WO1984003072A1

WO1984003072A1 - Shelf element for rolling cart

Info

Publication number: WO1984003072A1
Application number: PCT/FI1984/000017
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jari Suominen
Original assignee: Elopak Oy
Priority date: 1983-02-09
Filing date: 1984-02-09
Publication date: 1984-08-16
Also published as: GB2146592A; GB8424774D0

Abstract

The object of the shelf element is to make possible the filling of rolling carts made for container packages, especially the mechanical filling, with bottle packages. The shelf element can have a trough (1) situated in the middle of the shelf of the rolling cart, the sides (2) of which trough support the rows of bottles coming to each side. The trough (1) is at its front end provided with fastening means (3) placed underneath, for fastening to a shelf grate, and at its other end, that is its back end, provided with a transverse support (8) having fastening means (4), which are meant to be fastened to the back wall of the rolling cart, and spring means (9, 10, 11, 12) to receive the rows of bottles.

Description

Shelf Element for Rolling Cart

The present invention relates to a shelf element for a rolling cart. The rolling carts in use are usually designed for container packages, so that the containers fill exactly the whole width of the rolling cart. Besides container packages there are also used fairly often glass bottle packages, which it has not been possible to place on the same rolling cart.

The object of the invention is to provide a new shelf element that eliminates the above-mentioned disad- ventage.

The shelf element according to the invention is mainly characterized in that it comprises at least one longitudinal shelf element guide projecting from the level of the shelf element to support from the side the rows of bottles coming to each side.

The shelf element can preferably be made a separate part to be placed on a conventional shelf of a rolling cart, which part has means for fastening the shelf, where¬ by the element can have a trough placed in the middle of the shelf element, the sides of which trough function as guides and the width of which corresponds to one or two rows of bottles. In order to facilitate the centering of the trough, it is preferably provided at one end (the back end) with a transverse support, the width of which is essentially the same as the inner width of the rolling cart and which has e.g. hook-like means, which can be attached to the back wall of the rolling cart. At the front end the guide part is attached e.g. to a cross-wire of the shelf grate.

The front end, or front side, of the rolling cart (and the shelf element) is the one from which the rolling cart is filled andcorrespondingly emptied.

For bottle use, the above-described embodiment of the shelf element according to the invention, which embo- diment can be manufactured of metal profiles, is fastened on to a shelf grate of a rolling cart. The fastening does not demand the use of tools and most of the already exist¬ ing rolling carts are such to their construction that the 5 shelf element is suitable to be used in them and makes it possible to fill the rolling cart mechanically with bott¬ les.

Alternatively the guides can be fixedly mounted to the shelf, whereby the shelf element, for bottle use, can Tff be turned, so that the guides point upwards. Thanks to the guides the shelf does not have to be completely filled with bottles. To eliminate disturbing clinking it is pre¬ ferable to place spring means at the open end of the rows formed by the side supports, which means push the bottles .15 against the end wall of the rolling cart.

In the following the invention is described refe — ringto the enclosed drawing.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a preferable example of an embodiment of the shelf element seen from the side, from 20 above and from the end.

Figures 4, 5 and 6 show a rolling cart seen from the side, from the front and from above, respectively. Figures 7 and 8 show the securing of the shelf element to a shelf grate. 25 Figure 9 shows a detail of Figure 7.

Figure 10 shows a rolling cart seen from the side with shelf elements according to another preferable embodi¬ ment.

Figures 11, 12 and 13 show a shelf element seen 30 from above, from the side and as a section along the line A-A of Figure 1 , respectively.

Figure 14 shows schematically a spring means, which can be arranged to the front of the shelf element.

The embodiment of the shelf element according to 35 Figures 1 to 3 comprises a trough 1 in the direction of a shelf of a rolling cart, the width of which trough corres¬ ponds to one row of bottles and the sides 2 of which func- tion as guides for the rows of bottles. At the front end the trough 1 is provided with hook-like parts 3 placed underneath, which are meant to be fastened to a cross- wire 20 of the grate. Figures 6, 7 and 8. At the back end the trough is provided with a transverse support structure which, in the example on the drawing, is a framework of profiled tubes 5, 6, 7 and 8. To the upper transverse support 8 of the framework there are mounted hook-like parts 4, which are meant to be fastened to a cross-wire or cross-support 21 of the back wall framework 15 of the rolling cart. Figures 7 and 8. To the transverse support 8 there are furthermore secured roughly U-shaped spring means 9 on both sides of the trough 1. Each spring 9 re¬ ceives with the help of its arms 10 and 11 two rows of bottles, which stay tightly together during transportati¬ on. The ends 12 of the arms bent in a V-shape reach into the trough 1 and receive in their turn elastically the row of bottles coming into the trough.

The rolling cart 13 shown in Figures 4 to 6 is known as such. Its side wall frameworks are designated 14, back wall framework 15, shelf grates 16 and their side supports 17. The grates 16 have joints 18 and 19, which make it possible to fold the grates backwards; Figure 4. Reference number 20 denotes a cross-wire of the grate near to the back wall of the rolling cart and 22 denotes a corresponding support wire in the side wall of the roll¬ ing cart.

The fastening of the shelf element to the grate 16 appears from Figures 7 and- 8. The grate 16 is lifted somewhat at the joint 19, so that the hook-like parts 3 can grip the cross-wire 20 of the grate. After this the grate 16 with its shelf element is let down, whereby the hook-like parts 4 grip the cross-support 21. Naturally it could be contemplated to place the hook-like parts 3 right at the front end of the trough 1 , whereby the securing of the trough to the frontermost cross-wire of the grate . would be easier, but the way of fastening according to Figures 7 and 8 is thus more preferable in that the shelf element stays more securely fastened to the ^"shelf grate.

For example, the rolling milk carts in use have usually five rows and the shelf element shown in Figures 1 to 3 as well as in 7 and 8 is meant for such rolling carts. The trough 1 receives one row of bottles and bet¬ ween the sides 2 and the sidewall supports 22 of the roll¬ ing cart there will be two rows of bottles in each; the mechanical filling of two rows of bottles supported from the outside is possible with present means. If the rolling cart would have four rows, one central guide would be enough, if the rolling cart would have six rows, the trough 1 would be made for two rows. By combining troughs with one and two rows the shelf element can be made suitable for whatever amount of rows.

The rolling cart according to Figure 10 has two side walls 31 , a firm end wall joining these as well as a front wall, with the help of which the side walls turnable outwards at the hinges 34 can be locked. The rolling cart has several shelf elements 32 made into grates, which ele¬ ments are removable and on one side of which there are longitudinal guides 33 projecting from the level of the grate. By turning the grate 32 so that the guides point upwares, the rolling cart can be filled with glass bottles. The grates 32 are provided with hinges 35, which are situated closer to the end wall of the rolling cart and the hinges 34 of the side walls 31 , so that the turn- able part of the grates can be locked to the part turned upwards in the immobile part of the side walls with the help of both locking devices 40. :τhese locking devices are not shown in detail on the drawing, to realize them in practice should, however, not be difficult for a person skilled in the art.

The turnable part of the grates 32 rests on a L- profile 36, the immobile part in its turn is pushed at its edges into U-profiles 37. If required, an openable locking device can furthermore be mounted in connection.

OMPI with the end wall of the rolling cart to secure the grates, which locking device is not shown on the drawing.

It is preferable to place spring means operating towards the end wall of the rolling cart at the open end of the rows formed by the guides 33 in order to press the bottles tightly against each other and thus eliminate the disturbing clinking. One solution hereto is outlined in Figure 4. It comprises a cross-shaft 38 and coil springs 39 set hereto at the end of the rows of bottles. Naturally also other solutions can be thought of.

The invention is not limited only to the embodiment shown on the drawing. Instead of the flat guides 2 and 3, e.g. suitably bent grate wires can be used.

OMPI

Claims

Claims :

1. A shelf element for a rolling cart, c h a r a c¬ t e r i z e d in that it comprises at least one longitudi- nal shelf element guide (2, 23) projecting from the level of the shelf element to support from the side the rows of bottles coming to each side.

2. A shelf element accordning to claim 1 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d, in that it is made a separate part (1 ) to be placed on a conventional shelf of a rolling cart, which part has means (3, 4) for fastening the shelf.

3. A shelf element according to claim 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that it comprises a trough with a flat bottom, the sides (2) of which function as guides for the rows of bottles and the inner width of which is atleast essentially the same as the width of the bott¬ les placed on the rolling cart or two times as wide.

4. A shelf element according to claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that to one end of the trough a transverse support (5 to 8) measuring the inner width of the rolling cart is attached in. order to facilitate the centering of the trough as regards the shelf element.

5. A shelf element according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the transverse support is provided with hook-like means (4) to be fastened to a cross-wire (21) of the back wall of the rolling cart and that the trough at the end towards the front wall of the rolling cart is provided with at least one hook-like means (3) placed underneath to be fastened to a cross-wire (20) of the shelf element.

6. A shelf element according to claim 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that to the transverse sup¬ port (8) , on both sides of the trough, are mounted spring means (3) resembling at least roughly the letter U, the arms (10, 11) of which are arranged, elastically centering, to receive two rows of bottles.

OMPI

7. A shelf element according to claim 6, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the arms (11) of the spring means (9) towards the trough, are bent to reach into the trough in order to elastically receive the row of bottles coming to the trough.

8. A shelf element according to claims 4 and 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the transverse support is formed into a framework, which comprises a transverse part (5) at the level of the trough, two vertical parts (6, 7) and an upper transverse part (8), and that the hook-like means (4) for attaching to a cross-wire of the back wall of the rolling cart are in the upper transverse part (8) .

9. A shelf element according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that said at least one guide is mounted fixedly to the shelf and that the element com¬ prising the shelf and at least one guide is made removable and thus turnable.

10. A shelf element according to claim 9, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that there are several guides (33) over the whole width of the shelf (32) , at predeter¬ mined intervals.

11. A shelf element according to claim 10, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that at the open end of the rows formed by the guides are arragned spring means acting towards the end wall.

12. A shelf element according to calim 11, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the spring means are formed by coil springs that are mounted to a shaft extend- ing in front of the open end of the rows formed by the guides.

13. A shelf element according to any one of claims 9 to 12 for such a rolling cart, where the side walls of the rolling cart are provided with hinges placed at a distance from the end wall of the rolling cart, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the shelf element is hinged to be turnable in its level at a point, which is situated closer to the end wall of the rolling cart than the hinges of the side walls, and that the stationary parts of the side walls are provided with retaining means in order to keep the turnable part of the shelf element in a upturned position.