1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stackable crate for holding beverage bottles. Particularly, the present invention is directed to a stackable crate that includes constant diameter pockets for receiving and securely holding beverage bottles.
2. Description of Related Art
Beverages such as soft drinks are typically packaged in plastic bottles. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a favored material for such bottles due to its high strength, flexibility, and low cost. Conventional PET bottles, when filled with a beverage, can bear high compressive loads up to many times the total weight of the bottle and beverage, provided that the load is distributed along the symmetry axis of the bottle and provided that the bottle is maintained in a sufficiently upright position. However, when an off-axis compressive load is applied to the bottles, they have a tendency to buckle.
A variety of cases used for shipping and storing beverage bottles are known in the art. Typically, the cases are stacked on top of each other on pallets where they can then be loaded onto trucks or other means of transportation and shipped to a bottler. The bottler then loads each case with several bottles and then stacks the cases one on top of the other so that the cases can be shipped to retailers. Conventional bottle cases are typically low depth cases with four side walls, a flat bottom portion, and a number of upwardly projecting columns. The columns, walls, and bottom portion define a bottle-retaining pocket. Typically, the columns of conventional cases are hollow, angled toward the interior of the crate, and tapered to be smaller in cross section at the top and larger near the bottom, which facilitates stacking of the cases. These conventional cases generally have been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose.
However, these conventional low depth cases with tapered columns may not provide sufficient support to the bottles to allow the cases to be stacked in a stable and secure manner. There remains a need in the art for a beverage case that is capable of securely holding a wide variety of bottles so that the cases can be stacked and shipped safely. The present invention provides a solution to these problems.
Advantages of the present invention will be set forth in and become apparent from the description that follows. Additional advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the beverage crate particularly pointed out in the written description and claims, as well as from the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied herein, the invention includes a nestable crate or container for holding bottles. The crate has a floor portion substantially in a first plane having a plurality of bottle seating areas, with each bottle seating area being adapted to receive a lower portion of a bottle. The crate also includes a peripheral wall surrounding the floor portion and extending upward from the floor portion, a plurality of central columns extending upward from the floor portion and oriented proximate to a longitudinal centerline of the crate, and a plurality of pylons extending upward from the floor portion along the periphery of the crate. At least one central column includes at least one first bottle-contacting surface and at least one pylori includes at least one second bottle-contacting surface. Both the first and second bottle contacting surfaces are substantially orthogonal to the first plane.
The crate may also be cross-stackable. The cross-stackable crate includes a floor portion having a plurality of bottle seating areas, each bottle seating area having a substantially flat portion being adapted to receive a lower portion of a bottle. A top surface of the flat portion of each bottle seating area lies in a first plane. A peripheral wall surrounds the floor portion and extends upward from the floor portion. The peripheral wall includes a top portion forming a ledge for receiving a lower portion of a peripheral wall of a second crate. The crate also includes a plurality of hollow central columns oriented along a longitudinal centerline of the container and extending upward from the floor portion with each central column including a plurality of first bottle-contacting surfaces orthogonal to the first plane. A plurality of hollow pylons extend upward from the floor portion along the periphery of the container, the pylons including an inwardly angled exterior surface and a second bottle-contacting surface. The second bottle-contacting surface is orthogonal to the first plane and comprises a rib extending along a portion of the axial length of the pylori. The rib is surrounded by a plurality of grooves. The crate also includes a plurality of circular pockets for securely receiving a bottle, with the pockets being defined by at least one first bottle contacting surface on a central column and at least one second bottle contacting surface on a pylori. The circular pocket has a substantially constant diameter. A channel extends across the width of the container in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline and bisects the container into two substantially identical portions.
The foregoing summary of the invention and the following detailed description are exemplary and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide further understanding of the invention. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain principles of the invention.
Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
The beverage crate described in this disclosure may be used for securely holding a predetermined number of beverage bottles during transport or storage. The present invention is particularly suited for securely holding contoured beverage bottles.
An exemplary embodiment of a beverage crate in accordance with the invention is shown in
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The flat portions 24 of bottle seating areas 22 are substantially coplanar—that is, the top surface of the flat portions 24 of bottle seating areas 22 are located in the same plane 34 as the other flat portions 24. When crate 10 sits on a flat, level surface such as a floor, flat portions 24 will be substantially parallel to the floor.
Each bottle contacting surface 32, 33 is preferably orthogonal to plane 34, that is, bottle contacting surfaces 32, 33 are oriented at a 90 degree angle with respect to the flat portions 24 of the bottle seating areas 22. Bottle contacting surfaces 32, 33 are orthogonal to plane 34 throughout the axial length of the bottle contacting surface. Bottle contacting surfaces 32, 33 may also be substantially orthogonal to plane 34. Substantially orthogonal means that the bottle contacting surfaces are oriented at approximately a 90° angle (plus or minus about two degrees) with respect to plane 34. Because the bottle contacting surfaces 32 are oriented at a 90° angle with respect to plane 34, pockets 20 formed by bottle contacting surfaces 32 have a constant diameter D (as illustrated in
In contrast to conventional beverage crates, the configuration of crate 10 advantageously allows bottle contacting surfaces to maintain contact with the bottle throughout the axial length of the bottle, allowing the bottles to be more securely held within beverage crate 10. This configuration also makes crate 10 suitable for carrying bottles having a wide variety of shapes, since bottle contacting surfaces 32 engage and securely hold the bottle at both the bottom and the top of the bottle. For example, crate 10 is ideally suited for holding bottles that are contoured, with a waist portion that is smaller in diameter than both a top potion and a bottom portion of the bottle.
As shown in
Upper portion 36 and lower portion 38 correspond to upper and lower portions on columns 14 and pylons 16. The transition between upper portion of the columns and lower portion of the columns includes a stepped surface 44. Stepped surface 44 is angled with respect to plane 34. For example, stepped surface 44 may be at an angle of approximately 45° with respect to plane 34.
Crate 10 also includes a peripheral wall 46 surrounding floor portion 12 and extending upward from the floor portion. Pylons 16 may form part of peripheral wall 46. Peripheral wall 46 may include a plurality of notches 48 formed between adjacent pylons 16. Notches 48 decrease the material needed to form crate 10, thus decreasing weight and cost. In addition, notches 48 provide for increased product visibility for display purposes. Notches 48 may be of any suitable shape, including u-shaped or v-shaped.
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Crate 10 may be of any suitable shape and size. As illustrated in
Crate 10 also includes a central channel 56 that extends along transverse axis 19 of the crate and divides the crate into two substantially identical portions. Advantageously, this allows a plurality of crates 10 to be stacked directly on top of one another or to be cross-stacked. Cross-stacking generally involves stacking rectangular crates in a layered structure, with each layer having crates oriented parallel to each other and with the crates in adjacent layers being oriented at right angles to one another. This configuration helps prevent lateral movement during transport of the empty crates and thus enhances stability. Peripheral wall 46 of crate 10 may include a top surface that forms a ledge 52 for receiving a lower portion 54 of peripheral wall 46 of an identical crate 10 in either a stacked or a cross-stacked configuration. In a cross-stacked configuration, central channel 56 accommodates abutting peripheral walls 46 of additional crates 10, allowing a plurality of crates to be stacked in such a way that the longitudinal axes of the respective crates are oriented at right angles to each other.
The height of central columns 14 and pylons 16 is generally greater than the height of similar structures in conventional beverage crates. The higher columns and pylons increase the stability of crate 10 by providing increased support to the beverage bottles held within the crate. Although the height of columns 14 and 16 are greater than those of conventional crates, the nesting interval remains unchanged. This is accomplished by allowing the columns 14 and pylons 16 to nest deeper within the hollow columns 14 and pylons 16 of a stacked crate. As a result, crate 10 provides for greater stability and safety without increasing the amount of space needed to store and/or transport the crates, either empty or full of product.
Crate 10 can have an overall height of approximately 5.12 inches, with the height of peripheral wall 46 being approximately 3 inches and the height that columns 14 and pylons 16 extend above peripheral wall 46 being approximately 2.12 inches. Crate 10 can have a nesting interval of 3 inches, since stacking a plurality of crates 10 one on top of the other would increase the overall height of the stack by only 3 inches for each additional crate in the stack.
The present invention, as described above and shown in the drawings, provides for a nestable and cross-stackable beverage bottle crate capable of securely holding beverage bottles of varying sizes and shapes. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the disclosed invention without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12141582 | Jun 2008 | US |
Child | 12856085 | US |