GB2185963A - Stacking boxes - Google Patents

Abstract

Open topped crates are stacked side to side, end to end or side to end by location of spigots (30) at intersections of ribs (18, 20) of one crate with sockets (36) defined by cut-outs in the ribs (18, 20) of an adjoining crate and by slots (34) on one crate that locate onto the rib (18) of the other crate. The slots (34) of one crate are slideable over the rib (18) of the other crate for relative positioning of the crates prior to engagement of spigots (30) with sockets (36). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Stacking boxes This invention relates to crates or boxes that can stack one on top of another.

Representative nesting and stacking boxes are shown in Patent Specifications No. GB-A-1034004, 1085994 and 1503555. Boxes or crates are also known that are generally rectangular in profile, have external reinforcing ribs and stacktop to bottom only without nesting. It is an object of the invention to provide boxes or crates of the latter kind that are more versatile in the way that they can stack.

Broadly stated the invention provides open topped crates that can be stacked top to bottom and each having side and end wallsformed with external reinforcing ribs, wherein a side or end face of one crate has plug formations projecting from the ribs that locate on the ribs ofacomplementaryfaceof another crate so that said one crate will stack side to side, end to end or side to end on said other crate.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example onlywith reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of a crate according to the invention; Figure2 is an elevation of a side face ofthe crate of Figure 1, having a formation of a first kind; and Figure 3 is an elevation of an end face of the crate of Figure 1 having a formation of a second kind.

In the drawings, a crate 10 moulded of polypropylene or other plastics material is rectangular in plan with an aspect ratio of about 1:1.25 and has side walls 12 and end walls 14that have plain inner faces so that the interior of the crate is unobstructed. An out-turned peripheral flange 16 is formed atthetops ofthewalls 12, l4andthewalls 12, 14 are further stiffened by means of the U-shaped rib 18 and an intersecting intermediate rib 20 parallel to the flange 16. Between the intermediate rib 20 and the flange 16 are provided ventilation openings 22 that in the end walls 14 are enlarged to form carrying handles 22a.The floor 24 of the crate has depending from its lowerface shallow reinforcing ribs 26 terminating at angular corner projections 26 with spigots 28 in theangulationsto definefeet onwhich the crate can stand. When one crate is stacked bottom to top on anotherthesidewalls 12 and end walls 14ofthe upper crate fit within the flange 16of the lower crate and the stacked condition is defined when the horizontal limbs 19 ofthe ribs 18 rest on the flange 16.

According to the invention the crates can stack both top to bottom and side to side, end to end or side to end with the flanges 16 lying in a vertical plane. For this purpose the sidewall 12 or end wall 14 can have one of two possible formations, respectively illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. In Figure 2 a "male" sidewall has a first pair of spigots 30 whose tips project beyond a common plane defined by the extremities of flange 16 and ribs 18,20 andthatare positioned at the points of intersections of the ribs 18, 20.Asecond pair of spigots 32 on vertical limbs 21 of the rib 18 beneath the spigots 30 project similarlyfrom the sidewall 12 but have vertical slots 34 to locate on a vertical sidewall 21 of a complementary "female" sidewall or end wall shown in Figure 3.The spigots 30,32 of the lowermost crate act as feet. In that sidewall or end wall the ribs 18,20 are plain except in the locations where they intersect, at which cut-outs in the ribs 18, 20 define spigot-receiving sockets 36 in which the spigots 30 of a male face can locate. The crates with formations illustrated will stack side to side, end to end or side to end provided that they have the same spacing between the vertical limbs 21 ofthe reinforcing rib 18 and provided that a male face is offered to a femal face. The slots 34 on the male face are first positioned on the vertical limbs 21 of the rib 18 of the female face, after which the crates can be slid so that the spigots 30 registerwith the sockets 36, after which the spigots 30 are engaged into the sockets to complete stacking.

The drawings illustrate a relatively large crate having male and female formations on its side walls and male and female formations on its end walls.

Thereby they may be stacked side to side or end to end as required bythe user. In a rectangular array of crates stacked side to side or end to end the vertical walls also fittogetherto provide additional stability.

The relatively large crates may be used in association with relatively small crates of similar aspect ratio with male and female formations on theirsidewalls only. If the length ofthe sidewall of the relatively small crate is chosen to be the same as the length of the end wall of the relatively large crate, then the relatively small crate will stack sideways on an end of a relatively large crate.

It will be understood that modifications may be madeto the embodiment described abovewithout departing from the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. For example the crates could be of two kinds, one with male walls only and the other with female walls only, butthis wouid be less advantageous from a manufacturing standpoint because separate moulds would be needed.

1. Open-topped crates that can be stacked top to bottom and each having side and end walls formed with external reinforcing ribs, wherein a side or end face of one crate has plug formations projecting from the ribs that locate on the ribs of a complementary face of another crate so that said one crate wiil stack side to side, end to end or side to end on said other crate.

2. Crates according to Claim 1, wherein each stacking side or end face has a generally horizontal rib intersected at a pair of locations by a generally U-shaped rib, and spigots or sockets recessed in the ribs occurring at said pair of locations.

3. A crate according to Claim 2 wherein the side face of one crate is formed with four spigots projecting beyond the ribs, one pair of spigots being located atthe intersections of the horizontal and U-shaped ribs and a second pair of spigots being formed on the U-shaped rib and being slotted to

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Stacking boxes This invention relates to crates or boxes that can stack one on top of another. Representative nesting and stacking boxes are shown in Patent Specifications No. GB-A-1034004, 1085994 and 1503555. Boxes or crates are also known that are generally rectangular in profile, have external reinforcing ribs and stacktop to bottom only without nesting. It is an object of the invention to provide boxes or crates of the latter kind that are more versatile in the way that they can stack. Broadly stated the invention provides open topped crates that can be stacked top to bottom and each having side and end wallsformed with external reinforcing ribs, wherein a side or end face of one crate has plug formations projecting from the ribs that locate on the ribs ofacomplementaryfaceof another crate so that said one crate will stack side to side, end to end or side to end on said other crate. An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example onlywith reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which: Figure lisa plan view of a crate according to the invention; Figure2 is an elevation of a side face ofthe crate of Figure 1, having a formation of a first kind; and Figure 3 is an elevation of an end face of the crate of Figure 1 having a formation of a second kind. In the drawings, a crate 10 moulded of polypropylene or other plastics material is rectangular in plan with an aspect ratio of about 1:1.25 and has side walls 12 and end walls 14that have plain inner faces so that the interior of the crate is unobstructed. An out-turned peripheral flange 16 is formed atthetops ofthewalls 12, l4andthewalls 12, 14 are further stiffened by means of the U-shaped rib 18 and an intersecting intermediate rib 20 parallel to the flange 16. Between the intermediate rib 20 and the flange 16 are provided ventilation openings 22 that in the end walls 14 are enlarged to form carrying handles 22a.The floor 24 of the crate has depending from its lowerface shallow reinforcing ribs 26 terminating at angular corner projections 26 with spigots 28 in theangulationsto definefeet onwhich the crate can stand. When one crate is stacked bottom to top on anotherthesidewalls 12 and end walls 14ofthe upper crate fit within the flange 16of the lower crate and the stacked condition is defined when the horizontal limbs 19 ofthe ribs 18 rest on the flange 16. According to the invention the crates can stack both top to bottom and side to side, end to end or side to end with the flanges 16 lying in a vertical plane. For this purpose the sidewall 12 or end wall 14 can have one of two possible formations, respectively illustrated in Figures 2 and 3. In Figure 2 a "male" sidewall has a first pair of spigots 30 whose tips project beyond a common plane defined by the extremities of flange 16 and ribs 18,20 andthatare positioned at the points of intersections of the ribs 18, 20.Asecond pair of spigots 32 on vertical limbs 21 of the rib 18 beneath the spigots 30 project similarlyfrom the sidewall 12 but have vertical slots 34 to locate on a vertical sidewall 21 of a complementary "female" sidewall or end wall shown in Figure 3.The spigots 30,32 of the lowermost crate act as feet. In that sidewall or end wall the ribs 18,20 are plain except in the locations where they intersect, at which cut-outs in the ribs 18, 20 define spigot-receiving sockets 36 in which the spigots 30 of a male face can locate. The crates with formations illustrated will stack side to side, end to end or side to end provided that they have the same spacing between the vertical limbs 21 ofthe reinforcing rib 18 and provided that a male face is offered to a femal face. The slots 34 on the male face are first positioned on the vertical limbs 21 of the rib 18 of the female face, after which the crates can be slid so that the spigots 30 registerwith the sockets 36, after which the spigots 30 are engaged into the sockets to complete stacking. The drawings illustrate a relatively large crate having male and female formations on its side walls and male and female formations on its end walls. Thereby they may be stacked side to side or end to end as required bythe user. In a rectangular array of crates stacked side to side or end to end the vertical walls also fittogetherto provide additional stability. The relatively large crates may be used in association with relatively small crates of similar aspect ratio with male and female formations on theirsidewalls only. If the length ofthe sidewall of the relatively small crate is chosen to be the same as the length of the end wall of the relatively large crate, then the relatively small crate will stack sideways on an end of a relatively large crate. It will be understood that modifications may be madeto the embodiment described abovewithout departing from the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims. For example the crates could be of two kinds, one with male walls only and the other with female walls only, butthis wouid be less advantageous from a manufacturing standpoint because separate moulds would be needed. CLAIMS

1. Open-topped crates that can be stacked top to bottom and each having side and end walls formed with external reinforcing ribs, wherein a side or end face of one crate has plug formations projecting from the ribs that locate on the ribs of a complementary face of another crate so that said one crate wiil stack side to side, end to end or side to end on said other crate.

2. Crates according to Claim 1, wherein each stacking side or end face has a generally horizontal rib intersected at a pair of locations by a generally U-shaped rib, and spigots or sockets recessed in the ribs occurring at said pair of locations.

3. A crate according to Claim 2 wherein the side face of one crate is formed with four spigots projecting beyond the ribs, one pair of spigots being located atthe intersections of the horizontal and U-shaped ribs and a second pair of spigots being formed on the U-shaped rib and being slotted to slidably locate onto the U-shaped rib of a face on the other crate that has recessed sockets where the U-shaped and horizontal ribs intersect.

4. Crates according to any preceding claim wherein opposed pairs ofwalls of each crate have complementary stacking formations.

5. Crates according to any preceding claim including at least one crate having complementary stacking formations on both its side and end walls.

6. A set of open-topped crates that can stack both top to bottom and side to side, side to end or end to end substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.