A crate

Abstract: A crate (10) has a thin-walled body (12) defining a cavity for receiving a plurality of containers and a base (16) on which the containers can be supported. The crate also has a crate insert (14) located wholly or substantially wholly in the cavity of the body. The insert provides a spacer arrangement (14.1) suitably above the floor of the body for separating containers in the crate from one another in normal use. The crate insert has load-bearing pillars for forming part of a composite load bearing pillar (14.2) construction with pillars of lower and/or higher crates of a substantially identical construction when the crate is located in a stack of crates. The insert may be secured to the crate body by locating formations (32).

Description: This invention relates to crates. The applicant has previously developed a crate having a body with a cavity for receiving a plurality of containers and with a floor structure on which the containers can be supported; and also having a crate insert providing a spacer arrangement located in the cavity of the body above the floor of the body for separating containers in the crate. The crate body was made as a relatively thin-walled body of plastics material, which could flex excessively if it alone was used for carrying containers. Partitions or webs provided in the lower part of the crate would not always stabilize the body sufficiently in normal use and the spacer arrangement was suitably rigid to restrain excessive flexing of the crate when carrying full containers. The body and crate insert were provided with complementary formations for enabling the crate insert to be secured to the body at various locations for further strengthening the crate. However, the crate was found to lack the stacking capabilities which were at times required for substantial stacks of crates. The applicant, however, wished to avoid partitions from the floor to the top of the crate and dividing the crate into individual compartments because of the usually high material content of those partitions. The applicant became aware of other crates with inserts but these did not appear to provide the stacking characteristics, ease of manufacture. and light weight body construction required by the applicant. Examples of these crates are shown in U.S.A. specifications 2 512 855, 3 368 709, 3 643 812, 2 535 113, 3 762 594, 2 574 983, 3 160 306, 3 752 385 and 4 190 172 and German OS 2 312 871. Also in EP-A-0322142 a two-part crate is disclosed consisting of a crate body having a base and an integral flexible wall structure upstanding from the base, the base and flexible wall structure defining a cavity into which is inserted a rigid moulded insert which divides the interior of the crate into a plurality of compartments for receiving the individual containers to be transported in the crate, and which also provides a plurality of pillars which act as stiffeners for the flexible walls of the crate. Complementary formations are provided inside the flexible wall structure and on the stiffening pillars of the insert to provide a positive connection between the pillars and the flexible side walls of the crate. In that case, however, the crate is so designed, that when stacked one on top of the other, the base of each crate actually rests on the tops or the necks of the containers in the crate below; in other words, that design of crate relies on the containers themselves to provide the necessary vertical support for the crate above, rather than the crate itself providing that vertical support. In contrast, in accordance with the present invention, the crate body and the crate insert are so designed that when they are stacked one on top of the other, vertical support for the stack is not provided by the containers but by the pillars of the insert. For this purpose, within each crate, the pillars on the insert extend substantially the whole of the vertical height of the flexible wall structure, with the foot of each pillar being supported on a platform moulded into the body of the crate a small distance above the floor of the crate. Externally, the moulded base of the crate body is provided with moulded recesses aligned with those support platforms, so that when the crates are stacked one on top of the other those recesses and support platforms are engaged from below by the upper ends of the support pillars on the crate insert of each subjacent crate. Thus, when the crates are stacked vertical support throughout the whole height of the stack is provided by those aligned pillars, not by the containers. Various preferred features and embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of non-limiting example. The spacer arrangement of the crate insert, i.e. the arrangement of webs which divide the interior of the crate into individual compartments, may be located in the upper half of the crate and may alone, or together with the body, define openings for receiving containers. Where the openings are defined by both the body and the insert, the crate insert will border only part of any opening. However, where openings are provided completely by the spacer arrangement, the spacer arrangement may be designed to completely encircle the containers in those openings. It will be appreciated that the crate may be particularly suited for receiving containers in the form of bottles. If the crate body is made as a relatively thin-walled body of plastics material, the body may flex excessively if it is used alone for carrying containers. Partitions or webs provided in the lower part of the crate may not stabilize the body sufficiently in normal use. A suitable crate insert can be suitably rigid to restrain excessive flexing of the body when the crate is carrying full containers even if it is also of a relatively thin-walled plastic material. For this purpose, the crate insert may be shaped so that, where it extends from one wall of the crate body to another, it is reinforced to provide the body with suitable support against flexing. The body and the crate insert may be provided with complementary formations for enabling the crate insert to be secured to the body at various locations for further strengthening the crate. These formations can also serve to locate the load bearing pillars. For example, the load-bearing pillars may be designed to extend over a substantial part of the height of the body and the body may have formations for engaging or locating formations on the pillars at least in the upper and lower regions of the crate, and possibly up substantially the whole of the height of the pillars, to locate the pillars with respect to the body. The pillars may rest on the floor of the body, in which case the floor may have support zones which help to locate the insert with respect to the body and support the pillars. These support zones may also be designed to rest on top of pillars of subjacent crates to enable the pillars to serve their purpose of at least partly carrying higher crates. Alternatively, the body and insert may have locating formations capable of retaining the insert at a particular position in the crate with the bottoms of the pillars exposed through openings in the crate so that they can engage pillars of a subjacent crate and be supported when the crate is stacked on the subjacent crate. The pillars, optionally with certain parts of the body, may thus provide the pillar constructions and form supporting columns for carrying higher crates when the crate is stacked with other crates. The floor of the crate may be part of a base including suitable web formations for inhibiting sagging of the base. An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which Figure 1 is a very basic three-dimensional representation of a symmetrically constructed crate according to one embodiment of the invention, no detail being shown; Figure 2 is a side elevation of a body of the crate of Figure 1 with the right hand side of the crate shown in cross-section on line II-II in Figure 4. Figure 3 is an end elevation of the body of the crate with the right hand side of the crate shown in cross-section on III-III in Figure 4; Figure 4 is a plan and underplan view of one embodiment of the body with the bottom side showing an underplan view of half of the crate and the upper side showing a plan view of half of the crate; Figure 5 is a half plan view of one embodiment of a crate insert of the crate; Figure 6 is a side elevation of the crate insert with the right hand side shown in cross-section VI-VI in Figure 5; Figure 7 is a half plan view showing the insert located and secured in the body of the crate; Figure 8 is a side elevation showing the insert located and secured in the body of the crate with the right hand side of the Figure being a cross-section on line VIII-VIII in Figure 7; Figure 9 is an end elevation of the crate with the right hand side of the crate being a cross-section on line IX-IX in Figure 7. Referring to the drawings in more detail, a bottle crate 10 comprises a one part moulded plastic body 12 and a one part moulded plastic crate insert 14. The body 12 has a base 16 providing floor surfaces 18 on a floor 22 for supporting bottles located in the crate. The floor 22 is a substantially flat floor connected to a peripheral wall structure 24 of the body by a peripheral inclined connecting strip 26. At uniformly spaced locations 26.1 the connecting strip 26 is recessed so that support zones in the form of flat platforms 22.1 are formed above the floor 22 at predetermined locations around the periphery of the body. The base is provided with webs 20 forming a honeycomblike grid integral with the floor and the wall structure 24. The grid serves to inhibit sagging of the base and also serves to separate the bottoms of bottles received in the crate. The peripheral wall 24 is substantially rectangular in plan view and comprises end walls 24.1 and side walls 24.2 connected by rounded corners. Openings are formed in the walls to reduce the mass of the body. In addition, hand grip openings 30 are provided in the end walls 24.1 to enable the crate to be lifted. The body is provided with locating formations 28 above the platforms 22.1. These locating formations comprise pairs of parallel L-shaped ribs 28.1 extending upwardly away from the platforms with the ribs of each pair having inwardly directed flanges 28.2 so that grooves 28,3 are defined between the wall 24 and the flanges. These grooves extend over substantially the whole height of the body above the platforms 22.1 except in the region of the hand grip openings 30. where one of the ribs is terminated at the bottom of the hand grip opening. It will be seen that the body is thus a one-part moulded unit and it may be relatively thin-walled. However, as the walls of the crate area made primarily from a single layer of plastics material, the body may flex excessively when used to carry full bottles. It is therefore desirable to strengthen the crate. It is also necessary to enable the crate to be stacked and to support higher crates in a stack. In addition, it is also desirable to make provision for keeping the upper parts of the bottles apart. For these purposes, the crate insert 14 is used. The crate insert has a spacer arrangement 14.1 and pillars 14.2, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. The pillars are provided with locating formations 32 extending up the height of the pillars. Each of these locating formations 32 is provided by forming a pair of vertically extending grooves 32.1 in and at the opposite sides of the respective pillar. This creates two outwardly directed grooves on opposite sides of each pillar as shown in Figure 5. Where the pillars which fit against the end walls 24.1 border the hand grip openings 30, the pillars are partly omitted at 32.3, as shown in Figures 5 and 9, so that the grooves 32.1 to fit beneath the hand grip openings are relatively short. The pillars 14.2 are hollow pillars closed at their upper ends by platforms 32.4 (and 32.5 in the case of the pillar parts beneath the hand grip openings) and internally reinforced by webs 34. The platforms 32.4 and 32.5 have been omitted in Figure 7 so that the grooves 32.1 and webs can be seen. The crate insert 14 is designed to be located in the cavity of the body as shown in Figures 7 to 9. The ribs 28.1 of formations in the body and grooves 32.1 of formations 32 in the pillars 14.2 serve for connecting the body and insert to one another. The formations thus serve as complementary formations to locate and releasably secure the crate insert with respect to the body. A flat hand grip panel 36 extends between those pillars which are located on opposite sides of the hand grip openings 30 in the end walls 24.1. The panel contains an opening which is slightly smaller than the hand grip opening 30 and has a peripheral rim 36.1 which fits snugly into the hand grip opening at each end of the crate insert to further locate the insert. When the crate insert is properly located in the body in the manner described above the bottom of each pillar 14.2 rests on a respective platform 22.1 of the body to support the pillar. The top of each pillar is located so that the upper surface of the platforms 32.4 of the pillars are level with the top of the body. To enable each pillar to sit securely on a respective platform 22.1, each pillar has a lower part 14.4 of reduced cross-sectional area and the body is provided with sockets 22.2 to receive and locate the lower parts 14.4 of the pillars. The arrangement is therefore such that when the crate is stacked on another similar crate and supports a higher crate, the base of the higher crate fits into the upper part of lower crate with the connecting strip 26 encircled by the upper part of the wall 24 of the lower crate. The platforms 22.1 of the higher crate rest on platforms 32.4 of the pillars of the lower crate. In the same way, the platforms 22.1 of the lower crate can rest on the platforms 32.4 of the pillars 14.1 of a subjacent crate. The pillars and platforms of the stacked crates thus form a composite load bearing pillar construction in the form of load bearing columns enabling lower crates to support higher crates in the stack. Because of the way in which the insert is constructed and located, the spacer arrangement 14.1 of the crate is located in the upper part of the cavity provided by the crate body and is therefore suitably above the floor of the body for keeping the upper parts of bottles in the crate separated from one another. In this regard, it will be seen that in some places the crate insert and the walls of the body jointly define openings into which bottles can fit. Elsewhere, the crate insert has circular openings for receiving and encircling bottles. In order to provide the crate insert with suitable strength for supporting the body against excessive flexing, the insert is provided throughout a substantial part of its structure with an inverted generally concave V-shaped cross-section having a grid of strengthening webs 40. As the crate insert securely engages the formations 28 and is supported by the pillars 14.1 suitable construction of the crate insert can provide the crate with considerable rigidity. This is achieved without the need for a heavy body construction which can use up considerably more material. Crate bodies of a particular size and shape can be used with a range of inserts so that different bottles or other containers can be transported.

Claims: A crate having a body (12) which defines a cavity for receiving a plurality of containers which are to be transported in said crate, said body (12) having a base (16) providing a floor surface (18) internally of the crate body and upon which the containers stand when loaded into the crate and an upstanding wall structure (24) integral with and surrounding said base, and a crate insert (14) insertable into the crate body (12), said insert providing a spacer arrangement (14.1) which divides the said cavity, above the level of said floor surface (18), into a plurality of compartments thereby to separate the containers, when loaded into the crate, one from the other, said crate insert (14) also providing a plurality of pillars (14.2) which, when the crate insert (14) is inserted in the crate body (12), extend vertically therein with respect to the floor surface (18) of the crate body (12), characterised in that: i) said pillars (14.2) are rigid load-bearing structures which extend substantially the full vertical height of the crate body (12); ii) that, when the crate insert (14) is inserted in the crate body (12), the foot of those load-bearing pillars are supported by raised platforms (22.1) formed in the base (16) of the crate body (12) above the level of the floor surface (18); iii) that the base (16) of the crate body (12) is provided with external, downwardly opening recesses (26.1) aligned with each of the said platforms (22.1), so that when the crates are stacked one on top of the other, the upper ends of the load bearing pillars (14.2) on each crate insert (14) engage into the said recesses (26.1) formed in the body (12) of the superposed crate, and against the underside of the support platforms (22.1) in that superposed crate, thereby to provide load-bearing structures extending throughout the vertical height of the stack and consisting substantially of the superimposed, longitudinally aligned load-supporting pillars (14.2) of each individual crate insert. A crate according to claim 1, wherein the spacer arrangement (14.1) of the crate insert (14) is located in the upper half of the crate cavity and alone or together with the wall structure (24) of the body (12) defines the compartments for the said containers. A crate according to claims 1 or 2 wherein the wall structure (24) of the crate body (12) is a flexible structure of thin plastics material, and wherein the pillars (14.2) of the crate insert (14) engage against the walls of the crate to support the walls of the crate against flexing. A crate according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the crate body (12) and the crate insert (14) are provided with complementary formations (28, 32) for positively locating the crate insert inside the crate body. A crate according to claim 4 wherein the complementary formations (28, 32) comprise formations (28) on the inside walls of the crate body which are engageable with complementary formations (32) on the pillars (14.2) of the crate insert (14) at least in the upper and lower regions of the crate. A crate according to claim 5, wherein the said formations (28, 32) engage one another over substantially the whole vertical height of the pillars (14.2) and of the walls of the crate body (12). A crate according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the crate body (12) has hand grip openings (30) and the crate insert (14) has parts (36.1) which fit snugly into the hand grip openings (30) to further locate the insert inside the crate body. A crate according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the platforms (22.1) inside the crate body (12) which support the foot of the load-bearing pillars (14.1) of the crate insert (14) have sockets (22.2) formed therein, which sockets receive and positively locate the foot of each respective load-bearing pillar (14.1).

Inventors: WARWICK MICHAEL JAMES, WARWICK, MICHAEL JAMES
Applicants: TEKNOL HOLDINGS INC, TEKNOL HOLDINGS INC.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B65D1
IPC codes: B65D1, B65D21