CRATE WITH DISPLAY PANEL DECORATION

Abstract: A crate (20) for carrying articles such as bottles is furnished with a detachable display panel (10) on one or more of its sides or end walls (22). The wall is formed with a plurality of locking apertures (a1, a2, a3, a4) spaced apart and a plurality of grooves (g1, g2), and each of the locking apertures receives one of a group of corresponding locking tabs (12, 14, 16, 18) provided on the display panel. Each of the grooves receives an edge (s1, s2) of the display panel which is thereby detachably connected to the side and/or end wall.

Description: CRATE WITH DISPLAY PANEL DECORATION This invention relates to a crate for carrying articles, for example bottles, which is furnished with a detachable display panel on one or more of its sides or end walls. Such panels are useful for brand identification purposes, advertising and for carrying other data relevant to the crated products and can be readily detached and replaced as the circumstances dictate. A problem associated with such display panels at present on the market, is that when they become wet, they bend and no longer provide a useful display. This invention seeks to overcome or mitigate this problem. One aspect of the present invention provides a crate to carry articles, for example bottles, in which at least one of the side or end walls of the crate carries a display panel detachably connected to said wall and wherein said wall is formed with a plurality of locking apertures spaced apart and a plurality of grooves, each of said locking apertures receives one of a group of corresponding locking tabs provided on the display panel and wherein each of said grooves receives an edge of the display panel which is thereby detachably connected to said side and/or end wall. In one feature of this aspect of the invention, said locking tabs may protrude from opposing sides of a rectilinear display panel, said tabs positioned along one side not being in the same plane as tabs along the opposing side. In another feature, each of said grooves may be connected to a lip on its outer surface said lip may be adapted to guide said display panel into position. In yet another feature, the grooves and/or the locking apertures may be positioned so that the display panel is maintained in a substantially flat relationship against said side and/or end wall. In a further feature of this aspect of the invention, the locking tabs may be located along upper and lower edges of the display panel each facing away from said display panel. In another feature, each of said grooves is positioned to support the side edges of the display panel. In another feature, the locking tabs located along the lower edges of the display panel may protrude a greater distance than the locking tabs located along the upper edges of the display panel thereby enabling the lower edge tabs to be maintained in their respective locking apertures when the locking tabs protruding from the upper edges are located in their corresponding apertures. Another aspect of the invention provides a crate to carry articles for example bottles, in which at least one of the side or end walls of the crate is formed with a plurality of locking apertures and grooves each of said locking apertures is adapted to receive one of a group of locking tabs provided on a display panel and each of said grooves is adapted to receive an edge of the display panel which is thereby detachably connectable to said side or end wall. Another aspect of the invention provides a method for detachably connecting a display panel to at least one of the side or end walls of a crate used to carry articles for example bottles, wherein the blank is bent to compress the side edges, and the lower edge is then pushed into a face to face relationship with the crate wall until lower tabs are engaged with corresponding apertures, lips formed from the outer surface of a plurality of grooves then act as guides to assist in slotting side edges into their respective grooves, until the upper edge tabs are brought into contact with their respective apertures when they are locked into position. Another aspect of the invention provides a crate to carry articles such as bottles in which at least one of the side and/or end walls of the crate has a recessed area to receive a detachable display panel and means provided at or by edges of the recessed area to retain the panel therein said retention means including a lip at each of two opposed edges of the recessed area provided by wall portions of the crate. Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- FIGURE 1 is an elevated view of a crate and a paperboard display panel to be fastened to the side and/or end walls of a plastics crate. FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of a plastics crate incorporating locking apertures for detachably affixing a display panel and grooves for supporting the side edges of the display panel; FIGURE 3 is an end elevation of a plastics crate shown in Figure 2. FIGURE 4 is a sectional view (X-X) of the crate shown in Figure 2. FIGURE 5 is a sectional view (Z-Z) of the crate shown in Figure 2. FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view of the crate and display panel. FIGURE 7 is a top view of one embodiment of the crate. FIGURE 8 is an enlarged view of a section of the crate as shown in Figure 7. FIGURE 9 is an enlarged view of a section of the crate as indicated in Figure 7. FIGURE 10 is an enlarged view of a section of the crate as indicated in Figure 7. FIGURE 11 is a sectional view (D-D) of the crate shown in Figure 7. FIGURE 12 is a section view (A-A) of the crate shown in Figure 7. FIGURE 13 is a sectional view (B-B) of the crate shown in Figure 7. FIGURE 14 is a sectional view (C-C) of the crate shown in Figure 3. FIGURE 15 is a sectional view (E-E) of the crate shown in Figure 3. FIGURE 16 is a side view of another embodiment of the crate. FIGURE 17 is an end elevation of the crate shown in Figure 16. FIGURE 18 is a sectional view (X-X) of the crate shown in Figure 16. FIGURE 19 is a sectional view (Y-Y) of the crate shown in Figure 16. FIGURE 20 is a side view of another embodiment. FIGURE 21 is an end elevation of the crate illustrated in Figure 20. FIGURE 22 is a sectional view (X-X) of the embodiment shown in Figure 20. FIGURE 23 is a sectional view (Z-Z) of the embodiment shown in Figure 20. FIGURE 24 is a sectional view (Y-Y) of an embodiment illustrated in Figure 20. FIGURE 25 is a side view of another embodiment of the crate. FIGURE 26 is an end elevation of the crate illustrated in Figure 25. FIGURE 27 is a sectional view (X-X) of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 25. FIGURE 28 is a sectional view (Y-Y) of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 25. FIGURE 29 is a sectional view (Z-Z) of the embodiment illustrated in Figure 25. Referring to Figure 1, a rectilinear blank 10 of paperboard or other suitable material for forming a display panel is formed with locking tabs 12,14,16,18 protruding from upper and lower edges of the blank. The locking tabs are of known form. Illustrated in Figure 2 iε a plastics bottle crate 20 which has in one or more of its end and/or side walls 22, a caved section 23 to receive the blank 10. Caved section 23 contains four locking apertures al, a2 , a3 , a4 spaced apart so that they can receive locking tabs 12, 14, 16, 18 respectively. The sides and/or shape of the display panel can be varied according to particular requirements. The selection of the position and number of locking tabs on the blank can also be varied to enable the blank to be positioned in a face to face relationship with the caved section panel 24. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the distance dl between tabs positioned on the lower edge of the blank 10 is greater than the distance d2 between tabs located along the upper edge of blank 10. One benefit of this feature is that it assists in minimising carton bending, once the display panel is in use. The side edges of the display panel are positioned within grooves gl, g2 located within the caved section, as shown in Figure 2. The grooves maintain the display panel in a flat relationship within the caved section and assist in minimising amount of display panel bending, once in use. The display panel is attached to one or more of the crate sides or end walls, by bending the carton and using lips LI and L2 illustrated in Figure 2, to channel the display panel and lower edge locking tabs 12, 14 towards apertures al, a2. Locking tabs 12,14 are then inserted into their respective apertures al, a2. Lips LI, L2 maintain the carton in a bent form and guide the side edges sl, s2 shown in Figure 1 into the grooves gl, g2 respectively while the display panel is being channelled into the correct position. Once side edges sl and s2 are located in grooves gl and g2 respectively, as illustrated in Figure 6 the upper locking tabs 16, 18 are located into their respective apertures a3, a4. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, locking tabs 12, 14 extending from the lower edge are longer than locking tabs 16,18 extending from the upper edge, to ensure that when the upper edge locking tabs are moved into a final position, locking tabs 12, 14 (already in position) are not disengaged from locking apertures al, a2, thereby dislodging the display panel. The display panels can be readily removed from the crate walls, e.g. by vacuum cups which usually results in the locking tabs tearing off when the panel is removed. Other forms of locking tabs and/or locking apertures are envisaged. Equally, the type and number of grooves or the display panel are not limited to the embodiments illustrated. However, by this arrangement advertising, identification or other data can be applied to the crate and is replaceable when a different display of information is required or if through general wear and tear and the attached display panel has become damaged or soiled and therefore requires replacement.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A crate for carrying articles, such as bottles, comprising at least one wall having a display panel detachably connected to said wall, wherein said wall is formed with a plurality of locking apertures spaced apart and a plurality of grooves, each of said locking apertures receives one of a corresponding group of locking tabs provided on the display panel and wherein each of said grooves receives an edge of a display panel which is thereby detachably connected to said side or end wall. 2. A crate according to claim 1, wherein said display panel is rectilinear and wherein said locking tabs protrude from opposing sides of said display panel, said tabs along one side not being in the same plane as tabs along the opposing side. 3. A crate according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each of said grooves is attached to a lip on its outer surface, said lip is adapted to guide said display panel into position. 4. A crate according to claim 1 or 2 wherein each of said grooves and/or said apertures are positioned so that said display panel is maintained in a substantially flat relationship against said wall. 5. A crate according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said locking tabs are located along upper and lower edges of said display panel each facing away from said display panel. 6. A crate according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each of said grooves is positioned to support the side edges of said display panel. 7. A crate according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said locking tabs located along the lower edges of said display panel protrude a greater distance than the locking tabs located along the upper edges of the display panel thereby enabling the lower edge tabs to be maintained in their respective locking apertures when the locking tabs protruding from the upper edges are located in their corresponding apertures. 8. A crate for carrying articles such as bottles, comprising at least one wall is formed with a plurality of locking apertures and grooves wherein each of said locking apertures is adapted to receive one of a group of locking tabs provided on a display panel and each of said grooves is adapted to receive an edge of the display panel which is thereby detachably connectable to said wall. 8. A method of detachably connecting a display panel to at least one wall of a crate used to carry articles such as bottles, wherein the blank is bent to compress the side edges, and the lower edge being pushed into a face to face relationship with the crate wall until lower tabs are engaged with corresponding apertures, the grooves then act as guides to assist in slotting side edges into their respective grooves, the upper edge tabs are brought into contact with their respective apertures and locked into position.

Inventors: BAKX MARTINUS C M, BAKX, MARTINUS C., M.
Applicants: BAKX MARTINUS C M, MEAD CORP, BAKX, MARTINUS C., M., THE MEAD CORPORATION
Application year: 1996
Main classification: B65D25
IPC codes: B65D25, G09F3