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[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a bottom of a basket or sheet metal container for receiving a plastic container forming together a combination pallet container for storing and/or transporting goods. The bottom has a bowl-shape with an upwardly curved portion forming a rim area and a slanted area in the bottom surface inclined toward a depression in front of the center of one of the sides of the rectangular bottom. The bottom is in particular provided to form the upper part of a pallet having at least one transverse bar supporting the bottom.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] German patent 41 08 399 C1 discloses a pallet container with a bottom having a bowl-shape with upwardly curved portion at the rim and a slant in the bottom surface inclined along predetermined paths toward the center of one of the shorter sides of the rectangular bottom. The bottom is slanted toward the center where a drainage groove extends at a slant from one of the shorter rectangle sides to the other at a slant, wherein narrower grooves extend toward the drainage groove from both sides at a right angle relative to the drainage groove; the narrower grooves have the function of reinforcement grooves. The bottom of the plastic container is matched to this configuration.
[0005] The bottom of a pallet container disclosed in the German Gebrauchsmuster 94 07343 U1 is of a similar configuration. It comprises the drainage groove and also the reinforcement grooves extending toward the drainage groove as well as reinforcement grooves extending parallel to the drainage groove. All of the bottom portions of the reinforcement grooves are positioned in a common plane. The bottom is supported by a transverse bar. This bottom has thus the aforementioned combination of features. An exterior support rim adjoins the upwardly curved portion of the rim of the bottom and extends downwardly so that a circumferential hollow collar is formed about the bottom.
[0006] In contrast to this, published international patent application WO 96/19379 proposes a bottom which is slanted from the center to the periphery and has a circumferentially extending recessed groove. This groove is surrounded by an upwardly bulging rim. The groove enables flow in the container, whose bottom matches the pallet container, in the direction toward the valve. Moreover, the bottom as a whole is designed to slant in this direction. Several reinforcement ribs embossed in the bottom therefore have different depths in order to be positioned with their bottom portions within the same horizontal plane so that a forklift can engage the bottom from below.
[0007] The convex configuration of this bottom causes upon loading outwardly acting support forces and is said to prevent sagging at the center. The support forces are to be received by an annular peripheral rod on which the bottom is peripherally fastened.
[0008] German patent application DE 197 23 806 A1 describes a bottom having a bowl-shape and an upwardly curved portion along the rim and a configuration of the bottom surface enclosed by the upwardly curved portion of the bottom approximately in the shape of a flat saddle roof or pitched roof whose edge, immediately adjoining the upwardly curved portion of the bottom, descends slightly from the center of one of the shorter rectangle sides toward both ends and then along the two longer rectangular sides and then opens into a groove extending along the other short rectangle sides. This groove becomes deeper toward the center of this rectangle side.
[0009] The bottom configured in this way is supported with regard to tension loads with the aid of the load-receiving upwardly curved portion.
[0010] It is an object of the present invention to configure the bottom surface of the aforementioned kind so as to have a reduced height while maintaining all of the other substantially standardized dimensions.
[0011] In accordance with the present invention, this is achieved in that the bottom surface has a descending plane beginning at the rectangle side opposite the first mentioned rectangle side, wherein the lower end of the descending plane adjoins the aforementioned depression and on both sides adjoins two planes which ascend toward the neighboring corners, respectively.
[0012] The bottom according to the invention, which does not extend as a single continuous inclined plane ending at a transverse groove (corresponding to the configuration according to the priority application DE 100 38 463.3 which configuration has thus not been adopted), provides favorable flow conditions in the end phase of emptying of the plastic container so that the final emptying is accelerated. The main volume of the liquid that is being drained flows on the descending plane perpendicularly toward the first mentioned rectangle side and, if it does not flow directly into the depression, is deflected at an obtuse angle slantedly toward the depression on the transition into the two ascending planes. Only the smaller volume of the liquid flowing on the latter planes is deflected at a somewhat more pointed angle but is entrained by the aforementioned main volume.
[0013] Preferably, between the descending plane and the two ascending planes an optionally rounded edge is positioned, respectively, which extends at an angle of preferably 20° to 40° to the aforementioned rectangle sides. On the edge, i.e., on its inner side, more compact flow cross-sections result and, accordingly, faster flow speeds.
[0014] The depression generally has a central deeper portion between two lateral portions having a smaller depth than the central deeper portion. The central deeper portion extends from the descending plane shaped like a shovel to the outer edge of the bottom and interrupts with its end the aforementioned upwardly curved portion of the bottom forming the rim area. Near the boundaries between the lateral portions of smaller depth and the central deeper portion, the aforementioned edges open into the depression.
[0015] The outer ends of the edges are positioned expediently approximately at one third of the corresponding side length of the rectangle sides of the bottom surface connecting the first and second rectangle sides, wherein the third of the side length is measured relative to the first mentioned rectangle side.
[0016] In a further advantageous configuration, the bottom surface has an upward embossment, preferably having a gable shape, and the transverse bar, also preferably gable-shaped, projects into this embossment from below in the assembled pallet.
[0017] This shape, in particular, gable shape, enables the transverse bar to have a great flexural strength with a minimal amount of material.
[0018] The bottom of the plastic container simply projects at the sides of the embossment and assumes in this connection a surface configuration which, despite the interruption which is caused by the embossment in the forwardly slanted plane, allows the liquid to flow, partially initially to the sides, but in the end to the front. Taking into account the desired drainage, the length of the embossments should extend only across the central portion of the width of the bottom surface.
[0019] In the case of manufacturing the bottom of plastic material, it is proposed to form on the underside of the bottom surface a grate of crossing bars as a unitary part.
[0020] The attached grate provides a sufficient stiffening action for the flattened bottom surface according to the invention.
[0021] The bottom according to the invention is particularly suitable in combination with the transverse bar: According to a further embodiment of the invention, the grate has a cutout, extending over at least a portion of the transverse bar height and matched to the transverse bar, wherein the transverse bar projects from below into the cutout. In this connection, the bottom surface can have above the cutout an upwardly extending additional embossment. in particular, an embossment matching the gable-shaped transverse bar, as has been suggested already supra for a configuration made of sheet metal.
[0022] With the cutout and the optional embossment, a receiving space for an upper portion of the transverse bar is provided which, on the one hand, enables to maintain the dimensional conditions of the sheet metal bottom, in particular, with regard to the height of the pallet, and, on the other hand, does not negatively affect the load capacity of the bottom because the bottom itself must not carry much in the area of the transverse bar.
[0023] In the drawing:
[0024]
[0025]
[0026]
[0027]
[0028]
[0029]
[0030]
[0031] The combination pallet container
[0032] The bottom frame
[0033] The grate is comprised of vertical bars
[0034] The bottom
[0035] The bottom
[0036] The bottom
[0037] The bottom
[0038] The bottom surface
[0039] Parallel to the shorter rectangle sides reinforcement grooves
[0040] Moreover, the bottom surface
[0041] The depression
[0042]
[0043] As a result of the space conditions provided by the gable-shaped embossment
[0044] Two flat gable-shaped sidewalls
[0045] The bottom of the plastic container will substantially conform under pressure of the liquid contained therein to the bottom surface
[0046] The container can be completely drained.
[0047] As an alternative to the bottom frame
[0048] The transverse part
[0049] Finally, the third alternative of
[0050]
[0051] The bottom
[0052] On the transverse centerline of the bottom
[0053] At the underside of the bottom
[0054] Underneath the gable-shaped embossment
[0055] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.