Stackable crate
AssigneeRehrig Pacific Company
InventorsJustin M. Smyers, Trenton M. Overholt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A crate is provided for holding and transporting products such as plastic milk containers. In accordance with one aspect, a tighter lateral tolerance or fit is provided to stabilize and strengthen telescopic stacking of crates by contouring an inner surface of the side walls to provide a smaller dimension in the opening of the crate, such as by selectively removing or reducing any outward taper or draft of the side walls. In accordance with another aspect, loading forces are directly transferred to a bottom drag rail by forming the side walls to position at least a portion of the side wall inner surface over the drag rail.
Claims38
A crate for holding and transporting products comprising:
- a side wall integrally formed with a bottom surface;
- and
- a drag rail protruding from an underside portion of the bottom surface, the drag rail including a drag surface that is the lowermost surface of the crate, wherein an inner surface of the side wall is formed to position at least a portion of the side wall over the drag rail.
A stackable crate for holding and transporting products comprising:
- a side wall integrally formed with a bottom surface, the side wall formed so that at least a portion of an opening in the crate at a first distance from the bottom surface has a larger dimension than the bottom surface;
- and
- a drag rail formed on an underside portion of the bottom surface and positioned inward of an outer peripheral support surface of the crate, the side wall formed so that a top surface of the side wall would contact the outer peripheral support surface of a like crate stacked thereon,
- wherein a first portion of an inner surface of the side wall at the first distance from the bottom surface is formed to reduce the dimension of the crate opening in at least one selected area relative to a second portion of the inner surface of the side wall at the first distance from the bottom surface so as to provide a tighter fit with a drag rail of the like crate stacked thereon.
First and second identical stacked crates for holding and transporting products each comprising:
- a side wall integrally formed with a bottom surface, an inner surface of the side wall moving outwardly from a vertical plane as the side wall extends upwardly from the bottom surface to enlarge an opening of the crate at a first distance from the bottom surface, at least one selected area of the side wall at the first distance from the bottom surface comprising a first portion of the inner surface of the side wall formed to reduce the dimension of the crate opening at the at least one selected area relative to a second portion of the inner surface of the side wall at the first distance from the bottom surface;
- a drag rail extending from an underside portion of the bottom surface, the drag rail positioned inward of an outer peripheral edge of the crate;
- and
- the first crate supported on a top surface of the side wall of the second crate with the drag rail of the first crate positioned inward of the side wall and the at least one selected area of the second crate so as to provide a tighter fit between the drag rail of the first crate and the at least one selected area of the second crate.
A stackable crate for holding and transporting products comprising:
- a plurality of side walls generally perpendicular to and integrally formed with a bottom surface, an inner surface of each of the side walls moving outwardly from a vertical plane as the side wall extends upwardly from the bottom surface to enlarge an upper opening of the crate at a first distance from the bottom surface, at least one portion of an upper edge of each of the side walls being vertically aligned with at least one portion of a lower edge of the each of the side walls;
- and
- a drag rail formed on an underside portion of the bottom surface and positioned inward of an outer periphery of the lower edges of the plurality of side walls,
- wherein a first portion of the inner surface of at least one of the side walls is formed to reduce the dimension of the upper opening of the crate in at least one selected area at the first distance from the bottom surface relative to a second portion of the inner surface at the first distance from the bottom surface, so as to provide a tighter fit with a drag rail of an identical crate stacked thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.