US3374028A - Container carrier - Google Patents

Container carrier Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3374028A
US3374028A US634255A US63425567A US3374028A US 3374028 A US3374028 A US 3374028A US 634255 A US634255 A US 634255A US 63425567 A US63425567 A US 63425567A US 3374028 A US3374028 A US 3374028A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
carrier
apertures
containers
slots
web
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.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US634255A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Herbert J Wanderer
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Illinois Tool Works Inc
Original Assignee
Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Illinois Tool Works Inc filed Critical Illinois Tool Works Inc
Priority to US634255A priority Critical patent/US3374028A/en
Priority to FR1549832D priority patent/FR1549832A/fr
Priority to DK660567AA priority patent/DK121882B/da
Priority to CH1832767A priority patent/CH470297A/fr
Priority to AT1177767A priority patent/AT288244B/de
Priority to JP43001384A priority patent/JPS5025223B1/ja
Priority to NL6800627A priority patent/NL6800627A/xx
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3374028A publication Critical patent/US3374028A/en
Priority to GB19454/68A priority patent/GB1200807A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • 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
    • B65D71/504—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 the element being formed from a flexible sheet provided with slits or apertures intended to be stretched over the articles and adapt to the shape of the article

Definitions

  • Container carrier formed of plastic sheet material having a plurality of apertures therein for receiving and holding peripheral enlargements at one end of a plurality of containers.
  • the plastic material has at least one notch projecting into the body thereof from each of the apertures. The notches serve to facilitate the initial attachment of the carrier to the plurality of containers and also permit the easy removal of containers from the carrier.
  • This invention is concerned generally with a package or article carrier, and more particularly with a receptacle for holding and carrying cans or the like.
  • This invention relates particularly to can carriers of the general type disclosed in US. Patents 2,874,835 and 2,936,070 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
  • the can carriers disclosed in the aforementioned patents perform perfectly satisfactorily, they engage and retain the cans so well that removing individual cans by pulling them downwardly from the carrier may be facilitated by this invention, when desired.
  • U.S. Patent 2,874,835 an embodiment of a carrier somewhat similar to that of the present invention is disclosed in FIGURES 22-26 and the disclosure of said patent is relied upon herein for a general description of the function and operation of the present invention except as it concerns the specific placement of notches or slits in the web adjacent the apertures.
  • Patent 2,936,070 shows a can carrier formed of a length of punched plastic material wherein a plurality of slits or slots are placed in the web completely around each of the apertures. These slits or slots form a plurality of fingers which each assume an arcuate configuration in cross section as they engage the widewall rim of a container and prevent its being pulled downwardly out of the carrier.
  • the present invention relates to an article carrier formed from a sheet of apertured plastic material which has at least one notch extending from each aperture into a portion of the carrier body.
  • a principal advantage of the invention is that it permits the containers to be more readily removed from the carrier by a downward and outward pulling action.
  • An additional advantage of the improved carrier is that it is easier to assemble to a plurality of containers than presently available unnotched carriers. This improvement results from the presence of the notches which increase the effective size of the apertures and thus makes the relative position of the containers relative to the carrier during assembly less critical. This latter feature would enable an assembly machine to handle carrier webs having a larger degree of dimensional variation than presently can be tolerated and would also render such a machine less subject to jamming when working with webs which vary from the most desirable dimension.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container carrier embodying the present invention wherein the carrier is shown in assembled relationship with a plurality of containers.
  • FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carrier.
  • FIG. 3 is a side elevational view taken on lines 33 of FIG. 1.
  • the carrier 10 is formed of a flat sheet of plastic material 11.
  • the sheet 11 is resilient, flexible and elastic. It is provided with a plurality of spaced apertures 12, preferably six in number, for supporting an equal number of cans. These apertures are substantially smaller than the diameter of a can with which the device is to be assembled and must therefore be enlarged during assembly and stretched over the can bead. Since the apparatus for assembly is well known and forms no part of the present invention, it will not be described.
  • a series of carrier elements 10 may be punched or otherwise formed from an elongated web or strip in a suitable apparatus (not shown). The strip is then continuously fed to an assembly apparatus. The scrap formed by punching out the apertures 12, rounding off the corners at 14, and indenting between the apertures as at 16 and 18, is readily reprocessed for further use.
  • the carrier is preferably made by being stamped or cut from sheet material, it can also be manufactured by other means, such as molding.
  • notch or slot 20 Formed in the central portion of the carrier 10 adjacent each of the apertures 12 is at least one notch or slot 20 having a pair of side edges 22, 23 and a curved end portion 24.
  • the notches 20 serve to interrupt the otherwise continuous edge 26 of the aperture, they do not substantially weaken the carrier 10 after it is assembled to a plurality of cans as shown in FIG. 1. Strength is maintained since the notches 20 are located in the interior regions 30 of the web and spaced from the outer band portions 28 of the carrier. The interior regions 30 are not subjected to the large stress forces which exist in the narrow band portions since they are much wider and are stretched less. They can therefore be notched without materially increasing the possibility that the web would be torn.
  • each aperture 12 When the carrier is assembled to a plurality of cans 34 as shown in FIG. 1 each aperture 12 must be expanded considerably so that it may be forced over the end of the can and firmly engage the sidewall of the can as well as the underside of its head or lip which comprises a peripheral enlargement at the end thereof. Since at least the outer band portions 28 of the carrier are moved to a position at right angles to their original position shown in FIG. 2 during their assembly to the cans, it is obvious, since the bands are parallel to the axis of the aperture, that the inner edge portions 26 of the apertures 12 must be stretched or expanded to a dimension approximately equal to the dimension of the outer edge thereof.
  • a pair of finger engageable openings or apertures 40 are provided in the interior web portion 30. These handle means can be a separate device if desired.
  • the carrier with the cans held therein may be easily carried by a user placing his thumb in one aperture 40 and a finger in the other aperture.
  • the tabs 42 When engaged by a users fingers, the tabs 42 will fold under so as to provide a comfortable grip. The tabs also help relieve any stress concentrations which take place during carrying and thus prevent tearing in the region of the finger openings.
  • the slots or notches are placed in the interior portion of the web in locations which will permit the carrier to hold the cans 34 firmly without danger of tearing taking place in the region of the slots 20. If the slots were placed in the outer band portion 28 of the carrier they would reduce the effective width of the bands and thus their ability to withstand tearing when stretched. By placing the slots 20 in the interior portions 30 of the web 11 it is possible to locate them so that the ability of the carrier to resist stress and tearing at the location of the slots is no less than at any point on the periphery of the band 28. Since the maximum stress in the carrier is at the outer band and there is relatively little stress at any interior portion 30 other than immediately adjacent the finger tabs 42, the slots for the end rows of apertures can extend quite close to the openings 40 without causing excessive stress concentrations.
  • FIG. 3 it can be observed that the ends of the slots 20 are spaced considerably further apart than in FIG. 2. This is because of the stretching which takes place during assembly of the carrier 10 to the containers 34. Because of the presence of the slots, the effective interior diameter of the apertures 12 for a predetermined amount of stretching is much greater than if no slots were present. By having a large interior diameter the apertures do not have to be as accurately located relative to each other and to the assembly machine which assembles the carriers to the containers as is necessary with unnotched carriers. By making the dimensions less critical, it is possible to utilize carrier stock which has greater dimensional tolerances or variations than would be acceptable for unnotched carrier stock. Furthermore, for the same tolerance range the notched carrier is far less likely to jam when applied to the spreading jaws and pins on the assembly (equipment during assembly) than conventional unnotched carriers.
  • slots or notches 20 not only enables the carrier to be more easily assembled to the containers 34 but it also permits an individual container to be removed from its assembled relationship with the carrier by the user grabbing hold of the lower half of the container and pulling it downwardly and outwardly. Such outward movement will cause the sides of the slot 20 to spread apart from the position they are in when the containers are being carried and thus release the hold of the band 28 on the upper lip 36 of the can, permitting the can to be easily removed. While one slot for each aperture has been shown, it is possible to use more than one as long as the slots are in the interior of the web rather than in the outer bands.
  • a resilient, deformable, plastic carrier member for retaining a plurality of containers or the like having peripheral enlargements at one end in side-by-side substantially abutting and parallel relation
  • said carrier member comprises a substantially unsupported sheet of plastic material having at least four adjacent apertures therein, each of said at least four apertures being separated from the others of said at least four apertures by a first interior web portion of said sheet, at least two slots formed in said first interior web portion and communicating with at least two of said apertures, said slots extending from said apertures so as to be generally directed toward a diagonally opposed aperture, each of said apertures having a peripheral measurement less than the periphery of a corresponding container to be retained thereby, the material defining the edges of said at least two apertures being circumferentially continuous and uninterrupted except for said slots formed in said first interior web portion, said edge defining material comprising relatively narrow bands which surround said apertures except where the apertures are joined to each other by the relatively wider first interior web portion, the apertures in the sheet being intended
  • each of said slots consists of a V-shaped notch terminating in a circular opening which is wider than the portion of the notch adjoining it.
  • said carrier includes six apertures intended for association with containers, said apertures being arranged in two parallel columns of three apertures each, said handle means comprising a pair of finger engageable openings formed between said columns and adjacent rows of said apertures, and at least one slot communicating with each of said apertures and extending generally radially therefrom in the vicinity of one of said finger openings.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Packages (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Macromolecular Shaped Articles (AREA)
  • Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
US634255A 1967-04-27 1967-04-27 Container carrier Expired - Lifetime US3374028A (en)

Priority Applications (8)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US634255A US3374028A (en) 1967-04-27 1967-04-27 Container carrier
FR1549832D FR1549832A (fr) 1967-04-27 1967-12-26
CH1832767A CH470297A (fr) 1967-04-27 1967-12-29 Support de boîtes en matière plastique souple
AT1177767A AT288244B (de) 1967-04-27 1967-12-29 Elastisch verformbarer Träger aus Kunststoff für mehrere Behälter
DK660567AA DK121882B (da) 1967-04-27 1967-12-29 Pladeformet, elastisk plastholder til bæring af dåser.
JP43001384A JPS5025223B1 (fr) 1967-04-27 1968-01-12
NL6800627A NL6800627A (fr) 1967-04-27 1968-01-15
GB19454/68A GB1200807A (en) 1967-04-27 1968-04-24 Container carriers

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US634255A US3374028A (en) 1967-04-27 1967-04-27 Container carrier

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3374028A true US3374028A (en) 1968-03-19

Family

ID=24543031

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US634255A Expired - Lifetime US3374028A (en) 1967-04-27 1967-04-27 Container carrier

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US3374028A (fr)
JP (1) JPS5025223B1 (fr)
AT (1) AT288244B (fr)
CH (1) CH470297A (fr)
DK (1) DK121882B (fr)
FR (1) FR1549832A (fr)
GB (1) GB1200807A (fr)
NL (1) NL6800627A (fr)

Cited By (14)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3608949A (en) * 1969-07-22 1971-09-28 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier
DE2206071A1 (de) * 1971-02-19 1972-08-31 Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, 111. (V.StA.) Schnell öffnende Behälterpackung
DE2221780A1 (de) * 1971-05-05 1972-11-23 Tanzer John J Ausgangsmaterial fuer Behaeltertraeger
DE2322277A1 (de) * 1972-05-05 1973-11-22 Illinois Tool Works Tragvorrichtung fuer mehrere behaelter und verfahren zur herstellung der tragvorrichtung
US3778096A (en) * 1972-03-06 1973-12-11 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier and package
US3874502A (en) * 1973-03-02 1975-04-01 Illinois Tool Works Multiple container carrier and package
US4018331A (en) * 1975-05-29 1977-04-19 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Multipackaging devices
US4064989A (en) * 1976-07-09 1977-12-27 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Shipping carton construction
US4116331A (en) * 1975-06-02 1978-09-26 Curry Byron V Heat installed multi-pack carrier, machine and method
US4462494A (en) * 1983-01-24 1984-07-31 Grip-Pak, Inc. Multi-packaging device for cylindrical containers
US4592466A (en) * 1985-03-25 1986-06-03 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Container carrier and package
US4848565A (en) * 1987-03-24 1989-07-18 Illinois Tool Works, Inc. Carrier devices and packages of containers
US5178266A (en) * 1991-12-18 1993-01-12 Villa Donald J Carrier for beverage cans that breaks apart upon can removal
US5609247A (en) * 1994-11-01 1997-03-11 Appleton; Arthur J. Release mechanism for cans

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5189325A (en) * 1990-06-15 1993-02-23 General Electric Company Liquid cooling the rotor of an electrical machine
GB0920396D0 (en) 2009-11-23 2010-01-06 Dijofi Ltd A plastics container carrier
GB201019848D0 (en) 2010-11-23 2011-01-05 Dijofi Ltd A machine and system for applying container carriers to containers

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2874835A (en) * 1958-12-01 1959-02-24 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier and package
US2936070A (en) * 1958-04-15 1960-05-10 Illinois Tool Works Can carrier

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2936070A (en) * 1958-04-15 1960-05-10 Illinois Tool Works Can carrier
US2874835A (en) * 1958-12-01 1959-02-24 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier and package

Cited By (15)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3608949A (en) * 1969-07-22 1971-09-28 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier
DE2206071A1 (de) * 1971-02-19 1972-08-31 Illinois Tool Works Inc., Chicago, 111. (V.StA.) Schnell öffnende Behälterpackung
DE2221780A1 (de) * 1971-05-05 1972-11-23 Tanzer John J Ausgangsmaterial fuer Behaeltertraeger
US3733100A (en) * 1971-05-05 1973-05-15 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier stock
US3778096A (en) * 1972-03-06 1973-12-11 Illinois Tool Works Container carrier and package
DE2322277A1 (de) * 1972-05-05 1973-11-22 Illinois Tool Works Tragvorrichtung fuer mehrere behaelter und verfahren zur herstellung der tragvorrichtung
US3874502A (en) * 1973-03-02 1975-04-01 Illinois Tool Works Multiple container carrier and package
US4018331A (en) * 1975-05-29 1977-04-19 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Multipackaging devices
US4116331A (en) * 1975-06-02 1978-09-26 Curry Byron V Heat installed multi-pack carrier, machine and method
US4064989A (en) * 1976-07-09 1977-12-27 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Shipping carton construction
US4462494A (en) * 1983-01-24 1984-07-31 Grip-Pak, Inc. Multi-packaging device for cylindrical containers
US4592466A (en) * 1985-03-25 1986-06-03 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Container carrier and package
US4848565A (en) * 1987-03-24 1989-07-18 Illinois Tool Works, Inc. Carrier devices and packages of containers
US5178266A (en) * 1991-12-18 1993-01-12 Villa Donald J Carrier for beverage cans that breaks apart upon can removal
US5609247A (en) * 1994-11-01 1997-03-11 Appleton; Arthur J. Release mechanism for cans

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CH470297A (fr) 1969-03-31
AT288244B (de) 1971-02-25
JPS5025223B1 (fr) 1975-08-21
DK121882B (da) 1971-12-13
GB1200807A (en) 1970-08-05
FR1549832A (fr) 1968-12-13
NL6800627A (fr) 1968-10-28

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3374028A (en) Container carrier
US2874835A (en) Container carrier and package
US3601439A (en) Container-packaging device
US3038602A (en) Container carrier
EP3647226B1 (fr) Dispositif de portage de boîtes de boissons
US2997169A (en) Container-carrier device
US3269530A (en) Unit package with handle device
US3721337A (en) Quick opening container package
US3300041A (en) Multi-can package
US5481825A (en) Tray for carrrying plant pots
US3044230A (en) Container carrier and package
JPH08508702A (ja) クリップ形缶搬送体
US2994426A (en) Carrier and carrier package
US4385690A (en) Package unit carrier
US3966044A (en) Scrapless plastic sheet multi-packaging device
US3302783A (en) Carrier for containers and the like
US3385626A (en) Plastic sheet carrier device
EP0196181A2 (fr) Dispositif de portage de récipients, et emballage
EP0748744B1 (fr) Emballage de récipients
US3822012A (en) Multiple container package arrangements
US3022888A (en) Multi-can package
US3454156A (en) Can package
US7100762B2 (en) Three pack container carrier
IE56738B1 (en) Multi-packaging device
US3443685A (en) Container carrier and package