US3414313A

US3414313A - Device fabricated from one cut for holding and carrying containers

Info

Publication number: US3414313A
Application number: US588079A
Authority: US
Inventors: Schwarz Hellmuth
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1965-10-21
Filing date: 1966-10-20
Publication date: 1968-12-03
Anticipated expiration: 1985-12-03

Description

Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 zj z g B a.

i C INVENTOR ,@fij% Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS Filed OCT. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

Fig.

1 f "2 W 21 19* (f 1 JW 4 w Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 30 29 28 27 25 p l 1 I i I 1 1 394 38 34 25 I T i r 122 33 l 35 I 35 Dec. 3, 1968 sc w n-z 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS Filed Oct. 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 SMR J Dec. 3, 1968 H. SCHWARZ 3,414,313

DEVICE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDING AND CARRYING CONTAINERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 20, 1966 United States Patent 3,414,313 DEVHIE FABRICATED FROM ONE CUT FOR HOLDllNG AND CARRYING CONTAINERS Hellmuth Sehwarz, Hamburg, Germany, assignor to Bruno Schwarz, Hamburg-Eergedorf, Germany Filed Oct. 20, 1966, Ser. No. 588,079 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 21, 1965,

V 29,567; Dec. 22, 1965, V 29,999

6 Claims. (Cl. 294-87.2)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package forming device preferably constructed of a sheet paper material used to handle and interconnect a plurality of containers, such as cans, having an upper peripheral beaded end wherein the containers are maintained in engagement with the device by spaced-opposed lugs engaging the underside of the container beads. The lugs being hinged and including a free end wherein individual containers may be removed from the device Without affecting the interconnection between the other containers and the device.

It is the object of the invention to provide a package suited for shipping and distribution which may be fabricated at low costs and i capable of reliably holding together and fixing a plurality of containers or bottles of the type specified above. Such package units may then be packed in turn into enveloping cartons with the aid of which a larger number of bottles or containers may be shipped.

Numerous advantages connected With packages and distribution are resulting from the fact that a smaller number of containers or bottles, for instance 3 to 6 of them, are reliably combined and fixed to form a packaged unit making use of inexpensive means. The bottles or containers themselves are safely retained in the enveloping cartons with the aid of the subject matter of the application without the necessity of any insert type packages having to be provided. In this way, mechanization of the packaging step is greatly facilitated.

The invention makes it also possible to package and ship in an enveloping carton a relatively large number of bottles or containers without, during distribution, encountering the difficulty of a retailer or even a wholesale merchant requiring only a smaller number of containers or bottles. After the containers and bottles combined into a package unit with the aid of the invention have been taken out of the enveloping carton, said units may be reliably stored practically without being subjected to the danger of being overturned.

In accordance with the invention, this problem is solved in that two webs disposed opposite each other and encompassing the containers from outside may be fixed at a carrier belt extending in parallel with a container wall, and almost vertically with respect to said belt, and in that lugs adapted to be pivoted about an axis and connected wit-h the webs along said avis are engaging at said webs, said lugs lying close to one side of the bead utilizing in so doing the resiliency of the cardboard or carton material, while the container wall finds support against the carrier belt. The holding and carrying device formed in this manner constitutes a U-shaped carrier which, on the one hand, exhibits considerable strength and, on the other hand, may be fabricated at low labour and material costs. It also offers the considerable advantage that only one wall of the containeras a rule the cover or bottom-is covered by the carrier belt so that the major portion of the container remains free. In this manner, the view on the labels or imprints which are for adver- 3,414,313 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 tizing purpose-s is not, or only slightly, impaired. Finally, the subject matter of the invention ofiers the advantage that the containersi.e. especially the cans or bottlesare fixed within the holding and carrying devices in such a manner that the labels and imprints serving a'dvertizing purposes can neither be damaged by friction among-st each other or the like.

The resilient lugs of the carrying and holding device are of special importance, said lugs lying close to the one side of the bead and thereby utilizing the resiliency of the cardboard or carton material. The cardboard or carton thus must on the one hand have sufficient tension and on the other hand the edge of the cardboard or carton must be hard enough to secure retention of the container simply by said edge lying close to one side of the bead. Thus the edge must not become soft and yield under the influence of the load.

In a preferable embodiment of the invention, therefore, the cut for the fabrication of the holding and carrying device consists of micro corrugated paper. This involves a cardboard which has an overall thickness of only about 1.0-1.5 mm. and the outer layer and corrugation of which are relatively strong, consisting as a rule of strong soda or sulphate paper. Such micro corrugated papers are known. They are excellently suited to carry out the invention, the resilient lugs possessing both a suificient tension and a satisfactory edge strength.

The pivoting axis of the lugs preferably substantially coincides with the outwardly disposed edge of the webs. There results in this manner a suflicient length for the axially resilient lugs so that when packaging, the containers may be inserted in such a manner that the bead of the container at first spreads the resilient lugs apart so that thereupon the resilient lugs may lie close against the one side of the bead.

That portion of the blank disposed adjacent the resilient lugs is preferably formed in such a manner that it fixes the container in a direction in parallel with the carrier belt.

On principle, other means may be employed as well to fix the containers in a direction in parallel with the carrier belt. But in general such special means only will add to the production costs.

In one embodiment of the invention, the webs are retained in an essentially vertical position by that portion of the cut which is disposed adjacent the resilient lugs, serving at least partially to mutually support and hold the webs. One obtains in the manner in particular a carrier which has no U-shaped but a square cross sectional area and which possesses an especially high strength, it is true, but which requires also more material. Conse quently, as a rule, those embodiments of the invention are preferred in which the carrier belt together with the web from a U-shaped carrier.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the webs are connected with a strip serving to form both the resilient lugs and those members which retain the containers longitudinally of the carrier belt while retaining the webs essentially vertically of the carrier belt. In this connection it is recommendable to provide the strips with holding surface connected with the webs via supporting areas and serving to fix the webs with respect to the bottom web.

In some embodiments of the invention, these holding areas are rigidly connected with the carrier belt especial- 1y by gluing. In this manner there results right from the beginning an unobjectionable carrier of U-shaped cross sectional area for fixing and holding the individual containers, it is true. The gluing, however, constitutes an additional operational step which renders the fabrication more complicated and adds to the production costs.

The holding areas are preferably designed to be of such a size that a container wall will be supported at least partially on the holding areas. In connection with this, the holding areas are fixed by the container wall when the containers have been inserted, the area of the container being fixed between the container wall and the bead by the resilient lugs. Such a carrying and holding device does not require any gluing. The carrier fixing the individual containers is formed only at the moment of assembly, the cut having to be provided previously only with incisions and grooves in a manner to be described in more detail in the following.

Further improvements and suitable developments of the invention will be explained in connection with the attached drawing which shows by way of example some embodiments of the invention in a simplified representation.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a view taken of the blank in a preferred embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a transverse view taken on the carrying and holding device formed in accordance with the invention in an assembled condition with a preserve can partially pushed into the device,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view taken on the carrying and holding device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, with a preserve can which is only shown in part (the view is taken obliquely on the open side of the U-shaped cross sectional area of the carrying and holding device),

FIG. 4 shows a view taken on the carrying and holding device of FIGS. l-3 taken from below,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the carrying and holding device of FIGS. l-4, provided with holding brackets to facilitate the handling thereof,

FIG. 6 shows a view of another blank formed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 7 is a perspective view taken on the finished-folded carrying and holding device formed with the aid of the blank in accordance with FIG. 6 showing in part a bottle inserted in the device,

FIG. 8 is a view taken of another blank formed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 9 shows a view taken on the carrying and holding device folded with the aid of the blank according to FIG. 8, the position of the cans retained by said device being shown in dash-dotted lines,

FIG. 10 shows a view taken of another blank formed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 11 shows a view taken of the carrying and holding device formed in accordance with the cut of FIG. 10, the cans retained by said device again being shown in dash-dotted lines,

FIG. 12 shows a view taken on another cut formed in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 13 is a partially sectional View to illustrate one specific manner in which the subject matter of the application may be employed which slightly differs in particular from that one described in FIG. 2, making use of a blank similar to that of FIG. 12,

FIG. 14 shOWs a transverse view similar to that one of FIG. 2 to illustrate another embodiment of the invention.

In the first place, the preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with the aid of FIGS. 1-5. The blank shown in FIG. 1 is rectangular and serves to hold and fix four preserve cans this number also having been selected only for example. The blank 1 made of micro corrugated cardboard is provided with relatively deeper grooves 2, 3 (shown in broken lines) and less distinct relatively shorter grooves 4 spaced from each other (shown in dash-dotted lines). Those points at which the centers of the four preserve cans are to lie later on, are designated 5, 5", 5', and 5"".

Incisions

6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are provided abreast of these centers 5. The

incisions

6, 7, 8 together with a portion of the groove 3 include a lug 11 which, for reasons resulting from the description below, is also designated a resilient lug which is adapted to be pivoted about an axis lying in front of a portion of the groove 3, within a region fixed by the tension or resiliency of the micro corrugated cardboard. The corrugations of the micro corrugated paper extent in parallel relationship with respect to the edges 15 of the blank, i.e. perpendicularly with respect to the edges 14.

Those areas which are disposed between the

incisions

7, 8, 9, 10 and the

grooves

3, 4, for reasons to be discussed later on, are designated as supporting areas and bear the reference numeral 12. A through-going strip bearing the reference numeral 13, is disposed beyond the resilient lugs 11 as well as beyond the supporting areas, said strips being designated as holding strip in the following. These holding strips are defined by the outer longitudinal edges 14, part of the transverse edges 15, the spacedapart grooves 4, and the

incisions

9, 6 and 10.

Between the

grooves

2 and 3, there are disposed strips which are extending lengthwise from the one transverse edge 15 to the other transverse edge 15 of the blank and which are designated as webs; these webs bear the reference numeral 16. A wide belt extends the entire length of the blank between the grooves 2, said belt being designated as carrier belt and bearing the reference numeral 17. As will be seen especially from FIG. 2, 3 and 5, in order to form the carrying and holding device, the blank is folded inwardly along the

grooves

2 and 3 in such a manner that the web areas are standing vertical with respect to the carrier belt 17.

While the material is folded to the same side along the grooves 2. 3. it is fixed along the grooves 4 in the opposite direction in such a manner that the holding strips 13 come to lie on the carrier belt 17 with the whole area thereof. In this position the supporting areas 12 stand oblique with respect to both the carrier belt and the web areas 16 which are now disposed essentially vertically with respect to the carrier belt.

In one embodiment of the invention, the fabrication of somehow fastening the holding strips 13 on the carrier the carrying and holding device may be terminated by belt 17 in the position as described above, in particular by gluing. As will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, a U-shaped carrier is provided in this manner. The webs 16 are supported against the carrier belt 17 by means of the supporting surfaces 12, the supporting surfaces being retained on the carrier belt by means of the holding strips 13. Now, the individual containers, for example the preserve cans 19, may be inserted from the open side of the U- shaped carrier, as resulting from FIG. 2 and 3 but also from FIG. 4, the resilient lugs 11 being pressed outwardly about the axis 3 thereof against the resiliency or tension of the micro corrugated cardboard. As soon as the edge 6 of the resilient lugs 11 has jumped the bead 18 of the preserving can 19, the edge -6 will lie close to the head 18 from the rear. The resilient lug because of the tension of the cardboard material is pressed against the surface of the can. The edge 6 is so hard that the can is axially located against this resilient lug.

The bottom or cover 21 of this can will lie close to the holding strips 13 at the same time so that the axial thickness (a) of the bead in the assembled condition approximately equals the distance of the edge 6 of the resilient lug 11 from the outwardly disposed side 'of the holding strip 13.

The cans are fixed axially by the obliquely extending

incisions

9, 10 which in part define the supporting surfaces 12. This results in particular from FIG. 4. In the assembled condition, the cans are axially fixed in such a manner that there is little or no play available between their outwardly protruding beads. Damage to the labels or imprints on the can is precluded.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, however, permanent fastening of the holding areas 13 to the carrier belt 17 is dispensed with. It is recalled to mind here that the can is supported on the carrier belt by its bottom or lid area in such a manner that the protruding bead of the cans is clamped between the holding strip 13 and the edge 6 of the resilient lug 11. This clamping effect is resulting even if the holding strip 13 has not at all been rigidly connected with the carrier belt 17 previously.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, thus, the readily prepared and grooved blank is folded in the manner as described and then the container, in particular the can, all at once inserted, which now on the one hand is retained in the carrying and holding device and, on the other hand, keeps the individual parts of the carrying and holding device in their end positions as shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.

FIG. 5 shows the subject matter of the invention with, for instance, 4 preserve cans and carrying bands or brackets 20. This type of suspension will be generally usual when the containers are packaged into some enveloping cartons. But it also is possible to make use of the carrying and holding device, vice versa, in such a manner that the individual container, for instance, the preserve cans, stand facing upwardly.

The FIGS. 8 and 9 as Well as the FIGS. 10 and 11 show lightly modified blanks which differ from the blank of the other figures, in particular in that the holding strip 13 is not a through-going one but only consists of individual portions which are serving to fix the supporting surface 12 und thus to fix the webs 16 with respect to the carrier belt 17. In the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1, however, the through-going holding surfaces 13 contribute towards an increase in the strength of the U-shaped carrier so that already for this reason, as a rule, the embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1 is to be given preference. The embodiments in accordance with FIGS. 8-11 deserve to be given preference in particular in cases where the weight of the carrying and holding device is to be especially low or Where light-weight containers are involved. In these figures, only the reference numerals for the individual areas have been entered which are in conformity with the reference numerals for FIG. 1, so that it is not necessary to enlarge any further on these FIGS. 9-11.

The blank in accordance with FIG. 6 results in a carrying and holding device of about square cross sectional area. The cut 43 of FIG. 6 is subdivided into five portions of essentially

equal width

26, 27, 28, 29, 30 by

grooves

22, 23, 24, 25.

Incisions

32, 32 are provided within the portion 28. These groups of incisions are spaced from each other through distances corresponding to those between the containers which are to be received by the carrying and holding device. The

incisions

31, 32, 33 form two mutually

opposed lugs

38, 39 which may be pivoted about the

grooves

23, 24 acting as axes.

Tongues 35 are provided at the outer edge 34 of the web 26, while at the groove slots 36 are provided on the same level as the tongues 35.

As will be seen from FIG. 7, the

individual webs

26, 27, 28, 29, are respectively folded along the

grooves

22, 23, 24, 25 about 90, the tongues 35 being pushed into the slots 36 at the end in the usual manner.

This holding and carrying device serves for instance to hold and fix bottles 37. The edges 31 of the

resilient lugs

38, 39 lie against a bead 40 of the bottleneck, while the mouth 41 of the bottleneck is supported on the web 30 which, in the assembled condition, overlies the web 26. Because of the downward-hinging movement of the

resilient lugs

38, 39 edges 42 are formed in the web 28 which now serve to support the bottleneck or the body of the bottle in the longitudinal direction of the carrying and holding device.

FIG. 12 shows still another blank in which the same reference numerals have been used as in the description of the embodiment according to FIGS. 15. In case the short holding surfaces (they are not uninterruptedly ex- 6 tending longitudinally in FIG. 12 either) should be fastened somehow on the carrier surface 17, for instance by gluing, the corners 43 of the carrying surface which are shown in broken lines may be removed so that then the container, in particular, the preserve can, comes to lie directly against the carrier surface 17.

In accordance with FIG. 13, with containers having two protruding beads spaced from each other, the carrying and holding device formed in accordance with the invention 'may also be designed and used in such a manner that the one bead is seized by a resilient lug on the one side and the other bead is seized by a resilient lug on the other side of the blank. Also in FIG. 13, those reference numerals have again been used which have been employed for the description of the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-5. The preserve can 19 according to FIG. 13 is disposed lengthwise between two mutually opposed resilient lugs 11, the width of the carrier area 17 between the grooves 2 being essentially equal to the length of the preserve can 19. The resilient lugs 11 in this case lie in the cavity of the cover or the bottom 21, respectively, of the preserve can 19. The outer edge 44 of the resilient lugs (please see FIG. 12) then suitably will be cut in accordance with the roundness of the bead 18 so that the resilient lug 11 simultaneously also fixes the can longitudinally of the holding and carrying device 1 by means of its rounded edge 44.

With the utilization shown in FIG. 13, as a rule, some fastening of the holding strip 13 to the carrier belt 17, in particular by gluing, will be recommendable, even if the holding strip extends with no interruptions longitudinally. In case here as well a rigid connection of the holding strip With the carrier belt is dispensed with, a reinforcement is suitably provided between the carrying belt 17 or the holding strip 13, respectively, and the periphery of the can 19 at least in that region, where the periphery most nearly approaches the holding strips. This reinforcement must approximately balance the protruding bead 18.

The invention may furthermore be considerably improved in that in the embodiments according to FIGS. 15 the holding surfaces in accordance with FIG. 14 are not-as previously shown and described-pivoted away from the carrying belt 17 about the grooves 4 from the plane of the supporting surfaces 12 through an angle smaller than but that the holding surfaces 13 are pivoted onto the carrier belt 17 about the grooves 4 from the plane of the supporting surface 12 through an angle of more than 90. Also in this case the web 16 is arranged approximately vertically with respect to the carrier belt 17. In the case of the embodiment just described above, however, the tendency of the holding surface 13 to keep the web 16 in its position about vertically with respect to the carrier belt 17 is much greater than with the previously described embodiments. Also in the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 813, the holding surfaces 13 may be hinged in correspondence with the representation in FIG. 14.

The container is especially safely clamped between the resilient lugs 11 and the holding surface 13 which is resilient in the direction towards the container so that the web 16 cannot deviate outwardly even in the case of relatively higher stresses. By such a deflection of the holding surface 13, the web will be pulled inwardly like a lever.

For the sake of completeness, attention is drawn to the fact that with all the embodiments of the invention the containers in case of being provided with two protruding beads, may also be pushed into a holding and carrying device formed in accordance with the invention, from both sides.

What I claim is:

1. A package defining device of sheet material for engagement with containers having an outwardly extending peripheral bead adjacent an end of the container. comprising, in combination, a carrier portion having an underside surface and lateral edge portions, a web portion transversely depending from each of said lateral edge portions in the direction of said underside surface, said web portions being spaced apart a distance great enough to receive the beaded container end therebetween, at least one set of lugs formed in said web portions, each set of lugs comprising at least first and second lugs, said first lug being formed in one of said web portions and said second lug being formed in the other web portion in directly opposed relation to said first lug, each of said lugs being formed of the material of its associated web portion and including a first end removed from said carrier portion underside surface and hinged to the associated web portion, a free second end disposed toward said underside surface and lateral side edges free from the associated web portion permitting said lugs second ends to be hinged toward and away from each other, said second ends of said lugs terminating short of said underside surface whereby a container beaded end may be inserted between said web portions toward said undersurface and said lugs second ends engage the container bead at opposed locations locking the device and container together.

2. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein a plurality of sets of lugs are defined on said web portions, said sets being spaced from each other along the length of said web portions.

3. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein said web portions include end portions, said end portions being disposed adjacent said carrier portion undersurface and L; are maintained adjacent said undersurface by the container beaded end upon said lugs second ends engaging the containers bead.

4. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein said web portions include container locating edges engaging a container disposed between said web portions preventing movement of said containers in a direction parallel to said carrier portion lateral edge portions.

5. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein said sheet meterial com-prises micro-corrugated cardboard.

6. A package defining device as in claim 1 wherein handle means are defined on said carrier portion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,005,654 10/1961 Stone 20665 3,016,259 6/1962 Lawrence 206-65 3,099,475 7/1963 Manizza 29487 3,139,981 7/1964 Akeireb 20665 3,168,194 2/1965 Weiss 20665 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,200,733 9/ 1965 Germany.

984,450 2/1965 Great Britain.

EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.