Patent Application
20070296231
Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals generally refer to the same elements, there is shown in
Each neck-engaging structure 20 has a respective inwardly biased circumferential rib 22, seen most clearly in
Bridging each of the flanges 24 and circumferential rib 22 are support ribs 30, which add dimensional support to the neck-engaging structures 20 of the carrier.
Virtually any handle design will work with the inwardly biased circumferential ribs of multiple neck-engaging structures, including, but not limited to, straps of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,828, finger loops of the type disclosed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 11/207,519, rotating bales of the type disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/102,362 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,517 and mere finger holes of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,129,397 and 6,715,810, all of which are commonly owned by the assignee of this application, and the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In a preferred embodiment, the handle is a centrally and axially disposed longitudinal handle 40 may be located between the two rows of neck-engaging structures. Handle 40 preferably comprises two external radiused ribs 45 integral with a flat belt portion 46 between ribs 45, and is attached to web 12 by stringers 42 at four generally outboard points 44, and angled back toward the center of the carrier at substantially less than 90°, preferably about 65°, relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle. Such a back angle arrangement allows stringers 42 to rotate torsionally, thereby permitting handle 40 to rise above the plane of web 12 when the loaded carrier is carried. When the carrier is not being lifted or carried, the torsional tension on stringers 42 is released, and handle 40 returns to the same plane as web 12.
The carrier is manufactured using high pressure injection molding of heated and liquified polymer into a three-dimensional cavity, and is preferably made of a flexible material such as a polyolefin. In a most preferred embodiment, the polyolefin is high density polyethylene (HDPE) that has a tensile strength from about 4000 to about 5000 psi, and a brittleness temperature of less than −30° C. This material is readily recyclable, in contrast to the material used to make conventional die-cut thermo-formed carriers.
The carrier of the invention concentrates structure into three-dimensional ribs, thereby reducing the surface area required to support containers. At the same time, this minimal surface area provides for a quality appearance while utilizing less material. The carrier is essentially planar and so does not obscure the container or product therein or labels, but instead provides high product and label visibility. The planar configuration of the carrier coupled with its uniformly inwardly biased neck-engaging structures allow multiple carriers to be nested together, one on top of another. This feature permits compact packaging for shipment of large quantities of carriers, and permits multiple carriers to be loaded, for example, into a magazine of a high speed mechanical applicator that applies the carriers to sets of multiple containers. This same feature permits quick and easy dislodging of single carriers from a nested bundle of carriers by virtue of the small gap 50 along and between the peripheries of adjacent carriers, best seen in
In addition, the centrally disposed handle provides outboard points of attachment for superior comfort for lifting and carrying the carrier, and superior balance for carrying and handling containers. The carrier also provides superior release of the containers. The circumferential ribs around the angled, thin conical flanges provide support for the containers. The thin flanges easily flex to allow the containers to be removed by either lifting the carrier relative to the container or pulling the container down and away from the carrier.
Carriers of substantially the same designs shown in the drawings were fabricated by injection molding from HDPE having a specific gravity of 0.962, with a tensile strength of about 4800 psi (33 mPa), a flexural strength of about 7000 psi (48 mPa) and a brittleness temperature of approximately −30° C.
The so-fabricated carriers were easily and quickly secured over the annular flanges of eight 12-ounce bottles by placing the neck-engaging structures 20 over the bottle necks/can tops and pushing them down until the flanges 24 of the neck-engaging structures engaged the annular flanges 26 on the necks of containers 28 as illustrated in
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
