BOTTLE AND BOTTLE PACKAGE
A bottle (10) substantially spherical in shape and with a concave recess (20, 21) in three sides so that other bottles in the vicinity of the bottle can be located so close to the said bottle that at least portions (15) of the other bottles are, directly or via a spacing piece, in the said recesses. The neck portion (11) of the bottle is directed vertically upwards or obliquely to the side and upwards. A recess (21) in the bottom of the bottle is similar to the recesses (20a, 21b) in the side walls or, in the middle of the recess in the bottom, there is an additional recess (21b) for the neck portion (11) and/or cap of a bottle.
The object of the invention is a spherical bottle having, at least on one of its sides, a recess or a notch so that another bottle in the vicinity of the bottle can be located so close that at least portions of the other bottle are, directly or via a spacing piece, in the said recess.
PRIOR ARTWhen transporting and packing bottles in boxes or other transportation packages, bottles are generally not in contact with one another, leaving a great deal of empty space between the bottles. This is due both to the shape of bottles and often also to divider walls or similar structures between the bottles. Thus the package becomes unnecessarily large in relation to the volume of the bottles, which means that, uneconomically, a lot of empty space has to be transported.
Attempts have been made to solve this problem by shaping the bottles so as to pack them as tightly against one another as possible, using quadrangular and triangular shapes for the bottles. However, such forms are not very strong and durable, making it necessary to provide the bottles with uneconomically thick walls. A known solution is presented in the publication DE-299 07 258 U1, which presents a bottle with a recess for an adjacent bottle. Thus adjacent bottles can be packed closer to one another. The publication DE-296 00 051 U1 presents a bottle with a recess for the mouth and the cap of the bottle under it. These solutions are, however, not very advantageous.
PURPOSE OF THE INVENTIONThe purpose of this invention is to create a bottle which overcomes the above-mentioned drawbacks. A further purpose of this invention is to create a strong bottle shape enabling the packing of several bottles on top of one another.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INVENTIONA bottle according to the invention is characterised in that there are recesses in three sides of the bottle so that other bottles both beside the said bottle and on top of or below it may be located so close to the said bottle that at least portions of the other bottles are, directly or via a spacing piece, in the said recesses.
The packing density of such bottles can be very high. In other words, the total volume of the contents of the bottles is very high in relation to the space required for the multi-bottle package. Thanks to the invention, the bottle package can be made very small in terms of its external dimensions. This makes the raw material requirements for both the bottles and the package substantially smaller than in known solutions.
EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTIONA preferred embodiment of the bottle according to the invention is characterised in that
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- the bottle is substantially spherical, and
- the recesses in three sides of the bottle are concave so that the spherical surface of a bottle in the vicinity of the said bottle can be fitted into the said recess.
The spherical shapes of the bottle according to the invention make the bottle very strong. Its wall thickness can be decreased without decreasing the strength, which reduces the required amount of raw materials. A spherical bottle is also very resistant to pressure. Furthermore, the concave recesses in combination with the spherical surface provide a shape that reflects light in a unique way, giving the bottle and its contents an advantageous appearance. A bottle according to the invention is therefore preferable also for retail consumer packages.
Another preferred embodiment of the bottle according to the invention is characterised in that
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- the neck portion of the bottle is directed obliquely to the side and upwards, and
- the said recesses in the side wall of the bottle are in the vicinity of the neck portion of the bottle, on both sides of the neck portion.
A third preferred embodiment of the bottle according to the invention is characterised in that
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- the bottle is substantially spherical,
- in two sides of the bottle, there is a concave recess for adjacent spherical bottles, and
- a recess in the bottom of the bottle is so shaped that the neck portion and/or cap of a bottle underneath it may be fitted into the recess.
The object of the invention also includes a bottle package, wherein the spherical bottles can be placed. The bottle package according to the invention is characterised in that the bottle package includes a stacking rack or a packing box, which is in an inclined position relative to the horizontal plane during the packing of bottles.
According to one preferred embodiment, the plane of the stacking rack is most preferably at an angle of 45° relative to the horizontal plane, and the bottles are put into place by hanging them on its neck.
EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTSIn the following, the invention is described using examples with reference to the appended drawings, in which
LIST OF FIGURESIn
The sectional view in
Thus the neck portion 11 is not in the middle of the bottle 10, directed vertically upwards, as in a conventional bottle.
The solution presented in
It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that the different embodiments of the invention may vary within the scope of the claims presented below. Thus a bottle according to the invention may in some cases also deviate from the spherical shape. It is essential, however, that the bottles overlap one another by means of the recesses described above. Advantageously, the bottles described above are tightly against one another. In some cases, a spacing piece or padding, such as plastic foam, may be added between the bottles if required, for example when it is known that the bottles or their package will be subjected to exceptionally hard impacts or vibrations.
The spherical shape is particularly advantageous due to its resistance to high pressure. The outside surface of the bottle is substantially a sphere, and the recesses on the surface are also spherical surfaces directed inwards, the curvature radii of which are most preferably equal to the curvature radius of the spherical surface of the bottle. Shaped this way, the bottles can be packed more tightly than bottles of any other shape. In other words, the packing density, i.e. the relation of the total volume of the bottles to the volume of the entire package, is maximal.
The applicant has found that a conventional, 1200 mm×1000 mm sized Europallet can accommodate regular soft drink bottles in two layers, which gives a total volume of 200-230 litres. A unit of the same height can accommodate five layers of spherical bottles according to the invention giving a total volume of 300 litres.
Most preferably, the concave recesses in the spherical bottles are located in three sides, i.e. one in the bottom and two in the side walls. The section planes of the segments of the recesses are thus most preferably perpendicular to one another, i.e. their principal directions are perpendicular relative to the axes x, y and z in a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system. In this way the bottles also lock well relative to one another in the package. During packaging, it is easier to place the bottles on top of one another when the bottles have the alignment recesses and alignment protrusions described above. No intermediate trays are necessarily needed between the bottles because the bottles settle tightly against one another. Shaped packing trays can be used, however, because they align the bottles well relative to one another.
A bottle according to the invention can be provided with a barcode for an automatic bottle collection machine. In this case, the barcode is most preferably located on the spherical side surface of the bottle because the collection machine will spin the bottle to recognise the bottle by means of the barcode.
For packaging and stacking, it is preferable to use a stacking rack with the surfaces at a 45° angle relative to the horizontal plane. In this way the bottles can be lowered into place by hanging them by the neck.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS
- 10 Bottle
- 11 Neck portion
- 12 Thread
- 15 Spherical surface
- 20 Recess in the side wall
- 21 Recess in the bottom
- 22 Alignment recess
- 23 Alignment protrusion
- 24 Cap
- 30 Stacking rack or packing box
- 31 Packing tray
- 40 Liquid
- 41 Liquid surface
Claims
1. A spherical bottle (10) having, in at least one side (15), a recess (20) or a notch so that another bottle in the vicinity of the bottle can be located so close that at least portions of the other bottle are, directly or via a spacing piece, in the said recess, characterized in that there are recesses (20, 21) in three sides of the bottle (10) so that other bottles both beside the said bottle and on top of or below it can be located so close to the said bottle that at least portions of the other bottles are, directly or via a spacing piece, in the said recesses.
2. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that
- the bottle (10) is substantially spherical, and
- the recesses (20, 21) in three sides of the bottle (10) are concave so that the spherical surface (15) of a bottle in the vicinity of the said bottle can be fitted into the said recess.
3. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that
- the neck portion (11) of the bottle (10) is directed obliquely to the side and upwards, and
- the said recesses (20a, 20b) in the side wall (15) of the bottle (10) are in the vicinity of the neck portion (11) of the bottle, on both sides of the neck portion.
4. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the curvature radii of the three recesses (20, 21) in the bottle (10) are equal to the curvature radius of the spherical surface (15) of the bottle.
5. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the concave recesses in three sides of the bottle (10) are located so that the section planes of the segments of the recesses are perpendicular to one another, i.e. their principal directions are perpendicular relative to the axes x, y and z in a three-dimensional rectangular coordinate system.
6. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that
- the bottle (10) is substantially spherical,
- in two sides of the bottle (10), there is a concave recess (20) for adjacent spherical bottles, and
- a recess (21) in the bottom of the bottle (10) is so shaped that the neck portion (11) and/or cap of a bottle underneath may be fitted into the recess.
7. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that there is a barcode on the spherical surface of the bottle (10).
8-9. (canceled)
10. A bottle (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that an alignment recess (22) is arranged in the spherical surface (15) of the bottle (10) and on the opposite side of the bottle an alignment protrusion (23) is arranged, and when the bottles (10) are placed on top of one another, the alignment protrusion (23) in the bottom of the topmost bottle goes into the alignment recess (22) on top of the lowermost bottle locking said bottles in place.
11. A bottle package (30) wherein the spherical bottles (10) can be placed, characterized in that the bottle package (30) includes a stacking rack (30) or a packing box which is in an oblique position relative to the horizontal plane during the packing of bottles, and that the level of the stacking rack (30) is most preferably at an angle of 45° relative to the horizontal plane, and the bottles (10) are put in place by hanging them by the neck (11).
12. A bottle package (30) according to claim 9, characterized in that the bottles (10) are placed on the stacking rack (30) so that under the bottles and/or between bottle layers there is a packing tray (31), which has matching shapes for the alignment recesses (22) and the alignment protrusions (23).
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 28, 2008
Publication Date: Mar 25, 2010
Inventor: Juhani Salovaara (Naantali)
Application Number: 12/449,776
International Classification: B65D 85/00 (20060101); B65D 8/12 (20060101); B65D 21/024 (20060101);