PLASTIC CONTAINER WITH REINFORCED CORNER PORTIONS

Abstract

A plastic container (1) with a base (2) and mutually opposing side walls (3, 4) has reinforced corner portions (5) on each of its exterior corners. The corner portions (5) are of a double-walled design, with an outer wall (6) extending upwards from the level of the base (2) to a height equal to the height of the side walls (3, 4). The double-walled corner portions (5) have cavities (7) that extend continuously from top to bottom and are subdivided by one or more ribs (8, 8'). The corner portions (5) formed with the continuous cavities (7) provide advantages in injection molding production, as the center tooling achieves a longer lifespan due to improved heat dissipation.When the plastic containers (1) according to the invention are cleaned with water, the continuous cavities (7) allow for more hygienic cleaning; the water can be drained without leaving any residue.

Description

The invention relates to a plastic container for transporting and storing goods. In particular, it relates to such a plastic container with reinforced corner portions on the outside of the plastic container. Background of the Invention Plastic containers with reinforced corner portions are known. The reinforcement serves to increase the impact resistance of the corners, which are particularly exposed to impacts when the containers are moved and stacked. CH 567 968 ​​describes a bottle case with reinforced corner portions consisting of triangular-shaped widenings of corner columns on the inside of the case that are beveled towards the base of the case at an angle of 45° with respect to the side walls. EP 2 383 190 describes a plastic container with a reinforced corner portion consisting of a T-shaped rib extending diagonally outward from the outside of the corners and over the entire height of the container. Furthermore, in commerce, containers are well known for QfrCC ίη / ΖΖΠΖ / Ε / ΥΙΛΙ Ref. 340287 plastic which, over part of the height, have a hollow reinforcement on the outside of its corners, which have a small slit-shaped opening at their upper end. Brief Description of the Invention According to the present invention, a plastic container is described that has a base and side walls extending vertically from the base to a circumferential upper edge. At each corner where the side walls meet, the container has reinforced corner portions located on the outside, as the corner portions are of a double-walled design. For this purpose, an outer wall extends upward from the level of the lower edge of the side walls over the portion of the side wall height near the outer edge of the side walls. The double-walled corner portions have cavities that extend continuously from top to bottom along their entire height, with one or more ribs extending from the outer wall to the outside of the side walls.The ribs thus form a plurality of cavities in each corner portion between the outer walls of the corner portions and the side walls of the vessel. In particular, the hollow corner portions are open at their upper ends as well as at their lower ends. The design of the reinforcing corner portions, according to the invention, achieves several advantages in combination, both during injection molding production and during use, particularly during container cleaning. During production, these containers are injection molded using an injection molding machine and an injection molding tool mounted on it. The molding tool consists of multiple molding parts, allowing the injection-molded item to be demonstrated even after the plastic has been injected and cooled. The molding tool for the container according to the invention consists of an inner molding tool portion for shaping the internal form and upper rim of the container, multiple outer molding tool portions for each of the outer side walls of the container, and a molding tool portion for the base, at the corners of which protruding center tool elements are integrated. These protruding center tool elements are used to form the cavities of the reinforced, double-walled corner portions of the container during the injection molding process. In the injection molding process cycle, QhCC ίη / ZZΖΠZ / E / YΙΛΙ The molding elements of the multi-part molding tool are brought together and pressed together under high pressure in the mold partitions (also called gripping). Because the cavities provided by the reinforced corner portions according to the invention are continuous, the elongated, protruding center elements of the tool can rest at their ends across their entire cross-sectional area and over their entire circumference on the molding tool parts for the outer side walls when the molding tool parts move together. In prior art containers, the openings in the corner portions are slot-shaped, and the center elements are correspondingly small in circumference. In the present invention, however, the bearing surfaces of the center elements on the molding tool portions for the side walls are significantly larger than in the prior art. This has the advantage of reducing wear on the expensive injection molding tool parts. This is due to the fact that the cooling of the molding tool parts increases because of the enlarged surface area when the mold parting is activated, i.e., when the center elements meet the molding tool portions of the side walls (also known as pinching).As a result, injection molding tooling parts are available for a longer period of use, making overall container production more cost-effective. On the other hand, the continuous cavities of the corner portions result in an additional advantage. When cleaning a plastic container according to the invention using water, the containers are washed both inside and out, with the container(s) being washed upside down, i.e., with the interior facing downwards. Because the cavities of the corner portions are continuous, the wash water can flow directly out of the corner portions without leaving any residue and can be rinsed completely, leaving no water in the cavities. In contrast, in containers of the prior art, the cavities are not continuous or are only provided with small openings at the top end, so the wash water always remains behind and can lead to hygiene problems. One or more ribs between the outer walls of the double-walled corner portions and the outer walls of the side walls divide the space of the corner portions into several smaller cavities, resulting in an extremely stable structure. Brief Description of the Figures Figure 1 shows a plastic container according to QfrCC Ln / Zznz / E / YIAI with the invention in perspective from above. Figure 2 shows the container from Figure 1 in perspective from below. Figure 3 shows the container from Figures 1 and 2 in a top view. Figure 4 shows the container of Figure 3 in cross section according to AA in Figure 3. Figure 5 shows the corner portion according to the invention of the container in an enlarged view from above according to arrow V in Figure 1. Figure 6 shows the corner portion of Figure 5 in an enlarged view from below according to arrow VI in Figure 5. Detailed Description of the Invention Figure 1 shows a plastic container 1 according to the invention with a base 2 and short first side walls 3 and long second side walls 4, extending perpendicularly from the base 2 to respective upper edges 3' and 4'. The first and second side walls 3 and 4 meet at the corners, which have reinforcements on their outer sides facing the interior of the container. The reinforced corner portions 5 are double-walled, designed for this purpose, and the double-walled corners extend from the base to a predetermined height of QhCC ίη / ZZΖΠZ / E / YΙΛΙ the corners; however, they extend only over a portion of the vessel's height rather than to the top of the vessel. The reinforcement over a portion of the height is generally sufficient for the vessel's impact resistance. The double-walled corner portion 5 consists, on one side, of the outer wall of side walls 3 and 4, respectively, and, on the other side, of a second wall 6 extending to a predetermined height and width. In the top view according to Figure 1, in a corner portion 5, cavities 7 are shown in each case between side walls 3 and 4 and the additional outer wall 6. According to the configuration in Figure 1, the cavities 7 are specifically designed to be completely open at the top; that is, they are not reduced in size in any way, but their opening at the top is at its maximum size. The view from below in Figure 2 of the same container shows the cavities 7 of the corner portions 5, with cavities 7 also open at the bottom. Here, too, the openings reach their maximum size at the bottom. The cavities are therefore continuous from top to bottom with maximum openings. Figure 3 shows the vessel in a view from below with the reinforced corner portions 5, each with multiple ribs 8 and 8', which subdivide the corner portions into multiple cavities 7. Figure 4 shows the cavities 7 that extend continuously from bottom to top in a cross section according to AA in Figure 3. The subdivided ribs 8 and 8' extend along the entire height of the reinforced corner portions 5. Figures 5 and 6 show the corner portions in greater detail in a perspective view from above and below, respectively. In particular, the lateral ribs 8 in the side walls 3 or 4 are shown, which are at right angles to the side walls 3 or 4 and the walls 6 of the reinforced corner portions. In each corner portion, another rib 8' extends diagonally inward from the corner of the outer walls 6 to the corner of the vessel where the side walls 3 and 4 meet. The continuous ribs 8 at right angles to the side walls and the diagonal ribs 8' divide the double-walled space of the reinforced corner portions 5 into multiple continuous cavities 7.Figures 5 and 6 also show how each of the ribs 8 and 8' extends along the entire height of the double-walled corner portions, thereby optimizing the reinforcement of the corner portions 5. QfrCC ίη / ΖΖΠΖ / Ε / ΥΙΛΙ List of references for plastic container Base first short side walls 3' top edge of the side wall 3 second long side walls 4' top edge of the side wall 4 corner portion exterior reinforcement wall at the corner portion continuous cavities ribs in the side wall 8' ribs that extend diagonally into the corner It is hereby stated that, as of this date, the best method known to the applicant for putting the aforementioned invention into practice is the one that is clear from the present description of the invention.

Claims

1. A plastic container having a base and first side walls and second side walls projecting perpendicularly upwards from the base, the first side walls each being opposite each other and the second side walls each being opposite each other, and the plastic container having corner portions where the first side walls and the second side walls meet, characterized in that the corner portions are of a double-walled design in that the corner portions each have an outer wall that in each case extends upwards from the lower edge of the side walls over part of the height of the side walls on the outside thereof, the double-walled corner portions having continuous cavities in which the lower end and the upper end of the corner portions are designed to be open,Each corner portion has one or more ribs that extend from the outer wall to the outside of the side walls and extend continuously from the lower end to the upper end of the corner portions, forming multiple cavities in the corner portions.

2. The plastic container according to claim 1, characterized in that the first ribs are each at a right angle to the side walls 5 and lead to the outer walls of the corner portions.

3. The plastic container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second ribs extend diagonally inwards from the corners of the outer walls to the corners where the first side walls and the second side walls meet.

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