WO2000078633A1

WO2000078633A1 - Container-locating tray

Info

Publication number: WO2000078633A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/002307
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher Simon Courtenay Wheaton
Original assignee: Cypherco Limited
Priority date: 1999-06-18
Filing date: 2000-06-14
Publication date: 2000-12-28
Also published as: AU5414300A; GB2367279A; GB0130271D0; GB9914152D0

Abstract

A plastics container-locating pallet of rectangular shape has six container locating positions (10) arranged in two rows of three. At the exterior sides of the pallet adjacent positions (10) are connected by a common retention part (21) upstanding from a central plane X-X of the pallet. Each part (21) has a sloping, arcuate inner surface and the corners of the pallet have respective similar upstanding further retention parts (22) also each having a sloping arcuate inner surface, on the same circle as the part(s) (21). This arrangement assists positive location of containers at the positions (10).

Description

CONTAINER-LOCATING TRAY

The present invention relates to a container-locating pallet, particularly for locating a plurality of generally-cylindrical containers so that they can be stacked in groups on top of each other.

European Patent No. EP 0 368 595 B1 discloses a pallet for locating beer barrels, the pallet having four barrel locating positions, each with upstanding flanges for positively locating the barrels thereat. The positions are interconnected by hinge means which allow a limited degree of relative pivotal motion between adjacent locating positions. In this arrangement, however, for adjacent positions the hinge means and the retention segments are discrete, with the resultant disadvantage that a rim of a barrel may possibly be placed out of position between two retention segments on adjacent sections, leading to the incorrect location of the barrel.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved container- locating pallet.

According to the present invention there is provided a container locating pallet defining a plurality of positions for supporting and positively locating containers on its upper surface, adjacent positions being connected by a common retention part which, in use, assists said positive location of containers at said adjacent positions.

Preferably the retention part allows, in use, relative pivotal movement between said adjacent positions. Conveniently the retention part defines two sloping inner faces at said adjacent positions respectively, and desirably the faces are arcuate to engage part of the exterior surface of a circular section container.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a container-locating pallet according to the present invention, and

Figure 2 is a side view of the pallet of Figure 1.

The pallet shown in the drawings is integrally moulded from plastics material, possibly by injection moulding. Preferred plastics material for the pallet is a high-density polyethylene, a polypropylene, a polyamide, or an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene co-polymer.

The pallet defines a support plane indicated X-X in Figure 2 with, in this instance, six container-locating positions each indicated at 10. Four of the six positions are arranged at the respective corners of the rectangular pallet, with the other two positions being arranged therebetween so as to provide two rows of three positions along each of the longer sides of the pallet. The pallet is symmetrical about both its longitudinal centre line and also its widthwise centre line at 90° thereto.

Each container-locating position 10 is formed with a central circular ring 1 1 from the outside of which a multiplicity of radially connecting ribs 12 extend outwardly. As shown in Figure 1 , each container-locating position, although having a circular arrangement defined by the ring 1 1 and the radial ribs 12, can be viewed as being within a square bounded by four sides, to which sides the ribs 12 extend. For the side formed at the longitudinal centre line of the pallet, there is provided a pair of parallel straight walls 13, 14 respectively with the ribs 12 of a position 10 at one side of the centre line extending to the wall 13, and the ribs 12 of the position 10 at the facing opposite side of the longitudinal centre line extending to the wall 14. This arrangement is repeated for each of the other two pairs of positions 10 facing each other at opposite sides of the longitudinal centre line of the pallet. The walls 13, 14 are not continued in a straight line along the length of the pallet, but are formed with integral semi-circular interruptions 15, 16 respectively. For each wall there are two such interruptions disposed between respective pairs of container- locating positions 10 which are adjacently disposed along the length of the pallet. Thus, as shown in Figure 10, as the semi-circular interruptions for the two walls are aligned, the effect is to provide a circular area between an arrangement of four positions 10 located in a square. Ribs 17 are provided between the walls 13 and 14, whilst ribs 18 are provided diametrically across each of the circles formed by the interruptions 15 and 16. However the area between the walls 13,14 at each side of the interruptions could be solid.

An inner side of the 'square' for each container-locating position 10 is formed by a pair of parallel spaced, straight ribs 19, 20 which are transverse to the longitudinal centre line of the pallet. Whereas the walls 13 and 14 extend above and below the ribs 12, thus at opposite sides of the central plane X-X, the ribs 19 and 20 have the same depth as the ribs 12 and the ring 1 1. Thus at the second side of this 'square' for each position 10, the ribs 12 extend to one or both of the ribs 19, 20. As can be seen from Figure 1 , these ribs extend to one of the interruptions 15 or 16, depending upon which side of the longitudinal centre line they are disposed.

The other two sides of each 'square' associated with each container- locating position 10 are formed by retention parts extending integrally upwardly, as viewed in the drawings, in relation to containers placed on the upper surface of the pallet, with further retention parts extending integrally downwardly, as best viewed in Figure 2, for engaging with a flat surface, such as a floor, or with containers at the underside of the pallet. For each of the longer sides of the pallet, there are two identical retention parts 21 which are disposed partly between, and arranged to connect, adjacent positions 10 so as to be common to both positions, with the ribs 12 extending to and being integrally connected to these retention parts. It will be seen that the middle position 10 in each row thus has its remaining 'square side' formed by part of each of two of said retention parts, whilst the end positions 10 have equivalent sides formed by a part of only one retention part 21, although for each end position in the row, its remaining side, which is along a shorter side of the rectangular pallet is also formed with part of one retention part 21 , this retention part, in each case, connecting the ribs of a pair of positions 10 which face each other across the longitudinal centre line of the pallet. The positions 10 at the respective ends of the rows have their 'square sides' completed by further retention parts 22 in the form of corner pieces which are, in effect, equivalent to half of a retention part 21. As can be seen from the drawings, each retention part 21 is, in plan, of generally V-shape having its respective inner surfaces to which the ribs 12 extend of arcuate form, having the same centre as the circular ring 1 1 . Thus for the middle position in the row of three positions these respective inner surfaces of the two retention parts 21 form part of a circle of greater radius than that of the ring 1 1 , but being concentric therewith, whilst for the two end positions, the respective inner surfaces of the two facing parts of the retention parts 21 are similarly arcs of the same circle again struck about the same diameter as the ring 1 1 but of a greater diameter. Moreover the further retention part 22 has an arcuate inner surface which also lies on said larger diameter circle. In this way, a cylindrical container can be positively located at any of the six positions 10 by the use of these retention parts 21 or of the retention parts 21 and further retention parts 22. Each arcuate portion of a retention part 21 or further retention part 22 has a face 23 which slopes downwardly inwardly so as again to assist location of a container into a position 10.

As can be seen from Figure 2, the upward extent (height) of each retention part 21 is constant throughout, and as a result of this continuous common member between each pair of adjacent positions 10, either at the longer side of the pallet or at the shorter side thereof, the containers cannot be placed out of position between two retention segments on adjacent sections as could possibly occur with the pallet of the prior art referred to previously. In other words there is no 'ledge' for the rim of a beer barrel or the like to rest upon when engaged over a retention part.

Moreover this present arrangement greatly enhances the durability of the product. At the underside of the pallet, as viewed in the drawings, a still further retention part 24 extends integrally downwardly, for each position 10 at two sides of the 'square' for the corner positions and at only the outer side of the 'square' for the positions in the centre of each of the row of three positions at respective opposite sides of the centre line of the pallet. In each case the still further retention part 24 is arranged positional ly between adjacent retention parts 21 or between a retention part 21 and a further retention part 22. Thus as viewed in Figure 2, along a longer side of the pallet there are disposed three still further retention parts 24 at the centre of each outer side of the 'square' of the respective position 10. Each still further retention part 24 extends substantially by the same amount from the plane X-X as the retention parts 21 and 22, these still further retention parts 24 enabling the pallet to engage on a flat surface, or to be positively and accurately located on the top of containers which themselves are arranged in two rows of three.

It will be appreciated that whilst the embodiment illustrated and described contains six container-locating positions 10, i.e. 3 x 2, the number of such positions can be varied, i.e. a square pallet would be 2 x 2, with four positions.

As described in the prior art specification referred to, it is possible with the arrangement of this invention for there to be, in effect, hinge means between at least adjacent container-locating positions so as to allow each position to be pivoted through a few degrees relative to an adjacent position or positions, out of the plane X-X, possibly without this pivoting disturbing any other position. As described in the prior art specification, this enables the pallets to be used with, for example, beer barrels of slightly differently sizes as made by different manufacturers. In one arrangement the hinge means could be defined at the junction of the two limbs of the V-shaped retention part 21 , alone or in combination with one or both of the walls 13, 14 or ribs 19, 20. However it will be appreciated that although this hinging facility is desirable, a pallet without this facility would still be advantageous in respect of the improved container-locating means referred to, which overcomes the possible container mis- positioning referred to above in relation to the prior art arrangement.

Claims

1 . A container locating pallet defining a plurality of positions for supporting and positively locating containers on its upper surface, adjacent positions being connected by a common retention part which, in use, assists said positive location of containers at said adjacent positions.

2. A pallet as claimed in Claim 1 , wherein each common retention part defines two sloping inner faces at said adjacent positions respectively.

3. A pallet as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the sloping inner faces are arcuate to engage, in use, part of the exterior surface of a circular section container.

4. A pallet as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein each position comprises a circular base within a square boundary.

5. A pallet as claimed in Claim 4, wherein each boundary includes at least one external side of the pallet itself, said common retention part connecting adjacent positions being disposed between said external sides of adjacent positions respectively.

6. A pallet as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said common retention parts extend above said upper surface.

7. A pallet as claimed in Claim 5, wherein at the centre of each external side of said positions is disposed a retention part extending downwardly from said upper surface.

8. A pallet as claimed in Claim 5 or Claim 7, wherein at a junction between two external sides of a single square boundary is disposed a further retention part extending upwardly from said upper surface.

9. A pallet as claimed in Claim 8, wherein said further retention part has the same upward extent as said common retention parts.

10. A pallet as claimed in Claim 8 or Claim 9, wherein said further retention part has a sloping inner face.

1 1. A pallet as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the sloping inner face is arcuate.

12. A pallet as claimed in Claim 1 1 , wherein the respective inner surfaces of the common retention part or parts and the further retention part or parts of a single square boundary lie on a common circle.

13. A pallet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least adjacent positions are interconnected by hinge means which allow them to pivot relative to each other to a limited extent.

14. A pallet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is moulded from plastics material.

15. A pallet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is rectangular, having two rows of three positions.

16. A pallet as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, which is square, having two rows of two positions.