Plastic container

Abstract

The invention relates to a plastic container with a base and side walls standing on the base, wherein a receiving region of the container is defined by the base and the side walls, wherein the base, on its side facing away from the receiving region, forms a plane, wherein the plane carries an inner region, a bearing rim surrounding the inner region, and first ribs protruding from the plane, wherein the bearing rim has a bearing face for the container and the bearing face is elevated in the direction perpendicular to the plane compared to the inner region, wherein each of the first ribs extends in the direction of the bearing rim starting from the inner region, wherein, with respect to each of the first ribs, the end face of the first rib pointing in the direction of extent leads tangentially into the plane.

Claims

1. A plastic container comprising a base and side walls standing on the base, wherein a receiving region of the container is defined by the base and the side walls, wherein the base, on its side facing away from the receiving region, forms a plane, wherein the plane carries an inner region, a bearing rim surrounding the inner region, and first ribs protruding from the plane, wherein the bearing rim has a bearing face for the container and the bearing face is elevated in the direction perpendicular to the plane compared to the inner region, wherein each of the first ribs extends in the direction of the bearing rim starting from the inner region, wherein, with respect to each of the first ribs, an end face of the first rib pointing in the direction of extent leads tangentially into the plane, wherein the end face partially overlaps the plane in an overlapping region, the overlapping region lying between the inner region and the bearing rim.

2. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the end face has a concave arc shape.

3. The plastic container according to claim 1 further comprising an inner rim surrounding the inner region, wherein the inner rim is directly adjacent to the bearing rim, wherein the bearing face is elevated in the direction perpendicular to the plane compared to the outer surface of the inner rim facing away from the receiving region, wherein the end face leads tangentially into the inner surface of the inner rim facing the receiving region.

4. The plastic container according to claim 1 further comprising second ribs protruding from and carried by the plane, wherein the second ribs carry the bearing rim, the second ribs extend in the direction of the bearing rim starting from the inner region, and the first ribs are received between the second ribs.

5. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein the inner region has a crowning in the direction of the receiving region.

6. The plastic container according to claim 5, wherein the inner region comprises third ribs, wherein the third ribs protrude from and are carried by the plane, and wherein the surfaces of the third ribs pointing away from the receiving region have the crowning.

7. The plastic container according to claim 1 further comprising an outer rim surrounding the bearing face, wherein the outer rim is directly adjacent to the bearing rim and the bearing face is elevated in the direction perpendicular to the plane compared to the outer surface of the outer rim facing away from the receiving region.

8. The plastic container according to claim 1, wherein all first ribs are interconnected on their side opposite the end face by means of a continuous wall protruding from and carried by the plane, wherein the wall delimits the inner region.

9. The plastic container according to claim 8, wherein the wall carries the inner rim.

10. The plastic container according to claim 8, wherein the wall is inclined pointing away outwardly from the inner region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a plastic container from below,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a further view of the container of FIG. 1, wherein here the inner, outer and bearing rim have been removed,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view through a container,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the inner region with the adjacent first and second ribs,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a more detailed perspective view of the inner region with the adjacent first and second ribs.

(7) Elements similar to one another will be denoted hereinafter by like reference signs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) FIG. 1 shows a plastic container 100 with a base and side walls 102 standing on the base. A receiving region 104 of the container is defined by the base and the side walls 102, in which receiving region goods to be transported can be received. On the side of the base facing away from the receiving region 104, the container 100 has an inner region 106, which is provided with ribs. An inner rim 108 surrounds the inner region 106, and a bearing rim 110 surrounds the inner rim 108. Lastly, a further, outer rim 112 is also provided, which surrounds the bearing rim 110.

(9) The bearing rim 110 is slightly elevated compared to the inner rim 108 and the outer rim 112. In addition, the bearing rim is elevated compared to the inner region 106, so that, as the container runs over a transport surface, for example over transport rollers or over balls, the container 100 comes into contact with the transport surface or the transport rollers (balls) exclusively via the bearing face of the bearing rim 110. Various ribs are provided in order to provide the container 100 as a whole with the necessary rigidity, although it stands or slides on the bearing face merely by means of the bearing face of the bearing rim 110.

(10) FIG. 2 is a further perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 1, wherein here, for the sake of simplicity, the inner rim 108, the bearing rim 110, and the outer rim 112 have been omitted from the drawing. As a result, besides ribs 202 of the inner region 106, further ribs 204 and further ribs 200 are now also visible (incompletely as viewed in the direction perpendicular to the plane 206). The base of the container 100 forms a plane 206 on its side facing away from the receiving region 104, which plane carries all visible ribs. The inner region 106 or ribs 202 thereof are enclosed by means of a continuous wall 208, wherein the ribs 204 are adjacent to this wall 208 and are connected to the wall 208 in an integrally bonded manner. The plastic container 100 is preferably produced in one piece from a single material, for example by means of a corresponding injection-moulding process.

(11) The ribs 200, which stand on the plane 206 and are carried by this plane 206, in turn carry both the bearing face 110 and the outer bearing rim 112. By contrast, the much shorter ribs 204 arranged between the ribs 200 carry merely the inner rim 108, wherein the inner rim 108 is also carried additionally by the ribs 200.

(12) FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view through the container 100, wherein here it is assumed, for the sake of simplicity, that the ribs each run at right angles to the walls 102.

(13) In FIG. 3 the receiving region 104 of the container 100 is now visible together with the base of said container, which receiving region is delimited by the base and the side walls 102. The base, on its side facing away from the receiving region, forms the plane 206, which in the inner region 106 carries the ribs 202 and in the region to the side of the inner region 106 carries the ribs 204 and 200.

(14) The ribs 202 of the inner region 106 have what is known as a crowning, which means that there is a curvature in the direction of the receiving region, so that the container base in the inner region 106 can deflect downwardly under heavy loads, but without the ribs coming into contact with the surface on which the container 100 is standing.

(15) The inner region 106 is surrounded by the wall 208, wherein, in the example of FIG. 3, the wall 208 is not inclined, but stands perpendicular to the plane, again for the sake of simplicity. It is possible, however, that the wall 208 is inclined outwardly, that is to say in the direction 304 starting from the base point to the wall between the plane 206 and wall 208. Corresponding forces acting on the plane 206 are conducted here efficiently from the inner region 106 in the direction of the bearing face 110.

(16) The ribs 204 each extend in the direction 304, that is to say in the direction of the bearing rim 110 starting from the inner region 106. Here, the end faces 308 of the ribs 204 lead both tangentially into the plane 206 at the points 302 and (optionally) into the inner side of the inner rim 108 at the points 300. On account of this “gentle” transition of the end faces 308 of the ribs 204 into the plane 206 and the inner rim 108, force peaks are avoided at the transition points 300 and 302, so that any risk of breakage at these points with heavy loads received in the receiving region 104 can be minimised.

(17) The ribs 204 additionally have a concave shape, so that the end faces 308 of the ribs partially overlap the plane 206. The region of overlap is sketched by way of example in FIG. 3 by reference sign 306.

(18) In the example of FIG. 3, the end faces of the ribs 204 thus have a C shape.

(19) The ribs 200 transfer the forces acting on the plane 206 to the bearing rim 110. On the whole, the geometry shown in FIG. 3 could make it possible for the container 100 to be able to slide with little noise on the bearing face 110, for example over a roller conveyor, even with a presence of great loads in the receiving region 104.

(20) FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1, wherein here as well the bearing rim, the inner rim and the outer rim have again been removed. The same is true in respect of the detailed view of FIG. 5. The parts of the ribs directly adjacent to the inner rim, the bearing rim and the outer rim are likewise omitted here. It should be noted that in the drawing the tangential transition of the ribs 204 at the point 300 (see FIG. 3) is not clearly visible at this point. However, the geometrical shape of the ribs 204 behaves in a mirror-image-like manner with respect to the geometrical shape of the ribs 204 at the point 302, which in particular is clearly visible in FIG. 4.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(21) 100 container 102 side wall 104 receiving region 106 inner region 108 inner rim 110 bearing rim 112 outer rim 200 rib 202 rib 204 rib 206 plane 208 wall 300 integration point 302 transition point 304 direction 306 region