Special receptacle or package – Structural features for vertical stacking – i.e. – similar... – Having specified means for nesting instead of stacking
Patent
1999-03-15
2000-07-18
Pollard, Steven
Special receptacle or package
Structural features for vertical stacking, i.e., similar...
Having specified means for nesting instead of stacking
206558, 220 234, B65D 2100
Patent
active
060893737
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a national stage application, according to Chapter II of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This application claims the priority date of Jul. 3, 1996 for Great Britain Patent Application No. 9613949.8.
The present invention relates to containers and particularly, but not exclusively, to containers which can be formed into piles by stacking or nesting.
Stacking and/or nesting containers are commonly used for delivering goods to retail premises. They may be stacked onto pallets to which they are attached by securing bands, for ease of handling e.g. by fork truck. Adequacy of securing these pallet loads is important to ensure that container contents are not damaged, and that pallets can be safely handled.
The present invention seeks to facilitate the provision of secure stacks in these situations.
According to the invention, there is provided a container of generally rectangular shape in plan, the container having upstanding walls around its periphery and there being formations on the outer surfaces of the walls for engagement with formations on an adjacent like container to limit relative vertical movement of the containers, the formations being so arranged to provide for engagement as aforesaid when adjacent containers are arranged long side to long side, short side to short side, or long side to short side.
The formations preferably include first formations and further include second formations which are complementary in form to first formations, whereby a first formation may engage a second formation on an adjacent container to limit relative vertical movement is aforesaid.
First formations may comprise a projection or recess at a first height on the container, and second formations may comprise a recess or projection, respectively, at the said first height, whereby the projection or recess of a first formation may mate with the recess or projection of a second formation on an adjacent container. The first formations may be located at diagonally opposite positions along opposed walls of the container, second formations being located at positions opposite the first formations, whereby first and second formations will meet when one of the said opposed walls is brought adjacent to one of the corresponding opposed walls of a like container.
Preferably walls of the container perpendicular to said opposed walls comprise further formations engageable with first and second formations, the further formations being at positions at which a first or second formation of an adjacent container will be located when the containers are pallet stacked as defined below. The first and second formations are preferably located on long walls of the container.
The formations may comprise projections and/or recesses. They may comprise ribs which define recesses therebetween. The container preferably has a rim around the top of the walls, the formations being formed around the rim. The container is preferably stackable and/or nestable with like containers, wherein containers of a pile of containers so formed can engage a corresponding container in an adjacent pile. The engagement of the formations is preferably sufficient loose to accommodate some misalignment of adjacent containers.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of five container stacks on a pallet;
FIG. 2 is a general perspective view on an enlarged scale of a container according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view of the container of FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are large partial enlarged elevations of the container of FIG. 2, showing engaging formations;
FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view at one corner of the container of FIG. 2, on an enlarged scale, showing an engaging formation on the short side;
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are enlarged partial sections through two adjacent containers, showing engagement of formations on long sides of the container (FIG. 7), between long and short sides (FIG. 8
REFERENCES:
patent: 3651976 (1972-03-01), Chadbourne
patent: 5263576 (1993-11-01), Boreen et al.
patent: 5344022 (1994-09-01), Stahl
McKechnie (UK) Limited
Pollard Steven
LandOfFree
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