Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CRATE
BACKGROUND
The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/464,621
which
was filed on 2/28/2017.
SUMMARY
In one exemplary embodiment, a crate includes a base and a pair of end walls
that extend
upward from the base. A pair of side walls extend upward from the base between
the pair of ends
walls. A band extends along the pair of end walls and the pair of side walls.
The band includes at
least one first partial geometric shape formed in the band adjacent a top edge
of the band aligned
with at least one second partial geometric shape located adjacent a bottom
edge of the band.
In another exemplary embodiment, a crate includes a base and a pair of side
walls that
extend upward from the base. A pair of end walls extend upward from the base
between the ends
walls. A first end column extends upward from a first end edge of the base to
a band. A first
handle formed in the band portion above the first end column. A handling
equipment contact
surface in one of the pair of end walls is spaced from the band by a plurality
of ribs and is
located above the first handle.
In another exemplary embodiment, a crate includes a base and a first end wall
that
extends upward from a first end edge of the base. A pair of first end columns
extend from the
base to a band. A first handling equipment contact surface is on the first end
wall spaced from
the band by a plurality of ribs. The first handling equipment contact surface
extends across an
upper edge of the pair of first end columns.
Injection-molded plastic beverage crates are used to ship beverage containers,
such as
plastic bottles, to stores. Often, it is intended that consumers will view the
bottles in the store to
make their selection and then remove the desired bottles from the crate.
Many known crates includes a base, a pair of opposed end walls extending
upward from
the base, and a pair of opposed side walls extending upward from the base
between the end
walls. Each side wall includes a plurality of side columns extending upward
from the base to a
side band
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These and other features of the disclosed examples can be understood from the
following
description and the accompanying drawings, which can be briefly described as
follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an example crate.
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the crate of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a top view of the crate of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the crate of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is an end view of the crate of Figure 1.
Figure 6 is a side view of the crate of Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the crate of Figure I stacked on two
identical crates.
Figure 8 is a side view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on two identical
crates.
Figure 9 is an end view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on two identical
crates.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on a second
different
crate.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of the second different crate of Figure 10
stacked on the
crate of Figure I.
Figure 12 is a side view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on the second
different crate of
Figure 10.
Figure 13 is a side view of the second different crate of Figure 10 stacked on
the crate of
Figure 1.
Figure 14 is an end view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on the second
different crate of
Figure 10.
Figure 15 is an end view of the second different crate of Figure 10 stacked on
the crate of
Figure 1.
Figure 16 is a top view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on the second
different crate of
Figure 10.
Figure 17 is a bottom view of the crate of Figure 1 stacked on the second
different crate
of Figure 10.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A crate 10 according to a non-limiting embodiment of this disclosure is shown
in Figure
1. The crate 10 includes a base 12, which may include a plurality of
interconnected ribs. The
crate 10 further includes a pair of opposed side walls 14 extending upward
from side edges of the
base 12 and a pair of opposed end walls 16 extending upward from end edges of
the base 12. An
interior of the crate 10 is defined between the side walls 14 and the end
walls 16. The side walls
14 and the end walls 16 include an upper band portion 18 and a lower wall
portion 20.
A plurality of side columns 22 project upwardly from the base 12 to the upper
band
portion 18. Upper side column portions 23 continue upward and project inward
from the upper
band portion 18, aligned above the side columns 22. Corner columns 24 project
upwardly from
the base 12 at the intersection of the end walls 16 and the side walls 14.
End columns 26 and 28 project upwardly from the base 12. In each end wall 16,
each end
column 26 is aligned below a handle opening 30 in each end wall 16. A lower
handle portion 32
extends from each end column 28 across the adjacent end column 26 and connects
to the comer
column 24. The end columns 26, 28 are tapered toward the interior of the crate
10 and include a
first pair of recesses 27 on an interior distal end.
This alignment maximizes space for the user's hand. By aligning the handle
opening 30
with the end column 26, the handle is aligned with the end column 26 that is
positioned between
the bottles. The handle openings 30 may be offset relative to one another. The
handle openings
may be offset off the center of each end wall 16. As shown, the handle
openings 30 may be
offset toward opposite side walls to balance the load in the crate 10 when it
is loaded and being
lifted and carried by a user's two hands (one in each handle opening 30).
A contact surface 29 is located above each of the handle openings 30 and has a
generally
25 flat profile perpendicular to the base 12. The contact surface 29
extends from a first edge of the
handle opening 30 adjacent the corner column 24, across and above the handle
opening 30, and
beyond the end column 28 toward an opposing corner column 24. The end column
28 is spaced
below an upper edge of the crate 10 by the contact surface 29. The contact
surface 29 is
asymmetrically located in the end wall 16 and skewed towards the handle
opening 30 such that
30 the contact surface 29 is located closer to the side wall 14 adjacent
the handle opening 30 than
the side wall 14 spaced from the handle openings 30.
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The contact surface 29 is connected to the upper band portion 18 by a
plurality of ribs 31
extending from an inner side of the upper band portion 18 to an inner side of
the contact surface
29. An upper surface of the handle opening 30 also extends between the upper
band portion 18
and the contact surface 29. An upper edge of the contact surface 29 is also
spaced below an
upper edge of the upper band portion 18. The contact surface 29 facilitates
compatibility with
handling equipment, such as a flight bar or steel hook, and an angled top
surface on the end
column 28 further allows the handling equipment to clear the end column 28.
As is known, the crates 10 are injection molded as a single piece of a
suitable plastic,
such as polypropylene, polyethylene or other suitable material.
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the crate 10. As shown, the base 12
includes a
plurality of bottle-receiving recesses 38 for receiving the cap of a bottle on
which the crate 10 is
stacked. Each bottle-receiving recess 38 is completely circumscribed by a
capture rib 40. In this
embodiment, the bottle-receiving recesses 38 are arranged in three rows (i.e.
with three bottle-
receiving recesses 38 aligned adjacent each end wall 16, but the advantages of
the disclosure
would be useful for any odd number of rows). In this embodiment, the bottle-
receiving recesses
38 are arranged in a 3x4 array on the underside of the base 12. Each capture
rib 40 captures a
bottle cap of a bottle on which the crate 10 is stacked. Obviously, the
capture rib 40 does not
need to be completely continuous, as small breaks in the capture rib 40 would
not affect its
function. In the disclosed crate 10, the capture rib 40 is able to include
portions at the periphery
of the crate 10 because of the minimal footprint of the crate 10 relative to
the bottles themselves.
The capture rib 40 does not have breaks along the periphery of the base 12
that are larger than
the caps of the bottles to be received.
Figure 3 is a top view of the crate 10. As shown, the handle openings 30 are
positioned
at the outer periphery of the footprint of the crate 10. As is also shown in
Figure 3 (which is to
scale), the ratio of the length (end to end) of the footprint of the crate 10
relative to the width
(side to side) is the same as the bottle ratio, in this example, 4x3. Other
ratios could also be used
(such as 5x3), but the benefit is primarily for an odd number of bottles along
the end walls 16.
Again, one handle opening 30 is offset toward one side wall 14 while the other
handle opening
is offset toward the opposite side wall 14.
30
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the crate 10. Again, the base 12 includes the
bottle-
receiving recess 38 which may be each completely circumscribed by one of the
capture ribs 40.
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Figure 5 is an end view of the crate 10. Upper and lower edges 18A, 18B of the
upper
band portion 18 are a constant distance from the base 12 along the end walls
16. The upper edge
18A includes a chamfer directed towards an interior of the crate 10 that
facilitates reading bar
codes on bottles loaded in the crate 10.
Each handle opening 30 includes an opening defined between the lower handle
portion
32 and an upper handle portion 33. The handle opening 30 is aligned the end
column 26. The
upper handle portion 33 includes a concave lower surface for increased user
comfort and extends
between the upper band portion 18 and the contact surface 29 (Figure 1). The
lower handle
portion 32 includes a convex upper surface that follows the same contour as
the concave lower
surface on the upper handle portion 33.
The upper band portion 18 of the end wall 16 includes multiple complete
circular
indentations 34A and multiple partial circular indentations 34B. The complete
circular
indentations 34A are spaced inward from the upper edge 18A and lower edge 18B
of the upper
band portion 18. The partial circular indentations 34B intersect the upper or
lower edges 18A,
18B such that the partial circular indentations 34B are truncated by the upper
or lower edges
18A, 18B. Although the complete and partial circular indentations 34A, 34B are
shown as
indentations in the illustrated non-limiting embodiment, the complete and
partial circular
indentations 34A, 34B could be other shapes or flush indictors with an
exterior surface of the
upper band portion 18. The flush indicators could be used entirely or
partially in place of the
complete and partial circular indentations 34A, 34B.
Figure 6 is a side view of the crate 10. The upper and lower edges 18A, 18B of
the upper
band portion 18 are also a constant distance from the base 12 along the side
walls 14. The upper
band portion 18 includes a recessed portion 19 for accepting a sticker (not
shown). The recessed
portion 19 prevents the sticker from being scraped off during use of the crate
10. The upper band
portion 18 of the side walls 14 also includes multiple complete circular
indentations 34A and
partial circular indentations 34B. In the illustrated embodiment, the side
walls 14 include a
greater number of the complete and partial circular indentations 34A, 34B than
the ends walls
16.
In the illustrated non-limiting embodiment, the upper band portion 18 is 3.25"
tall from
the upper edge 18A to the lower edge 18B. This provides an increased contact
surface on the
sides of the crate 10 for grasping with equipment (such as the Tygard Claw).
The large upper
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band portion 18 reduces the height of the lower wall portion 20. The taper on
the lower wall
portion 20 (due to mold constraints) causes the base 12 to get smaller as the
lower wall portion
20 gets taller. Therefore, the large upper band portion 18 and the relatively
short lower wall
portion 20 further contribute to the full bottle cap capture on the base 12.
Figure 7 shows the crate 10 nested with a pair of identical crates 10. The
lower wall
portion 20 of the upper crate 10 is received between the upper band portion 18
of the middle
crate 10 and the lower wall portion 20 of the middle crate 10 is received
between the upper band
portion 18 of the lowest crate 10. This reduces the overall stacking height of
the empty crates
10.
The partial circular indentations 34A of the upper crate 10 along the lower
edge 18B of
the upper band portion 18 align with the partial circular indentations 34A
along the upper edge
18A of the upper band portion 18 on the middle crate 10. The alignment of the
partial circular
indentations 34A between adjacent stacked crates 10 creates the appearance of
a complete
circular indentation or indicator extending between adjacent stacked crates
10. The alignment of
the partial circular indentations 34A also provides an indicator to the user
that the stacked crates
10 are similar or identical. Figure 8 is a side view of the crates 10 of
Figure 7. Figure 9 is an
end view of the crates 10 of Figure 7. As shown in Figures 7-9, the lower wall
portion 20 of the
upper crate 10 nests completely within the upper band portion 18 of the lower
crate 10.
Figure 10 illustrates the crate 10 stacked on a 1L half depth crate 100. The
crate 100
includes a base 112, which may include a plurality of interconnected ribs. The
crate 100 further
includes a pair of opposed side walls 114 extending upward from side edges of
the base 112 and
a pair of opposed end walls 116 extending upward from end edges of the base
112. The crate
interior is defined between the side walls 114 and end walls 116. An upper
perimeter of the crate
interior is surrounded by an upper ledge 118 that extends along an uppermost
surface of the side
walls 114 and end walls 116 as shown in Figure 11. When the crate 10 is nested
on the crate 100
as shown in Figures 10, 12, and 14, the lower edge 18B of the upper band
portion 18 rests on the
upper ledge 118 of the crate 100 and the lower wall portion 20 is accepted
within the crate
interior of the crate 100. The ability of the crate 10 to nest within the
crate 100 increases the
nesting efficiency of the crates 10 and 100 as well as increasing pack out of
a transportation
vehicle.
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As shown in Figures 11, 13, and 15, the crate 100 is also able to stack on the
crate 10
when the crate 10 is empty. The crate 100 includes a lower wall ledge 120
spaced inward from a
perimeter of the side walls 114 and end walls 116. The lower wall ledge 120 is
also located
adjacent the base 112. The lower wall ledge 120 rests on the upper edge 18A of
the upper band
portion 18 of the crate 10 when the crate 100 is stacked thereon.
Figure 16 illustrates a top view of the crate 10 stacked on top of the crate
100 and Figure
17 illustrates a bottom view of the crate 10 stacked on top of the crate 100.
As shown in Figures
16-17, the bottle-receiving recesses on the crate 10 substantially overlap
with bottle receiving
portions 138 on the crate 100. This overlap increases the stacking
compatibility of the crate 10
with the crate 100 when loaded with bottles. Therefore, the base 12 of the
crate 10 is large
enough to accept all caps of bottles stacked in the lower crate 10, 100 even
though the lower wall
portion 20 tapers inward and partially reduces the area of the base 12.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature.
Variations and
modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled
in the art that do
not necessarily depart from the essence of this disclosure.
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