US20200216245A1 - Bottle Packaging - Google Patents
Bottle Packaging Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20200216245A1 US20200216245A1 US16/633,562 US201816633562A US2020216245A1 US 20200216245 A1 US20200216245 A1 US 20200216245A1 US 201816633562 A US201816633562 A US 201816633562A US 2020216245 A1 US2020216245 A1 US 2020216245A1
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- bottle
- bottles
- bottle holder
- lid
- holder
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D71/06—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers
- B65D71/12—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank
- B65D71/14—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers without end walls
- B65D71/34—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers the packaging elements, e.g. wrappers being formed by folding a single blank having a tubular shape, e.g. tubular wrappers without end walls characterised by weakened lines or other opening devices
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D71/06—Packaging elements holding or encircling completely or almost completely the bundle of articles, e.g. wrappers
- B65D71/063—Wrappers formed by one or more films or the like, e.g. nets
- B65D71/066—Wrappers formed by one or more films or the like, e.g. nets and provided with inserts
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
- B65D71/50—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material comprising a plurality of articles held together only partially by packaging elements formed otherwise than by folding a blank
Definitions
- the present invention relates to packaging of bottles.
- Bottles are conventionally packed in boxes, in heat-shrink plastic film, or a combination thereof.
- a box for accommodating bottles usually has a relatively small number of narrow compartments (e.g. 6 or 12), each of which can accommodate one bottle.
- the bottles stored in the box are not in direct contact with each other.
- the box may be equipped with one or more handles.
- the boxes which are resilient enough not to break under the weight of the bottles and which are sufficiently resistant to humidity are usually expensive, because they need to be made of thick cardboard, wood or plastic. Boxes made of thin (cheaper) cardboard often fail, especially when removed from a fridge and soaked with environmental humidity. This often leads to damage of the bottles.
- Bottles of soft drinks are often packed by placing them on a cardboard tray and then surrounding the tray and bottles with a thick heat-shrink plastic film. Once the film has been wrapped around the bottles it is subjected to heat treatment in a heat tunnel to shrink the film around the bottles and the tray.
- the heat treatment is expensive. In addition, the heat treatment may be damaging for certain fluids, or even dangerous when used with certain fluids. The heat treatment may also cause layers of plastic bottles to become delaminated.
- the packaging may be cheap, sufficiently resilient packaging for bottles, may be safe, may use less material, may be easy to unpack and may be recyclable.
- a bottle holder comprising a base and a lid, wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.
- the invention advantageously allows bottles to be held by the bottle holder and transported easily.
- the bottle receiving portions may comprise a plurality of flaps separated by cuts.
- the cuts may be radially extending.
- Inner edges of the flaps may define holes at the centre of the bottle receiving portions.
- the flaps may be triangular, sections of an annulus or trapezoidal.
- the cuts may be configured such that outer ends of the cuts are at least 5 mm from the neck of the bottle in use.
- the base and the lid may be connected via a hinge.
- the base and the lid may be configured to be opened and closed using the hinge.
- Structures may be indented into the base of the bottle holder.
- Structures may be indented into the lid of the bottle holder.
- the structures indented into the lid may correspond with the structures indented into the base such that when the lid is closed the structures in the lid contact the structures in the base.
- An uppermost surface of the lid may be a planar surface, excluding any indented structures.
- a bottle package comprising a bottle holder according to the first aspect of the invention, a plurality of bottles engaged in the bottle receiving portions provided in the bottle holder, and a plastic film wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles.
- the bottle receiving portions may hold the bottles with a force of engagement of less than 55 N.
- the force of engagement may be less than 40 N.
- a method of packaging bottles comprising providing a bottle holder with a base and a lid, the lid comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, engaging a bottle neck into each bottle receiving portion, and wrapping the bottle holder and the bottles in a plastic film.
- An additional item may be placed in a space between the base and the lid of the bottle holder.
- a method of unpacking bottles from bottle packaging comprising a bottle holder and a plastic film, the bottle holder comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each of the bottle receiving portions engaging a bottle neck, the plastic film being wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles, the method comprising removing the plastic film from the bottles and the bottle holder, and disengaging the bottles by pushing or pulling them out of the bottle receiving portions in the bottle holder.
- FIG. 1 depicts a bottle holder according to an embodiment of the invention with bottles inserted into the bottle holder;
- FIG. 2 is the bottle holder without the bottles and with the lid closed
- FIG. 3 is bottle holder with bottles inserted and the lid open
- FIG. 4 is the bottle holder with the lid open
- FIGS. 5-8 are schematic examples of a bottle receiving portion provided in the bottle holder
- FIG. 9 schematically depicts a bottle neck held by a bottle receiving portion
- FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottle packaging including a plastic film
- FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a packaging process according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an unpacking process according to an embodiment of the invention.
- FIGS. 1-10 show an embodiment of the bottle packaging according to the present invention.
- six wine bottles 1 are packed in the bottle packaging.
- the bottle packaging could be used with other bottles, such as beer or spirit bottles, champagne bottles, soft drink bottles, detergent bottles etc.
- more or less than six bottles 1 can be packed in the packaging.
- the invention is not limited to a specific number of bottles in the packaging.
- the packaging may contain e.g. 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 or 24 bottles.
- the invention is not limited to bottles 1 having a particular volume.
- the bottles 1 may be of any volume, e.g. 250 ml, 385 ml, 0.5 l, 0.75 l, 1 l, 2 l or 2.5 l.
- the bottle packaging comprises a bottle holder 2 and a plastic film 9 (see FIG. 10 ).
- the bottle holder may be referred to as a tray.
- the bottle holder 2 engages the bottle necks 1 a in a way described below, and holds the bottle necks 1 a such that a pre-defined force is needed to disengage the bottles 1 from the bottle holder 2 .
- the bottoms of the bottles 1 are not supported by the bottle holder 2 .
- the film 9 is then wrapped around the bottles 1 held in the bottle holder 2 , as described below.
- the bottle holder 2 with the bottles 1 is wrapped in the plastic film 9 .
- the bottle holder 2 without the plastic film 9 may not hold the bottles 1 with sufficient force for the bottle holder 2 to be lifted (the bottles may fall out of the bottle holder). This may apply in particular to heavier bottles, such as bottles having the volume of more than 0.5 l. Therefore, in such a case, the bottle holder 2 itself should not be used to support and handle the bottles 1 e.g. in a factory, before wrapping the bottle holder 2 and the bottles 1 in a plastic film 9 .
- the bottle holder 2 is rectangular. Depending on the number of bottles 1 and other factors, the bottle holder 2 may be of any other suitable shape (e.g. square, hexagon, octagon etc.). In an embodiment, the bottle holder may be provided with rounded corners. This arrangement is beneficial because it reduces the risk of damage to the plastic film 9 (described below) by sharp corners of the bottle holder 2 .
- the bottle holder 2 may be made of suitable plastic material.
- the bottle holder 2 may be made of PET, preferably rPET.
- the advantages of using rPET include flexibility of the material, low costs and easy manufacturing of the bottle holder 2 .
- rPET it is necessary to wrap the bottle holder 2 with the bottles 1 in the plastic film 9 , as mentioned above, especially with heavier bottles, because of the flexibility of rPET.
- the bottle holder 2 may be made of any other material with some flexibility, such as different kinds of plastics.
- the thickness of the material used to form the bottle holder 2 may be e.g. between 300 ⁇ m and 1000 ⁇ m.
- the material of the bottle holder 2 may be thicker than 350 ⁇ m; such bottle holders 2 are more rigid.
- the thickness of the material of the bottle holder 2 is between 450 ⁇ m and 550 ⁇ m, and may be for example 500 ⁇ m.
- Such thickness provides a good balance between the rigidity of the material and the cost of the material. If extra rigidity is required, the thickness of the bottle holder 2 may be more than 700 ⁇ m or even more than 800 ⁇ m. Such a bottle holder would be more expensive, but more stable. Thicker material may be used for example when heavier bottles are to be carried by the bottle holder 2 .
- the bottle holder 2 comprises a base 3 and a lid 4 .
- the base 3 and the lid 4 are both rectangular, and are connected together by a hinge 8 .
- the hinge 8 is positioned on one edge of the base 3 and the lid 4 . In different embodiments, the hinge 8 can be positioned at the shorter side of the rectangle, or at the longer side of the rectangle. If the bottle holder 2 is not rectangular, the hinge is positioned on one side as appropriate.
- the hinge 8 may be e.g. a living hinge (i.e. a flexible hinge formed from the same material as the base 3 and the lid 4 ).
- the material which forms the hinge may be thinner than material which forms the base 3 and the lid 4 .
- the living hinge is advantageous because it is easy to manufacture and does not require introduction of another (e.g. more flexible) material or of complex mechanical components. Therefore, the cost of the packaging can be kept low.
- the base 3 and the lid 4 both comprise a base plane 3 a , 4 a , and an elevated rim 3 b , 4 b .
- the outer surface (as seen when the lid 4 is closed) of the base plane 4 a is preferably planar (excluding any indented structures), so that items can be positioned on the outer surface.
- another similar bottle pack may be positioned on top of the lid 4 .
- the base 3 of the bottle holder 2 comprises bottle receiving portions 7 .
- the bottle receiving portions 7 are positioned on the base plane 3 a , between the elevated rims 3 b (shown in FIG. 4 ). Examples of bottle receiving portions 7 are shown schematically in FIGS. 5-8 .
- the bottle receiving portions 7 may be circular (as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 ), hexagonal (as shown in FIG. 7 ), or any other suitable shape.
- Each of the bottle receiving portions 7 comprises radially extending cuts 7 b , which divide the bottle receiving portion 7 into flaps 7 a .
- the flaps 7 a may be e.g. triangular, sections of an annulus, trapezoidal, or any other suitable shape.
- the flaps 7 a are flexible enough to be bent inwards when bottle neck 1 a approaches them and is pushed through the bottle receiving portion 7 (described below).
- the flaps 7 a engage the bottle necks 1 a .
- An example of this is depicted in FIG. 9 , with the flaps 7 a engaging an outward step which extends around a bottle neck 1 a .
- Such outward steps are conventionally provided in bottle necks.
- the outward step forms a lowermost surface of a radial ridge 1 b which extends around the bottle neck.
- Such a radial ridge is conventionally provided on wine bottle necks.
- the outward step may form a lowermost surface of a radial flange which extends around the bottle neck.
- Such a radial flange is conventionally provided on the neck of plastic soft drink bottles.
- the radial cuts 7 b may consist of cuts of the same length (as shown in FIGS. 5-7 ), or of cuts of different lengths (one example is shown in FIG. 8 ). In particular, if there is an even number of cuts, shorter cuts and longer cuts can alternate as shown in FIG. 8 .
- the radial cuts 7 b may divide the bottle receiving portions 7 into e.g. 4, 6 or 8 flaps, as shown on FIGS. 5 to 8 , or any other suitable number of flaps.
- the number of flaps is between 3 and 8.
- the smaller the number of flaps 7 a the more rigid the flaps 7 a are, and the more difficult it is to insert a bottle neck 1 a through the bottle receiving portion 7 .
- the greater the number of flaps the more flexible the flaps become, and the easier it is for the bottle 1 to disengage from the bottle receiving portion 7 .
- the flaps 7 a may be long enough to cover the whole bottle receiving portion 7 , with their tips meeting in the middle of the bottle receiving portion 7 , as shown in FIG. 5 .
- the flaps 7 a may be shorter, not covering the whole bottle receiving portion 7 , as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 .
- the tips of the flaps 7 a do not meet in the middle of the bottle receiving portion 7 , but instead inner edges of the flaps define a hole 7 c in the middle of the bottle receiving portion 7 .
- FIG. 6 shows the hole 7 c as being circular, but it is to be understood that the hole 7 c could have other shapes, e.g. hexagonal as depicted in FIG. 7 .
- the size of the hole 7 c may generally correspond with the size of a neck 1 a of a bottle to be received in the hole (excluding a ridge 1 b provided around the neck).
- the shape of the hole 7 c may roughly correspond with the size of a neck of a bottle to be received in the hole.
- the hole 7 c may be slightly smaller than the neck of the bottle such that the flaps 7 a engage against the neck of the bottle (e.g. up to 2 mm smaller measuring across the hole). This may ensure that there isn't a gap between the flaps and the neck of the bottle (there may be a tolerance of around 1 mm in dimensions of the bottle holder).
- Embodiments which are provided with a hole 7 c are preferable because they provide more controlled engagement with the neck 1 a of the bottle 1 .
- inner edges of the flaps 7 a may provide engagement around substantially all of the bottle neck 1 a . That is, substantially all of the inner edges of the flaps 7 a may be in contact with the bottle neck 1 a . If no hole is provided, such as depicted in FIG. 5 , then engagement between the bottle neck 1 a and the flaps 7 a may be limited to innermost corners of the flaps. Furthermore, a large deflection of the flaps 7 a is needed in order to allow the bottle neck 1 a to pass into the bottle receiving portion 7 .
- This large deflection may in some instances crease the flaps 7 a such that they do not resiliently move back to being engaged against the neck 1 a of the bottle 1 .
- embodiments without a hole are less preferred, they nevertheless be used in some instances, for example to hold lighter bottles (e.g. bottles weighing 100 g or less).
- the bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that bottles 1 can be disengaged using a force of less than 55 N (e.g. by selecting an appropriate length of cuts 7 b when forming the flaps 7 a ). A force of 55 N may be exerted by most people, thereby allowing disengagement of the bottles 1 . In an embodiment, the bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that bottles 1 can be disengaged using a force of less than 40 N. A lower force will allow easier and more comfortable disengagement of bottles. The bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that force exerted due to the weight of a bottle 1 does not disengage the bottle. For example the weight of a filled bottle may be around 1 Kg, in which case the bottle will exert a downward force of around 10 N.
- This force will be multiplied when the bottle holder 2 and bottles 1 are being moved around (e.g. during the packing process).
- the force needed for disengagement may be less than a force needed to retain the bottles 1 in the bottle holder 2 throughout a supply chain (the force needed would be in excess of 55 N).
- wrapping the bottles 1 and bottle holder 2 in tensioned film (as described below) will provide additional retention force to securely hold the bottles in the bottle holder throughout the supply chain.
- the force needed for disengagement may alternatively be referred to as the force of engagement.
- the weight of bottles 1 to be held by the bottle holder 2 may be taken into account when determining the force of engagement (a smaller force of engagement may be used for lighter bottles).
- the bottle holder 2 may be used to hold wine bottles.
- Necks 1 a of the wine bottles may have a diameter of 30 mm, and may be provided with a ridge 1 b having a larger diameter (see FIG. 9 ).
- outer ends of the cuts 7 b may extend at least 5 mm beyond the neck 1 a of the wine bottle (excluding the ridge 1 b of the neck).
- the outer ends of the cuts 7 b may for example extend up to 15 mm beyond the neck 1 a of the wine bottle.
- outer ends of the cuts 7 b may be between 20 mm and 30 mm from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 .
- outer ends of the cuts 7 b may be configured such that they are around 5 mm or more from the neck of a bottle in use.
- the outer ends of the cuts 7 b may be configured such that they are up to around 15 mm from the neck of a bottle in use.
- the size of the hole 7 c may generally correspond with the size of a neck of a bottle to be received in the hole.
- the cuts 7 b may have a length of around 5 mm or more.
- the cuts 7 b may have a length of up to around 15 mm.
- outer ends of the cuts 7 b may be configured such that they have a radial distance from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 which is between 1.3 and 2 times the radius of the bottle neck.
- the cuts 7 b may be configured such that the radial distance from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 to the outer ends of the cuts is at least 30% greater than the radius of the bottle neck.
- the cuts 7 b may be configured such that the radial distance from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 to the outer ends of the cuts is up to 100% greater than the radius of the bottle neck.
- the outer ends of the shorter cuts may be less than 5 mm from the neck of a bottle in use. In embodiments where the bottle receiving portion 7 is provided with a hole 7 c , the shorter cuts may extend less than 5 mm from the hole.
- the distance from a bottle neck to outer ends of the cuts 7 b may be selected such that the force needed to disengage a bottle 1 from the bottle holder 2 has a desired value (e.g. less than 55 N or less than 40 N). Increasing the distance will reduce the force, whereas reducing the distance will increase the force. In addition, the thickness of the material used to form the bottle holder 2 will have an effect upon the force needed to disengage a bottle. Using thicker material will increase the force, whereas using thinner material will reduce the force.
- a plastic film 9 may be wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 , as described below.
- the base 3 of the bottle holder 2 may further comprise pillars 5 .
- there are three pairs of bottle receiving portions 7 positioned so that the bottle receiving portions 7 form two rows, each row comprising three bottle receiving portions 7 .
- the pillars 5 are positioned between each four bottle receiving portions 7 , and also between each sidewall of the base 3 and the adjacent pair of bottle receiving portions 7 .
- there are four pillars 5 More generally, if there are 2n bottle receiving portions 7 organized in two rows, there may be n+1 pillars 5 .
- the pillars 5 are positioned between each four bottle receiving portions 7 , and also between the sidewalls and the adjacent pair of bottle receiving portions 7 .
- the pillars 5 are indented into the bottle holder and protrude above the base plane 3 a of the bottle holder 2 .
- the pillars 5 may be of approximately the same height above the base plane 3 a as the elevated rim 3 b .
- the pillars 5 are formed e.g. by pressing the material into a mould of suitable shape.
- the pillars 5 may be formed as a protrusion, forming a cavity on the outer side of the base plane 3 a .
- the pillars 5 may be filled with material, e.g. rPET. This makes the bottle holder 2 more resilient, but also more expensive.
- the lid 4 of the bottle holder comprises pillars 6 , with positions which correspond with the pillars 5 provided on the base 3 , so that when the bottle holder 2 is closed, the pillars 5 provided on the base 3 face the pillars 6 provided on the lid. If the pillars 5 , 6 are sufficiently high, the pillars 5 , 6 may engage when the lid is closed. Preferably, the pillars 5 , 6 touch when the lid 4 is closed. This provides the bottle holder with improved strength and rigidity, which is particularly useful in cases when there is another bottle pack with bottles positioned on top of the bottle holder 2 .
- the pillars 6 formed on the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 may be formed similarly to the pillars 5 formed on the base 3 of the bottle holder 2 .
- other structures may be used to provide the bottle holder with improved strength and rigidity (instead of pillars or in addition to pillars).
- the structures may be in the form of shapes indented into the bottle holder 2 .
- the bottle holder 2 may be provided with ribs which are indented into the bottle holder.
- an indented ring may encircle each bottle receiving portion 7 .
- indented lugs may extend inwardly from sides of the bottle holder 2 .
- the ribs, rings, lugs or other shapes may for example be provided in the base 3 and the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 in corresponding positions such that they face each other and touch with each other when the lid is closed.
- the pillars, ribs, rings, lugs or other shapes may be provided with male and female portions which engage into each other when the lid is closed. Alternatively, they may be provided with faces which press against each other when the lid is closed (e.g. planar faces).
- the elevated rims rim 3 b , 4 b may be provided with male and female features which engage into each other when the lid is closed.
- a flange may extend outwardly from the elevated rims 3 b , 4 b.
- the bottles 1 are positioned in the bottle holder 2 so that they pass through the bottle receiving portions 7 .
- the flaps 7 a engage the bottle necks 1 a , and the bottle necks protrude slightly (e.g. 1-3 cm) above the bottle receiving portions 7 .
- the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 may be open during positioning of the bottles 1 (although this is not essential). When the lid 4 is closed, the inner part of the base plane 4 a may touch the bottle closures (not shown).
- the bottles 1 when the bottles 1 are engaged in the bottle receiving portions 7 , there is enough space between the lid 4 , the base 3 and/or the bottle closures for positioning of branded material (e.g. leaflets explaining the origin of the wine in the packaging) or other items.
- branded material e.g. leaflets explaining the origin of the wine in the packaging
- FIG. 11 is a flow chart which sets out steps that may be used to package bottles using an embodiment of the invention.
- the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 is open (step S 1 ).
- the lid 4 is closed (step S 4 ).
- the bottle holder 2 with the bottles 1 is then wrapped in plastic film, as described below (step S 5 ).
- the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 may be in the closed position throughout the method. It is not necessary for the lid 4 to be open in order to engage the bottles into the bottle holder 2 . Similarly, it is not necessary to place additional materials between the base 3 and the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 .
- the bottle holder 2 serves as a feature which holds the bottles 1 in place (collates the bottles 1 ) during a wrapping process (described below) and during subsequent handling. After wrapping in the plastic film 9 , the bottles are held in a fixed position with respect to each other, thus minimizing the risk of being damaged by colliding together. During subsequent handling, the bottle holder 2 also serves as a base onto which another bottle pack can be positioned without difficulty (for example during palletisation). The bottle packs can therefore be stored or transported in a space saving manner. Additionally, the bottle holder 2 of the bottle pack can be gripped through an opening formed in the film 9 (described below), lifted and handled.
- the plastic film 9 is wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 .
- the process of wrapping the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in the plastic film 9 may be conventional, e.g. as described in patent applications published under WO9009316, WO2006051281, WO2011004157, WO2015025142 or WO2015067940.
- the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 may be wrapped helically with the plastic film 9 .
- more than one layer of the film 9 may cover the wrapped areas of the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 .
- successive layers of the film overlap.
- the number of layers of the overlapping film when the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 are wrapped helically may depend on the material and/or thickness of the plastic film 9 and on the size and weight of the bottles 1 positioned in the bottle holder 2 .
- the number of layers may be determined based on the known properties (such as strength) of the plastic film 9 .
- the film may be for example 250 mm wide, 125 mm wide, or of any other suitable width.
- a single layer of the pre-stretch film with some overlap is sufficient for light to medium weights, i.e. for bottles 1 with overall weight of less than 10 kg (for example, six 0.7 l bottles of wine, spirit or champagne).
- the film overlaps are between 20-100 mm, depending on the weight of the bottles 1 .
- the overlap may be towards the bottom end of that range for light bottles and may be towards the top end of the range for heavy bottles.
- a typical overlap may be round 60 mm.
- At any single point on the wrapped bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 there may be one or two layers of the film 9 .
- bottles 1 with overall weight of more than 15 kg for example between 15 kg to 25 kg (e.g. 15 or more 0.7 l bottles of wine, spirit or champagne)
- three layers of the film may be used.
- 1-3 layers are sufficient to hold the bottles 1 with an overall weight up to approx. 20 kg.
- the overall weight of the bottles 1 may be limited to e.g. 15 kg or 9 kg.
- 1-2 layers of the pre-stretch film 9 are sufficient for bottles 1 with such overall weight
- the film is stretched, i.e. tension is created in the film 9 by stretching it in a longitudinal direction.
- tension present in the film due to stretching exerts force on the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 .
- the force exerted by the film adds to the force exerted by the bottle holder 2 on necks of the bottles 1 , such that the bottles are held securely in place throughout a supply chain.
- the combined force which secures the bottles 1 to the bottle holder 2 may be greater than 55 N.
- the film 9 may include some pre-stretch, i.e. may have been stretched during manufacture and may be delivered in a stretched form. Where this is the case a further stretch of up to around 15% may be possible. An additional stretch of up to around 15% may be applied to the film during the wrapping process.
- the film may be perforated on at least one side of the bottles 1 .
- the perforations 9 b are created during packaging process.
- the stretched (tensioned) film passes over a fixed perforation wheel (not shown) when the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 are being wrapped in the plastic film 9 .
- the perforation wheel may have a shark-tooth design.
- the perforations 9 b may be formed using laser cutting. In general, any suitable form of perforating apparatus may be used to form the perforations.
- the film 9 may be cut after the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 have been wrapped, thereby separating the bottle pack from a next bottle pack.
- Any suitable form of cutting system may be used to cut the film 9 , e.g. heated bar, hot wire, heated crimping blade or other thermal cutting system.
- Other cutting systems may be used such as a laser or ultrasonic cutter.
- the perforations 9 b form a preferred line of opening the plastic film 9 .
- the perforations 9 b are preferably provided along the whole length of the bottle pack.
- the plastic film 9 does not break open prematurely. Only a small amount of force from a person is required to tear along the line of perforation.
- the perforations 9 b simplify the unwrapping process, thus making it quicker and more efficient.
- the perforations 9 b also eliminate the need for any tools such as knives, therefore reducing risk of injury.
- the film used for wrapping the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 may be e.g. the pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 5 ⁇ m to 9 ⁇ m as described above.
- Use of such pre-stretch LDPE film is beneficial because such film shows advantageous stretch properties.
- Pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 7 ⁇ m is particularly beneficial because of its optimal stretch properties.
- the pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-described thickness, i.e. 5 ⁇ m to 9 ⁇ m, and more particularly 7 ⁇ m, provides the bottles 1 as packed in the bottle holder 2 with increased structural integrity without the need to use a heat tunnel to make the film shrink.
- the pre-stretch LDPE film exerts force (pressure) on the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 , thus holding necks of the bottles 1 inside the bottle holder 2 and preventing the bottles 1 from falling out, unpacking prematurely, etc.
- LDPE is also advantageous because it is fully recyclable.
- the force exerted by the film is sufficient to hold the bottles 1 in the bottle holder 2 during handling and transport.
- the plastic film 9 prevents the bottles 1 from disengaging from the bottle holder 2 .
- the bottle holder 2 may be designed not to hold the bottles 1 alone, especially if there are many bottles (e.g. 15) to be packed.
- the bottles 1 stored within the bottle holder 2 and wrapped by the film 9 are more visible (compared to a conventional enclosed box where the product is only identifiable via a label containing text or barcode).
- the bottles 1 wrapped in the plastic film 9 allow an easy visual verification of the contents of the bottles 1 to take place (including verifying the fill level of the bottles). Picking errors can be reduced regardless of whether the picker has the ability or proximity to read the text.
- the plastic film 9 helps to protect the bottles 1 from the environment. It is also immediately apparent if the plastic film 9 has been tampered with, because in such case the film 9 would be broken. If one or more bottles 1 are damaged or missing, this is easily seen through the transparent plastic film 9 .
- any equivalent material to the pre-stretch LDPE film may be used, provided it has similar properties to that of the pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-given thickness. In particular, if the film stretches less than a 5 ⁇ m thick pre-stretch LDPE film, or more than a 9 ⁇ m thick pre-stretch LDPE film, it may be unsuitable for some applications.
- the plastic film 9 may be wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in only one direction, so as to completely cover the longer side of the bottle holder 2 , leaving the shorter side of the bottle pack open. This is shown in FIG. 10 . Parts of the uncovered side of the bottle pack and the bottles 1 may be covered by untensioned, loose film 9 a . Such untensioned portions 9 a may be less than 5 cm wide (relatively small to avoid wasting material).
- the plastic film 9 may also be wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in two different directions, thus covering the bottles 1 in their entirety. Enclosing the bottles 1 with the plastic film 9 provides extra structural integrity, protects the bottles 1 against environment, e.g. rain, humidity etc., and increases security. With the bottles 1 completely covered in the plastic film 9 , it is easier to detect tampering. However, it also increases the amount of the film used.
- the bottles 1 were to be wrapped in the plastic film 9 with no tray 2 being used, it would be easier to take out one or more bottles 1 from the packaging by just putting one's hand through an opening formed in the film 9 during wrapping process.
- the tray 2 prevents this, because it is not normally possible to disengage a bottle from the tray 2 when the tray 2 is wrapped in the film 9 .
- the plastic film 9 is first torn along the perforations 9 b (if present) and removed. If no perforations are present the plastic film may still be torn although this may be more difficult and may require a blade.
- the bottle holder 2 may be opened (with any additional materials provided between the lid 4 and the bottle closures removed). Once the lid 4 is opened, the bottles 1 may be removed relatively easily from the bottle receiving portions 7 . During this process, the flaps 7 a may be damaged or destroyed.
- the force used to remove the bottles 1 from the bottle receiving portions 7 may be less than 55 N, and may be less than 40 N (as discussed further above).
- the force provided by the flaps 7 a can be adjusted by varying the number of flaps (more flaps means less rigidity, less flaps means more rigidity).
- the force provided by the flaps 7 a can be also adjusted by varying the length of the cuts 7 b (the shorter the cuts, the greater the force, and the longer the cuts, the smaller the force).
- the cuts can be provided with varying length, e.g. with every second cut being shorter.
- FIG. 12 shows an overview of this method. This method may be used for example when the bottle pack is resting on a supporting platform (e.g. a table). Typically, one hand pulls the bottle holder 2 upwards whilst the other hand pushes the top of the bottle 1 downwards.
- a supporting platform e.g. a table
- the lid is not opened when removing a bottle 1 from the bottle holder 2 .
- This method may be used for example when the bottle pack is unsupported.
- the bottle 1 is pulled downwards with one hand whilst the bottle holder 2 is supported by the other hand.
- the bottle holder 2 and in particular the bottle receiving portions 7 with the flaps 7 a are designed to fail when the bottles 1 are pulled downwards to disengage the bottle. In this way, the flaps 7 a do not damage the bottle closures (not shown) when the bottles 1 are disengaged from the bottle holder 2 . In other words, the force required to disengage a bottle 1 from the bottle holder 2 (defined above) is not sufficient to damage the bottle closure, even when the bottle is provided e.g. with a screw cap or a beer cap. As a consequence, it is relatively easy to disengage the bottles 1 from the bottle holder 2 .
- the plastic film 9 as well as the bottle holder 2 may be recycled.
- the above-described packaging uses less material when compared to conventional packaging (e.g. a cardboard box). This is especially beneficial in the wine industry, where conventional cardboard packaging has been identified as particularly wasteful.
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Abstract
A bottle holder (2) comprising a base (3) and a lid (4), wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions (7), each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.
Description
- The present invention relates to packaging of bottles.
- Bottles are conventionally packed in boxes, in heat-shrink plastic film, or a combination thereof.
- A box for accommodating bottles usually has a relatively small number of narrow compartments (e.g. 6 or 12), each of which can accommodate one bottle. The bottles stored in the box are not in direct contact with each other. The box may be equipped with one or more handles.
- The boxes which are resilient enough not to break under the weight of the bottles and which are sufficiently resistant to humidity are usually expensive, because they need to be made of thick cardboard, wood or plastic. Boxes made of thin (cheaper) cardboard often fail, especially when removed from a fridge and soaked with environmental humidity. This often leads to damage of the bottles.
- Bottles of soft drinks are often packed by placing them on a cardboard tray and then surrounding the tray and bottles with a thick heat-shrink plastic film. Once the film has been wrapped around the bottles it is subjected to heat treatment in a heat tunnel to shrink the film around the bottles and the tray. The heat treatment is expensive. In addition, the heat treatment may be damaging for certain fluids, or even dangerous when used with certain fluids. The heat treatment may also cause layers of plastic bottles to become delaminated.
- It is desirable to provide packaging for bottles which overcomes one or more of the above disadvantages, or other disadvantages associated with prior art packaging. The packaging may be cheap, sufficiently resilient packaging for bottles, may be safe, may use less material, may be easy to unpack and may be recyclable.
- According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a bottle holder comprising a base and a lid, wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.
- The invention advantageously allows bottles to be held by the bottle holder and transported easily.
- The bottle receiving portions may comprise a plurality of flaps separated by cuts.
- The cuts may be radially extending.
- Inner edges of the flaps may define holes at the centre of the bottle receiving portions.
- The flaps may be triangular, sections of an annulus or trapezoidal.
- The cuts may be configured such that outer ends of the cuts are at least 5 mm from the neck of the bottle in use.
- The base and the lid may be connected via a hinge. The base and the lid may be configured to be opened and closed using the hinge.
- Structures may be indented into the base of the bottle holder.
- Structures may be indented into the lid of the bottle holder.
- The structures indented into the lid may correspond with the structures indented into the base such that when the lid is closed the structures in the lid contact the structures in the base.
- An uppermost surface of the lid may be a planar surface, excluding any indented structures.
- According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a bottle package, comprising a bottle holder according to the first aspect of the invention, a plurality of bottles engaged in the bottle receiving portions provided in the bottle holder, and a plastic film wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles.
- The bottle receiving portions may hold the bottles with a force of engagement of less than 55 N.
- The force of engagement may be less than 40 N.
- According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of packaging bottles, comprising providing a bottle holder with a base and a lid, the lid comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, engaging a bottle neck into each bottle receiving portion, and wrapping the bottle holder and the bottles in a plastic film.
- An additional item may be placed in a space between the base and the lid of the bottle holder.
- According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of unpacking bottles from bottle packaging, the bottle packaging comprising a bottle holder and a plastic film, the bottle holder comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each of the bottle receiving portions engaging a bottle neck, the plastic film being wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles, the method comprising removing the plastic film from the bottles and the bottle holder, and disengaging the bottles by pushing or pulling them out of the bottle receiving portions in the bottle holder.
- Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
FIG. 1 depicts a bottle holder according to an embodiment of the invention with bottles inserted into the bottle holder; -
FIG. 2 is the bottle holder without the bottles and with the lid closed; -
FIG. 3 is bottle holder with bottles inserted and the lid open; -
FIG. 4 is the bottle holder with the lid open; -
FIGS. 5-8 are schematic examples of a bottle receiving portion provided in the bottle holder; -
FIG. 9 schematically depicts a bottle neck held by a bottle receiving portion; -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottle packaging including a plastic film; -
FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a packaging process according to an embodiment of the invention; -
FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an unpacking process according to an embodiment of the invention. -
FIGS. 1-10 show an embodiment of the bottle packaging according to the present invention. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-10 , sixwine bottles 1 are packed in the bottle packaging. Alternatively, the bottle packaging could be used with other bottles, such as beer or spirit bottles, champagne bottles, soft drink bottles, detergent bottles etc. Depending on the design of thebottle holder 2, more or less than sixbottles 1 can be packed in the packaging. The invention is not limited to a specific number of bottles in the packaging. The packaging may contain e.g. 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 or 24 bottles. The invention is not limited tobottles 1 having a particular volume. Thebottles 1 may be of any volume, e.g. 250 ml, 385 ml, 0.5 l, 0.75 l, 1 l, 2 l or 2.5 l. - The bottle packaging comprises a
bottle holder 2 and a plastic film 9 (seeFIG. 10 ). The bottle holder may be referred to as a tray. Thebottle holder 2 engages thebottle necks 1 a in a way described below, and holds thebottle necks 1 a such that a pre-defined force is needed to disengage thebottles 1 from thebottle holder 2. The bottoms of thebottles 1 are not supported by thebottle holder 2. Thefilm 9 is then wrapped around thebottles 1 held in thebottle holder 2, as described below. - The
bottle holder 2 with thebottles 1 is wrapped in theplastic film 9. Thebottle holder 2 without theplastic film 9 may not hold thebottles 1 with sufficient force for thebottle holder 2 to be lifted (the bottles may fall out of the bottle holder). This may apply in particular to heavier bottles, such as bottles having the volume of more than 0.5 l. Therefore, in such a case, thebottle holder 2 itself should not be used to support and handle thebottles 1 e.g. in a factory, before wrapping thebottle holder 2 and thebottles 1 in aplastic film 9. - In the example shown in the Figures, the
bottle holder 2 is rectangular. Depending on the number ofbottles 1 and other factors, thebottle holder 2 may be of any other suitable shape (e.g. square, hexagon, octagon etc.). In an embodiment, the bottle holder may be provided with rounded corners. This arrangement is beneficial because it reduces the risk of damage to the plastic film 9 (described below) by sharp corners of thebottle holder 2. - The
bottle holder 2 may be made of suitable plastic material. For example, thebottle holder 2 may be made of PET, preferably rPET. The advantages of using rPET include flexibility of the material, low costs and easy manufacturing of thebottle holder 2. When rPET is used, it is necessary to wrap thebottle holder 2 with thebottles 1 in theplastic film 9, as mentioned above, especially with heavier bottles, because of the flexibility of rPET. - Alternatively, the
bottle holder 2 may be made of any other material with some flexibility, such as different kinds of plastics. - The thickness of the material used to form the
bottle holder 2 may be e.g. between 300 μm and 1000 μm. The material of thebottle holder 2 may be thicker than 350 μm;such bottle holders 2 are more rigid. Preferably, the thickness of the material of thebottle holder 2 is between 450 μm and 550 μm, and may be for example 500 μm. Such thickness provides a good balance between the rigidity of the material and the cost of the material. If extra rigidity is required, the thickness of thebottle holder 2 may be more than 700 μm or even more than 800 μm. Such a bottle holder would be more expensive, but more stable. Thicker material may be used for example when heavier bottles are to be carried by thebottle holder 2. - The
bottle holder 2 comprises abase 3 and alid 4. Thebase 3 and thelid 4 are both rectangular, and are connected together by ahinge 8. Thehinge 8 is positioned on one edge of thebase 3 and thelid 4. In different embodiments, thehinge 8 can be positioned at the shorter side of the rectangle, or at the longer side of the rectangle. If thebottle holder 2 is not rectangular, the hinge is positioned on one side as appropriate. - The
hinge 8 may be e.g. a living hinge (i.e. a flexible hinge formed from the same material as thebase 3 and the lid 4). The material which forms the hinge may be thinner than material which forms thebase 3 and thelid 4. The living hinge is advantageous because it is easy to manufacture and does not require introduction of another (e.g. more flexible) material or of complex mechanical components. Therefore, the cost of the packaging can be kept low. - The
base 3 and thelid 4 both comprise abase plane 3 a, 4 a, and anelevated rim lid 4 is closed) of thebase plane 4 a is preferably planar (excluding any indented structures), so that items can be positioned on the outer surface. For example, another similar bottle pack may be positioned on top of thelid 4. - The
base 3 of thebottle holder 2 comprisesbottle receiving portions 7. Thebottle receiving portions 7 are positioned on the base plane 3 a, between theelevated rims 3 b (shown inFIG. 4 ). Examples ofbottle receiving portions 7 are shown schematically inFIGS. 5-8 . Thebottle receiving portions 7 may be circular (as shown inFIGS. 5, 6 and 8 ), hexagonal (as shown inFIG. 7 ), or any other suitable shape. Each of thebottle receiving portions 7 comprises radially extendingcuts 7 b, which divide thebottle receiving portion 7 intoflaps 7 a. Theflaps 7 a may be e.g. triangular, sections of an annulus, trapezoidal, or any other suitable shape. Theflaps 7 a are flexible enough to be bent inwards whenbottle neck 1 a approaches them and is pushed through the bottle receiving portion 7 (described below). Theflaps 7 a engage thebottle necks 1 a. An example of this is depicted inFIG. 9 , with theflaps 7 a engaging an outward step which extends around abottle neck 1 a. Such outward steps are conventionally provided in bottle necks. InFIG. 9 the outward step forms a lowermost surface of aradial ridge 1 b which extends around the bottle neck. Such a radial ridge is conventionally provided on wine bottle necks. In another embodiment the outward step may form a lowermost surface of a radial flange which extends around the bottle neck. Such a radial flange is conventionally provided on the neck of plastic soft drink bottles. - The radial cuts 7 b may consist of cuts of the same length (as shown in
FIGS. 5-7 ), or of cuts of different lengths (one example is shown inFIG. 8 ). In particular, if there is an even number of cuts, shorter cuts and longer cuts can alternate as shown inFIG. 8 . - The radial cuts 7 b may divide the
bottle receiving portions 7 into e.g. 4, 6 or 8 flaps, as shown onFIGS. 5 to 8 , or any other suitable number of flaps. Preferably, the number of flaps is between 3 and 8. The smaller the number offlaps 7 a, the more rigid theflaps 7 a are, and the more difficult it is to insert abottle neck 1 a through thebottle receiving portion 7. On the other hand, the greater the number of flaps, the more flexible the flaps become, and the easier it is for thebottle 1 to disengage from thebottle receiving portion 7. - The
flaps 7 a may be long enough to cover the wholebottle receiving portion 7, with their tips meeting in the middle of thebottle receiving portion 7, as shown inFIG. 5 . Alternatively, theflaps 7 a may be shorter, not covering the wholebottle receiving portion 7, as shown inFIGS. 6 to 8 . In that case, the tips of theflaps 7 a do not meet in the middle of thebottle receiving portion 7, but instead inner edges of the flaps define ahole 7 c in the middle of thebottle receiving portion 7.FIG. 6 shows thehole 7 c as being circular, but it is to be understood that thehole 7 c could have other shapes, e.g. hexagonal as depicted inFIG. 7 . The size of thehole 7 c may generally correspond with the size of aneck 1 a of a bottle to be received in the hole (excluding aridge 1 b provided around the neck). The shape of thehole 7 c may roughly correspond with the size of a neck of a bottle to be received in the hole. Thehole 7 c, may be slightly smaller than the neck of the bottle such that theflaps 7 a engage against the neck of the bottle (e.g. up to 2 mm smaller measuring across the hole). This may ensure that there isn't a gap between the flaps and the neck of the bottle (there may be a tolerance of around 1 mm in dimensions of the bottle holder). - Embodiments which are provided with a
hole 7 c are preferable because they provide more controlled engagement with theneck 1 a of thebottle 1. When ahole 7 c is provided, inner edges of theflaps 7 a may provide engagement around substantially all of thebottle neck 1 a. That is, substantially all of the inner edges of theflaps 7 a may be in contact with thebottle neck 1 a. If no hole is provided, such as depicted inFIG. 5 , then engagement between thebottle neck 1 a and theflaps 7 a may be limited to innermost corners of the flaps. Furthermore, a large deflection of theflaps 7 a is needed in order to allow thebottle neck 1 a to pass into thebottle receiving portion 7. This large deflection may in some instances crease theflaps 7 a such that they do not resiliently move back to being engaged against theneck 1 a of thebottle 1. Although embodiments without a hole are less preferred, they nevertheless be used in some instances, for example to hold lighter bottles (e.g. bottles weighing 100 g or less). - In an embodiment, the
bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such thatbottles 1 can be disengaged using a force of less than 55 N (e.g. by selecting an appropriate length ofcuts 7 b when forming theflaps 7 a). A force of 55 N may be exerted by most people, thereby allowing disengagement of thebottles 1. In an embodiment, thebottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such thatbottles 1 can be disengaged using a force of less than 40 N. A lower force will allow easier and more comfortable disengagement of bottles. Thebottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that force exerted due to the weight of abottle 1 does not disengage the bottle. For example the weight of a filled bottle may be around 1 Kg, in which case the bottle will exert a downward force of around 10 N. This force will be multiplied when thebottle holder 2 andbottles 1 are being moved around (e.g. during the packing process). Thus, it may be desirable for the force needed for disengagement to be greater than the force exerted due to weight of the bottle (e.g. at least twice the force exerted due to weight of the bottle). The force needed for disengagement may be less than a force needed to retain thebottles 1 in thebottle holder 2 throughout a supply chain (the force needed would be in excess of 55 N). However, wrapping thebottles 1 andbottle holder 2 in tensioned film (as described below) will provide additional retention force to securely hold the bottles in the bottle holder throughout the supply chain. The force needed for disengagement may alternatively be referred to as the force of engagement. The weight ofbottles 1 to be held by thebottle holder 2 may be taken into account when determining the force of engagement (a smaller force of engagement may be used for lighter bottles). - The force which is required to remove a bottle from the
bottle receiving portion 7 will depend upon the distance from the bottle neck to outer ends of thecuts 7 b. In an embodiment, thebottle holder 2 may be used to hold wine bottles.Necks 1 a of the wine bottles may have a diameter of 30 mm, and may be provided with aridge 1 b having a larger diameter (seeFIG. 9 ). In order to be able to receive the wine bottles, outer ends of thecuts 7 b may extend at least 5 mm beyond theneck 1 a of the wine bottle (excluding theridge 1 b of the neck). The outer ends of thecuts 7 b may for example extend up to 15 mm beyond theneck 1 a of the wine bottle. Thus, outer ends of thecuts 7 b may be between 20 mm and 30 mm from the centre of thebottle receiving portion 7. - In general, outer ends of the
cuts 7 b may be configured such that they are around 5 mm or more from the neck of a bottle in use. The outer ends of thecuts 7 b may be configured such that they are up to around 15 mm from the neck of a bottle in use. As noted above, in embodiments in which theflaps 7 a extend to ahole 7 c at the centre of thebottle receiving portion 7, the size of thehole 7 c may generally correspond with the size of a neck of a bottle to be received in the hole. Where this is the case, thecuts 7 b may have a length of around 5 mm or more. Thecuts 7 b may have a length of up to around 15 mm. - In general, outer ends of the
cuts 7 b may be configured such that they have a radial distance from the centre of thebottle receiving portion 7 which is between 1.3 and 2 times the radius of the bottle neck. In other words, thecuts 7 b may be configured such that the radial distance from the centre of thebottle receiving portion 7 to the outer ends of the cuts is at least 30% greater than the radius of the bottle neck. Thecuts 7 b may be configured such that the radial distance from the centre of thebottle receiving portion 7 to the outer ends of the cuts is up to 100% greater than the radius of the bottle neck. - In embodiments where
cuts 7 b of more than one length are provided (e.g. as depicted inFIG. 8 ), the outer ends of the shorter cuts may be less than 5 mm from the neck of a bottle in use. In embodiments where thebottle receiving portion 7 is provided with ahole 7 c, the shorter cuts may extend less than 5 mm from the hole. - The distance from a bottle neck to outer ends of the
cuts 7 b may be selected such that the force needed to disengage abottle 1 from thebottle holder 2 has a desired value (e.g. less than 55 N or less than 40 N). Increasing the distance will reduce the force, whereas reducing the distance will increase the force. In addition, the thickness of the material used to form thebottle holder 2 will have an effect upon the force needed to disengage a bottle. Using thicker material will increase the force, whereas using thinner material will reduce the force. - A
plastic film 9 may be wrapped around thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2, as described below. - The
base 3 of thebottle holder 2 may further comprisepillars 5. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, there are three pairs ofbottle receiving portions 7, positioned so that thebottle receiving portions 7 form two rows, each row comprising threebottle receiving portions 7. Thepillars 5 are positioned between each fourbottle receiving portions 7, and also between each sidewall of thebase 3 and the adjacent pair ofbottle receiving portions 7. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, there are fourpillars 5. More generally, if there are 2nbottle receiving portions 7 organized in two rows, there may be n+1pillars 5. If there are more rows ofbottle receiving portions 7, thepillars 5 are positioned between each fourbottle receiving portions 7, and also between the sidewalls and the adjacent pair ofbottle receiving portions 7. Preferably, in such case, there are pillars positioned also between each corner and the adjacentbottle receiving portion 7. - The
pillars 5 are indented into the bottle holder and protrude above the base plane 3 a of thebottle holder 2. Thepillars 5 may be of approximately the same height above the base plane 3 a as theelevated rim 3 b. Thepillars 5 are formed e.g. by pressing the material into a mould of suitable shape. Thepillars 5 may be formed as a protrusion, forming a cavity on the outer side of the base plane 3 a. Alternatively, thepillars 5 may be filled with material, e.g. rPET. This makes thebottle holder 2 more resilient, but also more expensive. - The
lid 4 of the bottle holder comprisespillars 6, with positions which correspond with thepillars 5 provided on thebase 3, so that when thebottle holder 2 is closed, thepillars 5 provided on thebase 3 face thepillars 6 provided on the lid. If thepillars pillars pillars lid 4 is closed. This provides the bottle holder with improved strength and rigidity, which is particularly useful in cases when there is another bottle pack with bottles positioned on top of thebottle holder 2. Thepillars 6 formed on thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2 may be formed similarly to thepillars 5 formed on thebase 3 of thebottle holder 2. - In other embodiments other structures may be used to provide the bottle holder with improved strength and rigidity (instead of pillars or in addition to pillars). The structures may be in the form of shapes indented into the
bottle holder 2. For example, thebottle holder 2 may be provided with ribs which are indented into the bottle holder. In another example an indented ring may encircle eachbottle receiving portion 7. In another example indented lugs may extend inwardly from sides of thebottle holder 2. The ribs, rings, lugs or other shapes may for example be provided in thebase 3 and thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2 in corresponding positions such that they face each other and touch with each other when the lid is closed. The pillars, ribs, rings, lugs or other shapes may be provided with male and female portions which engage into each other when the lid is closed. Alternatively, they may be provided with faces which press against each other when the lid is closed (e.g. planar faces). - The elevated rims rim 3 b, 4 b may be provided with male and female features which engage into each other when the lid is closed. A flange may extend outwardly from the
elevated rims - The
bottles 1 are positioned in thebottle holder 2 so that they pass through thebottle receiving portions 7. Theflaps 7 a engage thebottle necks 1 a, and the bottle necks protrude slightly (e.g. 1-3 cm) above thebottle receiving portions 7. Thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2 may be open during positioning of the bottles 1 (although this is not essential). When thelid 4 is closed, the inner part of thebase plane 4 a may touch the bottle closures (not shown). - In one embodiment, when the
bottles 1 are engaged in thebottle receiving portions 7, there is enough space between thelid 4, thebase 3 and/or the bottle closures for positioning of branded material (e.g. leaflets explaining the origin of the wine in the packaging) or other items. In an embodiment, there may be enough space in thebottle holder 2 to accommodate an item such as one or more packages of peanuts. Such an item is placed betweenpillars 5 and bottle tops to avoid the item being crushed. -
FIG. 11 is a flow chart which sets out steps that may be used to package bottles using an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, when engaging thebottles 1 into thebottle holder 2, thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2 is open (step S1). When thebottles 1 and any additional materials as described above have been positioned in the bottle holder 2 (steps S2, S3), thelid 4 is closed (step S4). Thebottle holder 2 with thebottles 1 is then wrapped in plastic film, as described below (step S5). In an alternative method thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2 may be in the closed position throughout the method. It is not necessary for thelid 4 to be open in order to engage the bottles into thebottle holder 2. Similarly, it is not necessary to place additional materials between thebase 3 and thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2. - For the purpose of closing the
bottle holder 2, and keeping thelid 4 of thebottle holder 2 closed, conventional closing features such as corresponding grooves and protrusions (not shown) may be provided. - The
bottle holder 2 serves as a feature which holds thebottles 1 in place (collates the bottles 1) during a wrapping process (described below) and during subsequent handling. After wrapping in theplastic film 9, the bottles are held in a fixed position with respect to each other, thus minimizing the risk of being damaged by colliding together. During subsequent handling, thebottle holder 2 also serves as a base onto which another bottle pack can be positioned without difficulty (for example during palletisation). The bottle packs can therefore be stored or transported in a space saving manner. Additionally, thebottle holder 2 of the bottle pack can be gripped through an opening formed in the film 9 (described below), lifted and handled. - Once the
bottles 1 are positioned in thebottle holder 2 as described above, theplastic film 9 is wrapped around thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2. The process of wrapping thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 in theplastic film 9 may be conventional, e.g. as described in patent applications published under WO9009316, WO2006051281, WO2011004157, WO2015025142 or WO2015067940. In particular, thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 may be wrapped helically with theplastic film 9. As thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 are wrapped, more than one layer of thefilm 9 may cover the wrapped areas of thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2. With the helically wrappedbottles 1 and thebottle holder 2, successive layers of the film overlap. The number of layers of the overlapping film when thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 are wrapped helically may depend on the material and/or thickness of theplastic film 9 and on the size and weight of thebottles 1 positioned in thebottle holder 2. The number of layers may be determined based on the known properties (such as strength) of theplastic film 9. - The film may be for example 250 mm wide, 125 mm wide, or of any other suitable width. A single layer of the pre-stretch film with some overlap is sufficient for light to medium weights, i.e. for
bottles 1 with overall weight of less than 10 kg (for example, six 0.7 l bottles of wine, spirit or champagne). Typically the film overlaps are between 20-100 mm, depending on the weight of thebottles 1. The overlap may be towards the bottom end of that range for light bottles and may be towards the top end of the range for heavy bottles. A typical overlap may be round 60 mm. At any single point on the wrappedbottles 1 and thebottle holder 2, there may be one or two layers of thefilm 9. For packaging withbottles 1 with overall weight of more than 15 kg, for example between 15 kg to 25 kg (e.g. 15 or more 0.7 l bottles of wine, spirit or champagne), three layers of the film may be used. For example, if 7 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film is used, 1-3 layers are sufficient to hold thebottles 1 with an overall weight up to approx. 20 kg. In practice, due to legislative limitations, the overall weight of thebottles 1 may be limited to e.g. 15 kg or 9 kg. As mentioned, 1-2 layers of thepre-stretch film 9 are sufficient forbottles 1 with such overall weight - Before the
film 9 is wrapped around thebottles 1, the film is stretched, i.e. tension is created in thefilm 9 by stretching it in a longitudinal direction. When the film is wrapped around thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2, the tension present in the film due to stretching exerts force on thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2. The force exerted by the film adds to the force exerted by thebottle holder 2 on necks of thebottles 1, such that the bottles are held securely in place throughout a supply chain. The combined force which secures thebottles 1 to thebottle holder 2 may be greater than 55 N. - The
film 9 may include some pre-stretch, i.e. may have been stretched during manufacture and may be delivered in a stretched form. Where this is the case a further stretch of up to around 15% may be possible. An additional stretch of up to around 15% may be applied to the film during the wrapping process. - During the process of wrapping the
bottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 in theplastic film 9, the film may be perforated on at least one side of thebottles 1. Theperforations 9 b are created during packaging process. In one example, the stretched (tensioned) film passes over a fixed perforation wheel (not shown) when thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 are being wrapped in theplastic film 9. The perforation wheel may have a shark-tooth design. In another example theperforations 9 b may be formed using laser cutting. In general, any suitable form of perforating apparatus may be used to form the perforations. - The
film 9 may be cut after thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 have been wrapped, thereby separating the bottle pack from a next bottle pack. Any suitable form of cutting system may be used to cut thefilm 9, e.g. heated bar, hot wire, heated crimping blade or other thermal cutting system. Other cutting systems may be used such as a laser or ultrasonic cutter. - The
perforations 9 b form a preferred line of opening theplastic film 9. Theperforations 9 b are preferably provided along the whole length of the bottle pack. As the forces created from film tensioning at wrapping are at 90° to the line of perforation, theplastic film 9 does not break open prematurely. Only a small amount of force from a person is required to tear along the line of perforation. As the film tears easily along theperforations 9 b under force exerted by the person, theperforations 9 b simplify the unwrapping process, thus making it quicker and more efficient. Theperforations 9 b also eliminate the need for any tools such as knives, therefore reducing risk of injury. - The film used for wrapping the
bottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 may be e.g. the pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 5 μm to 9 μm as described above. Use of such pre-stretch LDPE film is beneficial because such film shows advantageous stretch properties. Pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 7 μm is particularly beneficial because of its optimal stretch properties. The pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-described thickness, i.e. 5 μm to 9 μm, and more particularly 7 μm, provides thebottles 1 as packed in thebottle holder 2 with increased structural integrity without the need to use a heat tunnel to make the film shrink. The pre-stretch LDPE film exerts force (pressure) on thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2, thus holding necks of thebottles 1 inside thebottle holder 2 and preventing thebottles 1 from falling out, unpacking prematurely, etc. LDPE is also advantageous because it is fully recyclable. - With thickness of the pre-stretch LDPE film as described above, the force exerted by the film is sufficient to hold the
bottles 1 in thebottle holder 2 during handling and transport. - The
plastic film 9 prevents thebottles 1 from disengaging from thebottle holder 2. Thebottle holder 2 may be designed not to hold thebottles 1 alone, especially if there are many bottles (e.g. 15) to be packed. At the same time, thebottles 1 stored within thebottle holder 2 and wrapped by thefilm 9 are more visible (compared to a conventional enclosed box where the product is only identifiable via a label containing text or barcode). Thebottles 1 wrapped in theplastic film 9 allow an easy visual verification of the contents of thebottles 1 to take place (including verifying the fill level of the bottles). Picking errors can be reduced regardless of whether the picker has the ability or proximity to read the text. Additionally, theplastic film 9 helps to protect thebottles 1 from the environment. It is also immediately apparent if theplastic film 9 has been tampered with, because in such case thefilm 9 would be broken. If one ormore bottles 1 are damaged or missing, this is easily seen through thetransparent plastic film 9. - Any equivalent material to the pre-stretch LDPE film may be used, provided it has similar properties to that of the pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-given thickness. In particular, if the film stretches less than a 5 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film, or more than a 9 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film, it may be unsuitable for some applications.
- The
plastic film 9 may be wrapped around thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 in only one direction, so as to completely cover the longer side of thebottle holder 2, leaving the shorter side of the bottle pack open. This is shown inFIG. 10 . Parts of the uncovered side of the bottle pack and thebottles 1 may be covered by untensioned,loose film 9 a. Suchuntensioned portions 9 a may be less than 5 cm wide (relatively small to avoid wasting material). - The
plastic film 9 may also be wrapped around thebottles 1 and thebottle holder 2 in two different directions, thus covering thebottles 1 in their entirety. Enclosing thebottles 1 with theplastic film 9 provides extra structural integrity, protects thebottles 1 against environment, e.g. rain, humidity etc., and increases security. With thebottles 1 completely covered in theplastic film 9, it is easier to detect tampering. However, it also increases the amount of the film used. - If the
bottles 1 were to be wrapped in theplastic film 9 with notray 2 being used, it would be easier to take out one ormore bottles 1 from the packaging by just putting one's hand through an opening formed in thefilm 9 during wrapping process. Thetray 2 prevents this, because it is not normally possible to disengage a bottle from thetray 2 when thetray 2 is wrapped in thefilm 9. - To disengage the
bottles 1 from thebottle holder 2, theplastic film 9 is first torn along theperforations 9 b (if present) and removed. If no perforations are present the plastic film may still be torn although this may be more difficult and may require a blade. Thebottle holder 2 may be opened (with any additional materials provided between thelid 4 and the bottle closures removed). Once thelid 4 is opened, thebottles 1 may be removed relatively easily from thebottle receiving portions 7. During this process, theflaps 7 a may be damaged or destroyed. The force used to remove thebottles 1 from thebottle receiving portions 7 may be less than 55 N, and may be less than 40 N (as discussed further above). - The force provided by the
flaps 7 a can be adjusted by varying the number of flaps (more flaps means less rigidity, less flaps means more rigidity). The force provided by theflaps 7 a can be also adjusted by varying the length of thecuts 7 b (the shorter the cuts, the greater the force, and the longer the cuts, the smaller the force). In one embodiment, the cuts can be provided with varying length, e.g. with every second cut being shorter. - When unpacking the bottles, first, the
perforations 9 b are located and the film is torn apart along theperforations 9 b (step S6). The film is removed from the bottles (step S7), thelid 4 of the bottle holder is opened (step S8), and any additional material (if provided) is removed (step S9). Then, thebottles 1 are disengaged from thebottle receiving portions 7 and removed from thebottle holder 2 one by one (step S10).FIG. 12 shows an overview of this method. This method may be used for example when the bottle pack is resting on a supporting platform (e.g. a table). Typically, one hand pulls thebottle holder 2 upwards whilst the other hand pushes the top of thebottle 1 downwards. - In an alternative method the lid is not opened when removing a
bottle 1 from thebottle holder 2. This method may be used for example when the bottle pack is unsupported. In this method thebottle 1 is pulled downwards with one hand whilst thebottle holder 2 is supported by the other hand. - While removing the
bottles 1 from thebottle holder 2 one by one takes longer than unpacking thebottles 1 in one go, it is safer, because the rest of thebottles 2 are still held by thebottle holder 2 in position, and it is not easy to accidentally knock them over. - The
bottle holder 2, and in particular thebottle receiving portions 7 with theflaps 7 a are designed to fail when thebottles 1 are pulled downwards to disengage the bottle. In this way, theflaps 7 a do not damage the bottle closures (not shown) when thebottles 1 are disengaged from thebottle holder 2. In other words, the force required to disengage abottle 1 from the bottle holder 2 (defined above) is not sufficient to damage the bottle closure, even when the bottle is provided e.g. with a screw cap or a beer cap. As a consequence, it is relatively easy to disengage thebottles 1 from thebottle holder 2. - After unpacking the
bottles 1, theplastic film 9 as well as thebottle holder 2 may be recycled. The above-described packaging uses less material when compared to conventional packaging (e.g. a cardboard box). This is especially beneficial in the wine industry, where conventional cardboard packaging has been identified as particularly wasteful.
Claims (18)
1-17. (canceled)
18. A bottle holder comprising:
a base; and
a lid, wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, and wherein the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.
19. The bottle holder of claim 18 , wherein the bottle receiving portions comprise a plurality of flaps separated by cuts.
20. The bottle holder of claim 19 , wherein the cuts are radially extending.
21. The bottle holder of claim 19 , wherein inner edges of the flaps define holes at the centre of the bottle receiving portions.
22. The bottle holder of claim 19 , wherein the flaps are triangular sections of an annulus or trapezoidal.
23. The bottle holder of claim 19 , wherein the cuts are configured such that outer ends of the cuts are at least 5 mm from the neck of the bottle in use.
24. The bottle holder of claim 18 , wherein the base and the lid are connected via a hinge, and wherein the base and the lid are configured to be opened and closed using the hinge.
25. The bottle holder of claim 18 , wherein structures are indented into the base of the bottle holder.
26. The bottle holder of claim 18 , wherein structures are indented into the lid of the bottle holder.
27. The bottle holder of claim 25 , wherein the structures indented into the lid correspond with structures indented into the base such that when the lid is closed the structures in the lid touch the structures in the base.
28. The bottle holder of claim 18 , wherein an uppermost surface of the lid is a planar surface, excluding any indented structures.
29. A bottle package, comprising:
a bottle holder according to claim 18 ;
a plurality of bottles engaged in the bottle receiving portions provided in the bottle holder; and
a plastic film wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles.
30. The bottle package of claim 29 , wherein the bottle receiving portions hold the bottles with a force of engagement of less than 55 N.
31. The bottle package of claim 30 , wherein the force of engagement is less than 40 N.
32. A method of packaging bottles, comprising:
providing a bottle holder with a base and a lid, the lid comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions;
engaging a bottle neck into each bottle receiving portion; and
wrapping the bottle holder and the bottles in a plastic film.
33. The method of claim 32 , wherein an additional item is placed in a space between the base and the lid of the bottle holder.
34. A method of unpacking bottles from bottle packaging, the bottle packaging comprising a bottle holder and a plastic film, the bottle holder comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each of the bottle receiving portions engaging a bottle neck, the plastic film being wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles, the method comprising:
removing the plastic film from the bottles and the bottle holder; and
disengaging the bottles by pushing or pulling them out of the bottle receiving portions in the bottle holder.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB1711894.4 | 2017-07-24 | ||
GBGB1711894.4A GB201711894D0 (en) | 2017-07-24 | 2017-07-24 | Bottle packaging |
PCT/GB2018/052042 WO2019020976A1 (en) | 2017-07-24 | 2018-07-19 | Bottle packaging |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20200216245A1 true US20200216245A1 (en) | 2020-07-09 |
Family
ID=59771741
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US16/633,562 Abandoned US20200216245A1 (en) | 2017-07-24 | 2018-07-19 | Bottle Packaging |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20200216245A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP3658469A1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN111132911A (en) |
GB (1) | GB201711894D0 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2019020976A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11452399B1 (en) * | 2020-03-01 | 2022-09-27 | Michael O. Murphy | Fruit infuser system for beverage bottle |
Families Citing this family (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN210708457U (en) * | 2019-06-25 | 2020-06-09 | 西塔德尔卡斯有限公司 | Tamper-resistant bottle case and tamper-resistant insert |
DE102019123832A1 (en) * | 2019-09-05 | 2021-03-11 | Krones Aktiengesellschaft | Method and packaging device for the production of packaging units |
Family Cites Families (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE2144267C2 (en) * | 1971-09-03 | 1982-11-25 | Olinkraft Inc., West Monroe, La. | Folded two-row bottle carrier - has lower panels holding bottle tops and upper panels fixed to central portion connecting lower panels |
DE2412070A1 (en) * | 1974-03-13 | 1975-09-18 | Haensel Otto Gmbh | PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURING OF MULTIPACKS, IN PARTICULAR FOR BOTTLES, CANS OR DGL |
US5005721A (en) * | 1987-05-08 | 1991-04-09 | Abbott Laboratories | Vial seal |
SE501078C2 (en) * | 1993-02-04 | 1994-11-07 | Norpapp Ind As | Carrying device for a series of bottles with foldable tabs intended to counteract relative movement between the bottles |
CA2129299C (en) * | 1993-08-19 | 2000-04-04 | William N. Weaver | Container package with composite carrier |
GB0120132D0 (en) * | 2001-08-17 | 2001-10-10 | Mead Corp | Article carrier and blank therefor |
ES2323109B1 (en) * | 2007-01-25 | 2010-02-12 | Graphic Packaging International, Inc. | "PACKING FOR CONTAINERS". |
CN101861276B (en) * | 2007-11-15 | 2012-04-25 | 印刷包装国际公司 | Package for containers, blank of the container, and method for forming the container |
AU2009200835A1 (en) * | 2008-03-03 | 2009-09-17 | Meadwestvaco Packaging Systems, Llc | Top-gripping article carrier |
-
2017
- 2017-07-24 GB GBGB1711894.4A patent/GB201711894D0/en not_active Ceased
-
2018
- 2018-07-19 US US16/633,562 patent/US20200216245A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2018-07-19 CN CN201880061650.3A patent/CN111132911A/en active Pending
- 2018-07-19 EP EP18749073.5A patent/EP3658469A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2018-07-19 WO PCT/GB2018/052042 patent/WO2019020976A1/en unknown
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US11452399B1 (en) * | 2020-03-01 | 2022-09-27 | Michael O. Murphy | Fruit infuser system for beverage bottle |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
CN111132911A (en) | 2020-05-08 |
EP3658469A1 (en) | 2020-06-03 |
WO2019020976A1 (en) | 2019-01-31 |
GB201711894D0 (en) | 2017-09-06 |
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Owner name: OAKBRIDGE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, UNITED KINGDOM Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:COULES, COLIN;REEL/FRAME:051605/0287 Effective date: 20180918 |
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