The present invention relates generally to crates and more particularly to crates for carrying beverage containers, such as bottles.
Many designs for crates for carrying beverage containers are known. Some crates include a base having a pair of opposed side walls and a pair of opposed end walls extending upwardly from the periphery of the base. The crate may or may not have a plurality of interior columns extending upwardly from the base between the side walls and between the end walls to separate the bottles and partially define bottle receiving pockets.
For crates carrying smaller containers, e.g., approximately 16 to 24 ounce bottles, the bottles are typically arranged in a 4×6 arrangement, with four bottles arranged along each end wall. In this arrangement, the center of the handle is aligned between two of the bottles, thus providing sufficient room for the fingers of the user's hand grasping the handle. However, with slightly larger bottles, such as 1.5 liter bottles, arranged with only three bottles along each end wall, one of the bottles is aligned with the center of the handle, thus reducing the amount of space for the user's fingers.
A crate according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a base, a pair of opposed side walls extending upward from the sides of the base and a pair of end walls extending upward from ends of the base. The end walls each include a pair of spaced apart end columns each having a side flange partially defining a bottle receiving pocket and a lower rib projecting upwardly from the base between the side flanges. A handle extends across the pair of spaced apart columns at each end wall.
Any configuration where there is an odd number of bottles along the end wall (e.g., 3×4, 3×5, etc), the configuration of the handle and end walls will provide increased space between the handle and the bottle for the user's fingers when the user grasps the handle.
These and other features of the application can be best understood from the following specification and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.
A crate 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in
A plurality of side columns 18 project upwardly from a lower portion 20 of the side walls 14. Interior columns 22 project upwardly from the base 12. Corner columns 24 project upwardly at the intersection of the end walls 16 and side walls 14. End columns 26 project upwardly from a lower portion of the end walls 16. A handle 28 extends between the end columns 26 at each end wall 16. The handle 28 extends along outer edges of the end columns 26. The end columns 26 are tapered toward the interior of the crate 10 while the handle 28 extends upwardly nearly perpendicular to the base 12, along an outer footprint of the crate 10. This maximizes the amount of potential space between the handle 28 and the nearest adjacent bottle.
A side flange 30 extends laterally from the end columns 26 and is continuous with a much shorter, lower rib 32, which connects the two side flanges 30. The side flanges 30 partially define a bottle receiving pocket and are part of a lower portion of the end columns 26. Above the side flanges 30, an upper rib 34 extends generally perpendicular to the base 12 and longitudinally relative to the crate 10 along an upper portion of the end columns 26 below the handles 28. The upper rib 34 does not contact the bottle or define the bottle receiving pocket or interfere with a user's hand grasping the handle 28.
As shown in
As also shown in
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes and jurisprudence, exemplary configurations described above are considered to represent a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/619,143, filed on Nov. 16, 2009.
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Entry |
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European Search Report for EP Application No. 09012596.4, Jan. 25, 2010. |
European Search Report for EP Application No. 09012612.9, Jan. 8, 2010. |
European Search Report for EP Application No. 09156468.2, May 27, 2009. |
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U.S. Appl. No. 61/167,776, filed on Apr. 8, 2009, “Stackable Low Depth Tray”. |
U.S. Appl. No. 61/184,768, filed Jun. 5, 2009, “Stackable Low Depth Tray”. |
Photograph of PEPSI—Blue Crate, Top View. |
Photograph of PEPSI—Blue Crate, Bottom View 1. |
Photograph of PEPSI—Blue Crate, Bottom View 2. |
Photograph of Norseman NPL 405 Crate, Top View. |
Photograph of Norseman NPL 405 Crate, Bottom View. |
Photograph of Coca Cola Crate, Top View. |
Photograph of Coca Cola Crate, Bottom View. |
Photograph of 2L Coca Cola “Tulip” Crate, Top View. |
Photograph of 2L Coca Cola “Tulip” Crate, Bottom View 1. |
Photograph of 2L Coca Cola “Tulip” Crate, Bottom View 2. |
Photograph of 2L Coca Cola “Tulip” Crate, Bottom View 3. |
Exhibit 1: Four photos of a prior art case of Rehrig Pacific Company, Model No. PLBC-8-2L-PET-Qd (1984). |
Exhibit 2: Two photos of a prior art case of Rehrig Pacific Company for 3 Liter PET bottles (1990). |
Exhibit 3: Two photos of a prior art case of D.W. Plastics (date unknown). |
Exhibit 4: Two photos of a prior art case of International Container Systems, Inc. For 3 Liter PET bottles (date unknown). |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20120103996 A1 | May 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 12619143 | Nov 2009 | US |
Child | 13346913 | US |