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(11) | EP 0 013 057 A1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | A plastics tray or crate to be used for objects or merchandise |
| (57) A plastics tray, in particular a crate, to be used for objects or merchandise, which
is provided with a space bounded by edge parts (6,7) at both sides, said space being
used for positioning a carrier (5) for marks. The space and the carrier (5) extend
around the plastics tray. |
[0001] The invention relates to a plastics tray, in particular a crate, to be used for objects or merchandise.
[0002] Various factories or commercial enterprises nowadays use trays or crates especially made of a-plastics, which all have distinguishing features as to form and design. Thus, for example, the beverage industry utilizes for each different brand an especially designed crate adapted to a particular brand, contrary to those branches of industry using glass or tinned packing means.
[0003] This offers the disadvantage that, because of the great variety of crates for, for instance, a number of bottles, they are unnecessarily costly, while return transports of these crates cause additional difficulties, for example, in getting crates with empty bottles back to the proper place of delivery.
[0004] It is the object of the present invention to provide a plastics tray, in particular a crate, of a single standardized model, which can be utilized by different manufacturers, each manufacturer or any other supplier of the tray or crate contents being able to carry his own brand name. This requires special measures to be taken into account already when manufacturing the tray or crate.
[0005] According to the invention,
utilizingoplastics troy
extending around the tray for positioning a carrier pro- vided with marks or colours, said space being bounded by edge parts at both sides of said spece.
[0006] Preferably, the carrier is put in place in a loose 01 partly loose relationship, said carrier also extenaing around the tray.
[0007] According to a very preferred embodiment the carrier consists of a plastics foil heat shrunk onto the tray
[0008] The carrier may be formed, for example, by a candbeerd plate provided with a label. or alternatively, by c wrapeer, for instance in the form of a band which can be put around the tray or crate for instance by attaching its end to each other using an adhesive. This wrapper may also consist of a light kind of carboard or paper. However, it is also possible to use a plastic for the mark carrier, as indicated hereinbefore.
[0009] The invention will now be explained by means of on embodiment as shown in the drawings, wherein
- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of an embodiment of a tray or crate in accordance with the invention;
- Figure 2 is an identical perspective view of a crate as shown in Figure 1 but without the carrier for marks;
- Figure 3 is a top view of a loading polle wherein solid and broken
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross- sectional, portially lateral view of a port of crate according to theinvention , and
Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an end wall of a crate of the inventiono
[0010] In the embodiment as shown in Figure 1, a crate is provided with partially double-walled side walls 1 and partially double-walled end walls 2 provided with handle-forming openings 3. Along the upper border areas the side walls 1 and the end walls 2 are provided with recessed portions 4; the manner in which these recessed portions are obtained will be described later on. In this embodiment there is provided around the crate a wrapper 5 being formed by a strip of material, for example a light kind of cardboard or paper, which strip has been pulled tightly around the crate, the extremities of the strip being attached to each other for example by means of an adhesive. As is clearly apparent from the drawing, this wrapper forms the carrier for marks, thus making it possible to readily see what kind of merchandise the crate contains. It is also possible to attach, for instance by using an adhesive, the wrapper 5 to the crate at several points, so that it is placed on the crcte in a loose or partly loose relationship. In the embodiment as shown in Figure 1, all the walls have a special location for positioning the carrier which is in the form of a wrapper 5, the positioning place being formed in that in areas adjacent to the spot reserved for the mark carrier there are provided portions 6 and 7 which are raised with respect to the edges of the carrier. On account of the raised portions 6 and 7, the wrapper 5 cannot slide or be slid off the crate, since near the raised portion 7 the wall extends outwardly with respect to the wrapper 5, there being at the raised
abutting edge for protecting the wrapper.
6 and 7 are also present at the corners of the crate, so that they merge from one wall, for example from the wall 2, into the other wall 1. If desired, this wrapper 5 can be earlly removed, for instance by using a knife.
[0011] In a preferred embodiment the lcbel 5 extending around the tray has been heat shrunk onto the plastics foil comprising the marks.
[0012] So as to clearly show the spoce 3 for positioning the carrier shown in Figure 1, the crafe of Figure 1 has been drawn in Figure 2 without the carrier The raised portions 6 and 7 in the side walls 1 and the end walls 2 can be clearly seen therein, so that the space 8 for positioning the carrier is clearly determined by the raised portions 6 and 7.
[0013] As is apparent for instance from the loading diagram of the loading pallet 19 shown in Figure 3, it is most desirable that a carrier for marks be put in place in a protective manner. In said Figure, broken lines 10 indicate the arrangement of adjoining crates. Solid lines 11 indicate a second layer of crates on the pallet 19. The spaces for positioning the carriers being protected as a result of the raised portions, the carriers or labels will not get damaged, for instance when sliding against each other due to the shaking on a truck. Upon the layer indicated by the solid lines in another layer of crates can be placed in
pattern indicated by the broken lines
arrangements in the positioning of the crater on the loading pallet can be continueduntil the maximum number loading pallet can be continued until the maximum number of layers has been reached, the carriers being well pro- tetced at all times.
[0014] The embpdiments of crates generally described hereinbefore are manufactured with the did of complicated moulds, the material to be used being a thermoplastics material, such as an impact-resistant polyethylene of polypropylene. The cross sectional view of Figure 4 shows the complicated manner in which such a crate is composed, the base is .generally indicated by the reference numeral 12. Along the circumference the base is provided with a number of supports 13 disposed at some distance from each other. Each interval of space between two supports is such that it is adapted to always fittingly receive two parallelly arranged top edges 14 of a crate. This is necessary in order to obtain the loading diagram as illustrated in Figure 3, so that the crates in a layer are always retained by. crates of a layer disposed thereupon or thereunder. In the cross- . sectional view of Figure 4, an end wall is provided with an opening 15, which serves as a handle.The reference numeral 18 indicates the inner side of the end wall. Together with the base 12, the end wall 18 and the side wall 19, an interior is formed which consists of vertical partitions 20 interconnected by means of connecting members 21 at the upper part. In certain places said connecting members 21 extend in the form of ribs 22 along the walls in upward direction, so as to reinforce the walls. In the vicinity of the upper edge 14 the inner end wall 18 has a protruding flonge 23 enclosing; in.
a reinforcing border 17 and c vertical rib 24, a processed area. Thus, a rigid upper border is obtained, as is shown for example in Figure 1. The remaining part of the end wall 18 as well as that of a side wall 19 possesses an outer part 25 located at some distance from the inner part 18. By way of ribs 26, the part 25 in turn is connected to the part 18. The ribs 26 are disposed at regular intervals along the circumference of the crate. It is obvious that a relatively complicated mould construction is needed for the manufacture of the inner part 18 of the end wall with the ribs 13, 17, 16 and the outer part 25. However, this construction can be profitably utilized to provide a place for positioning o carrier, by making a step 27 in the core between the wall sections 18 and 25 and the ribs 26. In a similar way it is possible to so provide on the outside a recessed portion 28 so as to obtain a positioning place 29 in the wall section 25. At the rib 16 it is possible to provide likewisea recessed portion indicated by the reference numeral 30. To this end it is possible to use parts of the mould which, with respect to the closing direction of the moulds, are movable sideways with a view to forming the recess at the rib 24 and the opening 15.
[0015] Figure 5 shows a part of a cross-section through a double walled crate comprising walls 35 and 37. The crate comprises a grip 33 and a space 31 extending around the crate. This space ed is bound by edges 32 and 34. Advantageously a ridge 38 may be present in order to hold the wrapper 5 extending around the troy.
1. A plcstics tray, in particular a crate, to be used for objectes or merchandise,
provided with a space extending around the tray for positioning a carrier provided
with marks ed or colours, said space being bound by edge parts at both sides of said
space.
2. A tray or crate as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier is put in place in a
loose or partly loose relationship, said carrier extending preferably around the tray
and forming a closed bond.
3. A plastics tray or crate being provided with a heat shrunk plastic foil carrier
extending around the tray.
4. Tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein the edge ports consist of set-up
portions of the wall preferably adopted to fittingly receive at least one portion
of the carrier.
5. Tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-4, wherein the edge parts comprise cams or
ribs provided between the upper and lower border areas of the side walls of the tray
or crate.
6. Tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-5, wherein one or several of the edge parts
are provided with notches or notch- forming cams thereon, behind which an edge of
the carrier is able to reach,
wherein 7. Tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-6, the walls are double walled , the
area of the wall to be used as the location for the carrier being single-walled.
8. Tray or crate as claimed in claims 1-7, wherein said space is provided with openings
for removing the carrier by pressing.