FR2781203A1 - Wrapping package for groups of bottles comprises semi rigid frame and heat shrink plastics film with carrying handle arranged between adjacent bottles - Google Patents

Abstract

The package is used for three bottles (1) which are arranged in a line and are held together by heat shrink plastic film (3). The package includes a carrying handle (8). It is formed from a frame (2) made of semi rigid material arranged as an inverted U which covers the top ends (6) of the bottles and is held in place by the heat shrink film which covers them. An area between the top ends of two adjacent bottles forms the handle.

Description

Package of bottles pack in heat shrink film and

  incorporating a handle The present invention relates to packages of packets of bottles in heat-shrinkable film and incorporating a handle. The technical sector of the invention is the field of packaging of bottles enveloping them, in particular by shrink films

by heating.

  The main application of the invention is the production of handles incorporated in said packages for lifting packages of

bottles arranged in line.

  Many packages are in fact known using such heat-shrinkable films but whose gripping devices are not satisfactory. In fact, we can note: - devices comprising adhesive handles added to the heat-shrinkable film, as described in patent FR 2,571,687 published on April 18, 1986 in the name of the company MINNESOTA MINING MANUFACTURING, or the patent application FR 2751939 published February 6, 1998 on behalf of the company SMURFIT SOCAR: such adhesive handles require a fairly large bonding surface. not suitable for narrow packets, as are packets of bottles arranged in line; moreover, in the event of swaying of the package during its transport, which can happen quite often, the adhesive parts can peel off, all the more so as at the ends of the packages in line, such as for the following bottles the main application of the invention, the positioning of the film at its ends is not well controlled, which poses problems precisely with regard to its adhesive parts which can be glued to it; - flexible straps of the adhesive strip type as above or incorporated in the packaging itself: such straps have, for flexible envelope packaging as in the present invention, the disadvantage of forcing on said packaging by bringing the end bottles, which tends to distort the film and, in the worst case, tear it; - systems surrounding the necks of the bottles, as described for example in patent application EP 392996, published on October 17, 1990 in the name of M. Ezio MUSCO: these systems are difficult to remove by the consumer, not constituting genuine handles, and also having flexible links, have the same disadvantages

than the above systems.

  The problem posed is in fact to be able to produce such packages in heat-shrinkable film, which are less expensive and easier to implement than a cardboard package, in which a handle can be incorporated allowing the bottles to be kept aligned, without deformation or risk of tearing, detachment or other disadvantage during the

gripping the package.

  One solution to the problem posed is a package packaging of at least three bottles, and preferably in an even number, arranged in line and held together by a heat-shrinkable film, and incorporating a carrying handle: according to the invention, the packaging includes a jumper in quasi-rigid material, in the shape of an inverted U covering the upper ends of said bottles, and held in place thereon by said heat-shrinkable film which envelops it, and at least part of which is located

  between two ends of two adjacent bottles forms said handle.

  Preferably, said jumper is made of corrugated and folded cardboard, and

  has a notch forming said handle and the thermal film

  retractable has a pre-cut located at the level of said notch

  and able to be opened when gripping the package.

  The result is new package packaging using heat shrink films, responding to the problem posed and without having the

  disadvantages of existing systems.

  Indeed, the rider in almost rigid material, held by the upper part of the heat-shrinkable film and aligning the necks of the bottles, makes it possible to lift them easily, the whole of the heat-shrinkable film uniformly transmitting the weight of the bottles to said rider without deformation; this absence of deformation, not only during gripping but also during the installation of the heat-shrinkable film during manufacture (which moreover makes it possible to position exactly each element of heat-shrinkable film specific to each package, at a desired position in relation to the bottles to be packaged), allows more space to be visible on the sides of the packaging to affix any type of advertising message or

  promotional, which will not be so distorted.

  In addition, the distances between the necks of the bottles leave a space closed on three sides by said rider, allowing to house objects such as promotional gifts. Such a jumper keeping said bottles aligned makes it possible to have three, four, five or more possibly, without the risk of misalignment; the upper surface of the package being thus perfectly defined and identical for all the packages of the same type and number of bottles, it is possible to be able to stack several packages without additional interleaving surface, as is necessary with the

current packaging.

  In addition, in the event of accidental tearing of the heat-shrinkable film, the bottles can still be transported by the rider acting as a handle, insofar as the latter is still held by a part of the heat-shrinkable wire. One could cite other advantages of the present invention, such as also the economic aspect of the fact that it is only a question of adding a workpiece, of simple shape, in a standard method of manufacturing packaging already known elsewhere, or the fact that a better presentation of the packaging is thus obtained which is adaptable to any type of bottle; all this sufficiently shows the novelty and

  the benefit of the present invention. The description and figures below

  represent an exemplary embodiment of the invention but have no limiting character: other embodiments are possible within the scope and scope of this invention, in particular by changing the shape of the bottles, their number, the cutout of the rider forming a handle, etc. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package packaging according to the invention with four bottles aligned, and ready to be gripped by

the consumer.

  Figure 2 is a perspective view of a next jumper

  the invention, ready to be placed on the necks of the bottles.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view from above of the jumper in FIG. 2,

before folding.

  Figure 4 is a side view of a package such as that of the

figure 1.

  FIG. 5 is a view in the axis of the aligned bottles of

the packaging of figure 4.

  The package packaging of at least three bottles 1, but which may preferably be in an even number, such as four as in FIGS. 1 and 4, arranged in line, and held together by a heat-shrinkable film 3, produced of any type of material known for this, comprises a handle 8 for transport. According to the invention, said packaging comprises a jumper 2 of quasi or semi-rigid material, preferably of corrugated cardboard type corrugated cardboard micro corrugation delivered flat, and folded, in the shape of an inverted U, covering the upper ends 6 of said bottles ; this jumper is held in place thereon by said heat-shrinkable film 3 which envelops and covers it after it has been placed on all of the bottles, and at least part of which is located between two ends 6 of the two bottles adjacent 1, forms said

handle 8.

  In the case of four bottles such as in the attached examples, the handle part is therefore located between the two central bottles: to constitute said handle, said rider 2 has a notch 81 forming said handle and the heat-shrinkable film 3 includes a pre-cut 4 located at the level of said notch 81 capable of being opened

  when gripping the package, as shown in Figure 1.

  Said precut 4, once torn to allow gripping, also allows to be able to tear later and more easily

  film 3 when we want to extract the bottles 1.

  Said shrink film 3 thus has a surface 7 on each side of the bottles, offering a large location for any promotional text which is not deformed during the installation of the heat shrink film

on said bottles.

  To make said jumper 2 in corrugated and folded cardboard, there is, as shown in FIG. 3, a sheet of cardboard precut in a plane and laid out flat: on the one hand, fold lines 23 delimiting the side flaps 21 with respect to the base 22 of the U once folded, and on the other hand fold lines 83 and pre-cut 82 in the central part of the edges of said side flaps 21

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  to allow the folding of flaps 83 by virtue of the lateral cutouts 82 around the fold lines 83 forming a hinge, then making a

  notch 81 materializing and forming the grip 8.

  The jumper 2 ready to be placed on the necks of bottles 1, after folding the sheet of cardboard along the fold lines 23 forming a hinge and represented in FIG. 3, has side flaps 21 which can remain in position preferably by themselves- same, by forming an angle oc with the base 22 of the U less than 120 thanks to any method of punching said fold lines 83 provided for this: this makes it possible to ensure better guidance of this rider when it is placed on the neck of the bottles 1, allowing better alignment thereof and then remaining in place without risk of falling during the movement of the

  bottles 1 in the packaging machine, until the thermo-film

  retractable 3 wraps the assembly to form the package as

shown in figure 1.

  As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, the jumper 2 according to the invention makes it possible to have housings 5 between two adjacent bottles 1 and the three sides of the jumper 2, in order to be able to accommodate there any type

  objects such as promotional gifts and the like.

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Claims (6)

  1. Package packaging of at least three bottles (1) arranged in line and held together by a heat-shrinkable film (3), and incorporating a handle (8) for transport, characterized in that it comprises a jumper ( 2) in quasi-rigid material, in the shape of an inverted U covering the upper ends (6) of said bottles, and held in place thereon by said heat-shrinkable film (3) which envelops it, and at least one of which part located between two ends (6) of two bottles   adjacent (1) form said handle (8).   2. Package of bottles pack according to claim 1,   characterized in that it comprises an even number of bottles.   3. Package of bottle pack according to any one   of claims I or 2, characterized in that said jumper (2) is   made of corrugated and folded cardboard.   4. Package of bottles pack according to claim 3, characterized in that the side flaps (21) of the rider (2) can remain in position by themselves at an angle oc with the base of the U of said jumper (2), less than 120.   5. Package of bottle pack according to any one   claims 3 or 4, characterized in that said jumper (2) is   made from a sheet of cardboard pre-cut in a plane, and in which fold and pre-cut lines are previously made to allow folding of said jumper (2) and the production of a   notch forming said handle (8).   6. Package of bottle pack according to any one   claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the jumper (2) has   a notch (81) forming said handle and the heat-shrinkable film (3) has a pre-cut (4) located at said notch (81)   and able to be opened when gripping the package.