GB2263101A - Stackable containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A stackable produce container has an integral hollow handle 8 extending part way across its width or length. Similarly oriented such containers can be nested within one another, with the upper parts of the handles 8 of lower containers being housed within the walls of the handles 8 of upper containers, while containers oriented 180 DEG out of phase may be stacked. <IMAGE>

Description

STACKABLE CONTAINERS This invention relates to stackable containers, particularly for fruit or other produce.

When fruit etc. is being picked, the containers for it are conveyed to the orchard or other source in a nested stack, to reduce bulk and wasted space. When each container has been filled to an extent such that no fruit etc. extends above the plane of the top of the container, it is placed on a lower container in a non-nested manner, but with its weight borne thereby, to form a taller stack. This means that each container has to be sufficiently strong for its walls to bear the weight of an agreed maximum number of superposed filled containers without collapsing. To this end, it is known to form the walls of such containers with hollow internal ribs which terminate in upper support surfaces. The plan view of such a container is usually asymmetrical.When the containers are all oriented in the same way, they can be nested, with the ribs of a lower container coming to rest within the backs of the ribs of the container nested in it, with the inner walls of the lower container in contact with the outer walls of the upper container.

When the orientation of the upper container is reversed, that is to say that it is turned through 1800, at least three ribs in two opposite walls come out of alignment with the ribs of the lower container. This results in the base of the upper container coming to be supported on the tops of at least three ribs in the lower container.

Although the ribs are asymmetrical, it is not immediately obvious from an inspection of a side of a container what its orientation is.

The present invention aims at providing a container of which the orientation is indicated clearly by external examination, without the provision of ribs projecting into the interior of the container, thereby increasing the usable capacity.

Accordingly the present invention provides a stackable produce container having an integral handle, in which the walls of the container slope outwardly from the base, and the surfaces of the handle slope inwardly from the base, whereby one container may nest within a lower like container, and have another like container nest within it to form a stack of nested containers, and in which the container is asymmetrical about a median plane of the handle normal to the base of the container, whereby when a container is removed from its nested position, rotated through 1800 in the plane of its base, and re-positioned with the handles aligned, the base of the upper container comes to rest on the walls of the lower container.

The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of container of the present invention; Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view from beneath of the container shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the container shown in the other drawings, and Figure 5 is a side view, part in section and part in elevation, of two alternative containers of the present invention in their stacked position.

The container 2 shown in the drawings is made by a moulding process from a suitable plastics material, such as polyethylene. The container has side walls 4; end walls 6; an integral handle 8, and a base 10 which, as shown in broken lines in Figure 1, slopes downwardly from the end walls 6 to the base of handle 8. Although the side walls 4 are substantially identical with each other, the same is not true of the end walls. Whereas the end wall shown on the left-hand side, as viewed in Figure 1, is plain, that shown on the right-hand side of the same Figure has in it a large rib 20 which tapers inwardly from the base 10 to web 12 to provide a finger hold.

At least the side walls 4, if not also at least one end wall 6, has in it a series of parallel upright slots 11.

These are uniformly spaced form the median plane of the handle, so that whether the containers are nested or stacked, the slots 11 are aligned with each other to ventilate the container interiors.

As can be seen most clearly from Figures 2 and 3, each of the four corners of the container is chamfered, as it were. Whereas the two corners on the right-hand side as viewed in Figures 2 and 3 are chamfered only a little, to remove any projecting sharp corners, those on the lefthand side are chamfered to a significantly-greater extent. They are arranged so that when the container shown in Figure 2, for example, is turned through 1800 in the plane of the drawing, the bottom of the shallowchamfered corners 14 come to rest on triangular support surfaces 18 provided by the more-chamfered corners. At the same time, the middle of the base of the plain end wall 6 comes to rest on a lip provided by the rib 20 which ends in the finger hold 12.In this way, each container, when correctly oriented alternately for being stacked when full, has its base supported at three points lying in the same plane, which is a very stable formation.

As can be seen from Figures 1 to 4, the handle 8 comprises two inwardly tapering walls 22 dividing the interior of the container into two substantially-equal volumes. The walls 22 are connected together at the sides and the top of the handle, to form a mechanicallystrong construction by which the weight of the loaded container may be easily carried. To facilitate this, as shown in particular in Figure 4, each wall 22 is pierced adjacent the top of the handle 8 to provide openings 24 for the fingers of the person carrying the container.

Because of the basically hollow construction of the handle, when the containers are to be stacked in their minimum-volume condition, with all the containers oriented in the same direction, the upper part of each handle 8 comes to lie within the space provided at the wider lower end of the handle of the container nesting in it. This nesting of the handles gives great lateral stability to the stack of containers whether in their nested or loaded states.

Although the container shown in the drawings has a handle extending across its width, it is within the present invention for the handle to retain its dimensions as shown but to be oriented so that it extends along the length of the container. This would result in a container of which the side elevation would be similar to the end elevation of Figure 4, but with different proportions.

Before the containers are stacked, a separator sheet (not shown) may be placed on the top of each container. The sheet should have in it an aperture matching the respective envelope of the handle, so that the grip part of each handle projects above the sheet.

In addition to the base 10 of the container sloping from both end faces to the centre, each base is also provided with a series of stiffening ribs. Along the axis of symmetry of the container is a major rib 26 extending from the centre of an end wall to the wall 22 of the handle. The stiffening provided by this rib is reinforced by two smaller diagonal ribs 28 positioned in each half of the container. The surface of the base between the ribs themselves, and between the ribs and the side walls, is pierced by a parallel longitudinal slots 30 acting as drainage ports and allowing air to flow in and out of the container, thus preventing it from becoming musty.

In that embodiment shown in Figure 5, the handle 8 is of asymmetric construction. Whereas one wall 32 is planar, the other wall 34 is of cranked cross-section, to provide a step 36 extending across most of the width of the container. When the upper container is in its staked orientation, the corner at the base of wall 32 of the upper container rests on the step 36. In this way, the weight of each container above the bottom one in a stack is borne at the three areas discussed above in connection with the Figures 1 to 4 embodiment, and across the centre of its width, leading to an even-stronger construction.

The corner is forced to rest on the step by the base of the respective end wall 6 coming to be nested within the upper rim 38 of the lower container.

Thus the present invention provides a stackable container of simple construction and with an integral handle which can be easily nested with like containers when empty, and can form a stable stack of filled containers.

Claims (10)

1. A stackable produce container having an integral handle, in which the walls of the container slope outwardly from the base, and the surfaces of the handle slope inwardly from the base, whereby one container may nest within a lower like container, and have another like container nest within it to form a stack of nested containers, and in which the container is asymmetrical about a median plane of the handle normal to the base of the container, whereby when a container is moved from its nested position, rotated through 1800 in the plane of its base and re-positioned with the handles aligned, the base of the upper container comes to rest on the walls of the lower container.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, in which the container is substantially rectangular in plan; in which the corners of the container on one side of the handle present support areas for the bases of the corners of the other side of the container, and in which the end wall of the said other side presents a step on which the base of the end wall of the said one side can rest.

3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which the handle is of asymmetrical construction, presenting a step extending at least part way across the width or length of the container, a corner formed by a wall of the handle meeting the base of a container when stacked being adapted to rest on the step of the container immediately beneath it.

4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the base of the container has integral stiffener ribs formed therein.

5. A container as claimed in claim 4, in which there are two sets of ribs meeting at the centre of the base, one set extending along the axis of symmetry of the container, and the other set extending diagonally thereto.

6. A container as claimed in claim 4 or 5, in which the base of the container between the ribs and the bases of the walls is provided with sets of parallel drainage slots.

7. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the internal volume of the container is divided into two substantially-equal volumes by walls which extend from the base of the container upwardly and across the width to define a handle of hollow construction with the top of one handle being able to be nested within the interior of the handle of a like container nested within it or stacked on it.

8. A container as claimed in claim 7, in which the walls of the handle at their top ends are pierced to provide finger openings.

9. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, in which at least the side walls thereof have in them a series of parallel upright ventilation slots.

10. A stackable produce container substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 to 4 or Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.