NL9201341A - Stackable plastic crate with removable handle in its upper area - Google Patents

Abstract

Stackable rectangular plastic crate 1 with base 2, as well as long side walls 5, 6 and short side walls 3, 4, for transporting bottles 12. A handle 8, which lies above a separating plane 14 of a compartmental division in the crate but below the top edge 7 of the crate, runs parallel to the short side walls 3, 4. The handle 8, which is releasably connected to reinforcement columns 10 arranged on the long walls 5, 6, is in the form of a tube or bar and may comprise reinforced plastic material. <IMAGE>

Description

Short designation:

Stackable plastic crate with removable handle in its top area.

The invention relates to a stackable plastic crate of rectangular shape, comprising a bottom and opposite short and long side walls, as well as a truss fitted in the crate and at least one handle arranged in the open top area of the crate.

Such a stackable plastic crate is known from European patent application 0 258 549. This known crate is provided with a handle arranged in the open top area of the crate in the longitudinal direction of the crate.

In order to be able to stack such crates, there must be at least one recess in the crate bottom for receiving the central handle of the crate placed beneath it, so that a complicated mold is required to form this crate.

Another drawback of this known crate is a heavy construction because of the use of columns in the center of the crate.

The invention now aims to provide a stackable plastic crate of the above-mentioned type, which does not require any special provisions in the bottom for receiving a handle when stacking crates on top of each other, which crate can be easily manufactured and even offers the possibility of working with interchangeable handles.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the crate in its upper region is provided with at least one handle extending parallel to the short side walls and connected to the opposite long side walls and fixed handle, which handle is substantially situated in the area above the transition between successive compartments viewed in the longitudinal direction and below the top edge of the crate.

When such a handle is used, it always lies below the bottom of an other crate stacked on the crate, while moreover, by the choice of the location of the handle in the area situated above the transition between successive compartments, much space is available for the fingers, so that one cannot injure oneself on, for example, sealing caps of the bottles placed in such a plastic crate. Moreover, since the handle is located in the area delimited by the necks of bottles, handling becomes even easier.

The plastic crate according to the invention is moreover of a light construction, since no columns extending upwards are required in the center of the crate.

When using a mold with two mold openings, a simpler mold construction will suffice, which will also result in fewer problems.

In order to obtain an optimal space for the hand between the caps of bottles placed in a crate, a highest underside of the handle advantageously extends in the area above the transition of successive compartments viewed in transverse direction and below the top edge of the crate.

Conveniently, a handle is detachably connected to the long side walls of a crate. This offers the possibility to choose, for example, a reinforced plastic material for the handle, which in itself is not necessary for the plastic crate. Another advantage is that when working on damaged or no longer usable crates, such handles, of a material other than the material of the plastic crate, can be easily removed and processed separately.

To detachably attach a handle, advantage is made of reinforcement columns present in the long side walls, which are provided at their top with openings for supporting an inner core to form such a reinforcement column.

The plastic crate according to the invention can advantageously be manufactured from a polyolefin, in particular a polyethylene.

The invention will now be elucidated on the basis of an exemplary embodiment with the aid of the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a plastic crate according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top view of a plastic crate according to Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view of a variant and;

Fig. 4 is a top view of another variant.

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a plastic crate 1 according to the invention. This rectangular crate for receiving 3x2 bottles comprises a bottom 2 and opposite short side walls 3,4 as well as long side walls 5,6. For stacking, the long side walls are provided with reinforcing columns 10. When these columns are formed, openings are formed in the open top sides for supporting a mold part to form these columns.

In these openings 9, a handle 8 of reinforced plastic material, for example of glass-fiber-reinforced polyethylene or glass-fiber-reinforced thermosetting resin, is attached.

The handle is advantageously attached in a detachable manner so that when working up a damaged or unusable crate, the handle 8 can easily be removed with special tools and this material does not end up in the waste material of the crate.

The top of the handle 8 does not extend above the top edge 7 of the crate, so that no problems arise when stacking crates.

It is recommended that a bottom 13 of a handle extends near or above the plane extending in the area 11 above the transition of successive pockets viewed in the transverse direction. As can be seen, a handle 8 is located approximately perpendicularly above a dividing plane separating two compartments of the truss in longitudinal direction.

The handle 8 expediently consists of tubular or rod-shaped material as far as the active part of the handle 8 is concerned.

As shown in Fig. 2, in a crate with 2 x 3 longitudinally placed bottles, a handle is about 1/3 and about 2/3 the length of the long side walls 5,6. By using two such handles, such a plastic crate with contents consisting of filled bottles can easily be lifted.

Fig. 3 shows a top view of a variant of a plastic crate with 2x4 bottles according to the invention, in which a handle 8 is present between the second and third longitudinal compartment. With such a handle it is also easy to lift and transport such a plastic crate.

Finally, Fig. 4 shows a top view of yet another 10-compartment crate in which 2x5 bottles are placed. The handles are present here above the transitions between compartments 2 and 3 and compartments 3 and 4 when viewed in the longitudinal direction.

The handles used according to the invention can have a color adapted to the contents of the bottles 12 of the crate, which color can be changed at any time by replacing existing handles with handles of a different color.

Of course, the handles can also be provided with motifs that differ from product to product.

Claims (10)

Stackable plastic crate (1) comprising a bottom and opposite short (3,4) and long (5,6) side walls, as well as a truss (14) arranged in the crate and at least one in the open top area of the crate fitted handle (8) is characterized by the fact that the crate in its upper region is provided with at least one handle, which is parallel to the short side walls (3,4), which is connected and fixed to the opposite long side walls (5,6) (8), which handle is mainly located in the area above the transition of successive compartments viewed in the longitudinal direction and below the top edge (7) of the crate. Plastic crate according to claim 1, characterized in that a highest underside (13) of the handle (8) in the area above the transition of successive compartments viewed in transverse direction and below the top edge (7) of the crate. Stackable plastic crate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the handle is attached to reinforcing columns (10) present in the long side walls (5,6). Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the handle (8) is attached in a detachable manner (9). Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the handle (8) is provided with indication means, in particular a specific color, associated with the contents of the bottles (12) present in the crate. Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that in a crate with 2x3 longitudinal compartments, a handle (8) is present at about 1/3 and at about 2/3 the length of the long side wall . Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in a crate with 2x4 longitudinal compartments, a handle (8) is provided in the middle of the long side walls (5,6). Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that in a crate with 5x2 longitudinal compartments, a handle is situated between the second and third compartment and a longitudinal compartment between third and fourth compartment. Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handles (8) consist of a different plastic and / or the handle consists of a different material than the material of the plastic crate. Stackable plastic crate according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the handles are tubular or rod-shaped.