A short bottle crate made of plastic having a plurality of annular webs forming the bottom of the crate. A set of first annular webs are disposed such that each web is concentric with a compartment of the crate. A set of second annular webs connect adjacent first webs and the centers of the second annular webs lie at the centers of the compartment walls. Projections are fashioned on the second annular webs between the regions of their connections with the first annular webs and extend outwardly to a level below the level of the first annular webs. The projections are dimensioned such that the crate may be supported on the bottle tops in a filled crate in displaced fashion. The projections do not interfere with the normal crate stacking.
A carrying case is described which has upstanding hollow walls comprising outer and inner walls interconnected by laterally spaced ribs. Portions of the inner wall are cut away to form openings which expose the interior of the hollow walls to facilitate their cleaning.
A plastic case system composed of a multilayered stack of identical cases or plastic cases mixed randomly with similar cases made of other material for holding arrays of upstanding containers in which all but the lowermost cases are keyed to the crowns of the containers in the underlying cases. The cases are shaped and arranged so that they can be placed side-by-side in one stack layer configuration, yet still be keyed to the crowns of containers in the underlying cases arranged in the same or a different stack layer configuration so that cases in different layers can criss-cross one another and interlock to maximize stack stability.
A molded plastic case has multiple pockets for bottles and recesses formed in its undersurface in register with the pockets for engagement with the tops of bottles in the pockets of like cases located thereunder for stacking. Partition walls within the case intersect each other and the outside walls to form the pockets, and the partition walls are cut away suitably for hand clearance adjacent the handholes in the end walls of the case. The recesses take a rimmed form defined by openings in the case undersurface leaving only ribs extending from the walls of each pocket to support its respective rimmed recess. The recesses are defined in lateral extent by walls of greater height than the edge radius of the bottles and bottle caps used therewith, and the recesses slope from those walls to flat midportions, which are the deepest parts of the recesses and are formed so that a bottle cap may be centered thereat by the sloping recess bottom without defacement of the flat cap top thereby. The lateral extents of the recesses accommodate extreme positions of the caps of bottles in like cases stacked therebelow for centering and retaining action therewith to form a stable stack. The edges of the case undersurface are relieved for telescoping engagement inside the top edges of the outside walls of other like cases for stacking empty cases.
A rectangular full depth case for bottled beverages of unitary molded plastic construction has windows in both side panels and end panels to permit identification of the contents of the case. Interior vertical strengthening ribs extending inwardly from the side panels at spaced intervals run from the bottom of the case to just below an upper stacking rim for supporting the weight of additional cases stacked on top in criss-cross fashion for palletized loading. Strengthening column members of hollow substantially triangular cross section at the junctions of the side panels and the end panels provide both vertical strength and resistance to racking, while presenting a clean design. Criss-cross partitions extend upwardly from the bottom of the case for less than half its height to create separate bottle-receiving compartments.
A dual purpose low depth nestable tray for holding either cans or bottles of similar capacities with structural features that prevent spreading or fraying of the walls. The tray comprises a floor, a band around the periphery of the tray and columns interconnecting the band to the floor. A nesting nub is disposed on the floor and nesting ledges are disposed on at least one column along each side of the wall structure. The nub and ledges are equal in height and act as supports for the weight of a stack of nested empty trays which prevents the walls from having to support the weight and results in the walls maintaining their shape and structural integrity. The floor is configured with support areas for the containers and has features for accommodating both bottles and cans. The support areas have a circular groove for engaging the bottoms of cans and the bottom surface of the floor has downwardly projecting redoubts for facilitating stacking and handling of trays loaded with cans. The floor bottom surface also has upward recesses for loosely containing the tops of bottles when the trays are loaded with bottles and stacked or cross-stacked.
