Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02218138 2001-04-30
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NESTABLE DISPLAY CRATE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This present invention relates to a nestable display crate for transporting
and storing containers, more particularly, the present invention relates to
crates
or trays that combine nestability and high strength with high visibility for
displaying bottles.
Bottles, particularly for soft drinks and other beverages, are often stored
and transported during the distribution stages thereof in crates or trays. The
term "crate" or "tray" as used herein includes crates, trays and similar
containers having a bottom and peripheral sidewall structure. These crates
generally are configured to be stacked on top of each other when loaded with
bottles, and nested together when empty of bottles. The plastic crates provide
advantages such as conservation of storage space and efficient, easy handling
and recyclability. In order to minimize the storage space of the crates when
nested and to reduce cost
f
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and weight, many crates today are made with a shallow peripheral sidewall
structure. These generally are referred to as "low depth" crates in which the
bottles bear most of the load of above-stacked crates. Crates having a higher
peripheral sidewall, approximately the same height as the bottles generally
are
referred to as "full depth" crates in which the crates themselves bear most of
the
load of above-stacked crates.
Low depth crates are generally less expensive and lighter in weight than
similarly constructed full depth crates. Thus, low depth crates are used
extensively. Generally, low depth crates have been designed with a plurality
of
columns interconnecting a top band to a floor. An example of such a low depth
tray for cans is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 5,184,748, the
disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The
tray
disclosed in the '748 patent is a nestable tray meaning that identical empty
trays
can be nested together to conserve retail or storage space.
Another example of a known low depth bottle crate for bottles of single
serve capacity is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 5,060,819,
the
disclosure of which is also hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The
bottle crate of the '819 patent has a sidewall structure with upright adjacent
panels,
alternating ones of which are raised such that their lower surfaces are spaced
above
the floor. The top and bottom edges of the sidewall thereby have an undulating
configuration such that empty trays can nest together.
Single serve bottles are generally packed by bottlers in cases or other
containers, several bottles to the case, for shipment to retailers or for
storage.
SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE Zfi)
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. Cases of bottles are customarily stacked on top of each other. One way of
n
handling the cases of bottles is to stack the cases on pallets which can be
lifted and
moved about by fork-lift trucks. A technique for interconnecting columns of
cases, is called cross-stacking, and is often used to improve stability of a
stack of
cases, or for display purposes by the retailer. There has been a need for
bottle
cases having structural features which facilitate handling of stacked and
cross-
stacked loaded cases, enhances stability of stacked columns of such cases and
provides maximum visibility of the bottles, especially in a retail setting.
One of the problems associated with previous nestable crates, particularly,
those for single serve bottles, has been lack of strength when used in some
settings. The tray of the ' 819 patent, for instance, has a sidewall which may
not
stand up to very rough handling over time. Accordingly there has been a need
for
reusable nestable crates having the requisite strength and rigidity to
withstand
repeated or rough handling.
Another problem experienced with previous nestable crates has been
somewhat limited visibility of the bottle or container labels. Although the
column
and band trays, such as the one disclosed in the '748 patent, do allow for
much
of the labels to be displayed, the band obstructs the view of the containers
to some
degree. Similarly, the undulating sidewall of the '819 tray allows for some
visibility. There has been a need for a nestable crate which has improved and
structural strength and provides increased bottle or container visibility.
SU85TiNTE SHEEP (RULE 26~
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In many instances bottles having the same or similar capacity may have
differently sized bottle tops. There has been a need for a single crate which
can
securely engage differently sized bottle tops in a similar crate therebeneath.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of an aspect of the present invention to provide
a
low depth bottle crate which is nestable with other similar crates when empty
to
conserve space, and which is stackable and cross-stackable with other similar
crates
when loaded with bottles or containers for storing, displaying and
transporting the
containers. The crate of the present invention includes features for nesting
empty
crates and for stably stacking and cross-stacking loaded crates.
An object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a low depth,
nestable crate which has sufficient structural strength to withstand repeated
and
rough handling.
An object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a sturdy low
depth, nestable crate which also provides maximum visibility of the bottles or
containers for display purposes.
An object of an aspect of the present invention is to provide a low depth,
nestable crate which makes efficient use of space both when loaded and stacked
and
when empty and nested. When loaded and stacked, the present invention also has
structural features which securely engage the tops of variously sized bottle
tops.
Directed to achieving these objects, a new low depth, nestable crate for
bottles is herein provided. The preferred configuration is for single serve
capacity
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bottles of sixteen or twenty ounce capacity. It will be understood that while
the
preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured for retaining
bottles,
the crate may be used to store or transport any type of container. This crate
is
formed by integrally molding from plastic, two basic components -- a floor and
a
wall structure extending up from the floor and extending around the periphery
of
the floor.
The floor preferably has an open lattice design which not only allows
unwanted fluids to drain out of the crate, but also requires less material and
thus
is lighter than a solid floor design. The floor also has container support
areas,
preferably in an array.
The floor of the crate has an outer or bottom surface which is configured
for accommodating the tops of bottles in a similar crate underneath. The floor
bottom surface preferably has upwardly recessed receiving areas disposed to
receive the tops of bottles contained in a similar crate therebeneath. The
receiving
areas aid in retaining the bottles vertically upright which enhances the
stability of
stacked loaded crates. Directed to this feature, the receiving areas are each
constructed to securely receive at least two different sizes of bottle tops.
The
receiving areas also prevent a crate from free-sliding along the tops of
bottles in
a crate underneath it. The peripheral surfaces of the receiving areas are
beveled
to allow the crate to disengage the tops of the bottles when the crate is
rotated
' about a vertical axis so that once disengaged, the crate may slide along the
tops
of the bottles in the lower crate to facilitate handling.
SUBSTITUTE SHEEN' (RULE Z6)
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The wall structure comprises a lower wall portion adjacent the floor
and a plurality of integrally formed pylons arranged around the periphery of
the floor of the crate. It will be understood that "pylon" denotes the
upwardly
extending hollow columns or posts. The lower wall potion is of double-
s walled construction since the hollow pylons naturally lend themselves to
being
integrally formed with such a double-walled lower portion. The hollow
pylons are preferably angled toward the interior of the crate and tapered to
be
smaller in cross section at the top and larger near the lower wall portion so
as
to allow pylons of empty crates to nest with in one another.
1 o The pylons are preferably arranged along opposing sidewalls of the
crate, and each pylon is positioned between adjacent support areas of the
floor
so that in profile, the sidewalls of the crate have a sawtooth-like
appearance.
A pylon is positioned at each corner. The bottles loaded in the crate are
visible through the open spaces between the pylons. The endwalls of the crate
15 comprise integrally molded handles which are configured to allow for palm-
up
or palm-down gripping. The crate of the present invention combines the
advantages of a nesting crate with sufficient strength afforded by its double-
walled construction with maximum, unobstructed visibility of the bottles.
Other aspects of this invention are as follows:
2 o A crate for containers, the crate having a floor and a wall structure
integral with the floor, the floor having a floor top surface and floor bottom
surface, the floor top surface having thereon a plurality of support areas for
supporting an array of containers, the wall structure integral with the floor
and
extending around the periphery thereof and comprising opposing sidewalls
2 5 and endwalls, the improvement comprising:
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extending around the periphery thereof and comprising opposing sidewalls and
endwalls, the improvement comprising:
a plurality of tapered pylons extending up from the floor, such pylons
comprising side pylons spaced along the sidewalk of said crate and positioned
between adjacent support areas, said side pylons defining spaces therebetween
through which containers loaded in said crate are visible, said pylons further
comprising corner pylons disposed at the corners of said crates, and end
pylons
disposed along the endwall of said crates;
a lower wall portion adjacent to an integral 'with the floor, wherein said
lower wall portion is of double-walled construction and includes an interior
lower wall portion and an exterior lower wall portion said lower wall portion
extending between side pylons along the side walls of said crate; and
a handle structure integrally formed on each of the end wall of said
crate, said handle structure extending across at least two adjacent support
areas
and integrally molded with end pylons of said crate, wherein the top of said
handle structure is flushed with the tops of said end pylons to provide
sufficient
clearance for a user's hands to comfortably grasp said handle structure.
A crate for containers, the crate having a floor and a wall structure
integral with the floor, the floor having a floor top surface and floor bottom
surface, the floor top surface having thereon a plurality of support areas for
supporting an array of containers, the wall structure integral with the floor
and
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extending around the periphery thereof, said wall structure comprising
opposing sidewalls and endwalls, comprising:
a lower wall portion adjacent and integral with the floor, wherein said
lower wall portion is of double-walled construction and includes an interior
lower wall portion and an exterior lower wall portion;
a plurality of tapered pylons extending up from the floor and beyond
the top of said lower wall portion, said pylons spaced along the periphery of
the floor and defining spaces therebetween through which containers loaded in
said crate are visible, wherein the interior surfaces of said pylons are
integral
1 o with said interior lower wall portion and the exterior surfaces of said
pylons
are integral with said exterior lower wall portion, and wherein said pylons
are
angled toward the inside of said crate, and hollow through at least a lower
potion thereof so as to allow said pylons to nest onto corresponding pylons in
a similar empty crate therebeneath;
a plurality of tapered pylons extending up from the floor and beyond
the top of said lower wall portion, said pylons spaced along the periphery of
the floor and positioned between adjacent ones of said support areas and
defining therebetween spaces through which containers loaded on said support
areas are visible; and
2 o a handle structure integrally formed with an extending between
adjacent ones of said end pylons, said handle structure expanding at least two
adjacent support areas on each of the endwalls of said crates, the top of said
handle structure being flushed with the tops of the end pylons in order to
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provide sufficient clearance for a user's hands to comfortably grasp said
handle structure.
These are other features and advantages of the invention may be more
completely understood from the following detailed description of the preferred
embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
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FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a sidewall of the crate in accordance
with
the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the endwall of the crate of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the crate of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the crate of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the crate taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the crate taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a cross section of the crate taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a cross section of the crate taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a cross section of the crate taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 10 is a cross section of the crate taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 11 is a cross section of the crate taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 12 is a cross section of the crate taken along line 12-12 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged, detailed view of area 13 shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 14 is a detailed cut away perspective view of a corner area of the crate
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 15 is a fragmented cross sectional view similar to FIG. 5 of the crate
of FIG. 1 nested with an identical crate.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is a low depth crate which has structural features to
afford sufficient strength, facilitate nesting of empty crates and stable
stacking and
cross-stacking of loaded crates, and provide maximum visibility to the bottles
or
containers. The present invention is especially adaptable for single serve
capacity
bottles, either glass or plastic.
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Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the crate 20 comprises two basic elements, a
floor 22 and a wall structure 24. The wall structure that defines the
periphery of
crate 20 comprises a lower wall portion 26 and a plurality of pylons including
corner pylons 28 and side pylons 30 and pylons 31. Crate 20 is preferably
rectangular and the wall structure comprises sidewalls 25 and endwalls 27.
Although a rectangular crate is shown and described, the present invention is
not
limited thereto and may comprise sidewalls and endwalls of equal length
resulting
in a square crate.
Floor 22 preferably has a lattice-like configuration having a pattern of open
spaces as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, which illustrate the top and bottom views of
the
floor respectively. The open floor design provides a light weight crate, and
is
practical for allowing any liquids to drain through floor 22. The floor is
generally
flat and open so as not to interfere with secondary wraps or binding means
around
multi-packs of bottles such as plastic wrap.
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, floor 22 has an upper or top surface 32 which is
generally flat and includes a plurality of preferably circular support areas
or rings
34 for supporting bottles thereon. Arranged at the corners of crate 20 are
corner
support areas 35 which are similar to support areas 34 in most respects, and
will
be described in detail herebelow. Arranged along the endwalls are endwall
support areas 35a which also are similar to support areas 34 and will be
described
in detail herebelow. Support areas 34, 35 and 35a are connected to each other
by
a system of grid-like longitudinal struts 36 and lateral struts 38 traversing
floor 34
in perpendicular relation to one another, and diagonal struts 40 extending
SUBSTITUTE SIiEE'i' (RULE 26)
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preferably radially from support areas 34. Interstitial lattice members 42 are
preferably circular elements located between support areas 34 and 35 and are
integrally formed with the longitudinal, lateral and diagonal struts.
Perpendicular
struts 36 and 38 extend generally the full length and width of floor 22, and
connect
the rows and columns of support areas 34, 35 and 35x. Some perpendicular
struts
36 and 38 are joined radially to circular lattice members 42. Diagonal struts
40
radially connect lattice members 42 and support areas 34, 35 and 35x. Lattice
members 42 are preferably in uniform size except for three larger circular
lattice
members 43 located along the longitudinal axis of the crate from endwall to
endwall. The central lattice member 43a is shown in cross section in FIG. 12,
and
is the preferred location of injection point 44 for injection molding crate
20.
The support areas are arranged in rows and columns to thereby define one
or more arrays. In one of the preferred embodiments, a four by six array
accommodates twenty-four sixteen or twenty-ounce bottles. In other
embodiments,
one liter bottles may be arranged in a three by four array of twelve or in a
three
by five array of fifteen. The support areas are configured so that bottles in
an
array are retained in relatively close relation so as to prevent jostling of
the bottles
during handling. Excess movement of the bottles is to be avoided in order to
ensure that the bottles remain in a vertically upright position to most
advantageously bear the load of bottles stacked or cross-stacked thereabove.
' Each support area or ring 34, 35, 35a is sized to seat bottles and is
connected to the other support areas by perpendicular struts 36, 38 and
diagonal
struts 40. Support areas 34, 35 and 35a preferably have solid, generally flat
SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26)
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surfaces with the support areas around the periphery of the crate having drain
holes 46. FIG. 13 illustrates a detailed view of a portion of an endwall
support
area 35a, the area marked in FIG. 3.
Floor 22 has a bottom surface 48 which has distinctive structural features.
Floor bottom surface 48 is configured to allow for stacking and cross-stacking
of
loaded crates. Cross-stacking is done by rotating a top crate 90 degrees about
a
vertical axis and lowering onto a bottom crate or crates. During shipping and
handling crates may be moved by machines and it is advantageous to use crates
which can be stably stacked or cross-stacked. Additionally, when the crates
are
used to display the containers in a retail setting, the retailer may wish to
cross-
stack the crates for display or space reasons.
Floor bottom surface 48 has a plurality of upwardly recessed bottle top
receiving areas 50, best shown in FIG. 11. The peripheries of the recessed
receiving areas 50 are defined by circles 52 and arcs 54 which are integrally
molded with and form part of floor bottom surface 48. The positions of circles
52 and arcs 54 are determined to provide a range within which the bottle tops
in
a loaded crate therebeneath may reside and still provide safe stacking and
cross-
stacking. Receiving areas 50 help retain bottles in vertically upright
positions to
bear the load of bottles stacked or cross-stacked thereabove. In general,
peripheral
receiving areas 50, that is, those adjacent to the wall structure defined by
arcs 54,
and the central receiving areas are defined by circles 52. Receiving areas SO
which are centrally located on the floor bottom surface are less offset from
their
SUBSTITUTE SNEER' (RULE 26)
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o corresponding support areas 34 than those nearer the wall structure. A
detailed
cross section of a portion of a circle 52 is shown in FIG. 10.
The peripheral surfaces of receiving areas 50 are beveled surfaces 56. In
the stacked or cross-stacked positions, the receiving areas prevent a crate
from
sliding freely along the bottle tops in a lower crate, once the receiving
areas are
disengaged from their retaining positions, that is the stacked or cross-
stacked
positions, the upper crate may slide along the bottles tops in the lower crate
to
facilitate handling. Bevel 56 allows crate 20 to ride up onto the bottle tops
in a
lower crate when the upper crate is rotated slightly about a vertical axis.
A detailed view of receiving area 50 in FIG. 11 illustrates that it is more
than a simple indentation. Receiving area SO is constructed to accommodate
more
than one size of bottle tops. There are actually two concentric receiving
zones:
the outer zone SOa and the inner zone SOb. In the preferred embodiment, outer
zone SOa is defined by the beveled surface 56 around the ~riphery of the
receiving area 50, and can accommodate a bottle top having a 38 mm diameter.
The area immediately inside of bevel 56 is preferably a flat area 57, and in
the
first preferred embodiment is approximately 5 mm wide. Inner zone SOb is
preferably defined by a spherical surface 58 whose edge is concentric to the
bevel
56. Spherical surface 58 is further recessed upward than receiving area 50,
and
in the first preferred embodiment, snugly engages a bottle top having a 28 mm
' diameter. The edge of spherical surface 58 may facilitate disengaging the
bottle
tops therebeneath for sliding the crate along the bottle tops. For the other
preferred embodiments it will be understood that while the dimensions may
vary,
SUBST1TLJTE SHEET (RULE 26)
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the inner and other receiving zones are constructed as described above, ,
appropriately proportioned for the particular crate.
Crate 20 of the present invention holds a relatively closely packed
arrangement of bottles, and the crate may be slid along the bottle tops. This
is due
to the closely packed arrangement of bottles which tend to be more vertically
stable.
Wall structure 24 defines the periphery of crate 20 with opposing sidewalls
25 and opposing end walls 27. Wall structure 24 has a lower wall portion 26,
the
interior 60, of which is integral with floor 22. The corners of crate 20 are
rounded and integral with lower wall portion 26. A corner pylon 28 is formed
in
each corner 20. In addition to the corner pylons, arranged along sidewalk 25
are
a plurality of side pylons 30 and along endwalls 27 are end pylons 31. All
pylons
28 and 30 and 31 are integrally formed with lower wall portion 26 and with the
floor. Pylons 28, 30 and 31 are preferably hollow, and extend upward from the
floor and beyond the top surface of lower wall portion 26. In order to allow
for
nesting of empty crates, pylons 28 and 30 and 31 are preferably angled toward
the
interior of the crate, and tapered so that their cross sections at their tops
are
smaller than the cross sections nearer the lower wall portion.
Endwalls/ 27 of crate 20 comprise handles 90 which are integrally molded
to extend from one end pylon 31 to the other. Handles 90 are flush with the
tops
of pylons 31. The length of handle 90 preferably spans two container support
areas along the endwall.
SUBST'iTL)TE SNEE3' (RULE 26)
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In handling a loaded crate, the palm-up position refers to the position of a
J
user's hands when the fingers are inserted below the handle bar 90 from the
outside such that the palms generally face up and inward. The palm-down
position
refers to the position of a user's hands when the fingers are inserted below
handle
bars 90 from the inside of the crate such that the backs of the hands are
facing
each other and the palms are generally facing down and/or outward. The height
of handles 90 and their length, two container support areas, ensures that a
user's
hands have sufficient clearance to grasp the handle in either the palm-up or
palm-
down positions. Providing a user with the option of handling the crate in
either
hand position helps alleviate fatigue and prevent hand-wrist injuries since a
natural
grasping motion can be used. The importance of this feature can be appreciated
when the crate is loaded with bottles. The handles on prior crates or trays
may
have been too constricting on some user's hands, and may have required awkward
and harmful hand/wrist positions, particularly when lifting and handling heavy
loaded crates.
In order to ensure that the containers located on the endwall support areas
are securely supported, a relatively short endwall column 92 is arranged
underneath handle 90 between endwall support areas. Endwall column 92 is
integrally mold with floor 22 and is preferably shaped to extend somewhat
between
the adjacent bottles on the endwall support areas.
As shown in FIGS. S and 6, and cross section FIGS. 7-9, pylons 28 and
30 and 31 are integral with the interior lower wall portion 60 and also with
exterior lower wall portion 62. Interior lower wall portion or panel 60 and
SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 2fi~
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exterior lower wall portion or panel 62 combine to provide a double-walled .
construction to crate 20 such that they are respectively contiguous with the
interior
and exterior surfaces of the pylons. The tops 86 of lower wall portions
smoothly
connect interior lower wall portion 60 to exterior lower wall portion 62. This
construction ensures that crate 20 will have sufficient strength and rigidity
for a
variety of handling situations.
Crate profile views, FIGS. 1, 2, 5 and 6, show that exterior lower wall
portion 62 is preferably not quite flush with floor bottom surface 48, such
that
floor bottom surface 48 is left exposed somewhat in profile. Leaving exterior
lower wall portion 62 slightly higher than floor bottom surface 48 facilitates
handling by allowing hand trucks to slide easily under the crate, and prevents
the
exterior lower wall portion from catching on bottle tops when the crate is
being
slid along the bottle tops as described above. The periphery of floor bottom
surface 48 is finished with a beveled edge 49. In addition, the bottom
surfaces of
circles 52 and arcs 54 are the lowermost surfaces of the floor bottom 48.
These
are collectively labeled as bottom surface 53 in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4-6. The edges
of
bottom surface 53 are also finished with beveled surfaces 55. Therefore, when
crate 20 rests on a flat surface, bottom surface 53 is in contact with the
flat
surface. Bevels 49 and 55 facilitate handling of the crate.
As best seen in FIG. 4, lower wall portion 26 also has an open bottom so
that empty crates can be nested together. '
Many of the advantages of the present invention relate to the nestability of
the crates. An appreciation of the structural features which permit and
facilitate
SUBSTTfLITE SHEET (RULE 26)
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nesting can be had with reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 15. When empty crates 20
and 20' are nested; pylons 28 and 30 and 31 of upper crate 20 nest onto or
above
corresponding pylons 28' and 30' and 31' of lower crate 20' such that pylons
28'
and 30' and 31', in effect, travel upward inside of pylons 28 and 30 and 31
respectively.
Side pylons 30 and 31 are arranged between adjacent support areas 34 (or
35 as the case may be) and define spaces or windows 63 therebetween. In this
manner, when crate 20 is loaded with bottles which are seated on support areas
34
and 35, the sides of the bottles are visible through windows 63 for attractive
displays, especially in a retail setting.
Corner pylons 28 preferably have apertures 64 disposed on the interior
surface thereof to allow sufficient clearance for below-nested corner pylons
to nest
or travel into. As best seen in FIG. 14, aperture 64 in corner pylon 28
extends
to floor 22 where corner support area 35 is also configured with a cut-away 66
so
as to clear a below-nested corner pylon. The upper interior portions of corner
pylons 28 include corner panels 65 which extend down from the tops of the
corner
pylons to apertures 64. Central panels 70 define bottom surfaces 75, best seen
in
FIG. 4. Slots 31 are provided at the juncture between the top of pylons 28 and
corner panels 65.
Similarly, side pylons 30 and 31 are also configured to allow sufficient
clearance for below-nested side pylons to nest into. The interior sides of
side
pylons 30 and 31 also have apertures 68, but instead of being left open, an
integral
central panel 70 having upper panel portion 72 and lower panel portion 74
extends
SUBSTITUTE SHEEN' (RULE 26)
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down to floor 22. Central panels 70 are preferably angled outwardly from the ,
floor toward the top of the pylons, and connect the pylons to the floor. In
this
way, central panels 70 will extend somewhat between adjacent bottles when
crate
20 is loaded with bottles. Slots 31 are also provided at the juncture between
the
top of pylons 30 and 31 and upper panel portions 72.
In order to control the extent of travel inside of the pylons, at least two
types of positive "stops" are preferably provided. The stops are provided to
prevent nested crates from becoming wedged together, and to prevent any damage
or deformation to the pylons or wall structure from repeated nesting and
bearing
the weight of above-nested crates. The first stop is inside the hollow pylons
and
the second stop is on the outside of the pylons. The outside the pylon stops
76 are
integrally formed boxed-in structures on the lower panel portions 74 of side
pylons
30 and 31. Stops 76 extend vertically upward from floor 22, and the top ledges
78 of the stop act as bearing surfaces for panel bottom surfaces 75 when
crates 20
and 20' are nested. Although any number of panel bottom surfaces 75 could
conceivably rest on ledges 78' of a tray nested below, in the preferred
embodiment, contact is made at the four side pylons located on sidewalls 25
directly adjacent corner pylons 28. For example, as seen in FIG. 15, panel
bottom
surface 75 of the upper crate 20 is disposed slightly above ledge 78' of stop
76'
of the lower crate 20' when the two crates are nested. Besides acting as
positive
stops for nesting, stops 76 also enhance the strength of central panel 70
which
connects the pylons to the floor. Stops 76 are preferably provided on all side
pylons 30 and 31, but the present invention is not limited to this
configuration and
SUBSTITUTE SH~~~ (RllL~ 26)
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stops 76 may be formed on fewer pylons. In conjunction with stops 76 are ribs
79 which extend upward from top edges 78 and are integral with central panels
70.
Ribs 79 help strengthen the central panels of the pylons.
The inside the pylon stops or bridging ribs 80 are integrally formed in the
hollow spaces inside pylons 28, 30 and 31. Bridging ribs 80 are best seen in
FIGS. S, 6 and 15 in cross section, and an exemplary bridging rib 80 has been
drawn in phantom line on crate 20 of FIG. 15. Ribs 80 preferably are located
in
the upper part of pylons 28, 30 and 31, and hidden from view by corner panels
65
of corner pylons 28 and upper panel portions 72 of side pylons 30 and 31. FIG.
4 best illustrates how ribs 80 preferably span the inside of pylons 28, 30 and
31,
bridging their interior and exterior surfaces. When crates are nested, ribs 80
bear
against the tops of pylons 28, 30 and 31. Referring to FIG. 15, ribs 80 of
crate
20 rest on the tops of pylons 28' and 30' and 31' of lower crate 20'.
An additional feature of the present invention is the provision of a flat
label
section 84 formed as part of exterior lower wall portion 62 for molding in
logos,
advertisements or the like.
The crate of the present invention combines the features of nestability,
strength and visibility. In constructing the crate, many design parameters
must be
determined with the goal of enhancing the above mentioned characteristics
without
unduly sacrificing any of them. Visibility is important both for permitting
attractive display but also for ensuring that UPC labels on the sides of the
bottles
may be read or scanned through windows 63 without having to remove the
bottles.
Increasing visibility of the bottles, that is, enlarging windows 63 between
the
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pylons means decreasing the size of the pylons which results in an overall
reduction in strength. In addition, large windows increases the chance of
bottles
hopping out of the crate through the windows. The present invention provides
maximum visibility for its size without sacrificing strength and nestability.
From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that there are a
number of changes, adaptations, and modifications of the present invention
which
come within the province of those skilled in the art. However, it is intended
that
all such variations not departing from the spirit of the invention be
considered as
within the scope thereof as limited solely only by the claims appended hereto.
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