AU2003270944B2 - Plastic drum - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

Class Int. Class Application Number: Lodged: Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority Related Art: Name of Applicant: Schutz GmbH Co. KGaA Actual Inventor(s): Udo Schutz Address for Service and Correspondence: PHILLIPS ORMONDE FITZPATRICK Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys 367 Collins Street Melbourne 3000 AUSTRALIA Invention Title: PLASTIC DRUM Our Ref: 708231 POF Code: 20412/455950 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to applicant(s): -1- 1A PLASTIC DRUM The invention concerns a plastic drum for the storage and transport of liquid, granular and powdery material, having a tapered, stackable drum body and a cover for the top filling opening.

Large capacity containers of the generic type having a tapered shaped are characterised by the advantage, that as empty containers they can be stacked into one another and consequently the storage costs and particularly the transport costs are low.

When transporting tapered drums stacked into one another there is the danger, that due to the jarring movements they become so interlocked that a separation of the individual drums becomes difficult after the transport. The same problem arises during the storage of tapered drums.

The tapered wide-mouthed steel barrels known from EP 0471 918 Al are fitted with a bung hole opening provided in the bottom end and closable in a liquidtight manner by a lid, that makes it possible to introduce an auxiliary means, for example a removing device or a rotating shaft through the bung hole opening in the bottom of the barrel at the bottom of the stack, so that an operator can push out the stacked, wedged-in barrel with little force and without damaging it. The separation of a larger stack of barrels in this manner remains still difficult.

The above discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like is included in this specification solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention. It is not suggested or represented that any of these matters formed part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed in Australia before the priority date of each claim of this application.

It would therefore be desirable to provide a tapered plastic drum that can be separated easily from the stack and without getting damaged.

WAMaryO\BF\SpecR2003270944.doc

I

According to the present invention, there is provided a plastic drum for storage and transport of liquid, granular and powdered material, having a blow-moulded, tapered, stackable drum body divided into ring segments, the diameter of the ring segments increasing in steps from a bottom of the drum up to a top filling opening of the drum, and having a cover for the top filling opening wherein the drum includes inwardly directed stacking baffles moulded into a wall of the drum body in the region of the bottom of the drum, the baffles each being prismshaped and having a triangular bearing surface for supporting the bottom of another drum body which is stacked in the drum.

W. *I l -12 J..

2 The tapered plastic drum according to the invention has the advantage because of the inwardly formed stacking baffles in the wall of the drum body in the region of the bottom of the drum that have resting or bearing surfaces to support the drum bottom of a stacked drum body, when drums are stacked into one another gaps will remain between the walls of the drums, so that the drums cannot become interlocked and consequently the drums can be removed from the stack without any difficulties.

The invention is explained in the following based on the figures of the drawing, showing the following in: Fig. 1 en exploded vie of a plastic drum, Fig. 2 a top view on the open drum, Fig. 3 an enlarged cross-section of the region of the lid of the drum, and Fig. 4 a longitudinal section through the bottom region of a stack of four drums.

The blow moulded plastic drum 1 according to Figs. 1-3, that is preferably used as a water drum, has a tapered drum body 2, divided into six ring segments 3-8, the diameters of which increase step-by-step commencing from the drum bottom 9 towards the top filling opening 10, that can be enclosed by a cover 11.

The cover 11 is secured on the drum body 2 by a bayonet lock 12.

In the region of the drum bottom 9 in the wall 13 of the drum body 2 four inward directed, prism-shaped stacking baffles 14 with a triangular resting or bearing surface 15 to support the drum bottom 9 of a stacked drum body 2 are formed.

When several drums 1 are stacked into one another, by virtue of the stacking baffles 14 gaps 16 remain between their walls 13, so that the drums cannot become interlocked any consequently the drums can be removed from the stack without any difficulties (Fig. 4).

W3 fE h .hENVO6l 2 p. -12 -Jn 6- In the drum wall 13, in the region of the drum bottom 9, an outlet opening 17 with an inside thread is provided that can be closed with a screw-in plug 18.

The cover 11 of the plastic drum 1, that is reinforced by the radially extending reinforcing ribs 19 moulded in it, has a central opening 20, that can be closed by a lid 21 and a clamping ring 22.

The end of a downpipe of a roof gutter of a house, for example, can be inserted into the central opening 20 of the cover 11. When using the water drum 1 in an agricultural setting, it is possible to admix additives to the water, e.g. chlorine additives, through the opening 20 in the cover.

In a manner different from the described embodiment of the plastic drum 1, a central bung socket may be moulded on the cover 11 with a bung opening that can be closed with a bung stop.

Claims (2)

1. A plastic drum for storage and transport of liquid, granular and powdered material, having a blow-moulded, tapered, stackable drum body divided into ring segments, the diameter of the ring segments increasing in steps from a bottom of the drum up to a top filling opening of the drum, and having a cover for the top filling opening wherein the drum includes inwardly directed stacking baffles moulded into a wall of the drum body in the region of the bottom of the drum, the baffles each being prism-shaped and having a triangular bearing surface for supporting the bottom of another drum body which is stacked in the drum.

2. A plastic drum substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing. Date: 12 January, 2006 Phillips Ormonde Fitzpatrick Attorneys For: Schutz GmbH Co. KGaA w rE.m.bMnaeH,,231 p 12 Jan06d