WO1993025442A1

WO1993025442A1 - Stackable crate for accommodating bottles

Info

Publication number: WO1993025442A1
Application number: PCT/NL1993/000122
Authority: WO
Inventors: René LAHAYE
Original assignee: Wavin B.V.
Priority date: 1992-06-10
Filing date: 1993-06-08
Publication date: 1993-12-23
Also published as: AU4587993A; NL9201025A

Abstract

Stackable crate for accommodating bottles in compartments, comprising a bottom (6), an outside wall with at least an upper rim (7), partitions (2, 3, 5, 8) dividing the crate into the compartments, and pillars (1) situated on corner points of compartments, is characterised in that the pillars extend from the bottom side to the top side of the crate, and at least one pillar is provided with a bearing face (10) at the top side and a supporting face at the bottom side. The outside wall of the crate preferably comprises a rim (4) extending essentially near the bottom side of the crate in a vertical plane all the way around the crate, which may be provided with reinforcement ribs, and the rim (4) has a U-shaped cross section, of which the open side faces the bottom side of the crate.

Description

Stackable crate for accommodating bottles.

The invention relates to a stackable crate for accommodating bottles in compartments, comprising a bottom, an outside wall with at least an upper rim, partitions dividing the crate into the compartments, and pillars situ- ated on corner points of compartments.

Such a crate is known from Dutch Patent Application 9001437, which has been laid open for inspection, in the name of Heineken Technisch Beheer.

The crate disclosed therein is provided with a base, and with four side walls each having a horizontal upper edge and window apertures, and also with partitions which form a division into compartments for the bottles to be accommodated. Due to the fact that window apertures are provided, the labels of the bottles are partially visible, with the result that the same crate can be used in succession for bottles with differing contents, without a bottle having to be removed from the crate each time in order to permit reading of the label, or an indication of the product having to be present on the crate to show what is in the crate.

The crate has on the upper edges of the outside walls bearing faces on which crates placed on top can rest. Transverse partitions project inwards from the top part of the outside walls and extend to the bottom side of the crate. Forces exerted on the outside walls by crates placed on top are transmitted vertically along said partitions, so that, viewed in the vertical direction of the crate, the line formed by the centres of gravity of the vertical force transmission lies staggered inwards relative to the forces exerted on the upper edges of the outside wall. The partitions are thus effectively involved in supporting and transmitting stacking forces. The inward displacement of the forces transmission line causes a bending moment to occur in the partitions. The crate described in Patent Application 9001437 also has window apertures at the corner points, in order to make the bottles more visible, or increase the so-called "display value". The provision of pillar-type corner supports could be dispensed with, because it appears that when the crates are stacked in formation the specific pressure points in the stack in each case lie at a distance from the corner points. Pillar-type elements are situated between the compartments intended for the bottles, but they do not extend to the top side of the crate. The object of the invention is then to provide a crate according to the preamble with a lower weight and a further increased display effect.

For this purpose, the invention provides for a crate in which the pillars extend from the bottom side to the top side of the crate, and at least one pillar is provided with a bearing face at the top side and a supporting face at the bottom side. In this way the outside walls can be virtually open, through the fact that they do not have to transmit any vertical forces. This saves weight and increases the display effect. Besides, the partitions are no longer loaded -with a moment, due to the fact that the force transmission is directly through the pillar-type elements.

The load formed by the bottles is also transmitted directly to the adjacent pillars, instead of to the sometimes far-away outside wall, which also permits a saving in material.

In an advantageous embodiment, in order to protect the bottles and hold them in place, the outside wall of the crate has near the bottom side of the crate a rim extending essentially in a vertical plane all the way around the crate, which rim may or may not be provided with reinforcement ribs. In this case, for the benefit of the injection moulding, it is advantageous to design the rim with a U-shaped cross-section, the open side of which faces the bottom side of the crate.

The upper rim advantageously extends essentially in a vertical plane, in -such a way that it prevents bottles from falling out or being removed through the outside wall.

For further embodiments reference is made to the sub-claims. The invention is now explained in greater detail with reference to the appended drawing, in which an advantageous embodiment of a crate according to the invention is shown, in perspective view.

The crate can accommodate twelve bottles in the same number of compartments, between which six pillar-type elements 1 are situated, extending from the bottom side of the crate to the top side. The innermost compartments are bounded laterally by pillar-type elements 1, partition parts 2, 5 lying in the bottom part of the crate, and by partition parts 3, 8 lying in the top part of the crate; the outermost compartments are also bounded by an outside wall part 4 extending along the bottom part of the crate, and by partition parts 5 which are connected thereto and extend up to and are connected to the pillar-type elements 1.

Grid-type bottom parts 6, extending between the side boundaries of the compartments, are situated at the bottom sides of the compartments.

At the top side of the crate is a second outside wall part 7, which derives its rigidity from a U-shaped cross-section and serves to prevent the bottles from falling laterally out of the crate, and to offer protection from damage. The second outside wall part 7 is connected by partition parts 8 to the pillar-type elements l and at both short sides of the crate has a grip 9 for carrying. The bottles can be placed in the crate from the top, and the outermost bottles are for the most part visible from the side_'s, through the fact that hardly any outside wall is present. Nevertheless, the crates can be stacked on top of one another, through the fact that bearing faces 10 are provided at the top side of the pillar-type elements 1, and supporting faces (not shown) , which can rest on the ground or on the bearing faces of a crate lower down, are provided at the bottom sides thereof, as a result of which the forces to be transmitted are directed entirely vertically through the pillar-type elements 1, and not through the outside wall.

An embodiment which is not shown comprises approxi¬ mately at the level of the centre of the crate an addi¬ tional wall part with U-shaped cross-section, which is connected by means of partitions to the pillar-type elements 1, and which serves to provide more protection for bottles placed in the crate.

Claims

1. Stackable crate for accommodating bottles in compartments, comprising a bottom (6) , an outside wall with at least an upper rim (7), partitions (2, 3, 5, 8) dividing the crate into the compartments, and pillars (1) situated on corner points of compartments, characterised in that the pillars extend from the bottom side to the top side of the crate, and at least one pillar is provided with a bearing face (10) at the top side and a supporting face at the bottom side.

2. Stackable crate according to claim 1, characterised in that the outside wall of the crate has near the bottom side of the crate a rim (4) extending essentially in a vertical plane all the way around the crate, which rim may or may not be provided with reinforcement ribs.

3. Stackable crate according to claim 2, characterised in that the rim (4) has a U-shaped cross-section, t'.e open side of which faces the bottom side of the crate.

4. Stackable crate according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the upper rim (7) extends essentially in a vertical plane, in such a way that it pre¬ vents bottles from falling out or being removed through the outside wall.

5. Stackable crate according to claim 4, characterised in that the upper rim (7) is connected to at least one pillar (1) by at least one partition (8) .

6. Stackable crate according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that at least one pillar (1) is accommodated in the outside wall, between two adjacent compartments.

7. Stackable crate according to claim 6, characterised in that each pillar (1) in the outside wall has such a periphery that together with an adjacent pillar of an adjacent crate it forms one pillar, with a periphery which is essentially identical to that of the pillars enclosed by compartments in one crate.

8. Stackable crate according to claim 7, characterised in that each partition comprises two partition parts (2, 3, 5, 8), of which the first partition part (2, 5) is situated in the bottom part of the crate, and the second partition part (3, 8) is situated in the top part of the crate.

9. Stackable crate according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the crate outside wall has a rim near the centre part of the crate, extending essen- tially in a vertical plane all the way around the crate, which rim may or may not be provided with reinforcement ribs.

10. Stackable crate according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the compartments are arranged in three rows of four., and six pillar-type elements (1) , each enclosed by four compartments, are provided.

11. Stackable crate according to claim 10, characterised in that a pillar-type element is accommodated in each of the outside walls adjoining the two outermost of the three rows, between the first and second and between the third and fourth compartments in said rows, each pillar-type element in the outside wall having such a periphery that together with an adjacent pillar-type element of an adjacent crate it forms a pillar-type element with a periphery which is essentially identical to that of the pillar-type elements situated between four adjacent compartments.

12. Stackable crate according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the pillar-type elements are at least partially hollow.

13. Stackable crate according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the bottom (6) of the crate is formed by an open structure.

14. Stackable crate according to claim 13, characterised in that the open structure consists of a grid in the form of a cross and a circle, the centre points of which coincide, and the circle of which is intended for supporting the bottom of a bottle.

15. Stackable crate according to claim 14, characterised in that the open structure consists of an annular element which is intended for supporting the bottom of a bottle, and of arms extending radially from the annular element to the side boundaries.