MXPA97008533A - Carrier with a top cover that lets up, two pieces fundi - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a conveyor for carrying a plurality of containers comprising: a portion of that plastic, the handle portion having a plurality of tongues along a edge thereof and a position that comes into contact with the plastic container having a plurality of opening in grooves therethrough, each opening is for transporting an associated container, the tabs on the handle portion are attached to the portion that comes in contact with the container between the grooves of the opening.

Description

Carrier with a rising top cover, two castings BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed, generally, to plastic carriers with an upper cover that rises to transport containers such as bottles, cans and the like. More particularly, the invention contemplates a plastic carrier having a simple fold handle portion that is formed separately from the flat portion that engages the container. The portion of the handle and the portion that hooks the container melt or weld together after the formation of the portions. U.S. Patent No. 5,487,465, commonly owned by the attorney in charge of the latter, has a plastic carrier for transporting containers, such as cans, bottles and the like. The carrier is formed from two nets or meshes of plastic material placed one above the other and by stamping the handle portion and the hooking portion of the net container simultaneously. The nets are melted or welded through the joint between the handle portion and the container engaging portion, such as heat sealing, to form a weld. The portion of the resulting handle has a double thickness and the portion for hooking the container freely depends on the portion of the handle in the weld. While this construction of the carrier has a good performance in the transport of containers, several disadvantages still exist. Due to the construction, the portion of the handle is of a double thickness which is a waste of material. In addition, the portion of the handle and the portion that hooks the container should be formed of the same material and the portion of the carrier should be symmetrical around its center line. The present invention provides a novel carrier having a portion that engages the container, which is formed separately from the handle portion and which are joined before they are assembled with the containers. This solves the disadvantages of the prior art. The carrier presented in the invention also has several novel advantages.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a plastic carrier with an upper cover that is raised that is formed from a handle portion and a portion that engages the container that is formed separately and that Then they join.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic carrier with an upper cover that is lifted having a handle portion that is a single fold of plastic material. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic carrier for which different styles of the handle portion can easily be had. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a plastic carrier having a portion that engages the container that is not equal on both sides of the carrier. A specific object of the present invention is to provide a carrier having a weld between the portion that engages the container and the portion of the handle, which is placed in shear or cut, when transporting containers therein and resists breaking forces. Briefly and in accordance with the foregoing, the present invention shows a carrier with a novel raised cover and a new method for forming the same. The carrier is used to transport a variety of containers, such as cans, bottles and the like. The carrier is formed from a simple fold, the portion of the plastic handle having a variety of portions of tabs along one edge thereof and a flat portion of plastic that engages the containers having a plurality of openings that are placed in rows. Each opening carries one of the containers. The handle portion and the container portion are formed separately and can be made from different materials. To form a complete carrier, the portions of the tongues are melted or welded to the portion that hooks the container between the rows of the openings, by the appropriate means, such as for example a heat seal or by the use of adhesives sensitive to heat and the pressure between the portions of folds and the portion that hooks the container. In a first embodiment of the carrier, the portion that engages the container is provided with a variety of separate slots between the rows of the openings. The portions of tabs in the portion of the asse insert respectively through the slots and melt or weld to a lower side of the portion that engages the container to form a braze, resistant to rupture. When the carrier transports containers, the weld is placed in shear rather than in tear. In a second embodiment of the carrier, the slots in the portion that hooks the container are removed and the portions of tabs are melted or welded directly to the upper surface of the portion that engages the container. This embodiment of the carrier is preferably used to transport light objects for which the breaking forces do not have to be substantially eliminated. To form the carrier, at least one roll of plastic material is provided. The portion of the handle and the portion that hooks the container are stamped separately from each other in a continuous manner so that the adjacent handle portions are connected to each other and the portions that hook the container are connected to each other. The handle portion can be stamped from a roll of material at one time and in one location, and the portion that engages the container is stamped from another roll of material at another time and in another location, if desired. Therefore, it is not necessary that the same plastic material be used to -form the portion of the handle and the portion that engages in the container. For example, the handle portion can be formed of a thicker and heavier plastic material than that used for the portion that engages the container. When the handle portion is stamped, it is formed from a simple fold of plastic material and has a plurality of portions of tabs at one edge thereof. When the portion engaging the container is stamped, it is formed from a flat sheet of material and has a plurality of openings provided in rows along it.

The portion of the handle and the portion that hooks the container overlap so that the portions of tongues are placed between the rows of the openings. The portions of the tongues are fused or welded to the portion that engages the container between the rows of the openings by a manner appropriate to form the complete carrier. Then, the complete carriers are rolled up on a reel. To use the carrier, one of the carriers is cut or separated from the other carriers in the roll by means of the appropriate mechanisms. If the first embodiment of the carrier is formed, during the stamping step of the portion that engages the container, a plurality of separate slots are stamped between the rows of the openings. In addition, during the overlapping step of the handle portion and the container engaging portion, the portions of the tabs are inserted into and through the slots. When the portions of the tongues are melted or welded to the portion that engages the container, the portions of the tongues melt or weld to a lower side of the portion that engages the container to form a strong tear-resistant network, with the rest of the portion of the handle being above the portion that engages the container. When the containers are placed in the carrier and the package is transported, the net is placed in shear, not in tear.

If the second embodiment of the carrier is formed, the slots are removed through the portion that engages the container. Instead, portions of the tongues melt or weld to the upper surface of the portion that engages the container between the rows of the openings. This embodiment of the carrier is preferably used for lightweight objects for which it is not necessary to substantially eliminate the tearing forces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The organization and manner of the structure and operation of the invention, together with the additional objects and advantages thereof, can be better understood by reference to the following description, in relation to the accompanying drawings, wherein the numerical references identify the elements, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a carrier with a raised top cover incorporating the features of the first embodiment of the invention, shown surrounding a variety of containers, such as cans or similar; Figure 2 is a top plan view of the carrier with a top cover that is lifted before being assembled; Figure 3 is a planar top view of the carrier with an upper cover that rises after being assembled; Figure 4 is a schematic view of the steps used to form the carrier with a raised top cover of the present invention; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier with an upper cover that rises along the line 5-5 in Figure 1; Figure 6 is a perspective view of 1 carrier with a top cover that rises incorporating the characteristics of the second embodiment of the invention; and Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a carrier with an upper cover that rises along line 7-7 in Figure 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While the invention may be susceptible to different embodiments, specific embodiments are described in the drawings and will be described in detail, it being understood that the present description is considered an example of principles of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the form illustrated and described herein. In Figure 1, there is shown a first and preferred embodiment of the carrier with a raised top cover 20, which incorporates the features of the present invention. The carrier 20 is used to transport containers 22, such as cans, bottles and the like. The carrier 20 is formed from a portion that engages the container 24 and a portion of the handle 26 that are manufactured separately from each other by stamping each on a flat sheet of material and joining to form the complete carrier 20. , as will be described in more detail below. The portion that engages the container 24 and the portion of the handle 26 can be made, and is most preferable, of two materials that are not equal to each other. For example, a thicker and heavier plastic material can be used for the handle portion 26 while a thinner and lighter plastic material or any material other than the material of the handle portion 26 is used for the hooking portion in the container 24. Alternatively, the portion that engages the container 24 and the portion of the handle 26 can be made of the same material. The construction of the novel carrier 20 of the present invention allows separate sheets of individually stamped material to, respectively, form the engaging portion of the container 24 and the handle portion 26. This allows the portion of the handle 26 to be pre-printed on both sides and also allows the design of the carrier 20 to have features that are not necessarily identical on each side of the carrier centerline with an upper cover that rises 20. The portion that engages the container 24 is made from a flat sheet of flexible, resilient and elastic material, such as plastic and has a pair of rows of openings 28 stamped therein and defined by annular bands 30 for securely holding the containers in the carrier 22, for example , as shown in Figure 1, the containers 22 are a variety of typical beverage cans that are securely held within the s openings 28 in the portion that engages the container 24 by means of resilient elastic bands 30. Preferably, the container engaging portion 24 is made of a low density polyethylene such that the portion that engages the container 24 can be adjusted above the container 22 and according to the side walls of the container 22. The carrier 20 can be applied to the containers 22 by known means, for example, by the machines presented in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,250,682 or 3,204,386. The portion that engages the containers 24 has half of the section 32 between the rows of the openings 28 and the outermost edges 34 on the opposite sides of the rows of the openings 28. A plurality of separate slots are provided. 38 each of which has a predetermined width in the middle section 32 of the portion that engages the container 24 and is generally provided between the adjacent openings 28 on each side of the portion 24. In addition, a plurality of cuts, generally in the form of diamond 40 are provided in the middle section 32 of the container engaging portion 24. Each external margin 34 has a zipper band 36 therein, which can be formed in accordance with, and which is presented in its entirety, in the Application, co-pending from the United States Patent with serial No. 08 / 608,522 which is commonly owned by the attorney hereof and which is incorporated by reference. Because the portion that engages the container 24 is stamped from a flat sheet of material, separately from the portion of the handle 26, the carrier 20 of the present invention shows an improvement in the carrier presented in co-pending patent No. 08. / 608,522 because the design of the carrier 20 of the present invention allows the design form of the carrier 20 to have the characteristics that are not necessarily the same on each side of the centerline of the carrier 20, as is necessary in the co-pending patent. pending with serial number 08 / 608,522. For example, the design of this carrier 20 allows the zipper band 36 to be designed to open from the same direction on both sides of the carrier 20 or different directions on each side of the carrier 20. This carrier 20 also allows that one UPC flap (not shown) is placed on the outer margin 34 of the portion that engages the container 24 and not on the other outermost margin thereof. The portion of the handle 26 is made of a flat sheet of flexible, resilient and elastic material, such as plastic, preferably low density polyethylene. The handle portion 26 has a portion of the body 42 that has an opening 44 provided through the upper portion of. the body portion 42 proximate the edge of the body portion 42, such that the user's hand can be inserted through the opening 44 to grip the handle portion 26. A plurality and portions of the spaced tabs 46 are provide on the opposite edge of the body portion 42 and protrude from the remainder of the body portion 42. The portions of the tabs 46 are separated from each other at approximately the same distance as the slots 38, provided through the engaging portion. the container 24, are spaced apart and have a predetermined width which is approximately the same as the width of the slots 38. In addition, a plurality of openings 48 are formed through the portion of the body 42 near the edge in which the portions of tabs 46 are placed. To form the complete carrier 20, each portion of the tongue 46 in the handle portion 26 is inserted into and through one of the spaced slots 38 in the portion that engages the container 24. Thus, the portions of the tabs 46 they melt or weld to a lower side of the portion that engages the container 24 by suitable mechanisms. Now that the specifications of the carrier 20 have been described, a general description of the method for making the carrier 20 will be made. The method for making the carrier 20 is illustrated schematically in Figure 4, in a simplified manner. The carrier 20 is formed in a continuous method. A roll 50 of plastic material provides a first network 52 that is used to form the handle portion 26 and a roll 54 of plastic material provides a second network 56 that is used to form the portion that engages the container 24. These networks 52, 54 can be of the same material or different materials. The networks 52, 54 may be the same color or different colors, so that the resulting carrier 20 is natural, dyed or pigmented.

Initially, the web of material 54 that is used to form the portion of the handle 26 is printed by the desired mechanism 58. The portion of the handle 26 can be printed on one side or both sides thereof in register. If desired, the desired printing mechanisms can be provided to print on the portion that hooks the container 24, for example to form a bar code on the UPC fin (not shown). Each network 52, 56 is then perforated separately by means of a punch 60, 62 of known construction, to form continuous webs separated from the portions that engage the container 24 and the handle portions 26. The punch 60 forms all the openings 28, the features of the slide fastener and slots 38 through the middle section 32 of the portion that engages the container 24. Each portion that engages the container 24 is connected, integrally, to the portion that engages the container adjacent to the container. the ends of it. The die 62 forms the portions of the tabs 46 and all the openings and inlets 44, 48 in the handle portion 26. Each portion of the handle 26 is integrally connected to the portion of the handle adjacent the ends thereof. The separate perforation of the handle engaging portion 24 and the handle portion 26 allow a unique shape of the portion that engages the container 24 and the handle portion 26. The portion of the handle 26 can be easily changed to accommodate the designs unique of the customers while using the portion that engages the container 24, or a variation of the portion that engages the container 24, presented in the invention. Smaller passages of the portion of the handle 26 can be executed with more expensive tools in a rotary, where the portion that engages the container 24 can be passed in a three or four through die. In addition, any combination of UPC flaps or characteristic openings can be designed in the portion that engages the container 24. Therefore, each portion of the handle 26 is moved by suitable mechanisms to be joined with the respective portion that engages the container 24 to the insert the portions of the tabs 46 into and through the slots 38. between the rows of the openings 28, such that the portions of the tabs 46 are below the portion that engages the container 24 and the remainder of the portion of the container. handle 26 is, generally above the portion that engages container 24. During this process, portions of handle 26 and portions that engage container 24 remain flattened against each other. Then, the portion of the handle 26 and the portion that hooks the container 24 are joined along the middle section 32 of the portion that engages the container 24 so that the portions of the tabs 46 melt or weld to the underside of the portion that engages the container 24 to form a network 64 between the portions of the tabs 46 and the portion that engages the container 24. The connection is effected by the appropriate mechanisms, such as for example heat sealing using hot roller 66. it should be recognized that in some cases, a band of pressure sensitive or heat sensitive adhesive can be inserted in desired locations between the portion that engages the container 24 and the handle portion 26 to secure the portions of the tabs 46 to the portion of the handle. below the portion that is hooked to the container 24. Then, the continuous network of full carriers 20 is wound onto a roll 68 on a reel or in an appropriate storage form until they are gone to apply to. containers according to known methods. The structure and process of this invention thus provides flexible manufacturing degrees to produce intact carriers having features that are not capable of being created using existing technology. It is understood that variations of the method for forming the carrier 20 can be carried out. For example, printing on the handle portion 26 can be done after the handle portion has been stamped by die 62. If the same material it is used to form both hooking portions in container 24 and the handle portion 26, the same die can be used to form both portions. In addition, the band of the portions that hook the container 24 and the band of the handle portions 26 can be rolled separately into rolls and then simply assembled together before use. To use the carrier 20 to transport containers 22 and form a package 70, as shown in Figure 1, an individual carrier 20 is separated from the roll 68 by suitable means. The carrier 20 is then fitted over the containers 22 using the known mechanisms. To transport the package 70, the handle portion 26 is pivoted upwardly such that it extends upwardly between the rows of containers 22 and is generally perpendicular to the engaging portion. container 24 of the carrier 20. Fusing or welding the portions of the tabs 46 at the bottom of the portion that engages the container 24 allows the network 64 to resist the shear and not tear, thus forming a further link between the portion of the handle 26 and the portion that hooks the container 24. Because the portion that engages the handle 24 and the portion of the handle 26 is formed separately and can be formed of different materials or of different thickness, the material used for the portion that engages the container 24 and the portion of the handle 26 can be optimized. For example, the portion of the handle 24 can be formed of a stronger plastic material than that used to form the portion that engages the container 26 such that the portion of the handle 26 is not separated by the weight of the containers 22. simple portion of the fold for the handle 26 saves material costs, difference of the two-fold handles provided for the handles of the carriers according to the prior art. The second embodiment of the carrier 20a, as shown in Figure 6, is the same in construction to the first embodiment of the carrier 20 as shown in Figure 1 and provides all the advantages described in connection with the first embodiment, except for the differences that are mentioned a. continuation. The components of the carrier 20a that are different from those of the carrier 20 are identified with the same numbers but with the suffix "a" after said number. In this embodiment of the carrier 20a, the slots 38 have been removed through the middle section of the portion that engages the container provided in the first embodiment of the carrier 20. Instead, the portions of the tabs 46a are melt or weld directly to the upper surface of the portion that engages the container 24a along the middle section 32 a of the same to form a network 64a, see Figure 7, in the same positions as the slots would have been placed. This carrier 20a is preferably used to transport light objects in which the tearing forces substantially do not have to be removed. To transport the package 70a, the handle portion is pivoted upwardly so that it extends upwardly between the rows of containers 22 and is generally perpendicular to the portion that engages the container 24a of the carrier 20a. Each portion of the tabs 46a can be provided with a measurement line 72 at the junction between the portion of the respective tabs 46a and the remainder of the handle portion 26a to provide a fold, therefore the handle portion is aided 26th in its upward movement. The method for forming the carriers 20a is the same as that described with respect to the first embodiment of the carrier 20 as shown in Figure 4, except for the differences mentioned above. When the portion engaging the container 24a is pierced by the punch 60, the portion 24a is equal to that of the first embodiment except that the slots 38 provided in the first embodiment are not formed. Therefore, when each portion of the handle 26a is moved by means of appropriate mechanisms to engage with the engaging portion of the respective container 24a, the portion of the tab 46a lies above the middle section 32a of the portion engaging the vessel 24a between rows of openings 28a such that portions 46a are above the container engaging portion 24a. During this process, the portions of the handle 26a and the portions that engage the container 24a remain flattened against each other. Finally, when the portion of the tongue 46 a of the handle portion 26a melts or welds to the portion that engages the container 24a together with the middle section 32a thereof., the portion of the tab 46a is fused or welded on top of the portion that engages the container 24a to form a net 64a between the portions of the tabs 46a and the portion that engages the container 24a. While the preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, it has been provided that those skilled in the art can discern various modifications of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. A carrier for transporting a variety of containers comprising: a handle portion of plastics, this portion of the handle has a plurality of portions of tabs along the edge thereof and a portion that engages a container having a variety of openings through the rows, each opening is for transporting an associated container, portions of the tabs on the handle portion are secured to the portion that engages the containers between the rows of the openings.

2. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein the portion that engages the container further includes a variety of separate slots between the rows. In the openings, each of the portions of the tongues of the handle portion is inserted through the corresponding slot in the portion that engages the container and fuses to the bottom portion of the portion that engages the container to form a weld such that the portions of the tabs are substantially below the portion that engages the container and the remainder of the portion of the handle is substantially above the portion that engages the container, thereby placing the weld in shear when the carrier It has containers in the openings of the portion that hooks the container.

3. The carrier according to the claim 2, in which the portion that engages the container has external margins and furthermore has a slide fastener on each outer margin to release the subject containers within the openings in portion that engages the container.

4. The carrier according to the claim 3, wherein the fastener strips are of different construction.

5. The carrier according to the claim 1, in which portions of the tongues merge to the upper surface of the portion that engages the container.

6. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the handle and the portion that hooks the container are not made of the same plastic materials.

7. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein the handle portion is printed on both sides.

8. A method for forming the carrier for use in transporting a variety of containers, comprising the steps of: stamping the portion of the handle having a plurality of portions of tabs at an edge thereof, of a plastic material; stamping a portion that engages the container having a variety of openings in rows, the same being made of a plastics material such that the portion that engages the container separates from the handle portion; overlaying the portion of the handle in the portion that hooks the container such that the portions of the tabs are placed between the rows of openings; and melting the portions of the tongues in the portion that engages the container between the rows of the openings to form a complete carrier.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of providing at least one plastics material roll for stamping the handle portion and the portion that engages the container.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of carriers are formed continuously, such that each carrier is joined to the adjacent carriers.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of collecting the complete carriers on a reel.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein during the stamping step of the portion engaging the container, the plurality of separate slots are stamped between the rows of the openings and wherein during said step of overlapping the portion of the handle in the portion that engages the container, the portions of the tabs are inserted through the slots in such a way that the portions of the tabs are placed between the rows of the openings such that the portions are then melted on one side of the openings. down the portion that engages the container with the remainder of the portion of the handle that is substantially above the portion that engages the container during the melting step of the portions of the tabs to the portion that engages the container.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein during the step of melting the portions of the tabs to the portion that engages the container between the rows of the openings, the portions of the tabs merge to the upper surface of the portion that hooks the container. Summary The invention features a carrier with an upper cover that is raised novel and a novel method for forming the same. The carrier is used to transport a variety of container, such as cans, bottles and the like. The carrier is formed from a fold, the portion of the plastic handle having a plurality of tabs along the edge thereof and a portion that engages the flat plastic container having a variety of apertures therein. , which are placed in rows. Each opening carries a container. The handle portion and the portion that hooks the container are formed separately and can be made from different materials. To form the complete carrier, the tabs are fused or welded to the portion that engages the container enters the rows of the openings. In the first embodiment of the invention, the portion that engages the container is provided with a variety of separate slots between the rows of the openings. The tabs on the handle portion are respectively inserted through the slots and melted or welded to the bottom portion of the portion that engages the container to form a strong tear-resistant network. When the carrier transports the containers, the welding is placed in shear. In a second embodiment, the slots are removed and the tabs are melted or soldered directly to the upper surface of the portion that engages the container. This embodiment is preferably used for lightweight objects in which the tearing forces need not be substantially eliminated.