CRATE FOR ACCOMMODATING BOTTLES OF TWO SUBSTANTIALLY DIFFERENT GEOMETRY

Abstract

 The present invention discloses a crate (10) for accommodating bottles (20, 30) of two substantially different diameters and heights to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers. It consists of two parallel and oppositely situated longer sidewalls (11) and shorter sidewalls (12) over the bottom mesh (14), mutually connected with dividers (13). Below dividers' intersections (19), four-sided bottle supporting elements (15) are formed, on joints of the said dividers (13) with the sidewalls (11, 12) two-sided supporting elements (17) are formed, and each corner of the crate (10) is equipped with a supporting element (16). The top surfaces of all supporting elements (15, 16, 17) are positioned at the same height (h) from the bottom mesh (14) defining the elevated seat for the first type of bottles (20) and, simultaneously, their side surfaces define the pockets for receiving the second type of bottles (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention discloses a crate for accommodating bottles of two substantially different diameters and heights, to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers. In general, the field of the present invention covers containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials, where the mentioned articles are particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure, such as glass bottles for transporting drinks. More particularly, the technical field belongs to bottle crates, formed preferably in one piece, and specifically designed for accommodating bottles of different sizes.

Technical Problem

[0002] The technical field contains many solutions for bottle crates capable of storing bottles of different sizes. The focus of each such solution is to nest and secure the different bottle types within the crate's pockets by using their common physical properties such as partial diameter overlapping, or, via kind of diameter compensation means, i.e., elastic means for securing the bottles, or both. Such bottle crates are efficient for storing different bottles but fail to enable the charging or discharging of said crates by automatic grippers.

[0003] Automatic grippers are known machines for fast loading/charging and unloading/discharging of crates by mechanical or pneumatic means. In most cases, they function as robotized machines capable of gripping the bottle's top or neck and loading/unloading one or more bottles simultaneously to/within the bottle crate. For the gripper's proper operation, all bottle tops must lie substantially in the same plane keeping in mind that the standard automatic grippers are not capable of adjusting the gripping part for each bottle independently.

[0004] The present invention solves the problem of accommodating two different types of bottles, stored within the bottle crate randomly, where said bottles have two substantially different diameters and heights and are capable of being charged or discharged by the standard automatic grippers. Substantially different, as used here, means at least a 15% difference in their heights and at least a 10% difference in their diameters.

[0005] The terms "standard automatic gripper" or "automated gripper" refer to the gripper designed for the operation in one plane, gripping the bottles' necks whose tops lie substantially in the same plane. The solution offered by the present invention contains carefully designed bottle pockets for securing both bottle types, which simultaneously remove the bottles' differences in their heights, bringing the tops of all bottles to lie substantially in the same plane, once inserted into the crate's pockets.

State of the Art

[0006] In this section, the art of storing two or more types of bottles within the same bottle crate is mapped.

[0007] PCT patent application WO2022/179711A1 for the invention MULTIPURPOSE BOTTLE CRATE, filed in the name of DW REUSABLES NV, BE discloses the use of common diameter property together with the elastic pinnacles to accommodate two types of bottles within the crate's pockets. Although efficient, this solution is not suitable for automatic grippers considering the bottle top positions.

[0008] DE utility model DE9204196U1, filed in the name of Franz Delbrouck, DE, solves the problem of different bottles accommodation, i.e., bottles with different diameters, within the same crate's pockets - using the elastic, i.e., resilient, element mounted to hold the bottles. This solution cannot be straightforwardly modified to solve the automatic gripping problem, i.e., to bring the top of different bottles to the same plane.

[0009] DE utility model DE9109356U1, filed in the name of Wavin B.V., NL, discloses a standard crate with the bottom part modified to accommodate different bottles. This solution is also inadequate as a springboard for solving the mentioned technical problem.

[0010] DE utility model DE20314879U1 for the invention TRAY FOR TRANSPORTING DRINKS BOTTLES HAS CUPS MOLDED INTO ITS SURFACE, INTO WHICH BASES OF BOTTLES FIT, HOOKS AROUND THEIR PERIPHERY SNAP FITTING AGAINST BOTTLE SIDES, was filed in the name of SILVER PLASTICS GMBH & CO. KG. The cited document solves the technical problem of holding the different bottles via the locking mechanism, which is not suitable for contemplating the automatic gripping problem when bottles have different heights.

[0011] European granted patent EP2626315B1 for the invention CELL TRAY, filed in the name of K. Hartwall Oy AB, FI is designed to receive different bottles via the receiving matrix/elements, i.e., pockets, situated at the bottom mesh. This solution is not suitable for automatic grippers considering the bottles' top positions.

[0012] European granted patent EP0752953B1 for the invention CRATE WITH PARTITIONING GRID FOR SLANTING BEVERAGE CONTAINERS, filed in the name of CARLSBERG AS, DK uses slanting that helps to accommodate different bottle types. As mentioned above, this solution cannot be modified to cooperate with automatic grippers.

[0013] US patent US 8,328,009 for the invention BOTTLE CRATE, filed in the name of Orbis Canada Ltd, CA discloses the crate for receiving bottles having different diameters, nested in the crate via elastic elements, i.e., the fingers. This solution also cannot be modified to cooperate with automatic grippers.

[0014] European granted patent EP2829485B1 for the invention BOTTLE CRATE WITH HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE FRAMEWORK INSERT, filed in the name of Schoeller Allibert GmbH, DE. It discloses exchangeable inserts to accommodate the bottle crate according to the used bottles - which implies that this solution cannot randomly store the different bottles within the crate.

[0015] European granted patent EP0322152B1 for the invention A CRATE, filed in the name of South African Polymer Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, ZA. It discloses a reconfigurable crate, using various inserts for selected bottle types. So, the disclosed solution cannot randomly store different bottles within the crate, only the predetermined type or types according to the used insert.

[0016] European granted patent EP2829484B1 for the invention BOTTLE CRATE WITH HEIGHT-ADJUSTABLE FRAMEWORK INSERT, filed in the name of Schoeller Allibert GmbH, DE, is the variant of already mentioned EP2829485B1 document.

[0017] Similarly, DE patent application DE102011055982A1 for the invention BOTTLE CASE INSERT E.G. TIMBER USED WITH BOTTLE CASE, HAS SEVERAL BOTTLE RECEPTACLES FOR RECEIVING BOTTLES WITH DIFFERENT BOTTLE DIAMETERS AND UPWARDLY PROJECTING EDGE PORTIONS THAT ARE FORMED AT CORNER EDGE OF INSERT, filed in the name of Schoeller Area Systems GmbH, DE, offers yet another exchangeable insert solution for the given problem.

[0018] US patent US 5,071,026 for the invention CASE FOR BOTTLES OF DIFFERENT SIZES, filed in the name of Rehrig Pacific Co, US deals with exchangeable inserts to meet the requirements of stoting various bottle types.

[0019] According to the inventor's best knowledge, it seems that prior art documents were focused only on solving the problem of various bottle insertions and that the problem of dealing with automatic gripping machines was entirely neglected.

Summary of the Invention

[0020] A crate for accommodating bottles of two substantially different diameters and heights to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers from the crate is disclosed. The crate consists of two parallel and oppositely situated longer sidewalls and two parallel and oppositely situated shorter sidewalls forming the rectangle over the bottom mesh to which are connected. The interior formed between the sidewalls is divided with mutually connected dividers with intersections forming the bottles' pockets in between. Said dividers are lying on the planes that are parallel to the sidewalls and connected with the said bottom mesh.

[0021] The crate is characterized by that below each divider's intersection, the four-sided bottle supporting element is formed and connected to the bottom mesh, via the said intersecting dividers. Also, on joints of the said dividers with the sidewalls, two-sided supporting elements are formed. Furthermore, each crate corner, formed by the sidewalls, is equipped with a corner supporting element. The top surfaces of all supporting elements are formed as the elevated seats for the first bottle-type bottoms. The side surfaces of all supporting elements have curved surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the bottom mesh and capable of partially enclosing the lower cylindrical part of the second bottle type. Once the second bottle type is inserted, it rests with the base on the bottom mesh within the nest defined by the said side surfaces of the mentioned supporting elements and the bottom mesh.

[0022] The elevated seats elevate the first type of bottle from the mesh for the height (h), wherein said height is selected to remove the bottles' differences in their heights and in a way that the tops of all the said bottles lie in the same plane when inserted into any pocket within the crate.

[0023] The elevated seats for the first type of bottles are made from the top surfaces of corner or sidewall supporting elements and side stops formed by the same walls which lie to the cylindrical part of the first type of bottles and which, together with the oppositely located dividers and the top surfaces of supporting elements, nest the bottles within the crate when positioned adjacent to the sidewalls. The side surfaces of ordinary supporting elements together with the oppositely located side surfaces of corner or sidewall supporting elements, nest the second type of bottles within the said crate positioned in the pockets adjacent to the sidewalls.

[0024] The elevated seats made solely from the top surfaces of supporting elements elevate the bottles to align their tops with the common plane. The first type of bottle, once inserted into the crate's pocket, is protected by the nearest dividers within the crate, and the side surfaces of the adjacent supporting elements nest the second type of bottle once inserted within the said crate's pocket.

[0025] The crate, according to the invention, is formed partially or entirely by the injection moulding process, with optional carrying means formed on one or more of the sidewalls. The main advantage of the said crate is the ability to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers regardless of the bottle type inserted in each crate's pockets.

Description of Figures

[0026] 

Figure 1 depicts the partial view of the crate according to the invention, with two substantially different types of bottles inserted into the crate's pockets.

Figure 2 shows the example of substantially different types of bottles for which the bottle crate is designed.

Figure 3 shows the partial view of the crate according to the invention, with two substantially different types of bottles inserted into pockets, where the relative position of the two bottle types within the crate, according to the invention, is revealed.

Figure 4 shows the cross-section made across the bottle crate with already inserted two substantially different types of bottles, where the elevation of the first kind of bottle from the crate's bottom mesh is visible. The cross-section is made immediately before the plane containing a plane with dividers.

Figure 5 shows the cross-section made across the bottle crate with already inserted two substantially different types of bottles. The cross-section is made immediately after the plane containing a plane with dividers.

Figure 6 reveals the crate's cross-section, made horizontally, above the bottle supporting elements designed to remove the height difference among the said bottles.

Figure 7 shows the crate's top view directed towards the bottom mesh, where dividers, supporting elements, and bottle' diameter differences are seen.

[0027] The above set of figures is only for illustrative purposes. The person skilled in the art will recognize the need for redesigning the bottle crate to match another pair of bottles intended to be stored within such crate.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0028] The present invention discloses a crate for accommodating bottles of two substantially different diameters and heights to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers. Such grippers enhance the handling of the crates that are designed to cooperate with, under the presumption that all bottles' necks have their tops aligned in the same top plane (T), as presented in Fig. 5.

[0029] It is important to note that, according to the invention, the bottles of two substantially different diameters and heights are distributed randomly over the crate, well situated in the carefully designed pockets, and secured by the surrounding dividers (13) and/or sidewalls (11, 12) in case of the first bottle type, or, via the side surfaces of the bottle supporting elements (15A, 16B, 17B) in case of the second bottle type, Figs. 1 and 6.

[0030] A good example of different bottles is shown in Fig. 2, where two types of bottles are used; the first bottle type (20) - Steinie bottle, and the second bottle type (30) - APO bottle. The technical data of the mentioned bottles are given below:

A. Steinie bottle (20): 33cl, height 174 mm and diameter 70 mm. https://glass-catalog.com/it-en/catalog/details/33cl-steinie-1

B. APO bottle (30): 33cl, height 227 mm and diameter 60 mm. https://glass-catalog.com/nl-en/catalog/details/33cl-apo-rb-1

[0031] The difference in their diameters (70 mm / 60 mm) is ~16%, and in their heights (227 mm / 174 mm) is ~30%, while both bottle types have the same effective volume of 33 cl.

[0032] The person skilled in the art will immediately recognize two technical problems to be solved simultaneously, i.e., two different types of bottles should be possible to insert and secure in each crate's pocket, while their tops, once inserted and regardless the bottle type, should lie in the same plane - to allow automated grippers to operate smoothly.

[0033] The principal design of such crate (10) is depicted in Fig. 1. The said crate (10) consists of two parallel and oppositely situated longer sidewalls (11) and two parallel and oppositely situated shorter sidewalls (12), which form the rectangle over the bottom mesh (14). Sidewalls (11, 12) are firmly connected to the mesh (14), preferably during the crate's formation, where mesh (14) is formed as a lattice, allowing cleaning, and forming of the entire crate by the injection molding process. The interior between all sidewalls (11, 12) is divided with mutually connected dividers (13) attached to the mesh (14) and produced, preferably, at the same time as the whole crate (10), without subsequent insertions or other post-processing of the said crate (10).

[0034] The intersections (19) define the bottles' pockets in between, where said dividers (13) are lying on the planes that are parallel to the sidewalls (11, 12) and connected with the said bottom mesh (14). A partial row of empty bottle pockets is visible in Fig. 1 beside the already inserted two bottles (30) of type 2, and one bottle (20) of type 1 in the adjacent row situated along the longer sidewall (11). The pocket close to the sidewalls (11, 12) have one or more of their sides formed by the said sidewalls (11, 12).

[0035] In one variant of the invention, the carrying means can be formed on one or more sidewalls (11, 12). Fig. 1 depicts the shorter sidewall (12) equipped with the partially seen carrying means, in the manner that is well-known in the art.

[0036] To solve the mentioned technical problem, the crate (10) has some non-trivial improvements that differentiate it from other crates (10) in the field. These features are summarized by the modifications set out below.

Four-sided bottle supporting elements

[0037] Below each divider's intersection (19), as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the four-sided bottle-supporting element (15) is formed. It is connected to the bottom mesh (14) via dividers (13) which intersect above the said element (15), as depicted in Fig. 1. The principal geometry of the elements (15) is fully revealed in Fig. 6, where the connection with the bottom mesh (14) via dividers (13) is best seen.

[0038] Each side of the four-sided bottle-supporting element (15), see Fig. 6, which is positioned between two adjacent dividers (13), has a top surface (15A), and a side surface (15B) oriented out of the center of the said element (15). The top surfaces (15A) are designed as slightly slanted surfaces which helps, once the type one bottle (20) is inserted, to be properly nested in the desired crate's pocket. In addition, surfaces (15A) are designed to support the bottom of the type one bottle (20), and to elevate the said bottle (20) for the distance (h) from the said mesh (14), as depicted in Fig. 4. The height (h) is selected to remove the bottles (20, 30) differences in their heights and in a way that the tops of all bottles (20, 30) lie in the same plane (T) when inserted into any pocket, chosen randomly, within the crate (10). In the case of the Steinie bottle, it will rest with its outer rim on the slanted surface, as depicted in Fig. 4. The person skilled in the art will certainly know how to define the top surfaces (15A) to achieve the best technical effect, i.e., the elevated nesting of the bottle (20) within the crate's pocket. The side surface (15B), oriented out of the center of the said element (15), is partially curved by the radius that corresponds to the bottle (30) radius, as depicted in Fig. 7, and oriented to its counterpart surface (15B) of another bottle-supporting element (15), or other side surfaces (16B, 17B) discussed below.

Two-sided supporting elements

[0039] Two-sided supporting elements (17) are formed on joints where dividers (13) intersect with the sidewalls (11, 12), as depicted in Fig. 6. Each two-sided supporting element (17) has a top surface (17A) and a side surface (17B) oriented out of the center of the said element (17). The technical role of the top surface (17A) is the same as in the case of the four-sided bottle-supporting element top surface (15A), i.e., to remove the height difference among the bottles (20, 30). It is designed to support the bottom of the type one bottle (20) and to elevate the said bottle (20) for the distance (h) from the said mesh (14). The side surface (17B) is partially curved by the radius that corresponds to the bottle (30) radius, and oriented to its counterpart curved surface (15B, 16B, 17B) of another bottle-supporting element (15, 16, 17).

[0040] It is worth noting that the two-sided supporting elements (17) by its side stops formed above the top surfaces (17A) match, preferably, the curvature of the elevated type one bottle (20), nesting the said bottle type with dividers (13) and/or with the side stops of other supporting elements (16, 17).

Corner supporting elements

[0041] Each corner of the crate (10), formed by the sidewalls (11, 12), is equipped with a supporting element (16) as depicted in Fig. 6. It has a top surface (16A) and a side surface (16B) oriented out of the center of the said element (16). The technical role of the top surface (16A) is the same as in the case of other top surfaces (15A, 17A), i.e., to remove the height difference among the bottles (20, 30), supporting the bottom of the type one bottle (20) and to elevate the said bottle (20) for the distance (h) from the said mesh (14). The side surface (16B) is partially curved by the radius that corresponds to the bottle (30) radius, and oriented to its counterpart curved surface (15B) of another bottle-supporting element (15).

[0042] In addition, the corner supporting elements (16) by its side stops formed above the top surfaces (16A) match, preferably, the curvature of the elevated type one bottle (20), nesting the said bottle type with dividers (13) and/or with the side stops of other supporting elements (16, 17).

Universal bottle pockets

[0043] Each crate bottle pocket is capable of receiving either the first type bottle (20) or the second type bottle (30), as shown in Fig. 3, without any need to be modified for the said purpose.

[0044] The situation when the first type of bottle (20) is inserted somewhere in the crate (10) and when the bottle (20) is not touching the sidewalls (11, 12) is depicted in Fig. 7. Figures 6 and 4 help in understanding the bottle's position. Such a bottle (20) rests with its bottom on four surfaces (15A), separated for the height (h) from the crate's bottom mesh (14). The dividers (13) enclose and hold such bottle (20) within the said pocket, as visible in Fig. 7. If the first type of bottle (20) is inserted somewhere in the crate (10) when the bottle (20) is situated close to one or two sidewalls (11, 12), then the surfaces (16A, 17A) support the bottom of the bottle (10). At the same time one or two sidewalls (11, 12), i.e., their side stops depending on the bottle (20) position, together with the nearby situated dividers (13) enclose and hold such bottle (20) within the said pocket; i.e., the pocket formed adjacent to one of the sidewalls (11, 12) or pocket situated at the crate's corner.

[0045] The situation when the second type of bottle (30) is inserted somewhere in the crate (10) is depicted in Fig. 7. Figures 6 and 4 again help in understanding the bottle's position. Such a bottle (30) rests with its bottom on the crate's bottom mesh (14), which is different from the case described above. Four side surfaces (15B, 16B, 17B) enclose and hold the bottle (30) nested into the crate (10). If the bottle (30) is inserted into the pocket that is not close to the sidewalls (11, 12), then, four side surfaces (15A) enclose the bottle (30) in a manner shown in Fig. 7, being designed to nest adequately said bottle (30). If the bottle (30) is inserted into the pocket that is close to the sidewalls (11, 12), then one or two side surfaces (16B, 17B) of the corresponding supporting elements (16, 17) take the same technical role of the side surfaces (15A) while creating the secure pocket for the bottle type two.

[0046] From Figs. 5 and 3, it is evident that the bottles (30) are nested in a way that approximately on about one-third of the bottle (30) height, every bottle (30) is enclosed and firmly nested by the side surfaces (15A, 16B, 17B). Of course, the relative position of the side surfaces within the crate (10) is greatly determined by the bottle's height difference. If the height difference is bigger, the relative position of the side surfaces within the crate (10) is better, from the statical point of view, for the inserted bottle touching the crate's mesh (14) within the crate's pocket.

[0047] Once the bottles' tops are aligned in the plane (T) within the crate (10) as depicted in Fig. 3 or 5., then, the action of automatic gripper(s) is understandable per se.

Industrial Applicability

[0048] The present invention discloses a crate for accommodating bottles of two substantially different diameters and heights to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers. Therefore, the industrial applicability is obvious.

References

[0049] 

10

Crate

11

Longer sidewall

12

Shorter sidewall

13

Bottle divider

14

Bottom mesh

15

Bottle supporting element

15A

Top surface of the bottle supporting element

15B

Side surface of the bottle supporting element

16

Corner bottle supporting element

16A

Top surface of the corner bottle supporting element

16B

Side surface of the corner bottle supporting element

17

Sidewall bottle supporting element

17A

Top surface of the sidewall bottle supporting element

17B

Side surface of the sidewall bottle supporting element

19

Divider's intersection

20

First bottle type

30

Second bottle type

T

top plane

h

height

Claims

1. A crate (10) for accommodating bottles (20, 30) of two substantially different diameters and heights to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers from the crate (10), where the said crate (10) consists of two parallel and oppositely situated longer sidewalls (11) and two parallel and oppositely situated shorter sidewalls (12) forming the rectangle over the bottom mesh (14) to which are connected, where the interior formed between the sidewalls (11, 12) is divided with mutually connected dividers (13) with intersections (19) forming the bottles' pockets in between, where said dividers (13) are lying on the planes that are parallel to the sidewalls (11, 12) and connected with the said bottom mesh (14) characterized by that

- below each dividers' intersection (19), the four-sided bottle supporting element (15) is formed and connected to the bottom mesh (14) via the intersecting dividers (13),

- on joints of the said dividers (13) with the sidewalls (11, 12) two-sided supporting elements (17) are formed, and

- each corner of the crate (10), formed by the sidewalls (11, 12), is equipped with a supporting element (16);

where the top surfaces of all supporting elements (15A, 16A, 17A) are formed as the elevated seats for the bottoms of the first type of bottle (20), while the side surfaces of all supporting elements (15B, 16B, 17B) have curved surfaces that are substantially perpendicular to the bottom mesh (14) and capable of partially enclosing the lower cylindrical part of the second type of bottle (30) once inserted and resting with its base on the bottom mesh (14) within the nest defined by the said side surfaces (15B, 16B, 17B) of the mentioned supporting elements (15, 16, 17) and the bottom mesh (14).

2. The crate (10) for accommodating bottles (20, 30) according to claim 1, wherein the elevated seats elevate the first type bottle (20) from the mesh (14) for the height (h), wherein said height is selected to remove the bottles (20, 30) differences in their heights and in a way that the tops of all the said bottles (20, 30) lie in the same plane (T) when inserted into any pocket within the crate (10).

3. The crate (10) for accommodating bottles (20, 30) according to claim 2, wherein the elevated seats for the first type of bottles (20) are made from the top surfaces of corner or sidewall supporting elements (16A, 17A) and side stops formed by the same walls (11, 12) which lie to the cylindrical part of the first type of bottles (20) and which, together with the oppositely located dividers (13) and the top surfaces of supporting elements (15A), nest the bottles (20) within the crate (10) when positioned adjacent to the sidewalls (11, 12), while the side surfaces of supporting elements (15B) together with the oppositely located side surfaces of corner or sidewall supporting elements (16A, 17B), nest the bottles (30) within the said crate (10) positioned in the pockets adjacent to the sidewalls (11, 12).

4. The crate (10) for accommodating bottles (20, 30) according to claim 2, wherein the elevated seats made solely from the top surfaces of supporting elements (15A) elevate the bottles (20) to align their tops with the plane (T), and where the bottles (20) are protected by the nearest dividers (13) within the crate (10), and the side surfaces of the adjacent supporting elements (15B) nest the bottles (30) once inserted within the said crate (10).

5. The crate (10) for accommodating bottles (20, 30) according to any of claims 1-4, where it is formed partially or entirely by the injection moulding process, with optional carrying means formed on one or more of the sidewalls (11, 12).

6. Use of the crate according to any of the claims 1-5, suitable to be charged or discharged by automatic grippers regardless of the bottles (20, 30) type inserted in each crate's pockets.

Drawing