GB2220196A

GB2220196A - Stacking device for bottles

Info

Publication number: GB2220196A
Application number: GB8914916A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen LOFTUS
Original assignee: MCKECHNIE CONSUMER PROD
Current assignee: MCKECHNIE CONSUMER PROD
Priority date: 1988-07-02
Filing date: 1989-06-29
Publication date: 1990-01-04
Anticipated expiration: 2009-06-29
Also published as: GB8914916D0; GB2220196B; GB8815789D0

Abstract

A stacking device, especially for plastics material bottles, comprises a tray on or in the undersurface of which are provided a plurality of cup shaped members with recesses 20 each of which is adapted to accommodate and is shaped complementary to a bottle to be supported on the next below tray. The cup shaped members are preferably arranged in rows and may be formed integrally with the tray which has a peripheral upstanding wall 16, (Figure 2). Alternatively the cup shaped members are formed as recesses in a lower sheet member 30 which is provided at its perimeter with an upwardly directedly divergent wall 32 joining to the tray peripheral wall at step 34, separate support surface 14 being located and fixed to the step and having protrusions 38 to locate the extremities of the cup members. <IMAGE>

Description

Improvements in or relating to Stacking Aids The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to stacking aids, especially but not exclusive stacking aids for use with thin walled plastics materials containers.

There is an increasing trend to replace glass bottles with disposable plastics containers and, especially where the bottles contain non carbonated liquid, they are generally less rigid and less capable of supporting a top load than glass bottles. At present plastics bottles, known as Poly-Bottles usually holding milk, are supplied to supermarkets in cages with intregal shelves. As these containers are primarily a low cost alternative to the existing glass milk bottle/carton the design is inherently weak and therefore it is not possible to stack them more than two high (with the use of a cardboard divider between layers), without the neck and body of the container collapsing under the weight of the upper layers. Additionally the bottle caps, being of light weight construction are prone to leaking.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a stacking aid which enables relatively non-rigid containers to be stacked in several layers.

According to the present invention there is provided a stacking aid including an upwardly directed surface adapted to receive the bases of one or more containers thereon and, beneath the said surface, a plurality of cup members each defining a downwardly directed recess the configuration of which generally conforms to the configuration of the upper portion of a container of a lower layer to be accommodated therein.

Preferably the aid comprises a tray defining the said upper surface and upstanding flanges at the periphery of said tray.

Preferably the tray is rectangular.

Preferably the cup members are arranged in rows. A cup member of one row may be arranged alongside a cup member(s) of the neighbouring row(s). Alternatively the rows of cup members may be staggered with respect to each other.

Preferably the tray and cup members are f-ormed intregally from relatively rigid plastics material.

In a modification the cup members may be provided by recesses formed in a base member, the base member being bounded bygenerally upstanding peripheral walls.

Preferably the upstanding peripheral walls have an outwardly directed step defining on their inner surfaces an upwardly directed ledge at which a tray defining said upwardly directed surface may be arranged.

Preferably the walls beneath the said step and are downwardly converging such that one aid can stack within another similar aid when in the non-use condition.

Preferably the cups are so arranged that when a stacking aid is supported on a plurality of containers at least part of the upstanding walls of the containers are in mutual contact.

An embodiment of the present invention will now described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIG 1 shows an assembly of two stacking aids and a plurality of containers, FIG 2 shows an isometric view of the underside of the stacking aid, FIG 3 shows two modified stacking aids in use, with the upper aid being shown in cross-section; and FIG 4 shows a further modified stacking aid in cross section.

In FIG 1 there is illustrated two stacking aids 10 (shown in full lines) in use with an arrangement of relatively flimsy plastic containers 12 for containing, for example, milk, the containers ( shown in dotted lines) having handles 13. Each aid comprises a generally rectangular rigid sheet 14 defining an upwardly directed support surface for containers and having upstanding walls 16 around its periphery. On the underside of each tray 14 there is provided a plurality of cup members 18 each of which has a downwardly facing recess which is so shaped that the internal surface of the recess corresponds very closely to the external surface of the upper regions of the container the recess has to embrace in use.In the present example the recess has an upper substantially cylindrical portion 20 to surround the container cap, and outwardly flared skirt 22 to surround the upper shoulders of the container and an extension 24 to accommodate the handle 13 of the container.

As shown in FIG 2 the cups (18) are arranged in rows, each having the same orientation. They can however have random orientation and random disposition but it is preferable that they are so located that in use the upstanding walls of the containers 12, or at least parts of those walls, are in mutual contact to provide a rigid pack comprising the containers and two stacking aids. For this reason it will be appreciated that the upstanding flanges 16 are located so that they embrace the outer periphery of the container layer at the base of the outer containers.

It will apparent from FIG 1 that in use the lower tray is in ground engagement with the lower surfaces of the cups in contact with the floor.

With the present invention the load supported by an upper tray is spread more uniformly around the tops of the containers in the lower layer and therefore greatly improves the containers' stacking ability. Experiments have shown that this stacking ability is increased at least three or four times. In addition the close fit of a cup with the upper regions of the containers restricts the tendency for a container to begin to buckle under load by physically holding it in shape.

In the present invention the stacking aids have been designed for manufacture in plastics material by injection moulding but they could be manufactured in several components as illustrated, for example, by the modification shown in FIG 3 in which components similar to those illustrated in FIGS 1 and 2 have been given similar reference numerals.

In this modification the cups 18 are formed as recesses in a lower sheet member 30 which is provided at its perimeter with upwardly divergent walls 32 which are joined to the tray walls 16 at an outwardly extending step (34). The support surface 14 is formed by a separate sheet like member 36 and is located within and fixed to the walls 32 at the step 34, the lower surface of the member 36 being provided with circular protrusions 38 to accomodate and locate the extremities of the cup members 18.

It will be realised that stacking aids of this nature when not in use can rest one within the other to reduce storage and transportation dimensions.

FIG 4 shows a further modficiation, similar to FIG 3, but in which the containers have no handles 13 whereby the cups sections 18 are symetrical about their central access.

Further modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention, for example, the stacking aids could be manufactured from materials other than plastics material and could be manufactured by any suitable mass production technique. They can bear product names, trade marks, prices etc, especially on the upstanding walls 16.

The upstanding walls 16 can be extended upwardly so that in use their top edge abuts the underside of the next above stacking aid or is closely spaced from it. This improves stability but it will be realised that the weight of an upper stacking aid and its load of bottles is still supported or predominantly supported by the bottles on the lower aid.

Claims

1. A stacking aid including an upwardly directed surface adapted to receive the bases of one or more containers thereon and, beneath the said surface, a plurality of cup members each defining a downwardly directed recess the configuration of which generally conforms to the configuration of the upper portion of a container of a lower layer to be accommodated therein.

2. A stacking aid as claimed in Claim 1, in which the aid comprises a tray defining the said surface and upstanding flanges at the periphery of said tray.

3. A stacking aid as claimed in Claim 2, in which the tray is rectangular.

4. A stacking aid as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, in which the cup members are arranged in rows.

5. A stacking aid as claimed in Claim 4, in which a cup member of one row is arranged alongside a cup member of the neighbouring rows.

6. A stacking aid as claimed in Claim 4, in which the rows of cup members are staggered with respect to each other.

7. A stacking aid as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the surface and the cup members are formed integrally from relatively rigid plastics material.

8. A stacking aid as cliamed in Claim 1, in which the cup members are provided by recesses formed in a base member, the base member being bounded by generally upstanding peripheral walls.

9. A stacking aid as claimed in Claim 8 in which the upstanding peripheral walls have an outwardly directed step defining on their inner surfaces an upwardly directed ledge on which a tray defining said upwardly directed surface may be arranged.

10. A stacking aid as claimed in Claim 9, in which the walls beneath the said step and are downwardly converging such that one aid can aQ5t within another similar aid when in the non-use condition.

11. A stacking aid as claimed in any one of the preceeding claims in which the cups are so arranged that when a stacking aid is supported on a plurality of containers at least part of the upstanding walls of the containers are in mutual contact.

12. A stacking aid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed in the foregoing specification or claims and/or shown in the drawings, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.