GB2324292A - Locating stacked containers - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to assist in safely applying a retaining band around a stack of containers, particularly when the stack is too large for a workman to reach around, the container 10 is provided with an eye 36 in the rim 32. The eye 36 receives the band or strap 38 to retain it in position relative to the container 10 while the workman feeds the band around the remainder of the stack. The band 38 may pass around containers in adjacent stacks which may be located on a pallet.

Description

Container The present invention relates to containers and especially1 but not exclusively, to containers designed for stacking and palletisation, i.e. for forming into a stack which is then placed on and secured to a pallet.

Palletised containers are commonly used for delivering goods to retail premises. A stack of containers is formed and placed on a pallet, to which the stack is secured. The pallet can then be handled, for instance by fork truck1 to move the complete stack in a single operation. Commonly, container and pallet sizes are such that more than one stack is formed on a single pallet, in which case straps or "bands" may be used to secure adjacent stacks together, to further enhance the stability and security of the palletised containers.

The present invention seeks to provide improved arrangements for stacking containers.

According to the invention, there is provided a container formed to be stackable with like containers, the container comprising at least one location arrangement which, in use, may engage a retaining band being placed around the stack to retain the stack relative to a member which does not form part of the stack, the location arrangement serving to locate the band at a chosen position or range of positions relative to the container, at least until the band has been secured by other means.

Preferably the member is a container in an adjacent stack.

The location arrangement may be located at or near the upper periphery of the container. The container may have walls upstanding from a base, the location arrangement being located at or near the top of the walls.

The location arrangement preferably supports a band against vertical movement and may comprise a loop, eye or aperture formed in or on the container. Preferably the location arrangement is formed at or near a corner of the container. The container may be square or rectangular in plan, there being a location arrangement formed at each corner thereof.

Preferably the containers are stackable and nestable.

The invention also provides a container system comprising a plurality of stackable containers, at least one being a container as aforesaid, a retaining band, and a securing arrangement, the retaining band being extendible around at least a stack of containers and a member which does not form part of the stack, while engaged by the or a location arrangement of at least the said one container, and the securing arrangement being operable to hold the band to secure the band around the stacks and thereby secure the stack and the other member together.

Preferably the retaining band is arranged to extend around at least two adjacent stacks of containers to secure the stacks together.

The invention also provides a method of banding stacked containers, in which a band is placed around a stack of containers and another member which does not form part of the stack, at least one of the containers being a container as set out above, the band being engaged by the location arrangement of the said one container at least until secured by a securing arrangement.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:- Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a container according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a highly schematic plan view of the arrangement of five container stacks on a pallet; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one corner of the container of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale; Fig. 4 is an elevation view of the corner of Fig. 3, also showing a stacked container (above) and a nested container (below); and Fig. 5 is a section along the line V-V of Fig. 4.

Fig.l shows a container 10 which is of generally conventional form but incorporates certain improvements, as will be described. The container is generally rectangular in plan and has four walls 12 which are upstanding from a base 14. The open upper mouth 16 of the container is bridged by stacking bars 18 on which another like container can rest when a stack of containers is being formed. The bars 18 can however be moved to a stowed position which leaves the mouth 16 open to allow an upper container to be nested in a lower container.

The container 10 may have dimensions in plan of 600 mm x 400 mm, for instance. This size is mentioned by way of example only, but is a conventional size for retail delivery containers. Five stacks of containers of this size can conveniently be formed on a standard delivery pallet of 1.2 m x 1 m by using the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 2 in which three stacks 20 are arranged with long sides together, and two stacks 22 are arranged with short sides together.

Having been palletised in the manner indicated in Fig. 2, the five stacks may prove to be unstable during handling. For this reason, it is desirable to secure the stacks to each other and it is customary to do this by "banding" the pallet. A long, strong band is extended around the periphery of the five stacks and tied off or otherwise secured to hold the five stacks together. However, many containers have surfaces which are not sufficiently strong or are at an inappropriate angle to receive the band. If stacks are banded with the band on one of these surfaces, the workmen may believe that the band has been correctly applied, but the band could work loose during handling or in transit, or containers could be damaged. However, the size of the pallet makes it difficult for a single operator to be sure he has correctly applied a band - he cannot reach or see around the stacks to see if the band has slipped at the far side.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 3 seeks to overcome this difficulty. Fig. 3 shows one corner 30 of the container 10. The sloping walls 12 are surmounted by a rim 32 which provides strength to the top of the container, mountings for stack bars 18, formations for engagement by handling machinery, handles and the like. At the extreme corner (Fig. 5) there is a rib 34 which projects diagonally from the corner 30. This is perforated at 36 to form an aperture or eye. Similar ribs 34 and eyes 36 are formed at each of the four corners of the container 10. These can receive a strap 38 (Fig. 3). When fed through the eye 36, the strap 38 is thereafter confined within the eye, and thus supported against vertical movement relative to the container 10 and at the top of the walls, against the rim 32. As a consequence of the rim and wall design, the eye 36 is exposed (and can therefore receive a strap 38) whether or not the container is stacked (as indicated by the container at the top of Fig. 4, which is stacked on the middle container) or nested (as indicated by the container at the bottom of Fig. 4, in which the middle container is nested). The lower container has its stacking bar in the stowed position, to allow nesting; the middle container has its stacking bar in the forward position, to course stacking.

Consequently, whenever containers are stacked or nested in use, they can be banded by a workman walking around the stacks (five if palletised in the manner indicated in Fig. 2) passing the strap 38 through eyes 36 of the containers, preferably at least one container in each stack. Having fed the strap 38 through eyes 36, the workman can be confident that the strap will have remained at the appropriate place. After waLking completely around the pallet, the two ends of the strap 38 can then be secured together by any appropriate means, such as tying, stapling, clipping or damping. The workman can then be confident, without checking, that the strap 38 is correctly located to bear on the rim 32.

It will be apparent that it is a significant advantage of the presence of eyes 36 that the strap 38 is retained in position during the banding process, but it will be apparent that a further advantage is that the design illustrated in the drawings will continue to retain the strap in the same position thereafter, until the strap is eventually removed. Other arrangements could be envisaged in which the band is only lightly engaged until tightened and secured.

A container system incorporating a container as described above could, in principle, include many containers which do not incorporate the eyes 36, and only one, or a small number, which do. However, it would then be necessary to ensure that the or each container with eyes is or are located at an appropriate level in each stack to allow a band to be applied in the manner described above.

In practice, it is likely to be much simpler in production and use if all containers in the system have eyes, so that a workman can then choose a height for the strap 38, knowing that eyes will be available to him. Nevertheless, the containers with eyes could be introduced into a system which has a residual stock of containers without eyes, allowing some of the advantages of the invention to be obtained even before the system has been completely restocked with containers with eyes.

Many variations and modifications can be made to the arrangements described above, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For instance, an eye as described can be incorporated into many different designs of stacking and stacking/nesting containers. Although described in relation to a band extending horizontally, and retaining the band against vertical movement, eyes could be oriented to allow a band to extend vertically around a stack, to assist in retaining the stack on a pallet beneath.

The container described above can be produced by injection moulding techniques from a synthetic plastics material but it will be apparent that the invention can be applied to containers of many other types, manufactured from other materials and by other processes. Very many techniques could be chosen for securing bands - the particular choice of securing technique being outside the scope of the present invention.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

Claims (16)

1. A container formed to be stackable with like containers, the container comprising at least one location arrangement which, in use, may engage a retaining band being placed around the stack to retain the stack relative to a member which does not form part of the stack, the location arrangement serving to locate the band at a chosen position or range of positions relative to the container, at least until the band has been secured by other means.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the member is a container in an adjacent stack.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the location arrangement is located at or near the upper periphery of the container.

4. A container according to any preceding claim, having walls upstanding from a base, the location arrangement being located at or near the top of the walls.

5. A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the location arrangement is formed to support a band against vertical movement.

6. A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the location arrangement comprises a loop, eye or aperture formed in or on the container.

7. A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the location arrangement is formed at or near a corner of the container.

8. A container according to claim 7, wherein the container is square or rectangular in plan, there being a location arrangement formed at each corner thereof.

9. A container according to any preceding claim, the container being stackable and nestable with a like container.

10. A container substantially as described above, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A container system comprising a plurality of stackable containers, at least one being a container according to any preceding claim, the system further comprising a retaining band and a securing arrangement, the retaining band being extendible around at least a stack of containers and a member which does not form part of the stack, while engaged by the or a location arrangement of at least the said one container, and the securing arrangement being operable to secure the band and thereby secure the stack and the other member together.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the retaining band is arranged to extend around at least two adjacent stacks of containers to secure the stacks together.

13. A container system substantially as described above, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

14. A method of banding stacked containers, in which a band is placed around a stack of containers and another member which does not form part of the stack, at least one of the containers being a container according to any of claims 1 to 10, and in which the band is engaged by the location arrangement of the said one container at least until secured by a securing arrangement.

15. A method of banding stacked containers, substantially as described above, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

16. Any novel subject matter or combination including novel subject matter disclosed herein, whether or not within the scope of or relating to the same invention as any of the preceding claims.