Arrangement for Transporting Bottles, Drinks Containers and/or Multipacks

Abstract

An arrangement for transporting bottles and/or a plurality of handling units combined to form multipacks made up of a plurality of bottles. The arrangement comprises a tray of rectangular shape having a top side and an underside. The top side and underside of the tray position such multipacks and allow trays to be stacked one upon the other and also allow the insertion of individual bottles. The top side of the tray has first supporting contours, which are adapted to the foot region of a plurality of multipacks arranged one beside the other and second supporting contours, which are adapted to accommodate the head region of a plurality of individual bottles inserted one beside the other. The underside of the tray has third supporting contours, support the head region of the multipacks and fourth supporting contours which accommodate the foot region of a plurality of individual bottles inserted one beside the other.

1 - 46 . (canceled) 
     
     
         47 . An arrangement for transporting drinks containers or bottles or a plurality of handling units combined to form multipacks comprising a plurality of drinks containers or bottles or handling units being held tightly together by means of a retaining element to form a single handling unit of square or rectangular basic shape,
 the arrangement comprising a tray of essentially rectangular basic shape, and the tray having a top side and an underside, wherein the top side of the tray
 has first supporting contours which are adapted to a foot region of the multipacks and serve for accommodating the foot region of a plurality of multipacks arranged one beside the other, 
 has second supporting contours which are adapted to a head region of individual containers or individual bottles and serve for accommodating the head region of a plurality of individual containers or individual bottles inserted one beside the other, 
   the underside of the tray
 has third supporting contours which are adapted to a film-covered head region of the multipacks and serve for supporting purposes on the head region of the multipacks, 
 has fourth supporting contours which are adapted to a foot region of individual containers or individual bottles and serve for accommodating the foot region of a plurality of individual containers or individual bottles inserted one beside the other, 
 wherein, for accommodating multipacks, a plurality of trays can be arranged one above the other and the multipacks are positioned between the trays, the foot region of the multipacks being placed on the top side of the trays and the underside of the following tray being stacked on a head region of the multipacks, or 
 wherein, for accommodating individual containers or individual bottles, the trays are placed in a position in which they are turned through 180°, with the underside oriented upwards and the top side oriented downwards, and individual containers or individual bottles are positioned between the trays, the trays accommodating the foot region by way of the underside and being stacked on the head region of the individual containers or individual bottles by way of the top side of the following tray, 
   wherein side surfaces of column-like protrusions which butt against a lateral surface of an inserted bottle, handling unit or container and form the fourth supporting contours have elastically deformable supporting lips extending axially along the column-like protrusions.   
     
     
         48 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the column-like protrusions are protrusions of the tray protruding above a set-down plane of the tray and having a height above the set-down plane of the tray essentially equal to an all-round undulating supporting border of the tray. 
     
     
         49 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the supporting contours taper from a set-down plane of the tray to the free end of the column-like protrusions. 
     
     
         50 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the column-like protrusions are protrusions of the tray protruding above a set-down plane of the tray and having a conical shape. 
     
     
         51 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the elastically deformable supporting lips extending axially along the column-like protrusions are provided as an elastomeric or rubbery coating in the vicinity of a top and lateral free end of said column-like protrusions, and are connected, integrally, with a material bridge, to a coating of an elastomeric or rubbery coating of supporting rings on which the foot regions of the individual containers or bottles can be set down. 
     
     
         52 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the stack formed from bottles and trays or from multipacks and trays is held together by a strapping means. 
     
     
         53 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the first supporting contours are formed by an all-round undulating supporting border, on which outer multipack contours formed by containers or bottles of the multipack are supported, or by supporting protrusions, which project from a standing surface of the top side of the tray, this standing surface being formed by crosspieces, and engage in narrowed regions between adjacent multipacks. 
     
     
         54 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the second supporting contours are formed by annular structures or hollow-cylindrical structures which are formed in a standing surface of the top side of the tray and into which the head of the individual containers or bottles is respectively inserted, it being the case that, with individual bottles with a neck ring at a tapered head end, the neck ring is supported on the annular or hollow-cylindrical structures or it being the case that for accommodating sealed or unsealed crown sealed bottles the annular structures or hollow-cylindrical structures comprise radially inwardly extending tongues which are bent towards an axial direction such that they may either abut onto a crown cork of a sealed bottle or engage in a self-centering manner with an opening of unsealed bottles. 
     
     
         55 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the third supporting contours are formed by hollows in the underside of the tray surface, the head regions of the bottles of a respective multipack being positioned in these hollows. 
     
     
         56 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the fourth supporting contours are formed by an undulating border, which encloses a set-down surface of the tray and of which an undulating shape is adapted to the bottles inserted in a vicinity of a border, or by supporting parts, which are arranged in a crossover region of an area in which groups of four bottles are inserted in each case and have concave supporting surfaces adapted to the bottles. 
     
     
         57 . The arrangement according to  claim 56 , wherein the supporting parts, which are arranged along a separating line between adjacent multipacks, project from a base supporting surface to double the height of the supporting parts, which are directed specifically between the individual elements of a multipack. 
     
     
         58 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the tray is enclosed all the way around the outside or only partially by a smooth border. 
     
     
         59 . The arrangement according to  claim 58 , wherein the smooth border is enclosed by a further projecting border part, which is at a lower level than the smooth border. 
     
     
         60 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein a marking for a use position is provided on an outside of a border part. 
     
     
         61 . The arrangement according to  claim 60 , wherein
 the first supporting contours are formed by an all-round supporting border on which outer multipack contours formed by the containers or bottles of the multipack are supported, and by supporting surfaces or edges which form a standing surface of the top side of the tray, and by supporting edges or rings which are arranged beneath a multipack, in narrowed regions between adjacent containers or bottles of the multipack, or   the second supporting contours are formed by annular contours or hollow-cylindrical contours which are formed in the standing surface of the top side of the tray and into which the head of the individual containers or individual bottles is respectively inserted, it being the case that, with individual bottles with a neck ring at a tapered head end, the neck ring is supported on the second supporting contours, or   the third supporting contours are formed by hollows in the underside of the tray surface, the head regions of the containers or bottles of a respective multipack being positioned in these hollows, or   the fourth supporting contours are formed by column-like protrusions of the tray which support the foot region of an inserted individual container or of an inserted individual bottle at least on two sides, and by means of which the individual containers arranged in groups of two, three, four or six individual containers or individual bottles are kept pushed together in groups, and by supporting rings on which the foot regions of the individual containers or bottles can be set down.   
     
     
         62 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein the top side of supporting edges or rings or the supporting rings which form the fourth supporting contours. 
     
     
         63 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein an all-round border of the tray is provided on the top side or underside with an elastic, friction-enhancing coating. 
     
     
         64 . The arrangement according to  claim 47 , wherein an all-round border of the tray has a toothing formation on the top side and underside, teeth of the toothing formations engaging one inside the other when the trays are stacked directly one upon the other in the same direction. 
     
     
         65 . The arrangement according to  claim 64 , wherein the toothing formation along a respective peripheral edge is offset inwards or outwards over half the length of the peripheral edge, so that empty trays arranged in opposite directions can be stacked without any gaps between them, in which case the offset toothing rows of the lower and upper trays are located one beside the other in each case, or so that empty trays arranged in the same direction can be stacked without any gaps between them, in which case the teeth engage in tooth gaps in each case. 
     
     
         66 . The arrangement according to  claim 64 , wherein the teeth or tooth gaps of the trays of an identical system have the same shape or arrangement, trays of different systems having different shapes or arrangements, so that the trays of different systems have non-compatible toothing.