpenetration of studs 13 and 14. Juxtaposed containers are not in contact via their walls but via flanges 7, 8 and ribs 10, 11, 12 projecting from their walls. Similarly, the bottom container rests on the ground via flanges 7, 8 and ribs 10, 12 of wall 4.

Correspondingly, when two containers 1 are juxtaposed lion edge" with their walls 4 facing the ground, the studs 13, 14 on walls 6, 5 interpenetrate so as to position the two containers relative to one another (see Fig. 3).

of course the same positioning effect can be obtained when two containers 1 are vertically superposed "on edge" so that wall 5 and studs 14 of the top container bears on the wall 6 and studs 13 of the bottom container which rests on the ground via its wall 5 and studs 14, and when two containers are juxtaposed via their walls 3 and 4.

7 Fig. 5 shows another embodiment of a container la according to the invention. d.iffering from the container 1 in Figs. 1 to 4 in that wall 4. on either side of its longitudinal centre. has two additional vertical ribs 10, with an additional stud 14 at the intersection between each additional rib 10 and the horizontal rib 12. Correspondingly. the opposite wall 3 has two additional vertical ribs and two additional studs 13.

Fig. 6 shows a container which differs from the container in Fig. 5 in that its two opposite walls 3, 4 have a length equal to half the length of walls 3, 4 of container la in Fig. 4. The container in Fig. 6 has two studs 13 on wall 3 and two studs 14 on wall 4.

Walls 5 and 6 correspond to walls 5 and 6 of container la in Fig. 5 and have two studs 14 and two studs 13 respectively.

The between-centres distance between the two studs 14 on wall 4 of container lb in Fig. 5 is equal to the betweencentres distance between the studs 14. 14a in the two pairs of studs on wall 3 la in Fig. 4.

It is therefore possible, as shown in Fig. 7. e.g. to superpose two containers lb "on edge,' as in Fig. 6. juxtaposed with a container la as per Fig. 5, so that the two studs 14 on wall 4 of each container 1b engage two studs 13 on wall 3 of container la, and studs 13 on. wall 6 of one container lb engage the studs 14 on wall 5 of the other container lb.

Containers according to the invention. which can have perforated or solid walls and bottoms, can be made from all plastics conventionally used for manufacturing this kind of articles, e.g. polypropylene. polystyrene 8 or polyethylene. The container walls can be smooth internally or ribbed in order to divide the internal space by removable partitions. Alternatively partitions can be directly moulded with the containers, e.g. in order to define places for holding bottles.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 5 and 6, the container bottoms 2 advantageously have a peripheral flange 15 recessed from the container walls so that two containers can also be stacked in conventional manner, i.e. superposed with their bottoms disposed horizontally, when the bottom flanges 15 on the top containers engage in the tops of the bottom containers, thus positioning the containers relative to one another.

projecting downwards, the flange being slightly Alternatively, the container bottoms can be formed with holes in conventional manner, e.g. for securing rollers.

The handle holes 9, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1, has an external peripheral flange similar to rib'12.

Note also that numerous modifications and variants of the embodiments shown and described are possible within the scope of the invention. For example, each container wall may also comprise studs near the bottom, in order to obtain four positioning means disposed at the four corners of a rectangle, e.g. on each wall of the container in Fig. 1.

9 Also, containers can be manufactured with thick walls without flanges or ribs, in which case the female studs 14 will be replaced by holes in the walls.

Alternatively, e.g. in the case of the container in Fig. 6, each wall 4 and 5 on the one hand and 3 and 6 on the other hand can be provided with a single positioning means extending from one stud (14, 13) to-the other, and corresponding positioning means can be provided on the container in Fig. 5, as shown by chain lines. These positioning means, which will be similar to the flanges surrounding holes 9, serve as handles and increase the rigidity of the container walls.

The cylindrical shape of studs 13, 14 may be replaced by a different shape, e.g. square or hexagonal. The only essential is that the projecting male studs must be able to engage in the female studs or that the female studs surround the male studs preferably on all sides.

Finally, instead of a single kind of studs on each wall, it would be possible e.g. to provide both kinds of studs of each wall, e.g. a male stud 13 at one end and a female stud 14 at the other end of each wall 3, 4, 5, 6 of the container in Fig. 1. In that case, wall 3 will be identical with wall 4, and wall 5 will be identical with wall 6. In that case, two containers can be superposed "on edge" in either direction, in contrast to the containers shown. On the other hand in that case, a male stud will project from each wall, and this may reduce the stability of a stack of superposed containers. In the embodiments shown, the stability of a stack of containers is perfect provided that the lowest container in the stack rests on the ground via the wall 4 or wall 5 bearing the female studs, i.e. not projecting from the wall in question (or rather from flanges 7, 8 and ribs 10, 11, 12).

Claims

Claims: - 1. A set of parallelepipedal containers for use in handling and storage and made of moulded plastics, each having a base and four walls, at least two facing walls of the container being formed with external positioning means of matching shape, designed and disposed so that when two containers are superposed via the aforementioned walls, the positioning means of the two containers interpenetrate when the container bottoms are vertical and the.container interiors are accessible, the positioning means comprising male and female parts having a shape matching that of the male parts and surrounding the male parts od all sides when two containers are superposed and the male parts engage in the female parts, the set being characterised in that it comprises containers (la,lb) in at least two sizes, two facing walls (3,4) of the large container(la)having a length equal to an integral multiple of the lengths of two facing. walls (3,4) of the small container (1b),and the aforementioned two walls (3,4) of the large container la comprise a number of positioning means which is an integral multiple of the number of positioning means on the aforementioned two walls(3,4) of the small container (1b).

1 12

2. A set according to claim 1, in which the containers are moul-ded with thin walls reinforced by external projecting ribs, characterised in that the positioning parts (13, Ware.moulded integrally with the walls in the form of projections therefrom, the female parts(Wprojecting for the same distance as the ribs (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) and the male parts03) projecting from the walls at a greater height than the ribs.

3. A set according to claim 2, characterised in that the male parts03)are provided on one wall (3 or 6) and the female parts (14) are provided on the facing wall (4 or 5) of at le.ast one pair of facing walls (3, 4, 5, 6) of each container.

4. A set according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the positioning means (13, 14) ar circular and the two facing walls (3, 4) of the small container (1b) have at least two positioning means.

5. A set according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the positioning means (13, 14) are non-circular and the two facing walls (3, 4) of the small container (1b) each have a single positioning means.

P ublished 1985 at Ilie, Pate.= Ofille. State House. 6671 High HC,.born, London WC1R 4TP Further copies may be obtained from The Patent Office, Siles Brarcb. St Mary Cray. Orpington..ent BR5 3RD. Trinted by Multiplex schniqjes ltd. St Mary Cray, Kent. Con. 1187.