Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1
LIQUID CONTAINER: SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
USE AND DISTRIBUTION THEREOF
TECHNICAL FIELD
This disclosure relates in general to liquid
containers and, more particularly, to a system and method
for use and distribution thereof.
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BACKGROUND
Liquid products are typically distributed from a
manufacturer to consumers in liquid containers that may
be easily handled and transported by the consumer. These
liquid containers are generally formed of a liquid
impermeable material that may be, for example, a
thermoplastic, such as polyethylene or other similar
material. The capacity of these liquid containers may be
several gallons or less such that handling and transport
of the containers do not create an undue burden to the
consumer.
Known liquid product distribution practices have
utilized ancillary support structures, such as the
commonly known "milk crate." The milk crate is a
generally rigid structure into which a number of liquid
containers may be placed and has an upper rim that
provides for support of another milk crate disposed
above. The
milk crate enables stacking of multiple
liquid containers within the milk crate, one upon
another, by eliminating downward directed forces from the
liquid containers stored inside.
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SUMMARY
According to one embodiment, a distribution assembly
is used to distribute a load of liquid containers. The
distribution assembly may include a slip sheet, a pallet
divider, and a rotating pallet. The
slip sheet may be
designed to laterally group two or more liquid
containers. The pallet divider may divide the load into
sections, each section containing a stack of liquid
containers. The
pallet divider may restrict access to
one of the sections to distribute the liquid containers
of the other section. The rotating pallet may rotate the
load to allow the other section to be accessed.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide numerous
technical advantages.
According to some embodiments, a
distribution assembly may be used to efficiently store
and distribute a load comprising liquid containers. In
some embodiments, the distribution assembly may
distribute liquid containers having a stackable shape.
The liquid containers may be stacked in layers, each
layer being held together by a slip sheet. The stackable
shape together with the slip sheets may provide
structural integrity to the load so that the liquid
containers may be distributed without the use of a milk
crate. In
some embodiments, the distribution assembly
may comprise a rotating pallet. The rotating pallet may
rotate the load to move an unreachable liquid container
closer to a customer.
Some, none, or all embodiments may benefit from the
below described advantages.
Other technical advantages
will be apparent to one of skill in the art.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of embodiments of the
disclosure will be apparent from the detailed description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
FIGURE 1 is an embodiment of a liquid container;
FIGURE 2 is a bottom view of the liquid container of
FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3 illustrates the stacking of two liquid
containers;
FIGURE 4 is a top view of the liquid container of
FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 5 illustrates the dimensions of an embodiment
of the liquid container of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 6 illustrates an embodiment of a distribution
assembly that may be used to distribute liquid
containers;
FIGURE 7 illustrates an embodiment of a slip sheet
that may be used in the distribution assembly of FIGURE
6;
FIGURE 8 illustrates an embodiment of a rotating
pallet that may be used in the distribution assembly of
FIGURE 6; and
FIGURE 9 illustrates the rotating pallet of FIGURE 8
with the rotator ring partially rotated.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Known liquid containers for consumer products such
as milk, may not be designed to support the weight of
other liquid containers. Thus,
milk crates may be used
5 to store the relatively delicate known liquid containers.
The milk crates protect the liquid container from damage
by eliminating downward directed forces from other items
stored on top. Usage of these milk crates, however, is a
generally inefficient practice. That
is, these milk
crates serve little purpose to the consumer and therefore
are transported back to the manufacturer following
distribution to the consumer. The
teachings of the
present disclosure provide a liquid container that
alleviates the costs and burden associated with shipping
and storage of a plurality of liquid containers in known
ancillary support structures, such as milk crates.
FIGURE 1 shows one embodiment of a liquid container
10 in accordance with a particular embodiment of this
disclosure. Liquid container 10 has a number of features
that may enable stacking of multiple liquid containers
10, one upon another. In
one embodiment, the liquid
containers 10 may be stacked without the need for
ancillary support structures, such as milk crates.
Liquid container 10 generally includes a base member
12, a sidewall member 14, a neck member 16, a spout 18,
and a handle 24. The
sidewall member 14 is integrally
formed and extends upwardly from the base member 12. The
upper end of the sidewall member 14 is interconnected to
the spout 18 by the generally frusto-conical shaped,
upwardly converging neck member 16.
Together, the base
member 12, sidewall member 14, neck member 16, and spout
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18 form a chamber for the storage and containment of a
liquid therein. In a
normal upright orientation, the
base member 12 lies in a generally horizontal orientation
such that the spout 18 exists at the apex of the liquid
container 10. The spout 18 comprises a generally hollow
opening for pouring liquids to and from the container 10.
The spout 18 may also have an associated closure cap
20 for removable placement over the spout 18. In
the
particular embodiment shown, thread-like ridges 22 may be
included on the outer periphery of the spout 18 for
securing the closure cap 20 to the spout 18.
However,
the cap 20 may comprise any type of industry standard
dairy cap having screw-on, snap-on, or similar type
selective attachment means. Caps
of this nature may be
available from Portola, located in Batavia, Illinois.
FIGURE 2 is a bottom view showing various features
of the base member 12. The
base member may be
substantially square in shape, with sides 34. Side
34a
may be adjacent to sides 34b and 34d, and opposite to
side 34c. The base
member 12 may be generally flat in
shape for relatively stable placement of the liquid
container 10 on a flat surface, such as a tabletop, with
the exception of a recessed portion 26 and slots 32. The
recessed portion 26 and slots 32 project upwardly from
the base member 12 for reasons to be described below.
One or more of the slots 32 formed by the base may be
shaped like a tunnel. In
some embodiments, the tunnel
may project upwardly from the base member 12 to create a
cavity that may extend diagonally from one corner of the
base member 12 to an opposite corner of the base member
12. For
example, the tunnel may extend from the corner
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formed by the intersection of side 34a and side 34b to
the corner formed by the intersection of side 34c and
side 34d.
FIGURE 3 illustrates the arrangement of one liquid
container 10a stacked on top of another liquid container
10b. Support for another liquid container 10a on top of
liquid container 10b may be provided by recessed portion
26.
The recessed portion 26 projects upwardly into the
container 10, such that the base member 12 of liquid
container 10a may rest upon the neck member 16 of liquid
container 10b.
Because the recessed portion 26 allows
the base member 12 of one container 10a to rest upon the
neck member 16 of another container 10b, the weight of
container 10a and its liquid contents may be generally
evenly distributed around the upper surface of the neck
member 16 of container 10b in close proximity to the
sidewall member 14.
The spout 18 is significantly smaller in diameter
than the sidewall member 14 such that the neck member 16
converges from the sidewall member 14 to the spout 18 in
a generally frusto-conical shape.
This upwardly
converging shape however, does not easily lend itself to
transferring downward directed forces caused by the
weight of liquid container 10a placed directly upon the
spout 18 of container 10b. The teachings of the present
disclosure may provide a solution to this need via a
liquid container 10 having a base member 12 that is
configured to rest directly upon the neck member 16 of
another container 10b such that downward directed forces
caused by the weight of the container 10a and its
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contents, are efficiently transferred to the sidewall
member 14 of the container 10b disposed underneath.
Stacking the liquid containers 10 by nesting the
spout of a first container in the recessed portion of a
second container may encourage consumers to remove
individual liquid containers 10 from a stack using a
lifting motion rather than a lateral motion. A lifting
motion may be preferred over a lateral motion because a
lateral motion may tend to dislodge or tip liquid
container(s) 10 located below the individual liquid
container 10 being removed.
FIGURE 4 is a top view of the liquid container of
FIGURE 1. In one embodiment, the neck member 16 may have
at least one rib 28 that extends approximately from the
spout to approximately the sidewall member 14. Any
quantity of ribs 28 may be utilized within the teachings
of the present disclosure. The
ribs 28 may provide
enhanced structural rigidity by transferring localized
forces incident upon the neck member onto the sidewall
member 14. The ribs 28 may also transfer forces incident
upon the spout 18 toward the sidewall member 14. The
ribs 28 may operate in conjunction with handle 24 in
order to form a relatively robust structure for
distributing weight placed upon the liquid container 10
in a generally even manner. In
order to evenly
distribute the weight around the entire periphery of the
sidewall member 14, the ribs 28 and handle 24 may be
evenly spaced around the neck member 16 of the liquid
container 10.
In another embodiment, the neck member 16 may also
have one or more support projections 30. The
support
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projections 30 may protrude upwardly from the neck member
16 and extend over at least a portion of the neck member
16. In
one embodiment, a support projection 30 may
extend from a first rib 28 to an adjacent rib 28, such as
from rib 28a to rib 28b. The support projections 30 may
provide a relatively stable support surface for the base
member 12 of another liquid container 10 placed on top.
In certain embodiments, the support projections 30 may
enhance the stability of one container 10 when placed on
top of another container 10 by supporting the container
10 at the base member 12, which is generally flat in
shape.
In one embodiment, the recessed portion 26 has a
contour that generally conforms to the contour formed by
the neck member 16, closure cap 20, ribs 28, handle 24,
support projection 30, and/or any other structural member
that extends generally upwardly from the neck member 16
or spout 18 of the liquid container 10. The ribs 28 may
be configured on neck member 16 such that they at least
partially fit into cavities formed by slots 32 in base
member 12. When
fitted into slots 32, the ribs 28 may
prevent rotation of one particular liquid container 10
that is stacked upon another liquid container 10.
FIGURE 5 illustrates the dimensions of an embodiment
of the liquid container 10 of FIGURE. For
dimensioning
purposes, the container may have a neck split 38 and a
bottom split 39. The
overall height of the liquid
container 10 may be approximately 9.98 inches, and the
height may be distributed approximately as follows: 1.85
inches from the bottom of the base member 12 to the
bottom split 39, 7.33 inches from the bottom split 39 to
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the neck split 38, and 0.80 inches from the neck split to
the top of the spout 18. Additionally, a cavity formed
by handle 24 may be located approximately 1.19 inches
from neck split 39. The
base member 12 of the liquid
5 container 10 may be substantially square in shape, with
an area of approximately 5.93 square inches. The
spout
18 of the liquid container 10 may be approximately 1.89
inches in diameter
The particular liquid container 10 as disclosed is
10 configured to have a fill capacity of 128.0 fluid ounces
and an overflow capacity of 128.7 fluid ounces. It will
be understood however, that a container having other
capacities could be constructed using the teachings of
this disclosure.
Moreover, containers formed according
to the teachings of the present disclosure having
different sizes, configurations, and/or fill capacities
may have dimensions other than those previously
described.
The container 10 may be particularly suited for
transport and distribution of various types of liquid
products from a manufacturer to consumers. The type of
liquid products may include consumable foodstuffs such as
juice, water, milk, and the like, or other types of
liquids such as chemical formulations for home,
automotive, commercial, or industrial use. The liquid
container 10 may be constructed of a high density
polyethylene (HDPE) plastic material, which is generally
"food safe", for storage of human consumable liquids.
However, the liquid container 10 may formed from any
suitable plastic material appropriate for the type of
liquid it is adapted to contain. Nevertheless, the
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present embodiment may be formed using conventional blow
molding techniques, which are well known to those skilled
in the art.
In some embodiments, conventional blow molding
techniques may be performed by a two-part machine or a
three-part machine. A
two-part machine may manufacture
the liquid container 10 in two parts, such as a front
part and a back part. A
three-part machine may
manufacture the liquid container 10 in three parts, such
as a front part, a back part, and a base part.
Manufacturing the liquid container 10 using a two-part
machine may provide certain advantages. For
example,
manufacturing the liquid container 10 from two parts may
increase its columnar strength. As another example, a
two-part machine may be simpler, more efficient, and/or
more cost effective than other machines. Additionally, a
two-part machine may be more commonly used in the
industry and, thus, more readily available. In
some
embodiments, the liquid container 10 may be shaped to be
manufactured by two-part machine. For
example, one or
more slots 32 of FIGURE 2 may have a tunnel shape. In
some embodiments, the tunnel may be substantially
centered at the seam where the front part and the back
part are joined.
According to some embodiments, a distribution
assembly may be used to distribute liquid containers.
FIGURE 6 illustrates an embodiment of a distribution
assembly 100 that may be used to distribute liquid
containers 10. The
distribution assembly 100 may
comprise a pallet holder 104, a slip sheet 120, a pallet
divider 130, and/or a rotating pallet 140.
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In some embodiments, the pallet holder 104 may be
used to provide a support surface for shipping and
storing a load comprising a number of liquid containers
10.
The pallet holder 104 may be any pallet holder
suitable for providing a substantially flat, rigid
surface on which the bottom layer of liquid containers 10
may rest. In some embodiments, the pallet holder 104 may
be a five-sided case, box, or tray.
In one embodiment,
pallet holder 104 is a Chep pallet. In some embodiments,
the pallet holder 104 may be made of a disposable
material such as cardboard.
The pallet holder 104 may
define the outer perimeter of the load.
The pallet
holder 104 may be any suitable size to support the liquid
containers.
In some embodiments, the pallet holder 104
may be approximately 48 inches long and 40 inches wide.
In some embodiments, the depth of the pallet holder 104
may be less than six inches.
According to some embodiments, the load may comprise
any suitable number of liquid containers 10, such as 224
liquid containers 10.
The liquid containers 10 may be
logically organized into container stacks 110, container
rows 112, and container columns 114.
The container
stacks 110 may be arranged vertically, the
container
rows 112 may be arranged horizontally along the length of
the pallet holder 104, and the container columns 114 may
be arranged horizontally along the width of the pallet
holder 104.
According to some embodiments, each container stack
110 may be formed by stacking liquid containers 10. The
liquid containers 10 may be stacked such that the spout
of a first liquid container 10b nests in the recessed
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portion of a second liquid container 10a. Any
suitable
number of liquid containers 10 may be stacked in a
container stack 110. In
some embodiments, the container
stack 110 may comprise four liquid containers 10. In
some embodiments, the position of a liquid container 10
in its container stack 110 may be counted with respect to
the ground. That is, the liquid container 10 closest to
the ground may be first in the stack, the liquid
container 10 seated directly on the first liquid
container may be second in the stack, and so on.
In some embodiments, the container stacks may be
arranged in a rectangular array to form the container
rows 112 and the container columns 114. Any
suitable
number of container stacks 110 may be used in the
arrangement. In some
embodiments, fifty-six container
stacks 110 may be arranged in an 8 x 7 arrangement.
The container rows 112 and the container columns 114
with the same vertical stack positions may define a
horizontal plane. The
horizontal plane may be referred
to as a layer 116 of liquid containers 10. As an
example, a load configured in an 8 x 7 arrangement
stacked four deep may have four layers 116. Each layer
116 may comprise eight container rows 112 and seven
container columns 114.
According to the illustrated
example, liquid container 10a and liquid container 10c
may both be fourth in their respective container stacks
110 and may therefore both belong to the layer 116a.
According to some embodiments, a slip sheet 120 may
be used to hold together a number of liquid containers 10
belonging to the same layer 116. In some
embodiments,
the slip sheet 120 may hold together all of the liquid
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containers 10 belonging to the same layer 116.
Alternatively, the slip sheet 120 may hold together a
subset of liquid containers 10 belonging to the same
layer 116, such as one-half of the liquid containers 10.
Holding the layers 116 of liquid containers 10 together
may increase the lateral stability of the load.
In some embodiments, the slip sheet 120 may be
placed between the layers 116 of liquid containers 10.
For example, the slip sheet 120b may be placed between
the layer 116b comprising liquid container 10b and the
layer 116a comprising liquid container 10a. The
slip
sheet 120b may fit over the spout and part of the neck
member of the liquid container 10b. The liquid container
10a may be partially seated on the slip sheet 120b. In
some embodiments, the slip sheet 120b may distribute
and/or support some of the weight of the liquid container
10a. The weight distribution and/or support may provide
increased structural integrity to the container stack
110a.
According to some embodiments, a pallet divider 130
may divide the load of the distribution assembly 100 into
multiple sections. In
some embodiments, the pallet
divider 130 may increase the stability of the load by
supporting a portion of the weight and/or aiding the
alignment of the liquid containers 10. The
pallet
divider 130 may be any suitable material, such as
corrugated cardboard.
In some embodiments, the pallet divider 130 may
restrict a customer's access to a section of the load to
organize the order in which the liquid containers 10 are
distributed. In some embodiments, the pallet divider 130
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may divide the load into a half-pallet configuration
comprising two sections. A half-pallet configuration for
an 8 x 7 arrangement of container stacks 110 may comprise
two 4 x 7 sections of container stacks 110. A
half-
5 pallet configuration may reduce the maximum distance the
customer may reach to remove a liquid container. For
example, the customer may only have to reach halfway into
the load to reach a liquid container. The
load could
then be rotated for the customer to reach the other half
10 of the load.
Thus, if a full-pallet configuration
requires a maximum reach of 48 inches to remove a liquid
container, the half-pallet configuration would require a
maximum reach of 24 inches to remove the liquid
container.
15 In some embodiments, the pallet may be a rotating
pallet 140. The rotating pallet 140 may rotate to allow
access to different sides of the pallet. For example, a
dairy case may be accessed by a customer using a door
located on one side of the pallet. A
customer may be
unable to reach containers of milk located on the side of
the pallet opposite the door. For example, the customer
may be limited by the length of his reach or by a
physical barrier such as the pallet divider 130.
Rotating the rotating pallet 140 may allow the customer
to access the pallet from any side. For
example, the
pallet may be rotated 180 degrees so the side opposite
the door moves proximate to the door.
Although particular configurations of liquid
containers 10 have been described with respect to FIGURE
6, the distribution assembly 100 may be scaled to store
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and distribute any number and/or configuration of liquid
containers 10.
FIGURE 7 illustrates an embodiment of a slip sheet
120 that may be used in the distribution assembly of
FIGURE 6. The
slip sheet 120 may be substantially
rectangular in shape with a sheet width 121 and a sheet
length 122. The slip sheet 120 may be any suitable size.
For example, the slip sheet 120 may be sized to fit a
half-pallet configuration of liquid containers. A half-
pallet configuration may have a sheet width 121 ranging
from 22 to 26 inches, such as 23 3/4 inches, and a sheet
length 122 ranging from 40 to 44 inches, such as 42
inches. The thickness of the slip sheet 120 may be less
than one half of an inch to allow the slip sheet 120 to
slip between the layers of the liquid containers. The
slip sheet 120 may be corrugated cardboard or any
suitable material.
The slip sheet 120 may comprise a number of cutouts
124 that allow it to fit over the top of a liquid
container. In some
embodiments, a cutout 124 may be
shaped to allow the spout and part of the neck member of
a liquid container to pass. Thus, the cutout 124 may be
shaped to accommodate the handle and the ribs of the
liquid container.
The cutouts 124 may be arranged in cutout rows 126
and cutout columns 127. The
cutout rows 124 may run
parallel to the sheet length 122 and the cutout columns
may run perpendicular to the sheet length 122. The
spacing between cutout rows 126 may be in the range of 5
to 7 inches, such as 6 1/16 inches. The spacing may be
measured from the center of a first cutout 124 to the
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center of its closest neighboring cutout 124 in the same
cutout row 126.
Similarly, the spacing between cutout
columns 127 may be in the range of 5 to 7 inches, such as
6 1/16 inches. The
spacing may be measured from the
center of a first cutout 124 to the center of its closest
neighboring cutout 124 in the same cutout column 127.
An anchor cutout 124a may be located in a corner
formed at an intersection of the edges of the slip sheet
120. In
some embodiments, the distance between an edge
of the slip sheet 120 and the center of the anchor cutout
124a along the sheet width 121 may be 3 inches. In some
embodiments, the distance between an edge of the slip
sheet 120 and the center of the anchor cutout 124a along
the sheet length 122 may be 2 13/16 inches.
FIGURE 8 illustrates an embodiment of a rotating
pallet 140 that may be used in the distribution assembly
of FIGURE 6. In
some embodiments, the rotating pallet
140 may comprise a pallet base 141, a rotator ring 146,
and/or a pallet frame 148. The rotating pallet 140 may
be made of any generally rigid material that is
sufficiently sturdy to support the weight of the liquid
containers comprising a pallet. In
one embodiment, the
rotating pallet 140 is formed of a plastic material, such
as polyurethane, a metal material, wood, or a
combination. For
example, the pallet base 141 may be
made of plastic and the pallet frame 148 may be made of
wood.
In some embodiments, the pallet base 141 may provide
structural support to the rotating pallet 140. In
some
embodiments, the pallet base 141 may comprise a loading
surface 142 and a number of feet 145. The
loading
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surface 142 may be substantially flat and substantially
rectangular in shape. The loading surface 142 may have a
surface width 143 and a surface length 144. In
some
embodiments, the surface width 143 and the surface length
144 may be sized based on the dimensions of a load of
liquid containers. For
example, the surface width 143
may be equal to the width of the load plus or minus
fifteen percent.
Similarly, the surface length 144 may
be equal to the length of the load plus or minus fifteen
percent.
The feet 145 of the pallet base 141 may hold a load
off the ground. The feet 145 may be placed substantially
evenly around the rotating pallet 140 to allow for
stability and even weight distribution.
There may be
spaces located between the feet 145 to allow a machine,
such as a forklift, to access the bottom of the rotating
pallet 140. For
example, the forks of the forklift may
fit between the feet 145 of the pallet base 141 to lift
and move the rotating pallet 140 and its contents.
In some embodiments, the rotator ring 146 of the
rotating pallet 140 may allow the pallet to be rotated.
As an example, FIGURE 9 illustrates an embodiment of the
rotating pallet 140 with the rotator ring 146 partially
rotated. The
rotator ring 146 may be substantially
circular in shape with a diameter 147 that is slightly
shorter than the surface width 143 of the loading surface
142. In
some embodiments, the rotator ring 146 may be
positioned so that the diameter 147 runs parallel to the
loading surface 142. Thus, the rotator ring 146 may rest
flat against the loading surface 142, and it may be
substantially centered on the loading surface 142. The
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rotator ring 146 may comprise a rotating mechanism that
allows the load to be rotated around the circle. Any
suitable rotating mechanism may be used. For example, a
ball bearing mechanism may be used.
In some embodiments, the rotator ring 146 may be
coupled to the pallet frame 148. The
pallet frame 148
may provide stability to the load as it is rotated. The
pallet frame 148 may have a frame width substantially
equal to the surface width 143 and a frame length
substantially equal to the surface length 144 of the
loading surface 142. The rotator ring 146 may be coupled
to the inside of the pallet frame 148 such that the
center of the rotator ring 146 and the center of the
pallet frame 148 substantially overlap.
The rotator ring 146 and pallet frame 148 may be
coupled in any suitable manner. For
example, metal
fasteners may be used to couple rotator ring 146 and
pallet frame 148. The fasteners may suspend the rotator
ring 146 within the pallet frame 148, may couple the
rotator ring 146 and the pallet frame 148 directly such
that the rotator ring 146 and the pallet frame 148
physically touch, or a combination. For example, if the
frame width and the frame length are not equal, the
rotator ring 146 may be coupled directly to the pallet
frame 148 along the frame width, and fasteners may extend
between the rotator ring 146 and the pallet frame 148
along the frame length.
In some embodiments, the pallet holder, together
with the liquid containers, the slip sheets, and the
pallet divider, may be shipped from a manufacturer's
location as a unit. Upon
arrival at a retailer's
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location, such as a grocery store, the unit may be placed
on the pallet frame 148 of the rotating pallet 140 so the
customers may access the liquid containers. In
some
embodiments, the rotating pallet 140 may be kept at the
5 retail location. This
may reduce the risks and burdens
of transporting a distribution apparatus back and forth
between the retailer's location and the manufacturer's
location.
Although an embodiment of the disclosure has been
10 described using specific terms, such description is for
illustrative purposes only. The words used are words of
description rather than of limitation. It is to be
understood that changes and variations may be made by
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from
15 the spirit or scope of the present disclosure, which is
set forth in the following claims. Therefore, the spirit
and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to
the description of the embodiments disclosed therein.
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