Improvements in or relating to spacers

Abstract

 A support structure for supporting articles in stacks, such as beer kegs. The support structure including a spacer member (10) arranged to be flexible to accommodate differences in article size and include peripheral skirts (16) and protrusions (26) upon respective upper (12) and lower planar surfaces of the spacer. The peripheral skirts and protrusions being arranged to locate supported articles.

Description

[0001] The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to spacers especially but not exclusively spacers for use between upper and lower layers of beer kegs.

[0002] In view of the construction of beer kegs it is not possible to provide a vertical stack of kegs which is suffi­ciently stable for mechanical handling purposes and even for static storage purposes. It is necessary, therefore, to interpose a spacer between a keg and the keg stacked on top of it, the spacer providing a stable base for the upper keg while at the same time being supported stably on the top of the lower keg.

[0003] There is an increasing demand for facilities to enable the transportation and storage of beer kegs in batches. Ideally, batches comprise several layers of four or six beer kegs, each layer arranged in two or three rows of two kegs, it is desirable, therefore, that the spacer extends over the tops of four or six kegs to provide a base for the four or six kegs of the next above layer. There have been proposals to provide such spacers in the past but these have suffered from considerable disadvantages. It cannot be guaranteed that each keg in a layer has exactly the same height on the remaining kegs, consequently, any height variation between kegs can cause instability in the spacer board, which instability is transmitted upwardly through the other layers of the stack. Additionally, it is desirable that the spacer does not extend beyond the outer perimeter of the layer of kegs to any appreciable extent, consequently it is important that the kegs are stacked on or close to predetermined positions on the spacer.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the disadvantages inherent in prior arrangement and to meet the requirements set out above.

[0005] According to the present invention there is provided a support structure including a spacer member arranged to both support and lie upon articles characterised in that the spacer member includes a planar upper surface and a planar lower surface, a downwardly extending skirt extending about a peripheral edge of the spacer member, the skirt including regions of reduced thickness.

[0006] Further, according to the present invention there is provided a support structure including a spacer member arranged to both support and lie upon articles characterised in that the spacer member has an upper planer surface and a lower planar surface, the upper planar surface being prov­ided with upwardly directed protrusions to assist in locating articles upon that surface, the upwardly directed protrusions having inwardly directed faces inclined downwards.

[0007] Preferably, the support structure is formed from plastics material by injection moulding. Preferably, it is of sufficient size to accommodate four beer kegs thereon in two rows of two. Alternatively it can accommodate six beer kegs in three rows of two. In such an arrangement each of the longer sides of the skirt may have two regions of reduced thickness at equal spacing from each other and the end of the structure. Additionally, the shorter peripheral skirt may have one region of reduced thickness at its centre. In a structure for supporting four kegs each skirt has a region of reduced thickness.

[0008] Preferably, the protrusions from the upper surface are arranged at the corners and along the sides, all near the periphery of the structure and all adjacent to the periphery of the base of a keg located thereon.

[0009] Preferably, one or more downwardly directed protru­sions are provided along a central axis of the support structure. Said downwardly directed protrusions may comp­rise spaced apart walls of a depth equal to the greatest depth of the skirt. There may be one protrusion in a structure for four kegs or three such protrusions, centred on the quarter points of the longer central axis in a structure for six kegs.

[0010] Preferably transverse lugs extend inwardly from said skirts, each having an inclined inner face.

[0011] Preferably perforations are provided in the spacer member to reduce weight and alter flexibility characteristics.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a spacer for use with sets of four beer kegs;

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of a corner of the spacer;

Fig. 3 and 4, side and front views of a protrusion from the spacers; and

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the underside of a spacer.

[0013] A keg spacer board for use between two layers of four kegs arranged in two rows of two is manufactured in one piece from plastics material by injection moulding and comprises a rectangular support member or deck 10, having upper and lower parallel surfaces, 12 and 14 respectively. A peripheral downwardly depending skirt 16 has pairs of longer sides 18,20. Mid-way along each skirt 18,20 there is provided a region of decreased thickness 22.

[0014] Protrusions are provided from the upper face 12 of the support deck 10, a single protrusion 26 being arranged at each corner of the deck, and a spaced pair mid-way along the sides 18,20. The protrusions which are formed intregally with the deck have a downwardly inclined inwardly facing face 28 terminating in a vertical face 29 and are arranged near the periphery of the deck.

[0015] A slot 32 is formed along one of the central axis of the deck 10, having parallel sides 34 and semi-circular ends 36. On its underside a skirt or downward protrusion 38 is formed at the periphery of the slot, its depth being substantially equal to the greatest depth of the skirt 16.

[0016] It will be realised that if a batch of four kegs are arranged in side by side relationship in two rows of two kegs, a keg spacer board as described above can be placed on top of the keg of this lower layer. The board is located by the peripheral external skirt 16 and to assist this location the skirt has inwardly directed lugs 40 transversely protruding therefrom at positions which will be adjacent to the keg peripheries. The kegs have inwardly sloping faces or lead ins 42 ending in a vertical face 44. Any variations in the height of the keg (within certain limits) can be taken up by the flexible nature of the spacer board which, flexibility is provided by the regions of reduced thickness 22. A further layer of four kegs can then be stacked on top of the base layer of kegs on the upper surface 12, the location of the kegs on the spacer being facilitated by the protrusions 26 and particularly by the lead in provided by the inclined inwardly and downwardly facing surfaces 28 of the protrusions.

[0017] Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, for example, the skirt and the upper protrusions can take different forms provided that they assist in the location of the tray on the lower layer of kegs and the location of kegs placed on the upper surface, while at the same time permitting the required degree of flexing.

[0018] The weight of the spacer board can be reduced and its flexibility characterics increased and controlled by providing perforations 30 which can be lattice-shaped as shown in Fig. 2, circular or any other suitable shape.

[0019] The board may be designed to operate with six kegs in three rows of two. In such a modification the skirt will have a pair of longer sides and a pair of shorter sides. The longer sides have regions of reduced thickness at two regions equispaced from each corner.

[0020] Arranged along the longer longitudinal central axis are three elongate slots or apertures having parallel sides and semi-circular ends. Depending downwardly from the periphery of each apparture is a continuous wall whose depth is equal to the depth of the skirt at its deepest point.

[0021] In a further modification additional protrusions are provided in the upper surface of the deck around the peri­phery of the keg bases, for example a pair of protrusions can be provided at each corner.

[0022] Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing Specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims

1 . A support structure including a spacer member (10) arranged to both support and lie upon articles characterised in that the spacer member (10) includes a planar upper surface (12) and a planar lower surface (14), a downwardly extending skirt (16) extending about a peripheral edge of the spacer member (10), the skirt (16) including regions of reduced thickness (22).

2. A support structure including a spacer member (10) arranged to both support and lie upon articles characterised in that the spacer member has an upper planar surface (12) and a lower planar surface (14), the upper planar surface (12) being provided with upwardly directed protrusions (26) to assist in locating articles upon that surface (12), the upwardly directed protrusions (26) having inwardly directed faces (28) inclined downwards.

3. A support structure as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the support structure is formed from a plastics material.

4. A support structure as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 3 when dependent upon Claim 1 wherein the spacer member (10) is substantially square and the regions of reduced thickness (22) are equally spaced about each respective side of the spacer member (10).

5. A support structure as claimed in Claim 1 or 3 when dependent upon Claim 1 wherein the spacer member (10) is rectangular and the regions of reduced thickness (22) are equally spaced within each respective side of the spacer member.

6. A support structure as claimed in Claim 2 or any appended Claim thereto wherein protrusions (26) from the upper surface (12) are arranged at the corners and along respective sides of the spacer member (10), the protrusions (26) all being about the periphery of the structure and adjacent to an article periphery to be located upon the support structure.

7. The support structure as claimed in Claim 2 and any Claim appended thereto wherein at least one downwardly directed protrusion (38) is provided along a central axis of the support structure.

8. A support structure as claimed in Claim 7 wherein each downwardly directed protrusion comprises a wall of a depth equal to the greatest depth of the skirt (16) and arranged upon the spacer member (10) to facilitate article location.

9. A support structure as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein transverse lugs (40) are arranged to extend inwardly from the skirt (16), each transverse lug (40) having an inclined inner face (42) arranged to facilitate article location about the spacer member.

10. A support structure as claimed in any preceding Claim wherein a spacer member is arranged to include a perforated area.

Drawing