The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 20, 1987
Filed:
Sep. 15, 1986
Roy Hammett, Tampa, FL (US);
International Container Systems, Inc., Tampa, FL (US);
Abstract
An universal case is adapted to transport PET bottles of both a base-cup type and a petaloid type. The case 2 includes an outer shell 4,6 and a plurality of support ribs 30, 32, 34, 36, 80 for reinforcing the shell. The outer shell and the support ribs are shaped to define a plurality of bottle pockets 25 for receiving the bases of PET bottles. A bottle seating structure 40 is associated with each bottle pocket 25 and includes a plurality of dual-base-engagement projections 52, a base-cup-bottle alignment structure 42 and a petaloid-bottle alignment structure 48, 50. The dual-base-engagement projections associated with a bottle pocket 25 extend generally parallel to a centerline of the pocket and project into the pocket. The number of dual-base-engagement projections equals the number of petaloid lobes 124 formed in the base of a PET bottle of the petaloid type. The dual-base-engagement projections 52 are shaped and positioned to fit within and engage an annular indentation 108 in the base cup 102 of a PET bottle 100 of the base-cup type. The dual-base-engagement projections 52 are also shaped and positioned to fit within and engage petaloid-lobe-separation notches 127 between the petaloid lobes 124 of a PET bottle of the petaloid type. The base-cup-bottle alignment structure 42 defines a base-cup-bottle annular-bottom-surface contact plane and the petaloid-bottle alignment structure 48, 50 defines a petaloid-bottle lobe-bottom-surface contact plane. The petaloid-bottle lobe-bottom-surface contact plane is spaced apart from the base-cup-bottle annular-bottom-surface contact plane in a direction along the pocket centerline and below the base-cup-bottle annular-bottom-surface contact plane when the case is in a horizontal rest position.