WO2010055204A1

WO2010055204A1 - Bottle tray

Info

Publication number: WO2010055204A1
Application number: PCT/FI2009/050897
Authority: WO
Inventors: Johan LINDSTRÖM; Herrick Ramberg
Original assignee: K Hartwall Oy AB
Current assignee: K Hartwall Oy AB
Priority date: 2008-11-12
Filing date: 2009-11-06
Publication date: 2010-05-20
Anticipated expiration: 2011-05-12
Also published as: FI20086072L; AU2009315557A1; FI20086072A0; EP2352686A4; UA100928C2; ZA201104256B; FI122174B; EP2352686A1; DE202009018685U1; RU2011119374A

Abstract

Bottle tray, onto which can be fitted at least two, four, six, eight, and ten-bottle multi- bottle packs. The bottle tray comprises an under surface, in which there are elements (2, 3) for supporting the neck or cork of the bottle and an upper surface for carrying the bottoms of the bottles, as well as an edge (14) running around the upper surface, for supporting the bottles and packs inside the edge (14). On the bottle tray there are at least four bottle-place rows, in each of which there are at least five bottle places (13), and between the bottle places there are support elements (15, 16, 17) extending from the upper surface, for supporting individual bottles and multi-bottle packs. In at least the middle of the four-bottle place in each corner of the bottle tray there is a half-quill (16), in which there is at least one curved support surface (18), which faces towards the bottle place in the corner of the bottle tray, and in the middle of the two centre-most bottle- place rows there are protrusions extending to at most the height of support bumps (17).

Description

Bottle tray

The present invention relates to a bottle tray intended for the transportation of bottles and bottle packs.

Beverage bottles and cans are usually transported in bottle crates, on bottle trays, or as packs packed directly on pallets. In a bottle crate, the edges of the crate extend above the height of the bottles and the crates are stacked on top of each other, so that the sides of the crates support the weight of the crates placed on top of them. Thus, in a crate, the stresses caused by stacking and moving act on the strongly built create and no load is placed on the moveable bottles. Usually, the individual bottles that are transported in crates are arranged in places in the inner bottom of the crate, in which the bottle is surrounded on all sides by supporting edges. Crates are also in use, in which multi-bottle packs can be packed, i.e. packs, in which two or more bottles are bound together by a packaging wrapper. The packaging wrapper is usually shrink-wrap plastic or cardboard. In such crates, at least some of the bottle places on the bottom of the crate must have low edges, so that the multi-pack can be placed on the bottom of the crate. This design naturally weakens the support for individual bottles. However, the support for individual bottles in a crate is not a great problem, because the edges of the crate extend for the entire height of the bottles, so that the bottles will not fall out of the crate, even if they can wobble or otherwise move laterally.

A bottle tray differs essentially from a crate in how it operates. In the upper surface of a bottle tray, there are support elements, with the aid of which separate bottles and cans are held in place. Bottle trays are nearly always designed in such a way that they can be used to transport separate bottles or cans, as well as multi-packs. Because the aim is to make a bottle tray thin, its edges are low and thus cannot support bottles or cans in the way that the edges of a crate can. In honeycomb-board solutions, the vertical load is actually carried by the beverage packs themselves. For this purpose, in the under surface of bottle trays there are collars for bottles or support elements fitting the upper end of cans, which lock the can or bottle in place laterally. Thus, when using bottle trays, the beverage packs are secured laterally by a bottle tray below and above while the packs themselves carry the vertical load.

Crates have the advantage that they have a strong structure and protect bottles well. They are also suitable for transporting less than their full number of bottles, because the bottles remain protected by the crate, even if the crate is not full. On the other hand, an empty crate requires as much space as a full one, which is a nuisance when returning crates. A strongly built and large create also demands a great deal of raw material and a large mould when being manufactured. Thus, a crate is an expensive way to transport beverage packs. A bottle tray, for its part, only holds the bottles, cans, or multi-packs made from them into a unified transport package. A bottle tray can thus be very low, so that large numbers of them can be stacked in a small space when empty. On the other hand, when bottle trays are used to return empty beverage packs, the bottle trays should be full, in order to achieve sufficient stability.

Nowadays, beverages are often sold as multi-packs of various sizes; starting from two- bottle or can packs to a 24-beverage pack box or crate. The beverages are brought from breweries or other beverage manufacturers to retail-sales points in multi-packs of various sizes, in which they are packed in a wrapping appropriate to the product. Beverage cans are usually returned to recycling in a crushed form, so that they do not require crates or bottle trays for return transport. Various kinds of glass and plastic bottles, on the other hand, are mostly recycled whole, when they are washed for refilling. Therefore, crates or bottle trays, by means of which the bottles are taken back to the beverage manufacturer, must be arranged for their return transport. If bottles packed in multi-packs come from the beverage manufacturer and separate individual bottles are returned, the same crate or bottle tray must be able to handle both flexibly and in such a way that there is the least possible danger of damaging the bottles.

The invention is intended to create a bottle tray, in which both multi-bottle packs of several sizes and individual bottles can be packed.

The invention is based on the multi-bottle packs being supported in place with the aid of quills and half-quills located in the upper surface of the bottle tray, which are located in such a way that the quills always penetrate through a hole in the multi-bottle pack between the bottles and at least one half-quill penetrates the end of the multi-bottle pack in at least one pack size.

According to one preferred embodiment of the invention, the bottle tray is rectangular and there are five bottle places in each bottle row parallel to its long side and correspondingly four bottle places parallel to the short side, so that the number of bottle places is 20, and there are no quills or half-quills between at least two bottle-place rows parallel to the short side.

Further, according to one embodiment, there are no quills of half quills between the centre-most bottle places of a bottle tray comprising 20 bottle places.

According to one feature of the invention, there is a quill, half quill, or support bump in the surface of the bottle tray in the area between every four bottle places, the height of which is at most the height of the punt in the bottom of the bottle being transported.

According to one embodiment of the invention, in at least the short side of the bottle tray there are spaces extending towards the internal part of the bottle tray while at corresponding places in the lower edge there are also spaces that permit the bottle tray to be gripped from above by hand, by the grab of an automatic handling device, or using some other lifting means.

Further, according to one feature of the invention, the bottle in each corner of the bottle tray is supported at at least three points around the circumference of the bottle part.

More specifically, the bottle tray according to the invention is characterized by what is stated in the independent Claim.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is stated in the characterizing portions of the dependent Claims.

Considerable advantages are gained with the aid of the invention. The invention relates to a new size of handling unit, which is 1/8 of a standard EUR pallet. Twenty bottles can be packed into a crate or bottle tray of this size. Because consumers nowadays demand packs in several different sizes, it would be advantageous to be able to use a single bottle tray to transport packs of many different sizes, in which case the number of transport devices means would remain small. Two, four, six, eight, and ten-bottle packs can be packed on the bottle tray according to the present invention. Thus, the possibilities for using the board are extremely flexible. The bottle tray according to the invention is compatible with a bottle crate of a corresponding size while the board can be used on the same bottling and packing lines as a corresponding crate. Only a single size of multi-packs can be packed into known crates, so that, with the aid of our invention, a new kind of flexibility can be obtained for the handling of beverage packs. Of course, by means of the invention, the advantages relating to the use of known honeycomb packs are obtained; i.e. a smaller consumption of material, a moulding tool with smaller dimensions, and a relatively small use of space when empty bottle trays are stacked. Overall, the bottle tray according to the invention is more flexible in its possibilities for use than previous solutions, as well as having a lower purchase price and operating costs.

In the following, the invention is examined with the aid of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows one bottle tray according to the invention, seen from the side of the bottle-cork support surface (from underneath).

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the bottle tray of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows the bottle tray from the long side.

Figure 4 shows the bottle tray from the short side.

Figure 5 shows the bottle tray from the direction of the bottle bottom support surface (from above). Figure 6 shows a perspective view of the bottle tray from above.

Figure 7 shows the places of 1x4 packs drawn on the view of Figure 5.

Figure 8 shows the places of 1x6 packs drawn on the view of Figure 5.

In terms of the bottle-cork support surface, i.e. in practice, in all use situations, of the under surface, the bottle tray is similar to known bottle trays. A structure of this kind is characterized by a matrix pattern, in this case openings 1 set in a 4 x 5 matrix, the corks or necks of the bottles being supported by the openings. Each opening 1 comprises an edge 2, which supports the neck of the bottle from the side, and a ceiling surface 3, against which the bottle tray on top of the bottle row lies. The support openings 1 for the bottles are dimensioned as required to correspond to the shape of the bottle neck or the corked bottle, or both. There can be support surfaces 4 between the support openings, which lie against the wrapping of a multi -bottle pack. An edge 5 runs around the lower surface of the bottle tray and is shaped to fit against the edge of the upper surface of a corresponding bottle tray, allowing the bottle trays to be stacked. In the short ends of the bottle tray, there are grip recesses 6, which consist of spaces extending inwards from the ends and spaces extending inwards from the lower edge 5 of the bottle tray. These spaces permit the bottle tray to be gripped from above, when several boards with the bottles and packs stacked on them are arranged on top of and next to each other. Thanks to the end spaces, an opening is formed between the boards, from which the board can be gripped by hand, or, for instance, by the grab of an automatic handling device. There can also be gripping spaces on the long sides, or on all sides of the board.

In Figure 3, the board is shown from the direction of the long side, here the locking ribs 9, 10 should be noted. The ribs 9, 10 are formed to prevent bottle trays that are set next to each other from moving vertically and laterally relative to each other. As the figure shows, the ribs are formed in the different ends of the board in such a way that they can be arranged to interlock. Thus, boards placed next to each other lock to each other. On the long side, there is also a handgrip 11, by which the board can be lifted. Locking grips 12 like those described above, and a gripping space 6 should be noted in Figure 4. The actual idea of the invention is shown in Figures 5 and 6, and as a more detailed example in Figures 7 and 8. The problem that is the object of the invention is how to be able to place several alternative sizes of multi -bottle packs on a single bottle tray. At the same time, sufficient support should preferably be retained for individual bottles being transported without a package. This has been resolved by using packs of a specific type and by the placing of the quills, half-quills, and empty spaces that support bottles. The size of the bottle tray is determined by a standard size, according to which its outer dimensions may be at most 1/8 part of the surface area of a standard EUR load pallet. This determines the outer dimensions of the upper edge 14 of the bottle tray (the side receiving the bottoms of the bottles). Due to the strength requirements of the edge 14, it must have a predetermined thickness and the edge must extend at least to the height of the start of the cylindrical part of the bottle. It is possible to envisage that the height of the edge 14 can be, at the lowest, 20 - 30 mm from the support surface of the bottoms of the bottles (from the bottom of the bottle place 13), but preferably 30 - 60 mm, in order to gain sufficient lateral support.

By means of the dimensioning described above, 4 x 5 = 20 bottles places are obtained. The bottle places 13 are formed of a low depression, which is delimited by either the edge 14 of the bottle tray, or by a support element in the middle of four adjacent bottle places 13. This support element can be a quill 15, a half-quill 16, or a support bump 17. The quill 15 is a spike extending from the support surface of the bottoms of the bottles, which has a concave support surface 18 on four sides for supporting the cylindrical part of the bottles. In a half-quill 16, there are correspondingly two curved support surfaces 18 and one straight support surface 19, which gives the half-quill a triangular cross- section. The support bumps 17, for their part, are protrusions corresponding in cross- section to the quill 15, the height of which is arranged to be such that they do not prevent multi-bottle packs from being stacked on the support surface for bottles. In practice, this means that the height of the support bumps is at most the same at the height of the punt in the bottom of the bottle, measured from the bottom. The bottle places 13 have the shape of a circular bottle bottom and are delimited on the circumference of the place by either the edge 14 of the board, a quill 15, a half-quill 16, or a support bump 17. The half-quills and quills are higher than a support bump and extend to about the height of the edges of the bottle tray. In the bottom of the multi-packs, there is an opening in the middle of four adjacent bottles, into which the quills and half-quills can be fitted. Thus, they support the pack and the bottles.

In multi-bottle packs, the edges of the pack are unbroken. Thus, the pack has no cutout in them for quills. Therefore a whole quill cannot be located at the middle point of all four bottles, instead such middle points must be left empty and a support surface formed for the bottom of the bottle by a support bump 17, or half empty by placing a half-quill at such points, at which the edge of the pack lies in some pack size. On the other hand, in order to achieve the best possible support there should be as many quills as possible. Particularly in the case of the bottle places in the corners of a bottle tray there must be at least half-quills, so that one curved support surface faces towards the bottle place in the corner. However, in multi-bottle packs of nearly all sizes at least one gap between the packs occurs between the two centre-most bottle-place rows, so that between these places there can be only support bumps or an even surface. Thus, the minimum demand for the usability of the solution according to the invention is at least a half-quill in the gap between the bottle-place rows bordered by each outermost longitudinal (parallel to the long side) bottle-place row and outermost lateral (parallel to the short side) bottle- place row. I.e., at least one concave support surface must face towards the bottle place in the corner. In addition, there can be at most a support bump 17, other elements of the same height, or an even surface, between the centre-most bottle-place rows.

As stated above, it is preferable for there to be as many quills and half-quills as possible, both to support multi-bottle packs and to ensure that individual bottles remain in place. However, in order to be able to retain the possibility of packing many different types of packs on this bottle tray, the number of these support elements is limited. If it is wished to pack four-bottle packs on the board, the full quills can be located only in the farthest corners in the centre of a four-bottle place. The four-bottle packs can then be placed on the bottle tray according to Figure 7, in such a way that quills are in the middle of each pack. An empty bottle row remains in the centre of the board and there can be no full quills at the edges of this row. On the other hand, there can be half-quills at places lying at the edge of the pack. If, however, the placing of a six-bottle pack is viewed in Figure 8, it will be seen that at least the quill places next to the second centre-most bottle row must be left empty, because the pack edge will lie here. At the same time, the edge of the pack lies at the end of one six-bottle pack, where there is a corner-place quill. Thus, at least one corner-place quill must be a half-quill and arranged so that its straight surface faces towards the quills on the same short side. These form a quill/half-quill pair. Because these determine the position of one six-bottle pack, there cannot be anything other than support bumps in the quill places next to the bottle places in the centre row, because the edge of the pack runs through this. On the opposite side of the centre row, however, there can be half-quills, the straight sides of which face towards the full quills at the end of the bottle tray. Thus, they form a support surface for four-bottle packs, but will nevertheless fit into the quill holes of a six-bottle pack to support the packs and bottles.

In this solution, an eight-bottle pack can be placed directly instead of four-bottle packs and ten-bottle packs directly next to each other parallel to the longitudinal bottle-place rows.

In the example above, the quills can be replaced by half-quills, but in that case the support especially for separate bottles will be poorer. However, what is essential is that a bottle in the corner of the bottle tray will be supported by at least a half-quill and the edge of the bottle tray. In principle, the bottom of the bottle tray can even be flat and the bottles supported only by quills, but in that case the support can be quite poor and the filling of the bottle tray more difficult, because the empty bottles will easily fall on the flat surface, being unsupported. Of course, in a full bottle tray the bottles will support each other, but the more quills and half-quills there are supporting the bottles, the more stable a transportation unit form of several loaded bottle trays will be. On the other hand, in addition to the quills or half-quills there must not be any support elements on the surface of the bottle tray receiving the bottoms of the bottles, for example partitions, which would extend higher than the upper surface of the support bumps, i.e. the height of the punt of the bottom of the bottle. Such partitions prevent multi -packs of different size being placed on the bottle tray.

The invention can also be applied to bottle trays, in which there are several bottle places. One alternative application is a board, in which there are six bottle places in each bottle- place row. This board is suitable for bottles with a sufficiently small diameter for six of them to fit in the same row on the board. It can be envisaged that there are more bottle places, but with a smaller number of bottle places than that described in the above example it may not be possible to arrange places for packs of difference sizes, because there are too few bottle places in the rows and laterally for larger packs.

Claims

Claims:

1. Bottle tray for the transportation of individual bottles and differently sized multi- packs formed of bottles, which bottle tray comprises:

- a first support surface, in which there are at least elements (2, 3) for supporting the neck or cork of the bottle,

- a second support surface facing in the opposite direction relative to the first support surface, for carrying the bottoms of the bottles,

- an edge (14) running around the second support surface for supporting the bottles and packs inside the edge (14),

- at least four bottle-place rows, in each of which there are at least five bottle places (13), and

- between the bottle places support elements (15, 16, 17) extending from the second support surface, for supporting individual bottles and multi-bottle packs,

characterized in that

- in at least the middle of the four-bottle place in each corner of the bottle tray there is at least a half-quill (16), in which there is at least one curved support surface (18), which faces towards the bottle place in the corner of the bottle tray, and

- in the middle of the two centre-most bottle-place rows there are protrusions extending to at most the height of support bumps.

2. Bottle tray according to Claim 1, characterized in that in three corners in the middle of a four-bottle place there is a quill (15) and in one corner a half-quill (16), in which there is a flat surface, which faces towards the quill (15) on the same short side.

3. Bottle tray according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that on one short side of the bottle tray in the corner in the middle of a four-bottle place there are quills (15) in both corners and in the direction of the same bottle-place row, in the middle between the next four-bottle place, half-quills (16), the flat support surface of which faces towards the quills (15).

4. Bottle tray according to any of the above Claims, characterized in that, in the transverse direction relative to the bottle-place rows, there is at least one row of centres between one row of four bottle places, in which there are at most protrusions extending to the height of support bumps (17).

5. Bottle tray according to any of the above Claims, characterized in that on at least the short sides of the bottle tray, there are gripping recesses (6), which consist of a space (7) extending inwards from the end, and a space (8) extending inwards from the lower edge (5) of the bottle tray.

6. Bottle tray according to any of the above Claims, characterized in that on the same bottle tray at least two, four, six, eight, and twn-bottle multi-bottle packs can be fitted.