EP1464586B1 - Elément de couverture et de protection pour récipients groupés - Google Patents

Elément de couverture et de protection pour récipients groupés Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1464586B1
EP1464586B1 EP04075903A EP04075903A EP1464586B1 EP 1464586 B1 EP1464586 B1 EP 1464586B1 EP 04075903 A EP04075903 A EP 04075903A EP 04075903 A EP04075903 A EP 04075903A EP 1464586 B1 EP1464586 B1 EP 1464586B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
containers
compartments
stopper
pack
handgrip
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP04075903A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP1464586A1 (fr
Inventor
Silvano Groppi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TECNOFORM Srl
Original Assignee
TECNOFORM Srl
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
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Application filed by TECNOFORM Srl filed Critical TECNOFORM Srl
Publication of EP1464586A1 publication Critical patent/EP1464586A1/fr
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1464586B1 publication Critical patent/EP1464586B1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
    • B65D71/70—Trays provided with projections or recesses in order to assemble multiple articles, e.g. intermediate elements for stacking

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an element for covering and protecting the top of an ordered group of articles, typically containers for example of liquid substances.
  • Said containers of the TETRA BRIK® type are generally sold in packs comprising an ordered group of adjacent containers, for example of two, four, six or more in number.
  • Said groups, or packs are generally maintained rigid by a plastic wrapping band, enabling several groups to be stacked.
  • Said band is also generally provided with a synthetic tape forming a hand grip for lifting and transporting the pack.
  • FR 2 034 126 discloses a cover element for a battery of accumulators that comprises a profiled body that is constituted of a relatively rigid material and that allows, by means of its profiled shape, the manual handling of the battery.
  • the profiled shape of the cover comprises a crossed element in a more elevated position and on the sides of which areas are provided for recesses for the caps of the battery. When such packaged batteries are placed one on top of the other, the lower sides of the upper battery engages with planar surfaces belonging to the crossed element.
  • this cover is disclosed in connection to a battery, it has the technical features of the preamble of appended claim 1.
  • a second cover element is disclosed in the same document, the cover element having substantially vertical side walls that have gorges suitable for handling the group of containers. This covering element has a substantial thickness and may be realized in a moulding process by expanded polystyrene.
  • US 3 650 395 discloses a cover and protection element for ordered groups of containers, such as for examples bottles, composed of a top tray, realized from a thin material and having a plurality of shallow depressions to receive the caps of said bottles.
  • Such covering element is completely sustained by the caps of the bottles causing a concentration of weight on said caps and no weight discharge on the sides of the bottles.
  • An object of the invention is to provide an element able to safeguard the top of the individual containers of said container groups or packs against accidental impact and soiling.
  • Another object of the invention is to provide a cover element enabling such contained groups to be stacked with uniform weight distribution, while preventing undesirable overlying load concentrations on the stoppers of underlying containers.
  • Another object is to provide an element able to maintain its correct operating position on the pack even after this latter has been handled.
  • a further object is to provide a cover element which can be formed quickly, easily and at low cost.
  • the element in question is obtained starting from a generally thin synthetic rectangular sheet which is subjected to thermoforming to obtain a generally flat profiled body, the plan shape of which is practically identical to that of the pack.
  • a lid to be positioned in the manner of a hood on the top of the pack, where it covers the upper walls of its constituent containers and the respective accessories such as spouts and stoppers.
  • Said hood has a depth at least slightly greater than the distance from the bottom to the top of said stoppers.
  • Said hood is preferably divided into a series of identical compartments, one for each individual container, their plan shape being generally identical to that of this latter.
  • the side walls of said compartments have a generally zig-zag, for example undulated, shape in plan view so that at least a part of their free edges can rest alternately on the upper peripheral edges of one and the other of two adjacent containers.
  • thermoforming a cap able to receive a respective stopper preferably with clearance.
  • the illustrated pack 1 comprises six identical containers, for example of cardboard lined internally with an aluminium film, its upper walls being flat and each presenting an off-centre pouring spout 30 with a respective closure stopper 31.
  • the containers can be of any number provided the number is even, for example four or twelve.
  • the containers are grouped into mutual contact and are kept together by a usual lateral wrapping band 4.
  • the element 2 is intended to be positioned between the top of the pack 1 and said handgrip 5.
  • Said element 2 consists of a generally flat body obtained by thermoforming from a generally thin sheet of generally rigid flexible synthetic material.
  • the constituent synthetic material of said starting sheet can be of any type, provided it is suitable for thermoforming.
  • Said starting sheet can be transparent or non-transparent, and have any thickness suitable for the purpose, such as 0.2-2.0 mm.
  • the element 2 is shaped overall as an inverted tray, able to act as a hood for the top of the pack 1.
  • Said tray or hood has a plan shape practically identical to that of the pack 1, which is rectangular, and a depth slightly greater than the distance between the flat upper wall of the containers 3 and the top of the stoppers 31 (see Figure 1 ).
  • Said hood is divided into a series of flared compartments 6, one for each container 3, the free edges of their side walls being turned outwards.
  • the hood has a flat perimetral edge 7 along its entire extension, a narrow flat longitudinal strip 70, and two flat transverse strips 71 which intersect the preceding 70.
  • said side walls of said compartments 6 have a generally zig-zag shape.
  • Certain walls have an undulated shape (see Figures 1 and 3 ), while others comprise arcuate portions interposed between straight portions.
  • the weight due to one or more packs 1 stacked on the first pack of a pile is uniformly distributed along the perimeter of the upper faces of the containers of said first pack 1, and hence advantageously discharged onto the side edges of said containers 3.
  • the zig-zag shape of the side walls of the compartments 6 enables them to rest alternately on the coplanar upper adjacent edges of the mutually touching side walls between two containers 3.
  • compartments 6 in the illustrated example the compartments 6 located at the corners of the element 2, present a cap 8 to receive at least a part of the stopper 31 of the respective container 3.
  • the cap 8 is obtained by thermoforming the base of the corresponding compartment 6.
  • Said cap 8 presents a frusto-conical shape with pronounced flaring, to enable it to easily engage the stopper 31 when the element is mounted on the pack 1 by the operator making up this latter.
  • Ribs 11 connecting pairs of compartments together to stiffen the element 2 against flexural and torsional forces are also provided, together with corner notches 10 to facilitate the manipulation and retention of the element 2 along the automatic production lines of the specific sector.
  • the flat bottom parts of the compartments 6 advantageously provide surfaces on which publicity or the like can be displayed, for example data relating to the product in the container 3.

Claims (6)

  1. Un élément de couverture et de protection pour des groupes ordonnés de récipients sous forme de paquets, comprenant au moins une paire de récipients adjacents (3) de plan rectangulaire qui sont chacun dotés d'un bec verseur et d'un bouchon (31), tenus ensemble par une bande d'emballage latérale à laquelle est associée une poignée (5), composé d'un corps profilé généralement plat (2) à positionner comme un capot au-dessus du paquet (1) et présentant une forme plane pratiquement égale à celle du paquet et une profondeur au moins légèrement supérieure à la hauteur du bouchon, ledit corps étant divisé en plusieurs compartiments égaux au nombre de récipients, caractérisé par le fait que les parois latérales desdits compartiments possèdent leur bords libres tournés vers l'extérieur pour fournir des régions correspondantes de repos sur les parois supérieures des récipients.
  2. Un élément selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait que lesdites parois possèdent en vue de dessus une forme généralement en zigzag dimensionnée de sorte à ce que les parois reposent alternativement sur l'un et l'autre des bords supérieurs avant de deux récipients adjacents.
  3. Un élément selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait qu'au moins une partie desdits compartiments présente, à la base, un capuchon disposé pour recevoir le bouchon du récipient correspondant avec un espace.
  4. Un élément selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait qu'il comprend des dépressions respectives pour recevoir et retenir ladite poignée au centre des deux côtés du corps qui sont face aux points de connexion de la poignée.
  5. Un élément selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait qu'au moins une partie desdits compartiments est relié ensemble par des nervures de renfort.
  6. Un élément selon la revendication 1, caractérisé par le fait que les parois latérales d'au moins une partie desdits compartiments sont dotées de dispositifs d'engagement pour permettre au corps d'être manipulé automatiquement.
EP04075903A 2003-03-31 2004-03-19 Elément de couverture et de protection pour récipients groupés Expired - Lifetime EP1464586B1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT000005U ITRE20030005U1 (it) 2003-03-31 2003-03-31 "elemento di copertura e protezione per gruppi ordinati di contenitori "
ITRE20030005U 2003-03-31

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1464586A1 EP1464586A1 (fr) 2004-10-06
EP1464586B1 true EP1464586B1 (fr) 2009-11-11

Family

ID=29267118

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP04075903A Expired - Lifetime EP1464586B1 (fr) 2003-03-31 2004-03-19 Elément de couverture et de protection pour récipients groupés

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1464586B1 (fr)
AT (1) ATE448156T1 (fr)
DE (1) DE602004023989D1 (fr)
IT (1) ITRE20030005U1 (fr)

Family Cites Families (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2034126A1 (en) 1969-02-10 1970-12-11 Cazenove Arnaud De Shrink-wrap package
US3650395A (en) 1970-01-22 1972-03-21 Reginald John Hobbs Shrink wrap package having the containers therein in contacting relation

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITRE20030005U1 (it) 2004-10-01
EP1464586A1 (fr) 2004-10-06
DE602004023989D1 (de) 2009-12-24
ITRE20030005V0 (it) 2003-03-31
ATE448156T1 (de) 2009-11-15

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