EP0645314A1

EP0645314A1 - Bottle crate and carton adapted for use therewith

Info

Publication number: EP0645314A1
Application number: EP94306954A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Petra Decker
Original assignee: Mead Corp
Current assignee: Mead Corp
Priority date: 1993-09-23
Filing date: 1994-09-22
Publication date: 1995-03-29
Anticipated expiration: 2014-09-22
Also published as: WO1995008486A1; HU9402729D0; ATE160743T1; DK0645314T3; CZ289636B6; HU217449B; ES2109615T3; CZ231394A3; DE69407125T2; AU7878094A; DE69407125D1; HUT67898A; PL305146A1; EP0645314B1; GR3025976T3

Abstract

A crate (C_t) for returnable bottles and a carton adapted for use with the crate in which the crate is formed, for each carton with a set of upstanding spacer posts (P₁,P₂;P₃,P₄) arranged in two pairs. The carton is impaled upon the set of posts when it is received in the crate. The posts (P₁,P₂) of one pair of posts are each sized to span the space between a pair of bottles (B₁,B₃;B₂,B₄) adjacent a central bottle (B_c) of the group and the set of posts define a space in the central bottle of the group is received.

Description

This invention relates to a shipping crate and to the combination of such a shipping crate and a carton adapted to receive a plurality of articles, such as bottles, and adapted for use with the crate. The crate is particularly adapted to receive a multiplicity of returnable glass bottles either singly or in groups packaged in such cartons.
The invention is also concerned with a complementary carton which accommodates a plurality of bottles in a group and which is adapted to be received in the crate with the bottles arranged as they would otherwise be without the presence of the carton.
One aspect of the present invention provides a crate for returnable bottles which includes a plurality of sets of internal spacer means arranged to allow articles to be received in discrete groups and wherein internal partition means separates one set of spacer means from another set.
According to a feature of this aspect of the invention, said internal partition means may separate the crate substantially along its longitudinal and transverse centre lines to separate four similar said sets of internal spacer means.
According to another feature of this aspect of the invention each of said sets of internal spacer means may comprise two pairs of upstanding posts arranged to create between them a central space to receive a bottle and, together with adjacent parts of the crate, a space for each of another four bottles surrounding said central space.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a crate for accommodating returnable bottles which crate includes a plurality of sets of internal spacer means arranged to allow articles to be received in discrete groups and wherein said spacer means of each set are arranged such that the spaces available to receive bottles include a central space which, together with corresponding spaces in other sets, produce rows whose spaces are out registry with the spaces available to receive bottles in each adjacent row of spacers.
Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a crate for returnable bottles and carton combination in which the crate is formed, for each carton, with two pairs of upstanding spacer posts upon which the carton is to be impaled, wherein each post of one pair of posts is sized to span the space between a pair of spaced bottles and, together with the posts of the other pair of posts, create between them a central space for a single bottle of the group.
According to a feature of this aspect of the invention, each post of the said other pair is adapted to cooperate with locking means which secures base panels of the carton together, such that said posts of the other pair can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking means without causing the locking means to be dislodged.
According to another feature of this aspect of the invention each set of spacer posts comprising said two pairs may be separated from an adjacent set by internal partition means. Where partition means are provided, said internal partition means may separate the crate substantially along its longitudinal and transverse centre lines to separate four similar said sets of spacer means.
Preferably, said single bottle is a central bottle in a group of five bottles.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a carton of the wraparound type for use in a crate or combination according to any of the preceding claims said carton accommodating a group of five bottles with a single central bottle and including a base in which a pair of apertures is provided at diametrically opposed locations relative to said single central bottle, each aperture being sized and positioned to receive one of a first pair of spacer posts of said crate and wherein locking means provided to secure said base is adapted to be put into a locked condition by a second pair of spacer posts of said crate.
According to a feature of this aspect of the invention said base comprises a pair of panels locked together in overlapping relationship by said locking means, said locking means comprising hinged tabs which are displaced by said second pair of spacer posts to lock together the base panels.
Another aspect of the invention provides a carton blank for use in providing a wraparound carton according to either of the two immediately preceding paragraphs.
An embodiment of the invention, will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Figure 1 is a plan view of a wraparound carton blank adapted to be wrapped about a group of five bottles and to cooperate with a complementary bottle crate;
Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of a bottle crate having upstanding posts on which a plurality of cartons according to the invention are impaled, the cartons being formed from blanks of the type shown in Figure 1 of the drawings; and
Figure 3 is a schematic side view of the crate shown with a superimposed cross-section thereof along the line 3-3 in Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, and first to Figure 1 thereof, a blank 10 formed from paperboard or similar foldable sheet material comprises, in series a first base panel 12, a first heel panel 14, a first side panel 16, a top panel 18, a second side panel 20, a second heel panel 22 and a second base panel 24 hinged one to the next along transverse fold lines 26, 28, 30, 32, 34 & 36 respectively.
The carton blank is of the so called "neck through" wraparound type and, as such, is adapted to receive a group of bottles the neck portions of which are received and protrude through openings A formed in the top panel 18 of the blank. In this case the carton blank is adapted to wrap a group of five bottles arranged in two rows of two bottles B₁, B₂; B₃, B₄ (Figure 2) each with one central bottle Bc. Thus the upper ends of the bottles are retained by the top panel apertures. The lower ends of the other (outermost) bottles in the group are secured by heel apertures h₁, h₂; h₃, h₄ provided in respective ones of the heel panels 14 and 22 as is well known in the art. Deltoid openings D, also well known in the art, are provided in each of the base panels 12 and 24 and serve to receive machine elements which draw the base panels 12 and 24 together into over-lapping relationship so that they can be locked together. Locking is achieved by means of locking tabs N₁, N₂ which are folded out of the plane of base panel 24 and received respectively in the openings defined by main retaining tabs T₁, T₂ which in turn remain in a braced and engaged relation respectively with locking tabs N₁, N₂. The main locking tabs N₁, N₂ are displaced into their locked position such that the posts P₃, P₄ of one pair of spacer posts can be received in respective ones of the locking apertures and removed therefrom without disengaging the locking tabs N₁, N₂. Subsidiary locking tabs n₁, n₂ likewise are folded out of the plane of base panel 24 and received in the openings defined by subsidiary retaining tabs t₁, t₂ struck from base panel 12.
In Figure la a more detailed view of the form of main retaining tab T₁ is shown. Retaining tab T₁ comprises a pair of like hinged flaps f₁, f₂ hinged along fold lines a₁ and a₂ respectively. The flaps are adapted to be displaced out of the plane of the panel 12 when locking tabs N₁, N₂ in base panel 24 are raised through the aperture defied by retaining tab T₁.
Further openings x and y are formed in each of the base panels 12 and 24 respectively. Opening x is formed intermediate the deltoid openings D and intermediate the retention heel apertures h₃, h₄. Likewise opening y is formed intermediate deltoid openings D and intermediate heel retention apertures H₃, H₄. Openings x and y are positioned so that when the carton is formed from the blank and the base panels are locked together in overlapping relationship the openings x and y are positioned in diametrically opposed locations in relation to the location of a central bottle Bc of the packaged group.
Referring now also to Figure 2 of the drawings, bottle crate Ct is formed from a suitable plastics material and includes longitudinal and transverse partitioning panels PP1 and PP2 respectively, which define four similar carton receiving areas AC₁, AC₂, AC₃ & AC₄, respectively, within the crate. These areas also receive a group of single bottles introduced into the crate without a carton wrap. Each of the carton receiving areas, for example, area AC₁ includes a set of upstanding spacer posts arranged in pairs P₁, P₂ and P₃, P₄ respectively. Posts P₁ and P₂, which are channel-shaped when viewed in plan, are adapted to be received through the apertures x and y provided in the base panels of a carton received in carton receiving are AC₁. The posts are positioned so as to be disposed at diametrically opposed locations in relation to the central bottle BC of the carton group. The posts also are sized to span the space between the end-most bottles B₁, B₃ and B₂, B₄ in the respective rows of the group. Thus post P₁ spans the space between bottles B₁ and B₃ and likewise post P₂ spans the space between bottles B₂ and B₄. Posts P₃ and P₄, which are T-shaped when viewed in plan are adapted to be received through the apertures defined by locking tab N₁ and retaining tab T₁ and locking tab N₂ and retaining tab T₂ respectively. Posts P₁, P₂ and P₃, P₄ are shaped and positioned not only to define a central receiving area for bottle Bc, whether as part of a packaged group or as a single bottle, but also to define, together with the adjacent walls and/or partition panels of the crate, the other receiving areas for the remaining four bottles.
The bottles in each area of the crate such as ACl are therefore arranged as a discrete group each of which has a central space for bottle B_c. The central spaces of adjacent areas eg. AC1 and AC2 produce a row BC, BC₂ which is out of register with the spaces available to receive or occupied by the bottles B₁, B₂, B₅, B₆ and B₃, B₄, B₇, B₈ respectively. Hence bottle Bc is in "nested" relationship with respect to bottles B₁, B₂ and B₃, B₄.
It will be appreciated that the crate and carton combination is thus adapted to accommodate a set of four cartons each containing five bottles for distribution and sale and thereafter the crate is able to receive single bottles in the arrangement shown in Figure 2 for return shipment for recycling. Hence the carton/crate combination of this invention is particularly useful for use with returnable glass bottles and preferably can accommodate twenty such bottles either singly or in packaged groups of five bottles per carton.

Claims

A crate for returnable bottles includes a plurality of sets of internal spacer means arranged to allow articles to be received in discrete groups and wherein internal partition means separates one set of spacer means from another set.
A crate according to claim 1 wherein said internal partition means separates the crate substantially along its longitudinal and transverse centre lines to separate four similar said sets of internal spacer means.
A crate according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein each of said sets of internal spacer means comprises two pairs of upstanding posts arranged to create between them a central space to receive a bottle and, together with adjacent parts of the crate, a space for each of another four bottles surrounding said central space.
A crate for accommodating returnable bottles includes a plurality of sets of internal spacer means arranged to allow articles to be received in discrete groups and wherein said spacer means of each set are arranged such that the spaces available to receive bottles include a central space which, together with corresponding spaces in other sets, produce rows whose spaces are out registry with the spaces available to receive bottles in each adjacent row of spaces.
A crate for returnable bottles and carton combination in which the crate is formed, for each carton, with a set of upstanding spacer posts comprising two pairs of posts (P₁, P₂, P₃, P₄) upon which the carton is to be impaled, wherein each post of one pair of posts is sized to span the space between a pair of spaced bottles (B₁, B₃) and, together with the posts of the other pair of posts, create between them a central space for a single bottle of the group.
A crate and carton combination according to claim 5 wherein each post of the other pair (P₃, P₄) is adapted to cooperate with locking means, which secures base panels of the carton together, such that said posts of the other pair can be engaged with and disengaged from the locking means without causing the locking means to be dislodged.
A crate and carton combination as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein each set of spacer posts comprising said two pairs is separated from an adjacent set by internal partition means.
A crate and carton combination as claimed in claim 7 wherein said internal partition means separates the crate substantially along its longitudinal and transverse centre lines to separate four similar said sets of spacer means.
A crate and carton combination as claimed in any of claims 5 to 8 wherein said single bottle is a central bottle in a group of five bottles.
A carton of the wrap around type for use in a crate or combination according to any of the preceding claims said carton accommodating a group of five bottles with a single central bottle and including a base in which a pair of apertures is provided at diametrically opposed locations relative to said single central bottle, each aperture being sized and positioned to receive one of a first pair of spacer posts of said crate and wherein locking means provided to secure said base is adapted to be put into a locked condition by a second pair of spacer posts of said crate.
A carton according to claim 10 wherein said base comprises a pair of panels locked together in overlapping relationship by said locking means, said locking means comprising hinged tabs which are displaced by said second pair of spacer posts to lock together the base panels.
A carton blank for use in providing a wraparound carton according to claim 10 or claim 11.