Bottle crate

Abstract

The present invention relates to a box (10) for receiving bottles (40) comprising a box frame (12), a partition wall (18), solid pins (20) and / or web pins (22) and a box base (16), wherein the external dimensions of the box frame (12) are 300 mm x 400 mm. Inside the box (10), the box frame (12), the partition (18), the solid pins (20) and the bridge pins (22) form a compartment with bottle holders (11) in a 4 x 6 grid, wherein the bottle holders (11) are designed to hold individual bottles (40) with a diameter of up to 62.3 mm and wherein six of these bottle holders (11) are arranged in a 2 x 3 grid to hold a multipack (42) of six of these bottles (40) and / or four of these bottle holders (11) are arranged in a 2 x 2 grid to hold a multipack (42) of four of these bottles (40).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a box for holding bottles comprising a box frame, a partition wall, solid pins and / or web pins and a box base, wherein the box frame forms the side walls of the box and has at least one rib arranged on the outside of the box frame and completely surrounding the box frame, wherein the outside dimensions of the box frame are 300 mm x 400 mm. State of the art

[0002] In the beverage trade, it is common practice to stock and sell bottled beverages in defined container sizes. These characteristic container sizes are multipacks made of a foldable flat material, especially cardboard, containing four or six bottles, or bottle crates, usually made of plastic, containing a larger number of bottles (for example, 20 or 24). The plastic crates are dimensioned according to a standardized grid, allowing them to be easily stacked for logistical purposes and processed using a uniform deposit return system.

[0003] Various formats are known for bottles with a capacity of 0.33 liters. So-called longneck bottles have a maximum outer diameter of 62.3 mm. Furthermore, 0.33-liter bottles are available in the system pack, Euro bottle, and brewing bottle formats. The Euro bottle and the brewing bottle have a maximum diameter of 62.3 mm, while the system pack bottle has a special size with a maximum diameter of 64.3 mm.

[0004] Cases and multipack containers are known for the respective bottles.

[0005] From DE 10 2011 106 254 A1, a bottle crate is known comprising a frame, a partition, quills, and a base, which can accommodate bottles of predetermined dimensions. The quills are designed partly as solid quills and partly as web quills. The frame defines the external dimensions of the bottle crate. Inside, the walls and quills form compartments, with the bottles being spaced apart. In addition to accommodating 24 individual bottles in a 6 x 4 grid, it is also possible to accommodate bottles arranged in multipacks, namely 4 multipacks of 6 bottles each or 3 multipacks of 8 bottles each.

[0006] The bottle box known from DE 10 2011 106 254 A1 has a box frame that is essentially flat on the outside, and in particular does not have any circumferential or corner-arranged ribs on the outside. Disclosure of the invention

[0007] A box for holding bottles is proposed. The box comprises a frame, a partition, solid and / or web pins, and a base, the frame forming the sides of the box and having at least one rib arranged on the outside of the frame and completely encircling it, the frame having external dimensions of 300 mm x 400 mm.Furthermore, it is provided that in the interior, the box frame, the partition wall, the solid pins and the web pins form a compartment with bottle holders in a grid of 4 x 6 fields, wherein the bottle holders are designed to hold individual bottles with a diameter of up to 62.3 mm and wherein six of these bottle holders are arranged in a 2 x 3 field arrangement to hold a multipack of six of these bottles and / or four of these bottle holders are arranged in a 2 x 2 field arrangement to hold a multipack of four of these bottles.

[0008] The dimensions given in this description are to be understood as including standard tolerances. Specifically, for the dimensions of the box, deviations from the nominal dimensions of +0.5% and -1.0% are considered within the permissible tolerance. For dimensions relating to a bottle, deviations of up to + / - 1.3 mm in diameter and + / - 1.5 mm in height are considered within the permissible tolerance.

[0009] The bottles with a maximum diameter of 62.3 mm are preferably Euro bottles and / or brewing bottles, each with a maximum diameter of 62.3 mm. The nominal diameter of both the Euro bottles and the brewing bottles is 61 mm with a tolerance of + / - 1.3 mm. The Euro bottles have a height of 199.8 mm + / - 1.5 mm, and the brewing bottles have a height of 195 mm + / - 1.4 mm.

[0010] In order to accommodate bottles with a maximum diameter of 62.3 mm, the bottle holders are dimensioned accordingly, in particular by a minimum distance between two adjacent quills in the range of 62 mm to 66 mm, especially preferably in the range of 62.3 mm to 65 mm.

[0011] Since the bottle holders form a grid of 4 x 6 fields, the proposed box accordingly has exactly 24 bottle holders.

[0012] The proposed crate accommodates both individual bottles and multipacks, which are containers of several bottles. Examples of such multipacks are the familiar six-packs and four-packs, where six or four bottles, respectively, are connected by a bottle carrier. Typically, the bottle carrier is made of a foldable, flat material such as cardboard. However, other designs are also conceivable, for example, plastic.

[0013] Suitable multipacks made of cardboard are known, for example, from DE 10 2011 106 254 A1.

[0014] The box has a length of 400 mm and a width of 300 mm. Preferably, the partition wall of the box runs parallel to the longer side of the box frame. Furthermore, the partition wall is preferably designed and arranged such that it connects the opposite side walls of the box without interruption.

[0015] In addition to the partition, the crate features solid and / or spacer-style pins to divide the interior into multiple bottle compartments. These pins, whether solid or spacer-style, act as spacers to hold the individual bottles at a distance from one another. The pins are preferably designed as cone-shaped projections extending from the bottom of the crate. Solid pins can, for example, be designed as cross-shaped pins, where two crossed bars are rounded at their transition points, forming a diamond shape when viewed from above.

[0016] Preferably, the solid pinions have a cross-section that approximately corresponds to a square with concavely rounded sides instead of straight square sides.

[0017] The support pins are preferably each designed as a single, flat rib, which is preferably provided with extensions for stiffening. The support pins essentially stabilize the bottles held in the direction perpendicular to their surface and allow the walls of a multipack to be directly supported at the respective surface. In this way, the multipacks can be held without requiring significant space for pins between them. For holding the multipacks, the spacing between the support pins is arranged such that it corresponds, for example, to the external dimensions of a carton that combines several bottles into a single unit.

[0018] Preferably, the box's support pins are oriented such that the flat side of each support pin runs parallel to the shorter side of the box frame. If the partition wall is parallel to the longer side of the box frame, a multipack can be supported on one side by the longer side wall of the box frame, on an adjacent side by the shorter side wall of the box frame, on a third side by the partition wall, and on the remaining fourth side by the flat side of a support pin. The multipack is thus supported on all four sides when it is placed in the box according to the invention. The proposed box can hold four such multipacks, each containing six bottles, or six such multipacks, each containing four bottles, and support them as described.

[0019] Preferably, the height of a solid or bridge-type quill, measured from the bottom of the crate, is in the range of 50 mm to 150 mm, with a height of 80 mm to 130 mm being particularly preferred. The height of the quills is preferably selected in relation to the height of the bottles to be accommodated in the crate, with a quill height being particularly preferred such that the quills reach to the beginning of the neck of a bottle inserted in the bottle holder.

[0020] Preferably, the quills, i.e., the solid quills and / or the bridge quills, are arranged in two rows of five quills each. For example, two solid quills are provided in each row, one at the beginning and one at the end, with the remaining three quills being bridge quills. In this embodiment, four multipacks of 2 x 3 bottles (e.g., six-packs) or six multipacks of 2 x 2 bottles can be accommodated. Alternatively, it is conceivable to provide four solid quills and one bridge quill in each row, with the bridge quill positioned in the middle of the row. In this embodiment, four multipacks of 2 x 3 bottles (e.g., six-packs) can be accommodated.

[0021] Furthermore, variants are possible in which five bar pins are arranged in each row or in which five solid pins are arranged in each row.

[0022] Particularly in embodiments where only solid pins are used, the multipacks are adapted via recesses so that the solid pins engage in the recesses. Notches can also be made in the cardboard packaging for stub pins. Especially when cardboard is used to manufacture the multipack containers, the cartons have notches that allow them to be inserted into the box containing the solid pins.

[0023] Suitable cardboard boxes for forming multipacks are known, for example, as wrap-around boxes and open-basket boxes. In both cases, the boxes can be provided with notches or cutouts for insertion into the box, if required.

[0024] The box preferably has openings in its side walls, which, depending on their size and arrangement, serve as windows and / or handles. Preferably, the box has handle openings on the short sides and window openings on the long sides. The window openings allow a side view of the bottles and / or multipacks inside the box. The size and arrangement of the windows can be chosen such that, in particular, any printing on the multipacks is legible from the outside without having to remove the multipack from the box.

[0025] The bottom of the box is preferably designed as a network of base struts, so that the bottom of the box has high stability at a comparatively low weight.

[0026] Preferably, a centering aid is arranged on the bottom of the box for each of the bottle holders.

[0027] Preferably, the base of each bottle holder has a recess to act as a centering aid, ensuring that the bottle is centered when inserted into the corresponding holder. This is particularly important when the bottles are not contained in a container but are inserted individually into the crate, for example, when returning empty bottles. The recess preferably extends 0.5 mm to 3 mm into the base of the crate.

[0028] As an alternative to a recess in the base, each of the bottle holders can also have a raised section that engages in a curve of the bottle base, serving as a centering aid for centering the bottles.

[0029] Preferably, the box is designed as a so-called ribbed corner box. This has a box frame with three circumferential ribs, wherein a first rib runs around the bottom of the box, a second rib runs around the top of the box, and a third rib runs above handle recesses or windows in the side walls of the box.

[0030] Furthermore, the ribbed corner box preferably has at least one vertically extending rib on each of its side walls. These are preferably arranged on both sides of a corner of the box. The ribs give the ribbed corner box its well-known, typical appearance and advantageously reinforce the side walls of the box.

[0031] Preferably, the at least one rib projects beyond the side wall by a length of 0.01 mm to 8 mm. A length of 1 mm to 5 mm is particularly preferred; for example, the at least one rib projects by a length of 2.5 mm.

[0032] Preferably, the box is designed as a single injection-molded part. Thus, the ribs are preferably made of the same material as the rest of the box.

[0033] Preferably the material of the box is a plastic, wherein the plastic is preferably selected from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and / or polypropylene (PP).

[0034] The proposed crate allows for the storage of both individual bottles and multipacks containing several bottles, all within the same crate. This provides a high degree of flexibility in the composition of the crate contents, while still requiring only a single crate type.

[0035] The proposed crate combines an arrangement of ribs on the outside of the crate frame with the standard dimensions of 300 mm x 400 mm and the flexibility to accommodate both individual bottles and multipacks of bottles in the Euro bottle and brewing bottle formats, each with a maximum diameter of 62.3 mm. The option to also accommodate 0.33 l Systempack bottles with the special format and a maximum diameter of 64.3 mm is deliberately omitted in order to allow sufficient space for the rib arrangement.

[0036] As may be used here and also in the attached claims, the singular forms "ein" / "eine" / "einer" and "der" / "die" / "das" can also include their plurals, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the words "umfassen" (to include), "haltenten" (to contain), and "aufweisen" (to exhibit) are to be understood as both "exclusively" and "not exclusively," i.e., in the sense of "including, but not limited to...". The terms "mehrere" (several), "Vielfaches" (multiple), or "Vielzahl" (multiple) usually refer to two or more, i.e., 2 or >2, including further integer multiples of 1, where the terms "einn" (single) or "allein" (alone) refer to one (1), i.e., "=1". Furthermore, the expression "mindestens eins" (at least one) or "wenigstens eins" (at least one) is to be understood as one or more, i.e., 1 or >1, also including integer multiples.Furthermore, the words "herein," "above," "before," and "below" or "following," and words with similar meanings, when used in this description, should refer to the description as a whole and not to specific parts of it. Additionally, the terms "approximately," "about," or "approximately" refer to a quantity that is close to or nearly equal to the following value, with a maximum deviation of approximately 1% to 5%. These terms are used to denote an equivalent quantity in the vicinity of the stated value.

[0037] Furthermore, certain terms are used for convenience and are not intended to limit the invention. For example, the terms "right," "left," "up," "down," "below," and "above" may refer to corresponding directions or positions in the figures used or their descriptions. The terminology used herein includes both the explicitly mentioned terms and their derivatives and terms with similar meanings. Spatially relative terms such as "below," "above," "over," "under," "proximal," "distal," and the like may also be used to describe the relationship of one element or component to another element or component.Such spatially relative terms can encompass various other positions and orientations of the elements or components in use or operation, in addition to the position and orientation shown in the illustrations. For example, if a device in the figures is viewed upside down, elements described as "below" or "underneath" other elements or components would then be positioned "above" or "above" those other elements or components. The devices may also be oriented differently in space, for example, rotated by 90° or otherwise oriented differently, and the spatially relative terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0038] The description of specific embodiments in this document is not intended to be exhaustive, nor is the disclosure given herein intended to be limited to the exact form disclosed. While the specific embodiments and examples described herein serve to illustrate the disclosure, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of protection of the disclosure, as would be apparent to a person skilled in the art in the present technical field. Specific technical elements of described embodiments may be combined with or replaced by technical elements in other embodiments. In the drawings, identical reference numerals denote identical elements to avoid repetition, and parts that a person skilled in the art can implement without special knowledge may be omitted for the sake of clarity.If a figure contains reference numerals for clarification that are not explained in the part of the description associated with that figure, reference is made to preceding or subsequent sections of the description. While advantages associated with specific embodiments of the disclosure are described in connection with those embodiments, other embodiments may also possess these advantages.

[0039] The embodiments described below are intended to illustrate various possible modifications of the present invention. As such, all specific technical details, as also discussed below, are not to be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present invention. Descriptions of "embodiment(s)" that are not within the scope of the appended claims merely represent possible exemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered part of the present invention. It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations can be made without deviating from the scope of protection of the present application as defined by the appended claims. Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments shown in the figures. Brief description of the characters

[0040] Embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and explained in more detail in the following description. The drawings show: Figure 1 a top-down view of the box, Figure 2 another view of the box from above, Figure 3 a perspective view of a section of the box according to the invention and Figure 4 a perspective view of the box according to the invention. Embodiments of the invention

[0041] In the following description of embodiments of the invention, identical elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions of these elements are omitted in individual cases. The figures represent the subject matter of the invention only schematically.

[0042] Figure 1Figure 1 shows a box 10 according to the invention for holding bottles and / or multipacks 42 in a top view. The box 10 has a frame 12 with side walls 14 and a base 16. The base 16 is designed as a network of struts, which give the base 16 high stability while keeping it lightweight.

[0043] The box 10 has external dimensions of 300 mm x 400 mm. The interior of the box 10 is divided parallel to the longer of the side walls 14 by a partition 18, which extends over the entire length of the box 10. Furthermore, it can be seen that the box 10 has quills 20, 22, which are arranged in two rows parallel to the longer of the side walls 14. In the illustrated embodiment, five quills 20, 22 are arranged in each of the two rows, with three slotted quills 22 in the middle of the row and one solid quill 20 at each beginning and end of the row.

[0044] In other embodiments of the box, other quill arrangements are of course possible. In particular, five web quills 22 or five solid quills 20 can be arranged in each of the rows.

[0045] The solid pins 20 have, at least in their upper section, a cross-sectional shape that approximately corresponds to a square with concavely rounded sides. The web pins 22 of the box 10 are designed as flat webs, which are provided on both sides with stiffening extensions. The web pins 22 are each arranged with their flat side parallel to the shorter side wall 14 of the box frame 12.

[0046] The solid pins 20, the web pins 22, the side walls 14 of the box frame 12, and the partition wall 18 form a compartment which, in the illustrated embodiment, has exactly 24 bottle holders 11. Each of these bottle holders 11 is designed to accommodate a bottle 40 with a diameter of up to 62.3 mm. The bottles 40 are in the Figure 1 indicated by dashed lines.

[0047] Furthermore, six of these bottle holders 11 are arranged in a 2 x 3 array to hold a multipack 42 containing six of these bottles 40, and four of these bottle holders 11 are arranged in a 2 x 2 array to hold a multipack 42 containing four of these bottles 40; compare Figure 2 .

[0048] A multipack 42 held in the bottle crate 10 is supported on one side by the longer side wall 14 of the crate frame 12, on an adjacent further side by the shorter side wall 14 of the crate frame 12, on a third side by the intermediate wall 18, and on the remaining fourth side by the flat side surface of a web pin 22. The multipack 42 is thus supported on all four sides when it is held in the crate 10 according to the invention.

[0049] In the example of the Figure 1Box 10 contains four multipacks (42), each with six bottles (40). The multipacks (42) are each represented by a dashed line.

[0050] The Figure 2 shows the same box 10 as the Figure 1 , however, in the example of the Figure 2 Six multipacks 42, each containing four bottles 40, were included.

[0051] Figure 3 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a section of the box 10 according to the invention. The box 10 has been cut along its partition wall 18 so that the wall is clearly visible. It can be seen that in the illustrated embodiment, the partition wall 18 is not solid but has recesses 19. These recesses 19 save material and thus weight.

[0052] In the perspective view, parts of the side walls 14 of the box frame 12 can also be seen.

[0053] Openings 28 and 30 are provided in the side walls 14, which serve as handle openings 28 and window openings 30, respectively. In the example of the Figure 3 The handle openings 28 are arranged in the side walls 14 of the short side of the box 10 and the window openings 30 are arranged in the side walls 14 of the long side of the box 10.

[0054] The side walls 14 have ribs 24, 26 on their outward-facing side. Three circumferential ribs 24 are arranged, each running parallel to the bottom of the box 16 and completely encircling the box 10. A first circumferential rib 24 runs around the bottom of the box 16, a second circumferential rib 24 runs around the top of the box 10, and a third circumferential rib 24 runs above the handle opening 28 and the window 30 in the side walls 14 of the box 10.

[0055] Furthermore, a vertically running rib 26 can be seen in the area of ​​the corner.

[0056] Figure 3 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a section of the box 10 according to the invention. The ribs 24, 26, which are arranged on the outside of the side walls 14, are clearly visible. In the area of ​​each corner, vertical ribs 26 are arranged on both sides of the corner. Together with the three circumferential ribs 24, the vertically extending ribs 26 give the box 10, designed as a ribbed corner box, its characteristic appearance.

[0057] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and the aspects highlighted therein. Rather, within the scope specified by the claims, a multitude of modifications are possible that fall within the bounds of what is considered skilled in the art. Reference symbol list

[0058] 10 Crate 11 bottle holder 12 Box frame 14 side wall 16 Box bottom 18 partition wall19 recess 20 Full pin 22 Bridge pin 24 circumferential rib 26 vertical rib 28 Handle opening 30 Window opening 40 Bottle 42 Multipack

Claims

1. A crate (10) for accommodating bottles (40), comprising a crate frame (12), a partition wall (18), solid quills (20) and / or bar quills (22), and a crate base (16), the crate frame (12) forming side walls (14) of the crate (10) and having at least one rib (24) arranged on the outside of the crate frame (12) and completely surrounding the crate frame (12), the external dimensions of the crate frame (12) being 300 mm x 400 mm, an array with bottle receptacles (11) in a grid of 4 x 6 fields being formed in the interior by the crate frame (12), the partition wall (18), the solid quills (20) and the bar quills (22), the bottle receptacles (11) being configured to accommodate individual bottles (40) having a diameter of up to 62.3 mm, and in each case six of these bottle receptacles (11) in an arrangement of 2 x 3 fields being configured to accommodate a multipack (42) with six of these bottles (40) and / or in each case four of these bottle receptacles (11) in an arrangement of 2 x 2 fields being configured to accommodate a multipack (42) with four of these bottles (40).

2. The crate (10) according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall (18) extends parallel to the longer side of the crate frame (12) and connects the opposite side walls (14) of the crate (10) without interruption.

3. The crate (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bar quills (22) are oriented such that a flat side of each bar quill (22) extends parallel to the shorter side of the crate frame (12).

4. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the solid quills (20) and / or the bar quills (22) are arranged in two rows of five quills each.

5. The crate according to claim 4, wherein five solid quills or five bar quills are arranged in each row.

6. The crate (10) according to claim 4, wherein two solid quills (20) are provided in each row, which are arranged at the beginning and at the end of the row, the remaining three quills being implemented as bar quills (22).

7. The crate (10) according to claim 4, wherein four solid quills (20) and one bar quill (22) are provided in each row, the bar quill (22) being arranged in the middle of the row.

8. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the crate frame (12) has three surrounding ribs (24).

9. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the crate has at least one vertically extending rib (26) on each of the side walls (14).

10. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the at least one rib projects beyond the side wall by a length in the range of 0.01 mm to 8 mm.

11. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the crate (10) is formed in one piece as an injection-moulded part.

12. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the material of the crate (10) is a plastics material.

13. The crate (10) according to claim 12, wherein the plastics material is selected from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and / or polypropylene (PP).

14. The crate (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein a centring aid is arranged on the crate base (16) for each of the bottle receptacles (11).

Images