WO2007110309A1

WO2007110309A1 - Protection and transport container for bottles

Info

Publication number: WO2007110309A1
Application number: PCT/EP2007/052194
Authority: WO
Inventors: Franco Solari
Original assignee: Gi Erre Plastica S.R.L.
Priority date: 2006-03-27
Filing date: 2007-03-08
Publication date: 2007-10-04
Also published as: ES2352329T3; ITMI20060566A1; ATE480463T1; DE602007009073D1; EP2007636A1; EP2007636B1

Abstract

The protection and transport container (1 ) for bottles (5) comprises a casing (2) containing bottle retention means. The retention means comprise first seats (3) in which supports (4) for the bottles (5) are removably housed. The container also presents a plurality of bottle (5) protection elements (7) arranged to deaden impacts in all regions of the casing (2).

Description

PROTECTION AND TRANSPORT CONTAINER FOR BOTTLES

The present invention relates to a protection and transport container for bottles. Liquid products (in particular quality products such as oil or wine) are known to be packaged and marketed in glass bottles.

Individual bottles or small groups of bottles have often to be despatched, for example by wine merchants or retailers who sell and then despatch products to customers possibly located in towns or localities different from their own, or by wholesalers who need to despatch samples of their products to possible purchasers.

When bottles (filled with liquid products) have to be despatched, wooden or cardboard boxes are currently used containing straw or air cushions or bubble film in which the bottles are wrapped.

These boxes, when suitably closed, are despatched by post or courier.

Traditional boxes however present numerous drawbacks, mainly related to the very high risk of bottle breakage due to box impact or falls. In addition to resulting in loss of the liquid product, this can have disastrous consequences for letters, packets or documents which may have been despatched together with the box containing the bottles which have broken.

Moreover the need to prepare the bottles one by one (by wrapping them in bubble film or suitably laying them in straw or air cushions) requires numerous operators and considerable time for preparing the boxes to be despatched; this results in very high costs associated with their despatch. The technical aim of the present invention is therefore to provide a container by which the stated technical drawbacks of the known art are eliminated.

Within the scope of this technical aim an object of the invention is to provide a container which enables bottles to be despatched with very small risk of breakage (by impact or falls).

Another object of the invention is to provide a container which enables bottles to be packaged (to prepare them for despatch) very quickly and with a reduced labour requirement. A further object of the invention is to provide a container by which the costs associated with bottle despatch and transport are limited.

The technical aim, together with these and further objects, are attained according to the present invention by a bottle protection and transport container in accordance with claim 1. Other characteristics of the present invention are defined in the subsequent claims.

Advantageously, the container of the invention has a very small overall volume; this enables stacking, handling and storage operations to be simplified and rendered economic. Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the container of the invention, illustrated by way of non- limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation view of a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the interior of a casing shell of the container of Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of an end of the container of Figure

1 ; Figure 4 shows a support inserted into the container of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 5 shows the casing of the container of Figure 1 open and housing the supports retaining a bottle.

With reference to said figures, these show a bottle protection and transport container, indicated overall by the reference numeral 1.

The container 1 comprises an outer casing 2 which contains bottle retention means comprising first seats 3 in which supports 4 for the bottles 5 are removably (i.e. demountably) housed.

The container 1 also presents a plurality of protection elements 7 for the bottles 5, to deaden impacts in all regions of the casing 2.

The first seats 3 are disposed at opposite ends of the casing 2, at each end of the casing 2 there being preferably provided a plurality of first seats (two in the example shown in the figures), so that bottles 5 of different height can be retained by positioning the supports 4 for the bottles 5 in different first seats 3.

At the first seats 3, stops 8 are provided projecting towards the interior of the casing 2 and insertable into recesses 9 in the supports 4.

The first seats 3 are defined by transverse grooves in the casing 2, the supports 4 correspondingly presenting guides 11 (defined by an outwardly projecting edge extending along the entire perimeter of the supports 4) insertable into the grooves. The supports 4 have a body defining two recessed second seats 15, 16 for receiving the base and/or the mouth of a bottle 5.

Advantageously, the seat 15 (for retaining the base of a bottle) presents projections 17 to make contact with and retain the bottles, at the projections 17 the seats 15 presenting notches 18 realised at the base of the seat 15 in correspondence with the projections 17, to facilitate deformation of the projections 17 and their adaptation to the diameter of the bottles 5.

The second seat 15 also presents in its lateral surface 19 a plurality of lateral notches 20 facilitating its deformability and adaptability to bottles of different diameter.

The seat 16 presents characteristics similar to those of the seat 15 however, in the example shown in the figures, it is without the notches 18.

The protection elements 7 comprise a plurality of absorbers disposed on the walls of the casing 2.

In a preferred embodiment of the container the casing 2 is formed as a plastic blister, the absorbers 7 being defined by ribs formed on the blister along its lateral faces and by widened regions spaced from the supports 4 at the two ends of the container 1 ; in the same manner the supports 4 are also in the form of a plastic blister.

Between the ribs the blister presents regions 7a which make direct contact with the bottles to ensure their retention.

Preferably, the blisters defining the casing 2 are in the form of two identical shells and the supports 4 are mutually identical. The container 1 presents closure means for the blister shells comprising apertures 23 provided through the blister for the insertion of straps or clips 24; advantageously the apertures 23 are provided in those blister regions intended to make direct contact with the bottles 5 so that the clips or straps 24 close onto a rigid element formed by the bottle 5 itself. The container 1 also presents first male/female elements 25 in internal facing regions of the shells of the casing 2 to facilitate the casing 2 closure, and second male/female elements 26 in external regions of the shells of the casing 2 to facilitate stacking of the casings 2 one on another. The operation of the container 1 of the invention is apparent from that described and illustrated, and is substantially as follows.

When bottles 5 are to be despatched, their base and mouth are inserted into the seats 15 and 16 respectively, then the supports 4 are inserted into the grooves 3; the casing 2 is then closed; finally the straps or clips are applied (by passing them through the apertures 23).

At this point the container 1 can be despatched with very low risk of bottle breakage as the bottles are tightly secured to the casing 2 by the straps, the internal shape of the casing and the ribs which extend along its entire body enabling any impact to be absorbed, whatever the direction in which it acts.

It has been found in practice that the container of the invention is particularly advantageous as it enables bottles containing liquid products to be despatched with very low risk of bottle breakage.

The container conceived in this manner is susceptible to numerous modifications and variants, all falling within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover all details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements.

In practice the materials used and the dimensions can be chosen at will according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Claims

1. A protection and transport container for bottles, comprising a casing containing bottle retention means, characterised in that the retention means comprise first seats in which supports for the bottles are removably housed, said container also presenting a plurality of bottle protection elements arranged to deaden impacts in all regions of the casing.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1 , characterised in that the first seats are disposed at opposite ends of the casing.

3. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that a plurality of first seats are provided at each end of the casing, so that bottles of different height can be retained by housing the supports of the bottles in different first seats.

4. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that at said first seats, stops are provided projecting towards the interior of the casing and insertable into recesses in said supports.

5. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said first seats are defined by transverse grooves in said casing, said supports presenting guides insertable into said grooves.

6. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said supports have a body defining at least a second recessed seat for receiving the base and/or the mouth of a bottle.

7. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second seat presents projections arranged to make contact with and retain the bottles.

8. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that at the projections said supports present notches to facilitate deformation of the projections and their adaptation to the diameter of the bottles.

9. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said notches are provided in the base of the second seats, in correspondence with the projecting portions.

10. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said second seats present in their lateral surface a plurality of lateral notches facilitating their deformability and adaptability to bottles of different diameter.

11. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that each support presents at least a second seat for housing the base of a bottle and a second seat for housing the mouth of a bottle.

12.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said protection elements comprise a plurality of absorbers disposed on the casing walls.

13.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the casing is formed as a plastic blister, said absorbers being defined by ribs formed on said blister.

14. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that between said ribs said blister presents regions arranged to make direct contact with the bottles.

15.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the supports are formed as plastic blisters.

16.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said blister defining the casing presents two identical shells.

17.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by presenting closure means for said blister shells.

18.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said closure means comprise apertures formed in said blister for the insertion of straps or clips.

19.A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that said apertures are provided in blister regions intended to make direct contact with the bottles.

20. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by presenting first male/female elements in internal facing regions of the casing shells to facilitate casing closure.

21. A container as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, characterised by presenting second male/female elements in external regions of the casing shells to facilitate stacking of the casings one on another.