Partitioned plastic case
OwnerBernard Brauninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A plastic case for containing beverage bottles has partitions which are molded in situ when the case is formed. The partitions can be removed and replaced selectively to permit the case to accommodate various bottle pack configurations. When the partitions are replaced, resilient tabs formed integrally with the partitions engage projections formed in the case bottom wall to securely anchor the partitions to the bottom wall, while clips may be used to reconnect the partitions to each other and to the case side walls. Several such cases can be arranged vertically in a special rack for display and dispensing purposes.
Claims16
In a molded plastic case having a pair of spaced-apart side walls, a pair of spaced-apart end walls and a bottom wall connected together to form a generally rectangular shell, the improvement comprising a partition structure molded in situ in the shell at the time the shell is formed, said partition structure including
- A. one or more partition sections extending generally perpendicular to the case bottom wall, and
- B. means formed integrally with each partition section and the case bottom wall connecting the partition section to the case bottom wall, said connecting means comprising
- 1. means defining an opening in the case bottom wall,
- 2. a tab projecting from the bottom edge of the partition section into said opening,
- 3. a pair of webs extending in opposite directions from the lower edge of said tab to the opposite edges of said opening near the top thereof, and
- 4. a pair of projecting surfaces located in the bottom wall just below the junctions of the webs and the adjacent opening edges, said surfaces extending toward one another and being substantially coextensive with said webs so that after the juntions between the webs and the opening edges are broken to free the partition section from the shell, the webs can be flexed so that their free ends resiliently engage under the projecting surfaces and re-anchor the partition section to the bottom wall.
A molded plastic case of the type composed of a generally rectangular shell comprising spaced-apart side and end walls connected together at their ends and having a bottom wall connected between said side and end walls, the improvement comprising
- A. a plurality of partition sections inside the shell and molded in situ therewith when the shell is formed,
- B. an opening through the bottom wall of the shell directly below each partition section,
- C. a relatively narrow tab projecting from the lower edge of each partition section into the adjacent bottom wall opening,
- D. means formed integrally with the lower edge of each tab and the edges of the corresponding opening for connecting the lower edge of the tab to the upper edge of the opening, and
- E. means defining one or more projecting surfaces directly below each connecting means so that after the connecting means is broken to release the associated partition section from the case bottom wall, the partition section can be re-anchored to the bottom wall by engaging the connecting means and the surface defining means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.