GB1428521A - Extruded plastics carriers - Google Patents

Abstract

1428521 Carriers for groups of cans; bottles; &c ILLINOIS TOOL WORKS Inc 4 May 1973 [5 May 1972 11 May 1972] 21328/73 Heading B8C The invention relates to a carrier for a group of similar generally cylindrical containers the carrier having been cut from stock comprising a pair of extruded strands 10, 11, or 12, 13 of n resilient deformable plastics material which were arranged, whilst still molten or semimolten from their extrusion, in such a manner that adjacent faces thereof fused together to give joints which are smoothly curvilinear and thus notch free, the joints being located at first longitudinally-spaced positions 16, 16 or 17, 17 where the strands run tangentially to one another, and the stock having been severed transversely through a chosen two of the tangential joints at first positions to form thereby an elongate carrier strip including a number of closed bands, each of which can, in use, encircle and resiliently grip a respective container. Spaced pairs of nozzles, not shown, which respectively extrude the strands 10, 12 and 11, 13, reciprocate, in opposite phase, transversely to the direction of extrusion, the strands 10, 12 crossing respectively the strands 11, 13 and being fused together at intermediate joints 14, 15. Individual carriers are formed by cutting through the appropriate tangential joints 16, 17. With stock comprising more than two pairs of strands it may be necessary to sever at least some of the further tangential fusions 18 between the strands 11, 12. The stock may be flattened to web form by passing it between a pair of rollers (20), Fig. 2 not shown, which may be heated. A strand (30), to form handles, may be extruded from a stationary nozzle to extend centrally of the pairs of strips (31, 32) and (33, 34), Fig. 3, not shown, and be connected at tangential points (38). The central portion of the stock may be flattened by passing it through a pair of narrow rollers (40), Fig. 4, not shown. The stock, Fig. 6, has a handle strand 64, and additional side strands 57, 58 which form tangential fusions 60, 61 and 62, 63 respectively with the strands, 50, 51 and 53, 52. The strands (110), Fig. 17, not shown, are extruded as flat ribbons all of the fused joints (111, 112) being tangential. In a final embodiment, particularly for bottles 142, having reduced neck portions, Figs. 17, 18, pairs of ribbons 140, 140 are fused tangentially at 141 to provide spaced bottle-neck-engaging portions, the handles being formed of extruded ribbons 143, 144 fused to one another at 145 and to ajacent ribbons 140. The stock, which includes no notches, and stated to be unexpectedly strong, and is preferably made of low-density polyethylene.