DE20080289U1 - Transport plate for bottles and a bottle packaging to be used with them - Google Patents

Description

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Transport plate for bottles and a bottle packaging to be used with it

SCOPE OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a transport plate for bottles which is placed between layers of bottles to form a transport package, which transport plate has recesses for the bottoms of the bottles on one surface and locations for bottle caps or heads on the other surface. The invention also relates to a bottle package to be used with the plate.

For example, WO publication 94/07758 discloses a similar transport plate as described above. This transport plate is intended for relatively large bottles, such as 1.5 litre bottles, which are impractical to transport in bottle crates. On the plate, each bottle is placed in its own bottle gap, which is provided with means for supporting the bottle upright. Such a plate is particularly suitable for empty bottles, which are rather unstable.

However, the transport plate disclosed in said patent application is not practical when the size of the bottles is significantly smaller or when the bottles stand upright both empty and full. These bottles typically include beer or soft drink bottles of 1/3 or 0.5 litres. The problem with these small bottles, however, is how to transport them to the consumer. Individual bottles are difficult to handle and, on the other hand, buying full crates of bottles with, for example, 24 bottles is either quantitatively excessive or too heavy to carry at least long distances. To eliminate this problem, beer bottles of this size in particular are usually sold in packs of six bottles, which are packed by means of various wrappers or carriers. Such bottle groups or bottle clusters are also available in quantities other than the above-mentioned six-pack, which is probably the most common quantity. Although such a cluster pack is practical for the consumer because it allows a suitable number, e.g. six, of bottles to be conveniently and compactly transported home, it poses a significant problem for beverage manufacturers.

The usual practice is that bottles packed in cluster packs are first transported on pallets to retail outlets for individual sale. Drinks are typically purchased before the weekend and the

empty bottles are returned to the store separately at the beginning of the week, so the beverage manufacturer has to deliver empty crates to the store owner as a separate load so that he can pack the bottles in them and in which crates the bottles can be returned to the beverage manufacturer again as a separate load. Thus, the use of bottle crates in bottle transport causes significant costs for the beverage manufacturer both as procurement and transportation costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore has for its object to provide a transport plate for bottles which eliminates the above-mentioned problems associated with the return of empty bottles. This object is achieved by a transport plate according to the invention which is characterized in that it comprises recesses provided for the bottle bottoms, each recess being arranged to receive a group of at least two bottles. Most advantageously, the group of bottles comprises a wrapper, a handle or the like for binding the bottles together. Most typically, such a group of bottles comprises at least four bottles arranged side by side in at least two rows, and each row comprises at least two bottles.

Thus, on the plate according to the invention, each group of bottles comprising several bottles is placed in its own recess on the plate. In this way, it can be placed firmly on the plate and will not move sideways during the various transport stages.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the recess provided for a group of bottles has at least one peg-like projection protruding from the bottom of the recess, which projection is arranged to project into the space formed in the middle of four bottles arranged in a square formation. In this way, the group of bottles can be supported even more securely on the pallet as a unitary group, for example surrounded by a wrapper.

With regard to the transport of empty and therefore separate

Bottles, it is advantageous that the bottom of the recess has a projection protruding from the bottom of the recess for each bottle placed in the recess and the size and shape of the

projection are designed to correspond to those of the recess on the bottom of the bottle. In this way, the placement and upright support of a single bottle can also be improved. The projection advantageously has several ribs and a circular collar arranged to connect them in the middle of the projection. This makes the structure strong but light and it is easier to wash the transport plate because the spaces between the ribs and the interior of the circular collar are open.

Deviating from the above, it is also possible for the bottoms of the recesses intended for groups of bottles to be formed in no particular way, but for the bottoms of the recesses to be substantially flat in relation to the support of the bottles. This embodiment can be used in particular when the bottles remain relatively stable upright, even when empty.

Since the bottom surface of the plate is provided with suitable locations for bottle caps or heads, a new plate can always be placed on top of the bottles on the lower plate until the desired height is reached. The locations provided for the bottle caps or heads advantageously comprise guide parts which project from the bottoms of the recesses provided for the bottle bottoms, so that the bottles in different bottle layers are vertically in line with one another. The guide parts comprise guide projections which at least partially surround the bottle cap or the bottle head or form a collar around the cap or the head.

The collar advantageously comprises a tubular sleeve and ribs projecting inwardly therefrom to guide the head or cap of the bottle securely into the housing formed by the collar. In the case of plastic bottles, it is also possible for the collar to project as far as the flange on the bottle neck. In this way, the weight is transferred from one layer of bottles to the other not via the bottle caps or heads (if the bottles are without caps) but via the flanges on the bottle necks.

The most important thing about the plate according to the invention, however, is that the recesses provided for bottle groups are such that the returned bottles can be placed in them even when empty and without wrappings, handles or the like to bind them together.

In this way, the transport plate according to the invention can also be used when empty bottles are returned to the beverage manufacturer.

Furthermore, the transport plates according to the invention can be stacked on top of each other so that they partially interlock and therefore do not require much space when stored empty.

The invention also relates to a bottle package for use with the transport plate described above, comprising at least four bottles and a wrapping made of cardboard or a corresponding material binding the bottles together in a group. The package is characterized in that the wrapping has a hole for the head of each bottle in the group so that the head together with the cap and partly also the bottle neck protrude through the wrapping, and an opening for each peg-like projection protruding from the bottom of the recess provided for a group of bottles on the plate to allow the projection to protrude into the space in the middle of four bottles arranged in a square formation.

SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

The transport plate according to the invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a transport plate according to the invention in its

conventional use,
Figure 2 the transport plate of Figure 1 without bottles,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the transport plate of Figure 2,

Figure 4 shows a partial cross-section of the transport plate of Figure 3,

Figure 5 shows another partial cross-section of the transport plate of the

Figure 3,
Figure 6 is a plan view of a second exemplary embodiment of the transport plate according to the invention,

Figure 7 the transport plate of Figure 6 from below, and

Figure 8 shows a model of a casing for a

Bottle packaging to be used with the transport plate according to the invention.

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows a transport plate 1 according to the invention, the groups

of six bottles 7 stacked thereon. Figure 1 thus shows the use of the transport plate according to the invention when the bottles are bound together with a wrapping 9 to form groups or clusters of bottles and placed on the transport plate. As shown in the figure, the groups of bottles can be placed on top of one another in several layers, and transport plates 1 are located between them.

Figure 2 shows the structure of a transport plate 1 of an embodiment of the invention in more detail. It has recesses 2 intended for groups of bottles, and each recess can receive groups of bottles bound together with a wrapper 9 or the like. In the embodiment according to Figures 1 to 3, the transport plate according to the invention is intended for groups of six bottles. Each group of bottles is placed in its recess 2 on the plate 1. The recess is designed to support the group of bottles from the sides. For this purpose, the longitudinal ends of the recesses are provided with recesses 6 which project into the recess between the bottles arranged in two parallel rows. In order to provide secure support for the bottles, the recesses 2 are also provided with peg-like projections 10 which project from their bottoms into the space formed in the middle of four bottles 7 arranged in a square formation. Of course, there are corresponding openings at the bottom of the casing 9 for this purpose. In this way, a group of bottles can be tied very securely and supported on its recess 2.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of the transport plate according to Figure 2. This view shows that the places provided for the bottle bottoms located in the recesses 2 are grid-like and consist of ribs 12 and a circular collar 13 connecting the ends of the ribs. This makes the general structure of the transport plate lighter and facilitates its washing. A more detailed structure of the ribs 12 and the circular collar 13 is shown in the cross section of Figure 5, where a cross section of a recess 2 on the central axis of the collars 13 is illustrated. Figure 5 shows that the collar 13 and the ribs connected to it protrude slightly from the bottom of the recess 2. The profiles of the

Ribs 12 and of the collar 13 are designed in such a way that they correspond in size and shape to the recesses on the bottoms of the bottles to be used with the transport plate. In this way, the bottles placed on the plate are centered by these projections 11, especially when the bottles are separated from each other. With the sides of the recesses 2 and the sides of the peg-like and mostly square projections 10, they also support the bottle in an upright direction, i.e. they prevent the bottle from tilting.

Figure 4 shows another cross-section of the transport plate according to Figure 3. This figure illustrates the interaction of the guide parts 5 on the bottom surface of the plate, i.e. on the surface opposite the recesses provided for groups of bottles, and the heads or closures of the bottles. These details are also shown in Figure 5. In the embodiment according to Figures 4 and 5, the guide parts 5 form a collar 14 surrounding the closure or head of the bottle. This collar has a tubular sleeve 16 and ribs 17 projecting inwards from it, i.e. towards the bottle head. By means of the size and shape of these ribs it is possible to centre the bottle head very securely in its place on the bottom surface of the transport plate. As shown in Figure 4, the collars 14 are dimensioned such that bottles with, for example, crown caps can be placed in their cases with or without their closures. The transport plate placed on the bottles thus rests either on the caps or the heads of the bottles. However, Figure 4 also shows on the right-hand side another alternative situation in which plastic bottles such as PET or PEN plastic bottles have a circular flange 15 on their necks. In such a case, the transport plate rests most advantageously on this flange 15. The weight of the upper layers of the bottles is transferred via the flanges and not via the heads or caps of the bottles. It is also unimportant whether the bottles are provided with or without caps, because the upper transport plate is nevertheless always placed at the same height in relation to the bottle, i.e. on the flange 15 on its neck. This is very advantageous because, especially in the case of screw caps, the height of the bottles changes more significantly depending on whether there is a cap or not than in the case of bottles with crown caps.

Figures 6 and 7 show a second exemplary embodiment of the transport plate according to the invention from above and from below, respectively. In this embodiment, the bottoms 4 of the recesses 2 intended for groups of bottles are substantially flat. This embodiment is therefore particularly suitable for bottles which are stable even when empty. As shown in Figure 7, the guide parts 5 intended for the heads of the bottles in the lower layer have projections which only partially surround the heads of the bottles in the lower layers, which apparently makes said embodiment somewhat unstable.

However, this matter can be significantly improved and it can be ensured that the transport plate is also suitable for returning empty bottles to the beverage manufacturer by inserting the projections 5 shown in Figure 7 in such a way that they are present on both sides of the bottle heads. Thus, in practice there are four projections guiding the head of the bottle. This provides a fairly safe guidance and support. Of course, the collar-like guiding solution illustrated by the embodiment according to Figures 1 to 5 is safer than the solution with four guiding parts.

As can be concluded from the embodiments of the invention shown in Figures 2 to 6, the dimensions of the transport plate according to the invention can vary and allow for a different number of bottle groups. The number of bottles within a group can of course also vary. In the embodiment according to both Figure 3 and Figure 6, the recesses 2 are intended for bottle groups in which the bottles are placed next to each other in two rows, each row having 3 bottles. Plastic is a preferred manufacturing material for the transport plate according to the invention and the preferred manufacturing method is compression molding.

As described above, the dimensioning of the guide parts intended for the caps and heads of the bottles allows the guide parts to accommodate bottles with or without caps, which means that the transport plates can also be used to return empty bottles to the beverage manufacturer. As can be seen from the unit in Figure 1, the bottles of the different bottle layers are vertically aligned with each other. In this way, the weight of the bottle packages can be

be transferred safely via the bottles in the lower layers to the base such as the pallet, without the packaging causing significant bending forces in the plate between two bottles stacked on top of each other. In a full transport packaging, the weight of the bottles is therefore transferred from the upper layer via the bottles in the lower layers to the base such as the pallet, without putting any strain on the transport plates.

Figure 8 shows an exemplary model of a cover for a bottle package that is used with the transport plate according to the invention. The package shown in Figure 1 comprises at least 4 bottles 7 and a cover made of cardboard or the like that binds the bottles together into a group. As shown in Figure 8, this cover 9 has a hole 20 for each bottle 7 of the group, so that the head of the bottle with its closure 8 and sometimes even the bottle neck protrude through the cover 9. Since the bottle package in Figure 1 comprises six bottles, the model in Figure 8 has six holes 20. Furthermore, the cover 9 has an opening 21 for each peg-like projection 10 that protrudes from the bottom of the recess 2 provided for a bottle group on the transport plate, in order to enable the projection to protrude into the space that is in the middle of four bottles 7 standing in a square formation. Since six bottles form two square groups of four bottles (which groups have two bottles in common), the wrapper 9 has two openings. They are located at the ends of the wrapper 9, so that the model in Figure 8 has four openings 21 which line up in pairs in the finished wrapper, thereby forming two openings between the bottle bottoms in the finished package. The model also has openings 22 for the edges of the bottle bottoms to improve the binding of the bottles together within the wrapper. In addition, the wrapper also has dummy openings 23 which, in use, function as finger openings for carrying the package.

As previously mentioned, the transport plate of the present invention eliminates the need to transport empty bottle crates back and forth from the beverage manufacturer to the store owner and generally reduces the need for bottle crates and the capital invested in them.

In contrast to bottle crates, the transport plates according to the invention can be stacked in such a way that they partially interlock and therefore do not require much storage space.

The transport plate according to the invention is described above with reference to only two exemplary embodiments, and the bottle package particularly to be used with the embodiment according to Figures 1 to 5 is described with reference to only one exemplary embodiment. It is therefore understandable that many structural changes can be made to them without departing from the scope of protection defined by the appended claims. Accordingly, the dimensions and shape of the recesses and the shape of the envelope of the bottle package can vary depending on the size of the bottle packages intended for the transport plate.

Claims (13)

1. Transport plate for bottles, which is placed between layers of bottles to form a transport package, which transport plate ( 1 ) has on one surface recesses ( 2 ) for the bottoms of the bottles ( 7 ) and on the other surface locations ( 3 ) for bottle caps or heads ( 8 ), characterized in that each recess ( 2 ) provided for the bottle bottoms is arranged to receive a group of at least two bottles. 2. Transport plate according to claim 1, characterized in that a group of bottles has a cover ( 9 ), a handle or the like to bind the bottles together. 3. Transport plate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a bottle group comprises at least four bottles ( 7 ) arranged in two rows next to each other, and each row comprises at least two bottles. 4. Transport plate according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the recess ( 2 ) for the bottle bottoms has at least one peg-like projection ( 10 ) protruding from the bottom of the recess, which projection is arranged to project into the space formed in the middle of four bottles ( 7 ) standing in a square formation. 5. Transport plate according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the bottom of the recess ( 2 ) has a projection ( 11 ) protruding from the bottom of the recess for each bottle ( 7 ) placed in the recess and the size and shape of the projection are designed such that they correspond to those of the recess at the bottom of the bottle ( 7 ). 6. Transport plate according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the projection ( 11 ) protruding from the bottom of the recess ( 2 ) has a plurality of ribs ( 12 ) and a circular collar ( 13 ) arranged to connect the ribs in the middle of the projection. 7. Transport plate according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bottoms ( 4 ) of the recesses ( 2 ) for the bottle bottoms are substantially flat with respect to the support of the bottles. 8. Transport plate according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the locations ( 3 ) provided for the bottle caps or heads have guide parts ( 5 ) which project from the bottoms ( 4 ) of the recesses ( 2 ) provided for the bottle bottoms, so that the bottles ( 7 ) in different bottle layers are located vertically in line with one another. 9. Transport plate according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the guide parts ( 5 ) have guide projections which at least partially surround the bottle closure or the bottle head ( 8 ). 10. Transport plate according to claim 9, characterized in that the guide parts ( 5 ) form a collar ( 14 ) around the closure or the head ( 8 ) of the bottle ( 7 ). 11. Transport plate according to claim 10, characterized in that the collar ( 14 ) has a tubular sleeve ( 16 ) and ribs ( 17 ) projecting inwards therefrom. 12. Transport plate according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the collar ( 14 ) projects up to the flange ( 15 ) on the bottle neck. 13. Bottle packaging to be used with the transport plate described in one of claims 1 to 12, which bottle packaging comprises at least four bottles ( 7 ) and a wrapping ( 9 ) made of cardboard or the like binding the bottles together to form a group, characterized in that the wrapping
a hole ( 20 ) for the head of each bottle ( 7 ) of the group, so that the bottle head together with its closure ( 8 ) and partly also the bottle neck protrude through the casing ( 9 ), and
an opening ( 21 ) for each peg-like projection ( 10 ) protruding from the bottom of the recess ( 2 ) provided for a group of bottles on the plate to allow the projection to protrude into the space in the middle of four bottles ( 7 ) arranged in a square formation.