Patent Publication Number: US-10759563-B2

Title: Beverage crate with handle

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Nestable beverage crates typically have side walls and end walls extending upward from a base. Handle openings are formed in the opposed end walls. Depending on the size of the bottles intended to be stored in the crate, the crate may hold a number of bottles. For single-serving size bottles, the crate typically stores 20-24 bottles. 
     Sometimes, a delivery person or stock person must remove the bottles from the crate and place them on a shelf for individual sale, such as in a refrigerator in the store. 
     SUMMARY 
     A nestable crate includes a base, a pair of opposed side walls extending upward from the base, and a pair of opposed end walls extending upward from the base. The side walls and end walls include an upper band portion and a lower portion connecting the base to the upper band portion. A center structure extends from one of the end walls to the other of the end walls. The center structure includes a plurality of center column portions extending down to the base. The center structure further includes an upper handle portion partially defining a handle opening therebelow. The centered handle opening permits a user to hold the crate with one hand while unloading the bottles from the crate with the other hand. 
     The upper handle portion may include spaced-apart handle side walls defining openings upward of the crate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a beverage crate. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the crate. 
         FIG. 3  is an end view of the crate. 
         FIGS. 4 and 5  are bottom perspective views of the crate. 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the crate. 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the crate. 
         FIG. 8  shows the crate nested with an identical crate. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the crates of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIG. 10  is an end view of the crates of  FIG. 8 . 
         FIGS. 11 and 12  show the crates of  FIG. 8  broken away along the longitudinal centerline. 
         FIGS. 13 and 14  show the crates of  FIG. 8  broken away along a lateral centerline. 
         FIG. 15  shows the crate loaded with a plurality of containers. 
         FIG. 16  is a side view of the crate and bottles of  FIG. 15 . 
         FIG. 17  is an end view of the crate and bottles. 
         FIG. 18  is a top view of the crate and bottles. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     A beverage container or crate  10  is shown in  FIGS. 1-18 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , the crate  10  includes a base  12  and side walls  14  extending upward from side edges of the base  12 . End walls  16  (or short walls) extend upward from opposite ends of the base  12 . The base  12  includes a plurality of base walls  13  each for supporting a beverage container thereon. The end walls  16  and side walls  15  include an upper band portion  18  and a lower portion  20 . The lower portion  20  includes a plurality of columns  26  connecting the upper band portion  18  to the base  12  and spaced inward of the upper band portion  18 , such that the lower portion  20  could be nested between the upper band portions  18  of an identical crate nested therebelow. The columns  26  project into the interior of the crate  10  to define bottle-receiving pockets on the base  12 . In the example shown, twenty-four bottle-receiving pockets are defined in the crate  10 . Corner columns  28  connect the upper band portion  18  to the base  12  at the corners of the crate  10 . The end walls  16  and side walls  14  are integrally molded with the base  12  as a single molded piece of plastic. 
     A center structure  30  extends from the center of one end wall  16  to the center of the opposite end wall  16 . The center structure  30  divides the crate  10  into two equal halves and projects above the upper band portion  18 . The center structure  30  includes a plurality of column portions  32  extending down to the base  12 . The center structure  30  includes an upper handle portion  34  at its center, which is the highest point on the center structure  30  and on the crate  10 . The upper handle portion  34  is cored from above and is thus open upward with a pair of ribs  38  formed in the upper handle portion  34 . The upper handle portion  34  is open upward between the ribs  38  and outward of the ribs  38 . By being cored from above, a smooth, solid surface is provided at the bottom of the upper handle portion  34  for contacting a user&#39;s hand. A handle opening  36  is defined below the upper handle portion  34  for receiving a user&#39;s hand. A lower handle wall  37  is spaced below the upper handle portion  34  and defines the handle opening  36  therebetween. The upper handle portion  34  includes spaced apart handle side walls  39 . The ribs  38  extend from one handle side wall  39  to the other. 
     The upper portion of the side walls  14  and end walls  16  includes alternating recesses  40  for receiving a bottle and projections  42  partially separating and defining adjacent bottle receiving pockets. Similarly, an upper portion of the center structure  30  includes alternating recesses  44  and projections  46  similarly defining bottle receiving pockets. 
     The entire crate  10  as described is integrally molded as a single molded piece of plastic. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of the crate  10 . As shown, the upper handle portion  34  and a small portion of the handle opening  36  are higher than the upper band portion  18 . 
       FIG. 3  is an end view of the crate  10 . As shown, the column portions  32  of the center structure  30  extend down to different halves of the base  12 , separated by a center gap. In each half of the base  12 , the base walls  13  are connected to one another by rib structure, but there are no ribs connecting the halves of the base  12  or the column portions  32  below the upper band portion  18 . This is shown more clearly in the bottom perspective views of  FIGS. 4 and 5 . 
       FIG. 6  is a top view of the crate  10 .  FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the crate  10 . 
       FIG. 8  shows the crate  10  nested with an identical crate  10 . The lower portions  20  of the side walls  14  and end walls  16  of the upper crate  10  are received within the upper band portion  18  of the lower crate  10 . This reduces the height and volume occupied by the crates  10  when empty. As shown, the center structure  30  of the lower crate  10  nests within the center structure  30  of the upper crate  10 , between the column portions  32 .  FIG. 9  is a side view of the crates  10  of  FIG. 8 .  FIG. 10  is an end view of the crates  10  of  FIG. 8 . 
       FIGS. 11 and 12  show the crates  10  of  FIG. 8  broken away along the longitudinal centerline. This shows more clearly how the center structure  30  of the lower crate  10  is received within the center structure  30  of the upper crate  10 . The upper handle portion  34  of the lower crate  10  is received between the column portions  32  of the upper crate  10 , below the handle opening  36 . Referring to  FIG. 12 , an upper handle wall  48  is spaced above the lower handle wall  37 . The upper handle wall  48  is the lower surface of the upper handle portion  34  and provides the smooth, solid, non-ribbed lower surface that contacts the user&#39;s hand. The ribs  38  extend upward from the upper handle wall  48 . End handle walls  50  extend from ends of the lower handle wall  37  upward to the upper surface of the upper handle portion  34 . The upper handle wall  48  extends from one end handle wall  50  to the other. Notably, all of the structure of the handle, the upper handle portion  34 , the ribs  38 , the upper handle wall  48 , the lower handle wall  37  and the end handle walls  50 , connect the two halves of the crate  10 . 
       FIGS. 13 and 14  show the crates  10  of  FIG. 8  broken away along a lateral centerline. Again, the center structure  30  of the lower crate  10  is received within the center structure  30  of the upper crate  10 . The upper handle portion  34  of the lower crate  10  is received between the column portions  32  of the upper crate  10 , below the handle opening  36 . 
       FIG. 15  shows the crate  10  loaded with a plurality of containers, namely 250 mL plastic beverage bottles  80  (although other containers or other items could also be used). The bottles  80  are supported on the base  12  and held between the side walls  14  and the end walls  16 . Each bottle  80  is supported on a different base wall  13 . The center structure  30  separates the bottles  80  into each half of the crate  10 . The bottles  80  are taller than the center structure  30 , such that a similar loaded crate  10  stacked thereon would be supported directly on the bottles  80 . 
       FIG. 16  is a side view of the crate  10  and bottles  80  of  FIG. 15 . The uppermost surface of the upper handle portion  34  is lower than the uppermost surface of the bottles  80  and lower than the bottle caps. The handle opening  36  below the upper handle portion  34  is aligned with a narrowed or tapered portion of the neck of the bottle  80  to allow more room for the user&#39;s hand. The handle opening  36  is also centered between bottles  36  longitudinally.  FIG. 17  is an end view of the crate  10  and bottles  80 .  FIG. 18  is a top view of the crate  10  and bottles  80 . 
     In use, a user can hold the upper handle portion  34  of the crate  10  in one hand while accessing the bottles  80  in the crate  10  with the other hand. 
     Generally, it is preferred that beverage crates  10  are dimensioned such that they can be arranged efficiently on a standard size pallet. Thus the ratio of the lengths of the end walls and the side walls is sometimes adjusted by making either of them thicker, such as by providing double-walls. However, with the center structure  30  in the present crate  10 , the dimension of the end walls can be adjusted by adjusting the width of the center structure  30 . Thus, only single-walled end walls  16  and side walls  14  are necessary and the upper band portion  18  can have a constant width all around the crate  10 . 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes and jurisprudence, exemplary configurations described above are considered to represent a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.