AU676164B2 - Bottle carrier and method of forming and applying the carrier - Google Patents

Description

OPI DATE 13/12/93 APPLN. ID 42502/93 AOJP DATE 24/02/94 PCT NUMBER PCT/US93/04619 lll 1111111 111 llll lllll I 5 III 111111111 1111111 AU9342502 (51) International Patent Classification 5 (11) International Publication Number: WO 93/23309 71/00, 75/00, B65B 21/00 Al (43) International Publication Date: 25 November 1993 (25.11,93) c4a (21) International Application Number: PCT/US93/04619 Published With international search report.

(22) International Filing Date: 17 May 1993 (17.05.93) With amended claims.

Priority data: 9210604.6 18 May 1992 (18.05.92) GB (71)Applicant: THE MEAD CORPORATION [US/US]; Courthouse Plaza, Northeast, Dayton, OH 45463 (US).

(74) Agent: BOSHINSKI, Thomas, The Mead Corporation, 4850D North Church Lane, Smyrna, GA 30080 (US).

(81) Designated States: AU, BR, HU, JP, KR, PL, RU, European patent (AT, BE, CH, DE, DK, ES, FR, GB, GR, IE, IT, LU, MC, NL, PT, SE).

(54)Title: BOTTLE CARRIER AND METHOD OF FORMING AND APPLYING THE CARRIER (57) Abstract An article carrier (10) of the top gripping type comprises a sleeve adapted to receive and retain top portions of a plurality of articles, and comprises an overlapping outer reinforcing structure These two structural components are secured together in superposed registry to form a multi-ply carrier.

1 Bottle Carrier Method of Forming and Applying the Carrier This vention relates to an article carrier of the top gripping type for use in conjunction with articles, particularly bottles having neck flanges. The carrier is of the so-called "topgripping" type such being well known in the art as shown, for example, by US-A-4 180 191.

There is disclosed herein an article carrier of the top gripping type comprising: inner and outer structural components secured together to form a multi-ply carrier, said inner component being formed from a single sheet of material and comprising a bottom wall and a pair of side walls joined together to form a sleeve of a generally triangular cross section for receiving and retaining the top portions of a plurality of articles, said outer component being formed from a single sheet of material and comprising a pair of wall-reinforcing panels secured to said inner component to be disposed entirely over said side walls of said inner component; and a handle structure upstanding from the apex of said sleeve.

15 According to a feature of this aspect of the invention, said upstanding handle structure o may be foldable relative to other parts of said sleeve into a stowed inactive position and wherein means are provided for securing the handle structure relative to said articles to hold it in said stowed position. In constructions where this feature is adopted said securing means may comprise foldable flaps located in apertures provided in the handle structure to receive top portions of said articles, said securing flaps being adapted to engage top portions of said articles when said handle structure is folded into its stowed position to hold the handle panel in its stowed position.

There is further disclosed herein a method of forming an article carrier of the top gripping type having two structural components secured together to form a multi-ply carrier, one of said structural components comprising a sleeve formed from a flat blank including a bottom wall having apertures to receive therethrough the top portions of articles, side walls joined to opposite sides of said bottom wall and handle panels joined to said side ,R-A walls, the other of said structural components comprising a reinforcing structure including [N:\LIBLL]00580:TCW 2 handle reinforcing panels and side wall-reinforcing panels, the method comprising the steps of applying said blank to the top portions of a plurality of articles so that the top portions of said articles are received through said apertures provided in said bottom wall, folding said side walls and said handle panels upwardly and inwardly with respect to said bottom wall, securing said handle panels in abutting relationship to form said sleeve, and securing said other of said structural components to said sleeve in registry and overlying relationship with said side walls and handle panels thereof.

A carrier embodying the invention together with a method and device for forming the same will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying a a a a [N:\LIBLL]00580:TCW WO 93/23309 PCr/US93/0461 9 drawing$, in which:- Figure r. an exploded perspective view showing the carrier applied to a-group of bottles; S Figure Is a chematic crozw-zectional view of the carrier without bottles present; Figure is a schematic perspective view of a machine for applyinq theo arrier to a group of bottlca; Figure {3a is a perspective view of the bottle group showing Ia part-formed carrier; and Figure 3b is a series of view 1 showing details of ahaindle foldingarngmt of the cdarrier.

Referrilg first to Figures I and 2, an article carrier formed sopecIfically for holding a group of bottles B1, B2 and B3 t~gether in a group comprises two components. The first cqniponeait is an elongate sleeve 12 and the second componer~t is a reinforcing structure 14. Both the sleeve 12 and tructure 14 are formed from' paperboard or like foldabld sheet- material but this is niut ui tttrLL~ requireient. For example, the two components of the carrier may be formed from two dissimilar materials such as paperpord and plastics respectively or from different types grades of a like material. In this latter regard, !it is envisaged that paperboard components of dlfferer~t compositions and/or caliper could be utilized.

Sleeve 4.2 comprises a single blank "bk" (Figure 3) of WO 93/23309 PCT/US93/04619 paperbo~rd comprising, In series, a f irst handle panel 16, a :iret side wall panel. 18, a bottom panal 20, a second Tice wall panel 22 and a second handle panel 24 hinged one to the next along fold lines 26, 28, 30 and 32 repectvely.

The sle Ive is formed by relative folding of these panels from a substantially flat condition so that an open-e-nded tubular Istructure which is generally of triangular crosssection is provided by the sidewalls and the base and a handle tructure is provided by securing togfether hz .ndle panels 6 and 24 in face to face relationship. Thus, the handle anel formed stands upright from the apex of the tubuldzr ksL.LuuLuL.

As is c~owxnon -in carriers of this type, aper-tures; are struck irom various; lof.atILunI £zi tedul1 Uf Lt- p~ilelS So that i the completed structur-e the bottom panel include~j a series, in this case three, of like apertures A" thrjugh each of which a neck portilon of a bottle extends j and protrudes into "windows" WID W2 and W3 created tby registering apertures in the side walls and the handle panel. The bottles are rield in position by engagem~nt of the undersides of top flanges of the bottles with "ledges" L defining the lowermost, ie.

nearestilthe base panel, edges of the windows.

The carrier is completed by application of the WO 93/23309 PCf/US93/0461 9 reinforc: rng structure 14 to the sleeve 12. Reinforcing structure 14 is similar to sleeve 12 Il ii uct respects but it does not have a bottom panel. Like parts of the reinforc ing structure to those of the sleeve are designated like reference numerals wlt1b Llie additIon of suf fix I SiLnce the reinforcing structure has no bottom ,anel but is formed from a single sheet of materialp the handle reinforcing panels 16a and 24a are joined Itogether by a fold 34. Thus, reinforcing structur e 14 fits in registry over the sleeve rather like a cap.

ReferrxjIg now to Figures 3, 3& and 3b, a bottle carrier accordijkg to the invention is shown being applied by a is machine to a qroup of three in-line bottles B. At the infeed Ond of the machine, a line of bottles f rom a £illingj machine (not shown) pass through a starwhee. wbhnh is a well known 'metering device and puts the continu4pus infeed line of bottles into the reguisitely spaced roups of three ready to be "clipped" together by the atcAcarrier. The separated bottle groups pass throughl a set of gripping belts 42 which convey the bottlesi and ensure that the bottles in each group are cozrectLy alIgned and the aligned bottles are then deliverr d to a conveyor 44 and conveyed downstream.

Paperbo~ard blanks for forming the sleeve structure 12 are 3tored un an overhead hopper 46 at the infeed end of the Machn land are fed successively therefrom by a rotary WO 93/23309 PCT/US93/046 19 paper fded device 48 and delivered into the path of a downwar4Ly Inclined lug CILilli c6SSeiblY 50. The lug chain assemblM conveys the sleeve blanks into registry with the bottle group so that the blanks are applied to the bottle necks. :As can be seen more cear~ly with reference t~o Figure a, the bottle necks are received through the apertu- provided in the bottom panel. Each of the bottle i eck apertures includes a hirxiygt] Clap "HF" which Interfeies with the path of insertion of a bottle neck so that ea~h flap is displaced by and resiliently engages a bottle Fieck when the b-Lank Is applited to Lht= bottle group. ;This particular feature helps to keep the sleeve blank cc: rrectly positioned ready for folding. The sleeve is fold~d to form the tubular structure by fixedl guidt~s as the bottle group together with its fitted sleeve blank is convipyed downstream. In order for the handle panels to be socured together, an application of glue from huL melt glUe gun 54 is made before those panels are brought togethe-: in overlapping relationship. Thereaf ter the secured: handle panels are passed through a set of crnrple~ntary pressure belts 56 to aid the adhesion between the handle panels. At the downstream end of the pressurp belt 56 section the "clipped"~ bottle group p aswe s enp'tth a second hopper and feeder assembly which is prov4ded to apply the reinforcing structures.

Paperbo~ard hlnnks for forming the reinforcing structure 14 are, stored in an overhead hopper 58 and are fed WO 93/23309 PCT/ US93/0461 9 -7 successively therefrom by a rotary paper feed device and del4vered into the path of a downwardly inclined lug chain atsembly 62. The lug chain assembly conveys the reinforcing structure blanks into registry with successive "clipped" bottle groups. The overlapping fitment of a reinforcing structure onto a sleeve is achieved by means of an overhead boom arrangement which in this embodiment comprises an endless belt 64 adapted to pusl the reinforcing structure gradually onto a registering sleeve. In order to secure the reinforcing structu es to the sleeves, application of adhesive is made to each sleeve by a hot melt glue gun 66 whereafter lateral pressure is applied to the completed 4-ply handle sructurt by a pressure belt assembly 68 while the bottle groups 4re again conveyed by lateral belts In some situations (in nrdtr to facilitate a further packaging process) it is necessary to fold the handle structu e of the carrier relative to other parts of the sleeve lout of its upstanding position into a more horizontal attitude as shown in Figure 3b, as a continuation of the carrier forming process or, perhaps, subsequ ntly. In order to retain the handle structure in its dow-wardly folded position the upper edges of each of the "wi dow" opens are formed with a hinged flap (or pluarlity of flaps) 72 which, whcn folding of the handle structute has been effected, engage and hold fast against the cap of an associated bottle to retain the handle WO 93/23309 PCT/ US 93/04619 structu: be eznp3 necessai article 2. Thl: conneWCt6 accord1' on a pa: e folded over. Various flaps or hinged tabs may .oyed for -this purpose. However, It i3 not tat this fed:ture per se be associated with an rcarierdescribed with reference to Figures 1 a Sfolded handle facility is eopecially useful in ron with pallet-ization where several carriers ig to the invention are held together in a group .let by plastics fli.n It will be seen that for convenience of construction, the centzall "window" operng ill!; lncorporates a handle apertur6e by which the carrier can be grasped.

Claims (9)

1. An article carrier of the top gripping type comprising: inner and outer structural components secured together to form a multi-ply carrier, said inner component being formed from a single sheet of material and comprising a bottom wall and a pair of side walls joined together to form a sleeve of a generally triangular cross section for receiving and retaining the top portions of a plurality of articles, said outer component being formed from a single sheet of material and comprising a pair of wall-reinforcing panels secured to said inner component to be disposed entirely over said side walls of said inner component; and a handle structure upstanding from the apex of said sleeve.

2. An article carrier according to claim 1 wherein said handle structure comprises a pair of upstanding panels joined at upper ends thereof to each other and at lower ends thereof to said wall-reinforcing panels of said outer component so as to interconnect said wall-reinforcing panels. 15

3. An article carrier according to claim 2 wherein said upstanding handle .structure is foldable relative to other parts of said carrier into a stowed inactive position and wherein means are provided for securing said handle structure relative to said articles to hold it in said stowed position.

4. An article carrier according to claim 3 wherein said side walls of said inner S 20 component have a plurality of article receiving and retention apertures, said wall- .reinforcing panels of said outer component have a plurality of article receiving and retention apertures, and said outer and inner components are secured together so that said .o.i apertures in said inner component are in registry respectively with said apertures in said outer component, whereby said articles can be secured together and carried by said carrier.

An article carrier according to claim 4 wherein said handle structure has a plurality of apertures for receiving the top portions of said articles, said apertures in said handle structure opening respectively to said apertures in said wall-reinforcing panels of said outer component, said securing means comprising foldable flaps located in said 3_ 3A. apertures in said handle structure, said securing flaps being adapted to engage the sides of [N:\LIBLL00580:TCW the top portions of said articles when said handle structure is folded into said stowed position to hold said handle structure in said stowed position.

6. A method of forming an article carrier of the top gripping type having two structural components secured together to form a multi-ply carrier, one of said structural components comprising a sleeve formed from a flat blank including a bottom wall having apertures to receive therethrough the top portions of articles, side walls joined to opposite sides of said bottom wall and handle panels joined to said side walls, the other of said structural col .ponents comprising a reinforcing structure including handle reinforcing panels and side wall-reinforcing panels, the method comprising the steps of applying said blank to the top portions of a plurality of articles so that the top portions of said articles are received through said apertures provided in said bottom wall, folding said side walls and said handle par ?ls upwardly and inwardly with respect to said bottom wall, securing said handle panels in abutting relationship to form said sleeve, and securing said other of said structural components to said sleeve in registry and overlying relationship with said side walls and handle panels thereof.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said steps through are performed in substantially continuous operation.

An article carrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the 20 accompanying drawings.

9. A method of forming an article carrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated 19 September, 1996 The Mead Corporation Patent Attorneys for the Applicant/Nominated Person SPRUSON FERGUSON [N:\LIBLL0580:TCW