WO1998038107A1

WO1998038107A1 - Tray for transportation of bottles

Info

Publication number: WO1998038107A1
Application number: PCT/NO1998/000064
Authority: WO
Inventors: Georg Osbakk
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-02-28
Filing date: 1998-02-27
Publication date: 1998-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 1999-08-28
Also published as: AU6312798A; NO970936D0; NO304485B1; NO970936L

Abstract

Tray for storing and transportation of upright standing bottles (2), where an upper tray rests on bottles standing on underlying tray, each tray being symmetrical and comprising a cup for each bottle, each cup in the underside of the tray comprising several shoulders (5) having upwardly and towards the center of the cup inclined surfaces, adapted for guiding the tray onto upright standing bottles (below) by locating the tray, the tray thereby comprising for each cup at the innermost portion of the shoulders (5) a conical ring (9) having an inwardly directed surface (13) which together with the shoulders (5) guide the tray into correct location on upright standing bottles (2), thereby resting on the bottle caps (11) on the bottle tops (3), on the intergrated support rings (4) of the bottles or on the bottle necks (12) of the bottles.

Description

Tray for transportation of bottles

The present invention is related to a tray for upright storing and transportation of bottles, according to the preamble of the claims- Transportation and storing of bottles, especially containing bewerages in resent times have been substantial more rational than before as bottles now are transportation on pallets stacked on trays directly from the producer to the retailer. The consumer therefore may take the desired amount of bottles directly from the pallet respectively from the upper tray.

Today several variations of such trays are available, such as variations where the single tray is non symmetric and therefore must be orientated uniformly to be of any use, whereas other trays are symmetric and may be utilized without this limitation. Furthermore trays are available where the upper tray rests on the bottle cap on bottles standing on the tray below and other trays resting on the support rings on bottles standing on the tray below.

By studying the operations more in detail, performed by the trays and the way such trays are handled, stacking a pallet load at the producer is the starting point. After a layer with bottles has been arranged in and on a tray, a new tray mechani- cally is brought in the position about the bottles to be arranged on these. For the production to run without delays and misplacements it therefore is important that the trays are arranged correctly. If the mechanical tray device arranges the tray on the bottles it is very important that this arrangement is correct every time. It further is desirable that the tray should not be moved unnecessarily large distances as this influences the productivity.

On the other side it is likewise important that the bottles are arranged in a accurate manner on an underlying tray in such a way that it is stable and in a correct position when the next tray is arranged and likewise that the bottles with their stable position in the underlying tray contribute to a stable stack with trays and bottles, able to endure the loads and strains during transportation and handling. Furthermore the trays principally are used for different kinds of bottles. Normally, however, each pallet or each layer with bottles will be uniform, whereby it is desirable that the tray also is capable of being arranged stable on bottles without support- ring.

The above options with the tray according to the present invention is achieved with the features stated in the claims.

The drawing discloses in figure 1 a part ground view from the underside of a tray according to the present invention, figure 2 discloses a section II in figure 1 and figure 3 discloses a detail from figure 2 where the tray is used for a glass bottle having a capsule and where right and left half of the figure disclose abutment with and without a capsule. As figure 2 discloses, an upper tray 1 rests with shoulders 5 on the support ring 4 of each bottle 2 standing on a tray below. To facilitate location of an upper tray on a layer with upright standing bottles, the shoulders 5 of the tray are inclined inwardly and upwardly towards the center axis of each bottle.

Furthermore the inner surface 13 a conical ring 9 of the shoulder 5 facing the center axis of the bottle is inclined in relation to the axis. The bottle caps 3 are received within the conical ring 9. These inclined surfaces 9 provide for a possibility of dropping a tray 1 from above downwardly towards upright standing bottles. Such a drop may be made even from a relatively large height as the inclined surfaces of the underside of the shoulders 5 as well as the inner inclined guiding surface 13 automatically will locate the trays correctly in position each tray thereby resting on the supporter rings of the bottles below. This means that the mechanism fetching a new tray from a stack and moving said tray to above the pallet, principally may drop the tray and already move to fetch the next layer of bottles during the time the tray is falling down and finding its place on the upright standing bottles below.

To receive a tray 1 which is dropped from a certain height and above also to ensure stacking of different layers with bottles and trays on a load of pallet as to the transportation, the cups of the tray, in other words the upper side of the tray, is provided with a groove .10. In an attempt to lock the bottles in the groove 10, the radially inner portion of the groove 10 is shaped up to an edge 6 conforming exactly to the shape of the underside of the bottle. A bottle located in the groove 10 and s captured by the edge 6 is very strongly anchored in the tray 1. This strong arrangement of . the bottles is of substantial importance for landing a new tray on top of bottles as well as for the later transportation and handling of the pallet loads. In a special embodiment of a tray adapted for glass o bottles, such as bottles 2 for lemonade and beer, each cup in the tray 1 is provided with an inner bead 8 having an inwardly and downwardly protruding flange 7 the lower edge of which resting on top of the bottle cap 11, preferably near the circumference of the cap to avoid damage on the imprint on the cap 11. s The inner surface 13 of the conical ring 9 will abut the circumference of the bottle cap 11 and counteract any tendency of outer circumference of the bottle cap 7 to be bent outwardly when the flange 7 transfers weight on to the bottle cap 11, inside the bottle neck. o By return of empty bottles the inner inclined surface of the flanges 7 will abut the inner surface of the bottle neck opening and the inclination will guide the tray in place to be centralized as to the axis of the bottle 2. In this way the tray lays stable on the bottles, when the bottles are transported with 5 bottle caps 11 as well as when the bottles are transported empty as to be returned.

In the same way as described above the inclination of the shoulders 5 at the underside as well as the surface facing the axis will ensure that the trays are guided correctly in place o when trays are laid above or falling down onto the bottles 2.

5

Claims

P a t e n t C l a i m s

1. Tray for storing and transportation of upright standing bottles ( 2 ) , where an upper tray rests on bottles standing on underlying tray, each tray being symmetrical and comprising a cup for each bottle, each cup in the underside of the tray comprising several shoulders ( 5 ) having upwardly and towards the center of the cup inclined surfaces, adapted for guiding the tray onto upright standing bottles (below) by locating the tray, CHARACTERIZED IN the tray comprising for each cup at the innermost portion of the shoulders ( 5 ) a conical ring ( 9 ) having an inwardly directed surface ( 13 ) which together with the shoulders ( 5 ) guide the tray into correct location on upright standing bottles (2), thereby resting on the bottle caps (11) on the bottle tops ( 3 ) , on the intergrated support rings ( 4 ) of the bottles or on the bottle necks (12) of the bottles.

2. Tray according to previous claims, CHARACTERIZED IN the upper side of each cup being provided with a groove (10) having an abutting edge ( 6 ) as part of the conical ring ( 9 ) and adapted to abut the bottom of the bottle, whereby the groove (10) and the edge ( 6 ) thereby secure the stability of the bottle to receive an upper tray.

3. Tray according to previous claims, CHARACTERIZED IN each conical ring ( 9 ) comprising an inner bead ( 8 ) having a downwardly and inwardly protruding flange ( 7 ) , being such adapted that an upper tray will rest through the lower edge of the flanges on the bottle caps (3) of glass bottles, or the underside of the inclined flange ( 7 ) will rest on the inner edge of the bottle neck as concerned bottles without bottle caps (11).