GB1587330A - Packaging articles utilising collating members - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO PACKAGING ARTICLES UTILISING COLLATING MEMBERS (71) We, REED INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, a British company of Reed House, 82 Piccadilly, London W. 1. do hereby declare the invention for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particu larly described in and by the following statement:- This invention relates to the bulk packaging of articles, particularly, although not necessarily exclusively, articles of a cylindrical shape, using a collating member.

In the packaging industry nowadays it is frequently preferred to form or place a packaging member around the articles to be packed as opposed to first making the packaging member and then filling it with the articles.

The reason for this lies in the speed of the operation. Once the packaging member, be it a box, carton, case or the like is made up and the various flaps and tabs are glued or stitched in place there usually remains a relatively small opening through which the articles may be introduced into the packing member. To insert the articles from above is not desirable since there is usually not sufficient space in a packing member to receive the articles held together in their packed position as well as their holding means. The alternative is to pack the articles one by one, usually by hand, but this is economically quite unviable expect in the case of delicate and costly articles such as for example fine glassware.

The expedient therefore is usually adopted of disposing the articles on a pallet, conveyor or other flat surface in the array in which they are to be received in the packing member and then either (a) placing over the articles a made up packaging container which is subsequently closed or (b) forming the packing member around the articles from for example a flat blank of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight foldable semi-rigid sheet material. Another alternative for (b) and one to which this invention is particularly although not exclusively applicable is shrink wrapping in which the articles are collated-and arranged in position on a pallet and a flexible sheet of plastics is then disposed over and around the articles and shrunk onto them by suction. The plastics thereafter solidifies, for example by cooling, and a reasonably rigid protective package is formed.

Application of the above described packaging techniques to cylindrical articles does not present any great problems so long as such articles may be stably stacked. Clearly metal cans may be stacked on their ends to form a stable array but there are other cylindrical articles which may not be stacked in this way. Examples of such articles are cylindrical biscuit packs, candles, tubes of sweets, jars of coffee or other comestibles and cylindrical plastics or cardboard containers of detergent, abrasive powder or other cleaning preparations. Such articles may not be stacked in the same way as metal cans either because they do not have two sufficiently flat ends or because they are too elongate to be able to stand on end stably and without support.

These latter articles might be packageable if they could be formed into a stable array lying on their sides, i.e. with their cylindrical axes horizontal, but this is simply not possible without support since the articles tend to roll away from one another. In any case the forming of multiple layers is quite impossible without some means of lateral support. It is therefore an object of this invention to render possible the application of the packaging techniques discussed to these articles which have hitherto provided difficulties, although it must be understood that the invention may if desired be applied to the packaging of articles which are not subject to the difficulties mentioned.

There is provided according to the invention a method of packaging articles comprising assembling a plurality of articles adjacent one another to form a first row, disposing over said row a collating member extending across the upper surfaces of said articles and including a retaining member at each end thereof serving to engage ach end article and retain the row intact, disposing a plurality of further articles on said collating member to form a second row, the end articles of said second row being engaged by the retaining members whereby the second row is retained intact, and forming or placing packaging means around the array of articles so formed.

It will be appreciated that in normal circumstances the packaging will be carried out on the flat, i.e. with the rows horizontal, so that no great forces need to be withstood by the retaining members. Rather, if the articles are cylindrical, they are required simply to prevent the end, and therefore the remaining, cylindrical articles from rolling away, particularly when the second row of articles is added. Thus it will be seen that the use of a collating member as aforesaid overcomes or at least substantially reduces the difficulties mentioned above. Furthermore the collating member need not extend beyond the ends of the rows any great distance and does not therefore increase the size of the package to any substantial extent.

The length of the collating member must correspond substantially to an integral numnumber of articles, for example four, five, six and so on. It is particularly advantageous to connect the retaining members pivotably to the main body of the collating member since any outward pressure of the articles in one row will then cause the retaining members to more tightly engage the other row which in turn supports the retaining members in resisting the outward pressure of the one row.

If the articles to be packaged are of substantially rectangular cross section, then the retaining members need not extent any great way across the sides of the end articles to achieve the degree of support required.

If on the other hand the articles are cylindrical in shape then it is desirable that the retaining members extend to at least and preferably slightly beyond midway of the articles' cross section. This is in order to eliminate any downward force component on the retaining members which could require them to be made more stout for acceptable operation.

The method may include the further steps of disposing over said second row of articles a second said collating member and a plurality of further articles to form a third row of articles in a similar way to the second.

Further rows and collating members may be added as desired until a point at which the resultant array becomes unstable. The point at which this happens will depend on the nature of the articles and of the collating members.

Where further rows are to be added to the second row and cylindrical articles are to be stacked the retaining members of adjacent rows will preferably be formed with mating portions whereby a portion of each retaining member may extend beyond midway of the articles' cross section.

In an alternative embodiment the retaining members may each comprise a portion extending across the respective end one of the first row of articles and a further portion extending across the end ones of the second and one or more further rows of articles.

The number of rows which may be supported by a single collating member will depend on the masses of the articles and the material and construction of the collating member.

The collating member may comprise a base strip adapted to extend across the surfaces of said plurality of articles arranged in said first row, a respective retaining member being connected to said base strip at each end thereof and being pivotable between an inoperative position substantially parallel to or coplanar with the base strip and an operative article engaging position substantially perpendicular to and on either side- of said base strip.

A preferred material for the collating member is cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semi-rigid sheet material.

It could however be constructed of plastics, material or wood if desired according to the kind of packaging with which it is to be employed. Furthermore it is not necessary for the base strip to be of the same material as the retaining members-the base strip could be of a flexible material such as a textile web having retaining members of more rigid material such as hardboard or the like.

In view of its low cost and low weight the lightweight semi-rigid sheet material mentioned above is preferred, and in a particularly preferred embodiment the retaining members are integral with and hingedly connected to the base strip. Thus each retaining member may comprise tro portions one hingedly connected to the base strip and adapted to lie on one side of the base strip in the operative position and the other being released from the base strip contiguous with the one portion and adapted to lie on the other side of the base strip in the operative position. To enable the formation of more than two rows of articles while the respective portions of the retaining members extend beyond midway of the articles assembled, the portions of each retaining member may be formed with edges adapted to mate with each other. Part of each portion can then in adjacent rows extend beyond midway of the intervening article without one portion having to overlie the other.

It will be understood that the invention also extends to a package made accordingto the method hereinbefore set forth.

In order that invention may be readily understood, certain embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a collating member for use in a method in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of a further embodiment of collating member, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of articles assembled with a collating member.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the collating members are provided in the form of one piece integral blanks of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semirigid sheet material. Each comprises a base strip 1 at each end of which is hingedly connected an integral retaining member 2 by means of hinge lines 3. The retaining members are formed of two portions 4, 5 of which the latter is released from the base strip 1 by a cut line 6. As shown the retaining members 2 are coplanar with the base strips 1 but it is apparent that they may be pivoted about the hinge lines 3 to a position in whic.h they lie substantially perpendicularly to the base strips 1. This is their operative position which will now be described further with reference to Figure 3.

Figure 3 shows an assembly of cylindrical articles 7, in this case packets of biscuits, prior to the forming or placing therearound of a packaging container shown here in outline as a shrink wrap cover 8.

In order to arrive at the structure shown in Figures 3 four articles 7 were first assembled adjacent one another to form a first row 8. A collating member similar to that shown in Figure 2 was then disposed across the upper surfaces of the articles in the first row with the retaining members 2 at each end hinged so as to lie substantially perpendicular to the base strip 1 with the portions 5 engaging the end articles of the row 8. It will be seen that the portions 5 extend to substantially midway of the articles 7, and that they serve to retain the row intact by resisting any outward movement of the end articles.

Next four further articles 7 are disposed on the collating member to form a second row 9 and it will be seen that the end ones of the row are engaged by the portions 4 of the retaining members 2. This serves to retain the row 9 intact and prevent rolling away of the articles from the assembly.

Any tendency of the articles of the second row 9 to roll away causes the retaining member to abut more tightly on the first row for support and vice versa.

Whilst not shown, it will be evident that a further collating member could be disposed over the second row 9 of articles, and further articles added to form a third row. More rows could be added if desired and in each case the lower convex edge of the portion 5 of each retaining member will mate with the upper concave edge of the portion 4.

It will thus be seen that a stable stack may be formed of articles to be packaged using a minimum of support which does not increase the weight of the package by an appreciable extent. This radically simplifies the packaging of articles which by reason of their size or shape are otherwise unable to form a stable array. Packaging speeds may be increased and costs reduced by the employ ment of the method and collating members described.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A method of packaging articles com prising assembling a plurality of articles adjacent one another to form a first row, disposing over said row a collating member extending across the upper surfaces of said articles and including a retaining member at each end thereof serving to engage each end article and retain the row intact, dis posing a plurality of further articles on said collating member to form a second row, the end articles of said second row being engaged by the retaining members whereby the second row is retained intact, and forming or placing packaging means around the array of articles so formed.

2. A method according to claim 1 includ ing disposing over said second row of articles a second said collating member and a plurality of further articles to form a third row of articles in a similar way to the second.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 in which said collating member comprises a base strip adapted to extend across the surfaces of said plurality of articles arranged in said first row, a respective retaining member being connected to said base strip at each end thereof and being pivotable between an inoperative position substantially parallel to or coplanar with the base strip and an operative article engaging position sub stantially perpendicular to and one either side of said base strip.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the retaining members are integral with and hingedly connected to the base strip.

5. A method according to claim 4 in which each retaining member comprises two portions one hingedly connected to the base strip and adapted to lie on one side of the base strip in the operative position and the other being released from the base strip contiguous with one portion and adapted to lie on the other side of the base strip in the operative position.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the portions of each retaining member are formed with edges adapted to mate with each other.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (8)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. understood, certain embodiments thereof will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a collating member for use in a method in accordance with the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of a further embodiment of collating member, and Figure 3 is a perspective view of articles assembled with a collating member. Referring to Figures 1 and 2 the collating members are provided in the form of one piece integral blanks of cardboard, corrugated board or similar lightweight semirigid sheet material. Each comprises a base strip 1 at each end of which is hingedly connected an integral retaining member 2 by means of hinge lines 3. The retaining members are formed of two portions 4, 5 of which the latter is released from the base strip 1 by a cut line 6. As shown the retaining members 2 are coplanar with the base strips 1 but it is apparent that they may be pivoted about the hinge lines 3 to a position in whic.h they lie substantially perpendicularly to the base strips 1. This is their operative position which will now be described further with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 shows an assembly of cylindrical articles 7, in this case packets of biscuits, prior to the forming or placing therearound of a packaging container shown here in outline as a shrink wrap cover 8. In order to arrive at the structure shown in Figures 3 four articles 7 were first assembled adjacent one another to form a first row 8. A collating member similar to that shown in Figure 2 was then disposed across the upper surfaces of the articles in the first row with the retaining members 2 at each end hinged so as to lie substantially perpendicular to the base strip 1 with the portions 5 engaging the end articles of the row 8. It will be seen that the portions 5 extend to substantially midway of the articles 7, and that they serve to retain the row intact by resisting any outward movement of the end articles. Next four further articles 7 are disposed on the collating member to form a second row 9 and it will be seen that the end ones of the row are engaged by the portions 4 of the retaining members 2. This serves to retain the row 9 intact and prevent rolling away of the articles from the assembly. Any tendency of the articles of the second row 9 to roll away causes the retaining member to abut more tightly on the first row for support and vice versa. Whilst not shown, it will be evident that a further collating member could be disposed over the second row 9 of articles, and further articles added to form a third row. More rows could be added if desired and in each case the lower convex edge of the portion 5 of each retaining member will mate with the upper concave edge of the portion 4. It will thus be seen that a stable stack may be formed of articles to be packaged using a minimum of support which does not increase the weight of the package by an appreciable extent. This radically simplifies the packaging of articles which by reason of their size or shape are otherwise unable to form a stable array. Packaging speeds may be increased and costs reduced by the employ ment of the method and collating members described. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A method of packaging articles com prising assembling a plurality of articles adjacent one another to form a first row, disposing over said row a collating member extending across the upper surfaces of said articles and including a retaining member at each end thereof serving to engage each end article and retain the row intact, dis posing a plurality of further articles on said collating member to form a second row, the end articles of said second row being engaged by the retaining members whereby the second row is retained intact, and forming or placing packaging means around the array of articles so formed.

2. A method according to claim 1 includ ing disposing over said second row of articles a second said collating member and a plurality of further articles to form a third row of articles in a similar way to the second.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2 in which said collating member comprises a base strip adapted to extend across the surfaces of said plurality of articles arranged in said first row, a respective retaining member being connected to said base strip at each end thereof and being pivotable between an inoperative position substantially parallel to or coplanar with the base strip and an operative article engaging position sub stantially perpendicular to and one either side of said base strip.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the retaining members are integral with and hingedly connected to the base strip.

5. A method according to claim 4 in which each retaining member comprises two portions one hingedly connected to the base strip and adapted to lie on one side of the base strip in the operative position and the other being released from the base strip contiguous with one portion and adapted to lie on the other side of the base strip in the operative position.

6. A method according to claim 5 in which the portions of each retaining member are formed with edges adapted to mate with each other.

7. A method of packaging substantially

as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

8. A package of articles made up by a method according to any of the preceding claims.