US3038602A

US3038602A - Container carrier

Info

Publication number: US3038602A
Application number: US858650A
Authority: US
Inventors: George M Rapata
Original assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Current assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date: 1959-12-10
Filing date: 1959-12-10
Publication date: 1962-06-12
Anticipated expiration: 1979-06-12
Also published as: GB976398A

Description

June 12, 1962 G. M. RAPATA 3,038,602

CONTAINER CARRIER Filed Dec. 10, 1959' INVENTOR.

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3,038,602 CONTAINER CARRIER George M. Rapata, Park Ridge, 111., assignor to Illinois Tool Works, Ina, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 858,650 8 Claims. (ill. 20665) This invention is concerned generally with a package or article carrier, and more particularly with a receptacle for holding and carrying containers for beverages and the like, for example, cans, and with the resulting package unit of receptacle and containers.

It is common practice to package beverages including beer and soda pop in cans. Conventionally, a plurality of such cans, usually six in number, is supplied in a receptacle or carrier for home consumption. A plurality of such units of six or so cans generally is shipped in a larger carton which is broken open at a retail outlet for sale of the units to the ultimate consumers.

Beverage cans heretofore have been held together by a variety of expedients including paper or pasteboard containers, or metal clips.- The most satisfactory type of container known to me is that disclosed in Poupitch US. Patent 2,874,835, wherein a single, unsupported sheet of resilient, elastic plastic sheet material is provided with apertures which are slipped over the end of a can, the material adjacent the apertures stretching about the cans and deforming respectively into a more or less frustoconical shape and tightly gripping each can beneath the bead thereof. Such carriers are relatively inexpensive, are convenient to use, and are readily installed on the cans, while subsequently gripping the cans quite tenaciously. Removal of a can from such a carrier requires an upward and outward tipping of each can. Such removal is not particularly diiiicult, but some people may find it difficult to master the technique, with the result that the beverage in the can may be shaken up rather considerably as the can is removed from the carrier. This is undesirable in the case of some beverages, such as heavily carbonated beers, as the beverages tend to foam extensively upon opening of the cans.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a can carrier and resulting package unit in which the cans are removable from the carrier with extraordinary facility.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a plastic sheet material carrier for containers such as cans, and the resulting package unit, wherein the containers are held quite tenaciously, and yet are readily loosened for facile removal.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a flat sheet plastic carrier for cans and the like including means for loosening, but not completely releasing the cans.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a sheet plastic carrier for a plurality of cans wherein a single tear strip device loosens all of said plurality of cans for removal.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention as associated with a plurality of cans;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the carrier and cans of FIG, 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 showing the cans and carrier after removal of the tear strip;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the carrier;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view as taken along the line 55 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a similar view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the carrier after removal of the tear strip; and

FIG, 8 is a plan view of a fragment of a modified carner.

Referring now in greater particularity .to the drawings, a carrier, receptacle or retainer constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention comprises a fiat sheet of plastic material provided with a plurality of spaced apertures 12. Polyethylene is a preferred example of the plastic sheet material used in making the carrier, but other functionally similar plastic materials are satisfactory. The retainer or carrier 10 conveniently is stamped from an elongated strip in a suitable punch press, and the scrap formed by punching the apertures and by forming the external configuration conveniently is processed for further use.

The apertures 12 may be of various shapes, as described in the aforementioned Poupitch Patent 2,874,835. Preferably, the apertures 12 are ellipses. The apertures are arranged in pairs on opposite sides of the longitudinal median line of the carrier, and although regular ellipses, or even circles are satisfactory for the aperture shape, it is preferred that one of the long sides of each ellipse be of shorter arc than the opposite long side, thereby providing a fat ellipse, with the fat side toward the longitudinal center line of the carrier. Again, although the ellipses could be skewed, it is convenient in the present instance to have their axes arranged longitudinally and transverse of the median line of the carrier.

The external configuration of the carrier 10 is substantially complementary to the apertures, including rounded off corners l4, and including scallops 16 between adjacent apertures. A pair of parallel weakened lines 18 extends longitudinally along the carrier on opposite sides of the longitudinal median line. The lines 18 approach tangency with the apertures 12, but are disposed outside of the apertures.

The lines 18 define between them a tear strip 20, which conveniently is provided with a tab 22 having a relatively small opening 24 therein. Two notches 126 are presented between the tab 22 and the adjacent portions of the carrier, and the lines 18 extend into these notches, thereby facilitating tearing. The opposite ends of the lines simply end at the opposite margin of the carrier.

According to one preferred form of the invention, the weakened or prescored lines 18, as shown in FIG. 5, are formed only in one surface of the carrier, each being defined by a plane perpendicular to the surface of the carrier, and by a plane forming an acute angle therewith. It has been found that the tear strip always is removed accurately along the weakened or prescored lines with this cross-section. Some other cross-sections tend to cause erratic tearing, rather than precisely along the weakened lines.

Another satisfactory cross-section for the score lines is shown at 18a in FIG. 6. In this embodiment of the invention, the score lines are symmetrical Vs, and are formed on both sides of the carrier. The weakened or score lines in either case can be produced by stamping, by skiving (passing under a fixed knife), or by crimping between rollers, or with a hot wire. The reduction in thickness of the sheet depends somewhat on the technique by which the score lines are formed. For example, when the score lines are simply stamped into the material, or otherwise pressed therein, th density of the plastic material in the stamped region is increased somewhat, and the score lines thus can be somewhat deeper, since the added density of the material at the bottoms of the score lines imparts additional strength thereto.

The carrier 10 is adapted for association with containers, preferably cans 28 having lateral or peripheral enlargements at the opposite ends thereof in the form of the usual beads 29.

The carrier is preferably initially flat and is applied to the plurality of cans 28 by means of automatic machinery, not shown herein. The initial peripheral measurement of each aperture 12 is less than the periphery of the can 28 to be associated therewith, and especially less than the can bead. The band 30 of plastic about each aperture 12 is stretched almost to the elastic limit of the material as it is installed over the can rim or bead, and hence the spring back of the inner periphery of each band 30 causes each can be gripped tightly. As will be seen particularly in FIG. 2, the bands 30 are tipped up to form very nearly cylindrical sections, being frustoconical as at 32 between apertures, due to the inter-connecting material, seen especially as the tear strip 20 in FIG. 2.

For convenience in carrying, the carrier 10 preferably is Provided with a pair of spaced longitudinal slots 34 through which the legs 36 of an inverted U-shaped plastic handle 38 are inserted. The bottom ends of the legs are provided with heads 40 in the nature of toggle bolts which readily are inserted through the slots 34, and which thereafter spring out to prevent retraction.

It will be observed that each score line or groove 18 extends through a stressed area of plastic sheet material adjacent apertures 12. It is important to observe that no score line ends within this stressed area. Hence, there is no tendency for accidental or inadvertent tearing or splitting of the plastic material to start. Thus, in one preferred embodiment of the invention, the tensional yield strength of the plastic material about each aperture, as the band 30, is close to fifteen pounds at room temperature. The tear strip is readily removed by pulling it up, as from the solid line to the dashed line position of FIG. 1. This results in producing a band of reduced thickness in a stressed area. The reduced thickness or width of the band is such that the tensional yield strength is not much over three pounds. The tension on the band is substantially over this amount, and hence the material stretches and necks down in the critically overstressed area as at 4 2, see particularly FIG. 7. This not only effectively enlarges the aperture, but further reduces the tensional strength. Accordingly, the cans are substantially, but not completely released. The enlargement of the periphery of the aperture, in each instance, along with the tensional strength renders removal of the cans a rather simple matter.

A modification of the invention is shown in FIG. 8, similar parts being identified by similar numerals with the addition of the suffix b. It has been found that the score lines or grooves 18 need not extend entirely to the notches or inside corners 26 at the starting end of the tear strip. The score lines can be terminated a short distance from the notches 2611, as indicated at 44b. The distance by which the end of the score line or groove 18b may be spaced from the adjacent notch 26b will vary somewhat according to the thickness and strength of the material, but in general it has been found that the spacing should not be more than about inch. Also, the notch 26b can be formed as a radius, as shown, to prevent unwanted tearing in the notch. Alternatively, the notch can be sharp, as in the preceding figures to facilitate tearing. In this example, the tear tab 22b has no aperture, but is provided with transverse knurling for improved gripping.

The carriers 10 are frequently supplied in long strips with successive carriers connected together in end-to-end fashion by readily severable connections. In such instances the tab such as 22 of one carrier project into the indentation between the weakened lines 18 at the confronting end of the next adjacent carrier.

It will now be apparent that I have disclosed an improved sheet plastic carrier for cans and the like, and the resulting package comprising the carrier and the cans. The fact that the weakened or prescored lines or grooves extend completely through a stressed area is important. This positively precludes any concentration of stresses tending to start a tear. The extension of the weakened or scored lines, specifically continuously, from one end to the other of the carrier and intersecting the stressed areas around all of the apertures allows all of the cans to be loosened by removal of but a single tear strip. Removal of this tear strip does not suddenly free all of the cans completely, thereby tending to cause one to lose control over the cans, but simply loosens the cans to an extent where they are readily removed. The cans can be removed by an upward and outward tipping motion, or they can be removed simply by pulling laterally thereon to fracture the necked down, weakened areas at 42.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been specifically described, it will be apparent that various mechanical variations are readily possible and fall within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Thus, the weakened lines can be interrupted. Furthermore, these lines need not necessarily be straight but may be, for example of more or less hourglass shape to provide more material about the slots 34 to resist tearing in this vicinity.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. A carrier for a plurality of containers to be arranged in a pair of rows and in substantially parallel side-by-side relation and each container having a peripheral enlargement at one end thereof; and comprising a substantially unsupported sheet of plastic material which is resilient, deformable and elastic, said sheet having a pair of parallel rows of apertures with plural apertures in each row, each of the apertures having a peripheral measurement less than the periphery of a corresponding container and the material at the edge of each aperture being circumferentially continuous and uninterrupted, the apertures in the sheet being intended for association with the containers whereby each container can be inserted through a corresponding aperture from a given direction when the material adjacent the aperture is stretched and deformed to form circumferentially continuous bands embracing and resiliently gripping the containers beneath the peripheral enlargements, and means providing a weakened area extending continuously along the carrier between adjacent rows of apertures and positioned to reduce the transverse extent of the plastic material between the weakened area and the adjacent edge of each adjacent aperture to less than the transverse extent of the remainder of the plastic material around each aperture thereby leaving a narrow portion which becomes axially shorter than the remaining portion of the stretched band when the containers are associated with the carrier in order to lessen the force required to separate an associated container from a carrier.

2. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the weakened area comprises a score line.

3. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the weakened area is defined by a pair of substantially parallel score lines defining therebetween a tear strip.

4. A carrier as claimed in claim 3, wherein the tear strip is provided with a tab projecting from the carrier to facilitate tearing.

5. A carrier as claimed in claim 1, wherein the edge of the carrier is provided with a notch communicating with the weakened area to facilitate tearing.

6. A carrier package comprising a plurality of containers in a pair of rows with the containers in each row in substantially parallel side-by-side abutting relation with those in the other row and each container having a peripheral enlargement at one end thereof, and a carrier therefor in the form of a sheet of plastic material which is resilient, deformable and elastic; said sheet having a plurality of apertures therein with the material at the edge of each aperture being circumferentially continuous and uninterrupted and with the peripheral measurement of each aperture being less than that of a corresponding supported container whereby the containers, inserted axially through said apertures, stretch and deform the material adjacent the apertures into circumferentially continuous bands embracing the containers beneath the peripheral enlargements, and means providing a weakened area extending continuously along the carrier between adjacent rows of containers and positioned to extend through the lower portion of each stretched band to leave thereabove an axially shortened portion of the band upon tearing of the carrier along the weakened area whereby to lessen the force required to break the shortened portion in separating an associated container from the carrier.

7. A carrier package as claimed in claim 6, wherein the weakened area is defined by a pair of weakened lines extending centrally through the carrier sheet and defining therebetween a tear strip for removing portions of each band upon separation of the tear strip from the carrier sheet.

8. A carrier package as claimed in claim 6, wherein the tear strip includes a tab portion projecting outwardly from the carrier sheet for ready access.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 388,385 Wooster Aug. 21, 1888 2,656,959 Currie Oct. 27, 1953 2,706,076 Guyer Apr. 12, 1955 2,874,835 Poupitch Feb. 24, 1959 2,877,893 Volckening et all Mar. 17, 1959 2,997,169 Poupitch b. Aug. 22, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,001,226 France Oct. 24, 1951