GB2154976A

GB2154976A - A handle or carrier for a can holding device

Info

Publication number: GB2154976A
Application number: GB08504933A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Shilcock
Original assignee: Waddingtons Ltd
Current assignee: Waddingtons Ltd
Priority date: 1984-03-01
Filing date: 1985-02-26
Publication date: 1985-09-18
Also published as: GB2154976B; GB8504933D0

Abstract

A handle or carrier of cut and creased cardboard for attachment to a can holder 44 and comprising a tongue having retaining tabs 22 and 24 adapted to springout after insertion of the tongue through an aperture in the holder, is provided with tabs 30, 32 adapted to overhang the holder and inhibit lateral movement of the carrier relative to the holder. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improvements relating to packaging This invention relates to packaging, and in particular concerns a packaging device of the nature set forth in our co-pending application No. 8201063, to which reference is made for details.

In the said co-pending application, we have described a carrier and handle device for use in connection with packs of containers which are held together by holding devices. The carrier and handle devices are for coupling to packs comprising a plurality, usually- four, containers held together. by a single holding device, whereby the carrier/handle device can be used for lifting and carrying packs. The carrier and handle device may also serve as a display flag for advertising or promotional material.

Specifically, the carrier and handle devices described in the co-pending application are for use with a holding device known as a Hicone (Trade Mark) holding device which comprises a plastics material web having apertures therein, and in which apertures the container tops are respectively frictionally fitted. The containers are usually metal cans of substantially constant cross section, and the cans are usually held in a square array or in an array of parallel rows. The holding device usually has an aperture -located centrally in relation to the four containers or each group of four containers in the packs, and the carrier and lifting device is adapted to push into such aperture so that lugs or flaps thereof after springing outwardly, engage under the holding device, to permit lifting of the pack via the carrier and lifting device.

The present invention is concerned with a carrier or locking device of this nature, and whilst it was conceived basically for use with the Hicone holding device described, it is to be pointed out that it can be used with equivalent holding devices having apertures into which the carrier and lifting devices can be inserted in the manner above described.

It has been found, in relation to Hicone holding devices, that such devices come in a number of sizes, and the aperture for receiving the lifting and carrying device can vary substantially in length. The portion of the lifting and carrying device which fits in the aperture therefore desirably should be of a matching size so that the lifting and carrying device does not become a sloppy fit in relation to the holding device. This has meant heretofore that a range of lifting and carrying devices must be provided for the range of holding devices.Another disadvantage arises however in that if the aperture into which the lifting and carrying device fits is over a certain length, in relation to the containers held by the holding device, the lugs of the lifting and carrying device cannot spring outwardly to a sufficient extent to engage the optimum region of the holding device for the lifting and carrying of the pack.

There are therefore a number of limitations on the design, and the present invention provides an effective arrangement for overcoming these difficulties.

In accordance with the invention, the lifting and carrying device is of cut and creased sheet material, and has at least one tongue means for fitting in the aperture of the holding device as described, the tongue means having lugs means which spring outwardly after insertion of the tongue means in said aperture, to engage the underside of the holding means enabling lifting of the pack comprising the holding device and containers, the lifting and carrying device further comprising restricting tab means which overhang at least one of the edges of the pack to prevent or limit lateral movement of the lifting and carrying device relative to the holding means even although the tongue means may not be matched to the size of the aperture in the holding means in which it is engaged.

Preferably, the lifting and carrying device is for use with a pack of four containers held by a holding means, the aperture being in the centre of the pack at the top thereof, and in such arrangement, the lifting and carrying device has two restricting tab means which overhang respective sides of the pack, and specifically, overhang the holding means.

To design the lifting and carrying device so that it can be used with holding means of different sizes, it is a matter of ensuring that the tongue means can fit in the smallest sized aperture, and that the restricting tab means can overhang the edges of the widest pack.

The lifting and carrying device is in fact effective for a wide range of holding device sizes, because usually the overall pack size is sensibly constant, although the aperture size varies considerably.

The invention can be adapted for use with packs comprising six containers, in which case there will be two tongue means for engagement in the respective apertures of the holding means, and two restricting means to overhang the edges of the pack.

The device according to the invention is preferably a cut and creased blank of sheet material such as cardboard which has an axis of symmetry along which the device is folded, and at least two tongue sections at the free edges of the two sections come together to form the tongue means as do other sections to form the restricting tab means.

Each tongue section preferably has two lugs, one on each side of the tongue, and prior to insertion of the tongue means into the aperture, the lugs are folded through 180 onto the outsides of the tongue sections, and after insertion of the tongue means, the said lugs spring outwardly so as to lie at an angle of less than 90 relative to the plane of the lifting and carrying device as dictated by the lugs coming to rest against the containers held by the holding device.

The lifting and carrying device is designed so as to be insertable into the aperture in the holding device to a limited extent, leaving a portion of-the device projecting above the tops of the containers, so that said portion can serve as a flat for display and promotional purposes as well as a handle for the gripping of same with the fingers for the lifting and carrying of packs. The said projecting portion may be provided with finger aperture means, and it may be adapted to be folded through 90 onto the tops of the containers of the packs, for shrink wrapping the assembly of pack and lifting and carrying device.

The lifting and carrying devices may be adapted to be placed in the holding devices by automatic holding and inserting machinery ad described in our co-pending patent application No. 8314146.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank of a lifting and carrying device according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows in perspective elevation the device of Fig. 1 after having been folded to make it ready to be inserted into the holding device of a pack of four cans- and a Hicone holding device; Figure 3 shows a pack comprising four cans and a Hicone holding device, the cans being shown in dotted lines in the interests of clarity; Figure 4 shows the device of Figs. 1 and 2 when inserted in the holding device aperture; Figure 5 shows in sectional plan the lifting and carrying device when engaged in the Hicone holding device, the section being taken on the line V-V Fig. 4;; Figure 6 shows the top of the pack comprising the cans and Hicone holding device with the lifting and carrying device in position and folded to the storage condition; and Figure 7 shows in perspective view similar to Fig. 6, how the lifting and carrying device can be moved to a display position.

Referring to the drawings, in Fig. 1 a blank 10 of a lifting and carrying device according to the i-nvention is shown. The device has a line of symmetry 12, at least as regards the external shape of the blank and each half comprises a display portion 14 connected by a hinge line 1 6 to a tongue portion 18. The tongue portion 1 8 has a tongue 20 extending away from the hinge line 1 6, and is provided with locking lugs 22 and 24 hingeable about hinge lines 26 and 28 which are inclined slightly so as to converge in a direction away from hinge line 1 6. There are restraining tabs 30 and 32 which also project away from hinge line 1 6 and overlap the tongue 18 as shown.Cut away portions 34 and 36 allow the lugs 22 and 24 to be folded for use of the device as will be explained.

Finally, the lower hinge line 16 shown in Fig. 1 is broken to provide locking tabs 38 and 40 the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

Referring now to Fig. 3, four cans 42 which may be beer cans, are held in a square array by means of a holding device known as a Hicone holding device (Trade Mark) 44 which is a web of plastics material provided with apertures 46 which are arranged in the square array, and which frictionally receive the tops of the cans. The holding device 44 is profiled at the outer edge to match the can profiles, and is provided with a central aperture 48 of elongate form.

In the use of the lifting and carrying device of Fig. 1, the device has to be erected to make it ready for presentation to the holding device 44, and this is achieved firstly by folding the device about the centre line 12, so that the two tongues 20 come together, and then the lugs 22 and 24 of each tongue are folded outwardly onto the outside of each tongue as shown in Fig. 2. As the hinge lines 26 and 28 about which the lugs 22 and 24 are folded are inclined as described, so the upper edges of the lugs 22 and 24 incline upwardly slightly as shown in Fig. 2, as this enhances the hooking and locking of the lifting and carrying device 10 to the holding device 44.

If reference is made to Fig. 4, it will be seen that to connect the device 10 to the holding device 44 the tongues 20 of the folded over lugs as shown in Fig. 2 are inserted into the aperture 48 until the tongues 22 and 24 lie under the holding device 44, at which time the tongues 22 and 24 spring outwardly, as best shown in Fig. 5, until the lugs 22 and 24 rest against the respective cans, and are hooked under the holding device 44. It is to be noted that the lugs 22 and 24 are prevented by the can from swinging outwardly by more than 90 , and in fact take up an angle of less than 904 relative to the cans. This is to ensure that the lugs will have good tangential contact with the cans and yet will lie well under the holding device 44.

The restraining tabs 30 and 32, as also shown in Fig. 4 overhang the holding device 44 so that the lifting and carrying device is prevented from being moved, as indicated by arrow 50 in Fig. 4, laterally relative to the holding device. This ensures a positive and firm connection between the lifting and carrying device and the holding device 44.

Fig. 5 illustrates that the length of the aperture 48 is indicated by reference X, whilst reference Y indicates the distance between the extremities of the holding device 44 along the axis containing the aperture 48. In designing the holding devices, the width of the tongues 20 should be equal to or less than the smallest sized aperture 48, whilst the distance between the inner edges of the tabs 30 and 32 should be equal to the largest dimension Y of-the family of holding devices in connection with which the lifting and carrying device can be used.

Fig. 6 shows how the display portions 14 of the lifting and carrying device can be folded downwardly for transportation and, if appropriate, shrink wrapping of the assembly comprising lifting and carrying device and the pack of cans, and it will be noticed that the tabs 38 and 40 by virtue of the folding down of the display portions 14, overlap the tops of the cans 42 and prevent the lifting and carrying device from springing back up to a display position. If it is required to put the lifting and carrying device in display position, the tabs 38 and 40 are tucked into the sides of the cans as shown in Fig. 7, and will serve to maintain the display portions 1 4 at least in a semi-erected position.

The display portions 14 may be provided with apertures to facilitate lifting of the device and the pack connected thereto.

Claims

1. A carrier device of cut and creased sheet material, and has at least one tongue means for fitting in the aperture of the holding device as described, the tongue means having lugs means which spring outwardly after insertion of the tongue means in said aperture, to engage the underside of the holding means enabling lifting of the pack comprising the holding device and containers, the lifting and carrying device further comprising restricting tab means which overhang at least one of the edges of the pack to prevent or limit lateral movement of the lifting and carrying device relative to the holding means even although the tongue means may not be matched to the size of the aperture in the holding means in which it is engaged.

2. A carrier according to Claim 1, wherein the lifting and carrying device is for use with a pack of four containers held by a holding means, the aperture being in the centre of the pack at the top thereof, and in such arrangement, the lifting and carrying device has two restricting tab means which overhang respective sides of the pack, and specifically, overhang the holding means.

3. A carrier according to Claim 1, wherein the carrier is for use with packs comprising six containers and there are two tongue means for engagement in the respective apertures of the holding means, and two restricting means to overhang the edges of the pack.

4. A carrier according to any preceding Claim, wherein the carrier is constructed from a cut and creased blank of sheet material such as cardboard which has an axis of symmetry along which the device is folded, and at least two tongue sections at the free edges of the two sections come together to form the tongue means as do other sections to form the restricting tab means.

5. A carrier according to any preceding Claim, wherein the or each tongue section preferably has two lugs, one on each side of the tongue, and prior to insertion of the tongue means into the aperture, the lugs are folded through 180 onto the outsides of the tongue sections, and after insertion of the tongue means, the said lugs spring outwardly so as to lie at an angle of less than 90 relative to the plane of the lifting and carrying device as dictated by the lugs coming to rest against the containers held by the holding device.

6. A carrier substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any one of the embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings.