EP4711303A1

EP4711303A1 - Multipack bottle carrier

Info

Publication number: EP4711303A1
Application number: EP25382872.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Sergio FUERTES ROYO
Original assignee: SAICA Pack SL
Current assignee: SAICA Pack SL
Priority date: 2024-09-13
Filing date: 2025-08-13
Publication date: 2026-03-18
Also published as: ES1312297Y; ES1312297U

Abstract

Multipack bottle carrier, intended for transporting groups of two or more bottles (b), held by their caps (t), being formed from a laminar piece (1) made of cardboard or similar material, die-cut with circular holes (2) provided with tabs (3), arranged on both sides of a set of parallel fold lines (4, 5) and two openings (6) which, when folded, define a central vertical fold (7) incorporating a carrying handle, characterised in that the laminar piece (1), in addition to the parallel fold lines (4, 5) one central (4) and two lateral (5) between which the handle openings (6) are interspersed, comprises diagonal fold lines (8) extending from the handle openings (6) towards the respective ends of the laminar piece (1), which, when folded, define respective triangular areas (9) that rest on both sides of the central vertical fold (7), fitting onto the shoulders of the bottles (b), at least those located at the ends of the grouping. The laminar piece (1) comprises four diagonal fold lines (8), two on each side, extending symmetrically from the respective handle openings (6) to the opposite lateral ends (1.1) of the laminar piece (1), passing tangentially through the circular holes (2) located at the outermost positions on both sides of the piece. (1) Comprises moreover three circular holes (2) arranged symmetrically on either side of the parallel fold lines (4, 5) and the diagonal fold lines (8), which collectively define the central vertical fold (7) The circular holes (2) of the laminar piece (1) include tabs (3) only along a portion of their inner contour, located solely on the portion opposite the position of said central vertical fold (7) and its carrying handle.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as expressed in the title of this patent specification, relates to a packaging carrier for the grouped transport of bottles, which provides advantages and technical features-described in detail below-that represent an improved alternative over the current state of the art.
The object of this invention concerns a bottle grouping carrier for transport purposes, particularly of the type formed from a single-piece, sheet-like body made of cardboard or similar material, comprising a series of circular die-cut holes with radial tabs for engaging with the bottle caps, which are distributed on both sides of a central fold featuring an opening that acts as a handle, and the body further includes a series of diagonal fold lines that, among other advantages, enhance the flexibility of the carrier to adopt its intended operational configuration and to remain flush when multiple packs of bottles are stacked, being the abovementioned tabs around the holes preferably provided only on a portion of the holes, thereby facilitating both the insertion of the caps when placing the carrier and their removal by the consumer.

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The field of application of the present invention falls within the packaging industry, and more specifically within the manufacture of cardboard carriers and packaging components for containers, particularly bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Various types and models of packaging made from die-cut sheets of cardboard or similar materials are known on the market, featuring fold lines that allow the grouped transport of multiple containers. Among this type of packaging, those formed by a laminar body with holes adapted to fit over the bottle caps and a central fold incorporating a handle are well known, enabling several bottles to be grouped and carried together. Patent GB2623103A describes a "multiple bottle holder" of this kind.
The aim of the present invention is to provide the market with a new bottle carrier of this type that addresses certain aspects in need of improvement.
In particular, the invention focuses on:

the folding of the central portion of the carrier to form the carrying handle in such a way that it does not protrude or become deformed when another pack of bottles is stacked on top; and
the ease with which the carrier can be fitted onto the bottle caps by inserting them into the holes with radial or crown-shaped tabs, both during the automated packaging process and, especially, when the consumer removes the bottles from the carrier.

Accordingly, and with reference to the current state of the art, it should be noted that, to the best of the applicant's knowledge, there is no other known bottle grouping carrier or similar invention that offers the same or comparable technical, structural, and functional characteristics as those claimed herein.

EXPLANATION OF THE INVENTION

The multipack bottle carrier proposed by the present invention is designed as an optimal solution for achieving the aforementioned objectives, with the features that make this possible and that distinguish the invention being outlined in the claims appended to this description.
More specifically, and as mentioned above, the invention relates to a bottle carrier (or bottle grouping support) for transporting two or more bottles together, particularly those that consist of a single die-cut laminar piece made of cardboard or similar material, incorporating fold lines and a set of circular holes with radial tabs designed to grip the caps of the bottles, which are arranged symmetrically on both sides of a central fold, which includes an opening that functions as a carrying handle.
Starting from this known configuration, the bottle grouping carrier proposed by this invention is distinguished because it introduces a series of improvements that increase the flexibility of the central fold, preventing deformation when another bottle pack is stacked on top, and facilitate both the insertion of the carrier onto the bottle caps and the later removal of the bottles by the consumer.
In particular, and more specifically, the invention is characterised by the following features:
On the one hand, the central fold of the laminar body, in addition to the fold lines parallel to the central axis-defining a vertical partition with the carrying handle when folded-also comprises a set of diagonal fold lines that, being defined between the handle opening and the outer edges of the laminar piece, allow the central fold to better conform to the shoulder area of the bottles, especially when pressure is applied to the carrier once installed on a group of bottles and another pack is stacked on top, allowing the carrier to sit flush with the bottle caps, thereby reducing the risk of deformation or interference due to stacking which is common situation during bottle storage and transport.
And, on the other hand, and preferably, the carrier is also distinguished moreover in that the holes feature radial tabs, arranged in the manner of a crown, for the insertion of the bottle caps, such that the tabs bend in one direction to allow the insertion of the cap and prevent its removal, keeping the bottles secured, instead of having tabs along the entire circular perimeter. Such tabs specifically appear only along a portion- for example, one half- of said perimeter, opposite the position of the central fold with the handle, thereby forming what can be referred to as a half crown.
The presence of this half-crown configuration is sufficient to ensure the retention of the bottle caps. Moreover, the enlargement of the holes as the tabs bend during the insertion of the carrier over the caps of the bottles to be grouped is also sufficient to allow the caps to pass through, while the reduced number of tabs means that the force required-both for insertion during the packaging process and for removal by the consumer-will also be lower.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To complement the description provided and to facilitate a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a sheet of drawings is attached to this specification as an integral part thereof, illustrating, in a non-limiting and schematic manner, the following:

Figure 1: shows a plan view of an example of the multipack bottle carrier proposed by the invention, shown in its unfolded state, where its overall configuration and components can be clearly seen; and
Figures 2-A and 2-B: show a schematic side elevation view of the same example of the multipack bottle carrier proposed by the invention, shown in its folded and mounted position on the bottles, where Figure 2-A illustrates the raised position of the central fold when lifted by the handle, and Figure 2-B shows the same fold pressed down onto the shoulders of the bottles, as would occur when weight is applied from above.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Considering the accompanying figures, and following the adopted numbering, a non-limiting example of an embodiment of the multipack bottle carrier according to the invention is shown and described in detail below.
As illustrated, the multipack bottle carrier for grouped transport of two or more bottles (b), which are secured to such carrier by their caps (t), is formed-according to known principles-from a flat laminar piece (1) made of cardboard or a similar material, and die-cut with several circular holes (2), each provided with internal tabs (3) that grip the bottle caps (t), being these circular holes (2) arranged on both sides of a set of parallel fold lines (4, 5), along with two openings (6) that, once folded, form a central vertical fold (7) incorporating a carrying handle.
Building upon this known configuration, the carrier is distinguished by the fact that the laminar piece (1), along with the parallel fold lines (4, 5) one central (4) and two lateral (5), between which the handle openings (6) are interspersed-, includes a series of diagonal fold lines (8) that extend between the handle openings (6) and the ends of the laminar piece (1), defining, when folded, corresponding triangular areas (9) that conform, on both sides of the central vertical fold (7), to the shoulders of the bottles (b), at least in the case of those located at the ends of the group.
Preferably, the laminar piece (1) of the carrier of this invention includes four diagonal fold lines (8), two on each side, which are arranged symmetrically and run from the respective handle openings (6) to the opposite lateral edges (1.1) of the laminar piece (1), passing tangentially through the outermost circular holes (2) on both sides of the piece.
Also preferably, the laminar piece (1) includes three circular holes (2) symmetrically arranged on each side of the parallel fold lines (4, 5) and the diagonal fold lines (8), which together define the central vertical fold (7).
Additional and preferably, all circular holes (2) of the laminar piece (1) include internal tabs (3) only on a portion of its inner contour -more specifically, only on the half that is on the opposite side from the central vertical fold (7) and its handle.
Having sufficient described the nature of the invention and its implementation in sufficient detail, no further explanation is deemed necessary for a person skilled in the art to understand its scope and the advantages it offers.

Claims

Multipack bottle carrier, intended for transporting groups of two or more bottles (b), held by their caps (t), being formed from a laminar piece (1) made of cardboard or similar material, die-cut with circular holes (2) provided with tabs (3), arranged on both sides of a set of parallel fold lines (4, 5) and two openings (6) which, when folded, define a central vertical fold (7) incorporating a carrying handle, characterised in that the laminar piece (1), in addition to the parallel fold lines (4, 5) one central (4) and two lateral (5) between which the handle openings (6) are interspersed, comprises diagonal fold lines (8) extending from the handle openings (6) towards the respective ends of the laminar piece (1), which, when folded, define respective triangular areas (9) that rest on both sides of the central vertical fold (7), fitting onto the shoulders of the bottles (b), at least those located at the ends of the grouping.
Multipack bottler carrier, according to claim 1, characterised in that the laminar piece (1) comprises four diagonal fold lines (8), two on each side, extending symmetrically from the respective handle openings (6) to the opposite lateral ends (1.1) of the laminar piece (1), passing tangentially through the circular holes (2) located at the outermost positions on both sides of the piece.
Multipack bottler carrier, according to claim 2, characterised in that the laminar piece (1) comprises three circular holes (2) arranged symmetrically on either side of the parallel fold lines (4, 5) and the diagonal fold lines (8), which collectively define the central vertical fold (7).
Multipack bottle carrier, according to any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the circular holes (2) of the laminar piece (1) include tabs (3) only along a portion of their inner contour.
Multipack bottle carrier, according to claim 4, characterised in that the circular holes (2) of the laminar piece (1) include tabs (3) located solely on the portion opposite the position of the central vertical fold (7) and its carrying handle.