GB2303114A

GB2303114A - Package for liquids

Info

Publication number: GB2303114A
Application number: GB9517817A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Derek Robinson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1995-07-11
Filing date: 1995-09-01
Publication date: 1997-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-01
Also published as: GB9514123D0; GB9517817D0; GB2303114B; GB2303114A8

Abstract

A package for liquids comprises of a plurality of containers 1, a first end of each container adapted to contact a second end of another container 3,(Fig 3) whereby the containers are held within a housing 7 providing a means of releasably securing the containers together by means of a wrap-around binder provided with perforations or removable tear-strips, thus allowing for the removal of individual containers from the package.

Description

PACIGGE FOR LIQUIDS The present invention relates to a package for liquids, and more particularly to a package which allows a plurality of different liquids to be contained separately, preferably in a common housing.

Containers of many different shapes and sizes are used to package a variety of liquids, such as fruit juices and other soft drinks, alcoholic beverages such as beers and ciders, and other household products such as dyes and cleaning fluids. It may be desirable to purchase a variety of fruit juices for example rather than a single flavour, but invariably such fruit juices are sold in single flavour packs. It is often expensive and impractical to purchase a number of single flavour packs since they each contain a relatively large amount of liquid, and to open them all to obtain the variety would result in much oF the juices "going of?' before they are consumed.

It has been attempted to solve this difficulty with "miniature" packs of fruit juices and other drinks, but it is awkward to carry and store a number of such packs.

The invention seeks to provide a package which avoids this difficulty According to the present invention there is provided a package for liquids comprising: a) a plurality of containers each for storing different liquids, a first end of each container adapted to contact a second end of another container whereby the containers can be stacked one above the other, and b) a housing to embrace the stacked containers to hold them together.

Preferably the first end of each container contacts and releasably engages a second end of another container.

In one embodiment of the invention, the housing is in the form of a film which wraps around the containers. Preferably the film includes a plurality of separation lines whereby one or more containers can be removed from the housing without all the containers being removed from the housing. Preferably a separation line is provided adjacent each joint between pairs of stacked containers. Preferably the separation lines are formed by lines of perforations in the film or unfastening strips in the film.

The containers may by generally cylindrical in shape having a projecting conical first end and recessed conical second end such that the conical projection of one engages with a conical recess of another. The apex of the conical first end may include an aperture through which liquid is dispensed. The aperture may include a seal such as a cap or screw-cap.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 show a side view of a plurality of stacked containers.

Figure 3 shows a cross-section view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows a side view of the package with the housing in the form of a film, and Figure 5 shows the side view of Figure 4 with the housing part removed.

Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, five generally cylindrical and substantially identical containers 1 are provided. Each container has a first end in the form of a conical projection 2.

The apex of the conical first end includes an aperture 3 through which liquid in the container is dispensed. The aperture closed by a seal in the form of a cap 4. Cap 4 may be a "screw-cap" as is well known in the art. Each container has second end in the form of a conical recess 5 The conical projection 2 of one container engages with a conical recess 5 of another container whereby the containers can be stacked on above the other as shown. and in any order.

The containers 1 could store any liquid but may be useful for storing beverages such as soft drinks like fruit juices or alcoholic drinks such as wine or beer. Different types of seals for the aperture 3 may be provided other than caps 4, and the containers could be designed in a different shape just to contact each other when stacked rather than engage each other. The containers could be made of any suitable material such as plastics or liquid-proof paper or glass. The containers could be identical in size or different in size, e.g. the cylindrical length of two or more of containers 1 could be different.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, a housing to embrace the stacked containers to hold them together is provided in the form a film 6 which wraps around the containers 1. The film includes a plurality of separation lines formed by lines of perforations 7 in the film 6. A line of perforations is provided adjacent the joints between pairs of stacked containers 1. The top container 1 may be removed from the package without the remaining containers being removed from the housing by severing the film around the top line of perforations.

In use of the package of the invention, the user can thus select a container/s to be remove from the package and the film severed along the appropriate line/s of perforations. The remaining containers not required thus remain packaged together.

Instead of the separation lines being formed from lines of perforations, they could be formed by other methods such as unfastening strips in the film of the type which peel away to sever a film into two parts (e.g. as used in film around cigarette packets). Alternatively no separation lines need be provided in the film and the containers would at least be stackable to keep them together.

Instead of the housing being formed from film, it could be formed from other material such as foils or boxes formed from paper cardboard plastics or metal or any other suitable material or combinations thereof. The use of a transparent housing such as transparent film has the benefit of allowing any information, e.g nature of contents, printed on labels on the containers or printed on the containers themselves to be visible.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A package for liquids comprising of a plurality of containers, a first end of each container adapted to contact a second end of another container whereby the containers are held within a housing providing a means of releasably securing the containers together by means of a wrap-around binder provided with perforations or removable tear-strips, thus allowing the removal of individual containers from the package.

2. A package for liquids as claimed in claim 1, wherein the containers include an aperture through which liquid is dispensed.

3. A package for liquids as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the individual apertures are Provided with seals or screw-caps.

4. A package for liquids as claimed in claim 1, claim 2 and claim 3, wherein the containers are of different size and shape to each other.

5. A package for liquids as claimed in any preceeding claim wherein the housing includes a plurality of separation lines such as perforations or tear-striDs whereby one or more containers can be removed from the package

6. A package for liquids as claimed in claim 5, wherein the housing includes one separation line.

7. A package for liquids as claimed in claim 5, wherein the housing has no separation lines and merely holds the containers together.

8. A package for liquids as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the containers engage each other to remain securely attached without a housing.

9. A package for liquids as claimed in any preceeding claim which is made from metal, ceramics, glass, plastics material, or wood, paper, natural or synthetic fibres, or from a combination of these materials.

10. A package for liquids substantially as described herein with reference to Fioures 1 to 5 of the accompanying drawinq.