WO2024074988A1

WO2024074988A1 - Stackable arrangement of product containers and related method of stacking

Info

Publication number: WO2024074988A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/059880
Authority: WO
Inventors: Pankaj Patel; Wesley S. Jones; Mark Shane Hatcher; Melissa A. CLARK
Original assignee: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Priority date: 2022-10-04
Filing date: 2023-10-02
Publication date: 2024-04-11

Abstract

The present invention includes a method of stacking an arrangement of product containers. The method includes applying a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form an adhesive surface thereon; axially aligning one of the closed surfaces of a second one of the product containers with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container; and adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers to the closed surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement.

Description

STACKABLE ARRANGEMENT OF PRODUCT CONTAINERS AND RELATED METHOD OF

STACKING

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a product container, and more particularly to a stackable arrangement of traditional product packs and oral product containers and related method of stacking.

BACKGROUND

There are many categories of products intended for oral use and enjoyment. For example, traditional combustible products such as cigarettes are widely known. An additional example includes oral products containing nicotine, which is known to have both stimulant and anxiolytic properties, have also been available for many years. Conventional formats for so-called “smokeless” tobacco products include moist snuff, snus, and chewing tobacco, which are typically formed almost entirely of particulate, granular, or shredded tobacco, and which are either portioned by the user or presented to the user in individual portions, such as in single-use pouches or sachets. See for example, the types of smokeless tobacco formulations, ingredients, and processing methodologies set forth in US Pat. Nos. 6,668,839 to Williams; 6,834,654 to Williams; 6,953,040 to Atchley et al.; 7,032,601 to Atchley et al.; and 7,694,686 to Atchley et al.; 7,810,507 to Dube et al.; 7,819,124 to Strickland et al.; 7,861,728 to Holton, Jr. et al.; 7,901,512 to Quinter et al.; 8,627,828 to Strickland et al.; 11,246,334 to Atchley, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Representative smokeless tobacco products that have been marketed include those referred to as CAMEL Orbs, CAMEL Strips and CAMEL Sticks by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company; GRIZZLY moist tobacco, KODIAK moist tobacco, LEVI GARRETT loose tobacco and TAYLOR'S PRIDE loose tobacco by American Snuff Company, LLC; KAYAK moist snuff and CHATTANOOGA CHEW chewing tobacco by Swisher International, Inc.; REDMAN chewing tobacco by Pinkerton Tobacco Co. LP; COPENHAGEN moist tobacco and RED SEAL long cut by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and Taboka by Philip Morris USA. Representative types of snuff products, commonly referred to as “snus,” which may comprise pasteurized or heat treated tobacco products, are manufactured in Europe, particularly in Sweden, by or through companies such as Swedish Match AB, Fiedler & Lundgren AB, Gustavus AB, Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni A/S and Rocker Production AB. Snus products available in the U.S.A, have been marketed under the trade names such as CAMEL Snus Frost, CAMEL Snus Original and CAMEL Snus Spice by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Snus products, such as CAMEL Snus Original, are commonly supplied in small teabag-like pouches. The pouches are typically a nonwoven fleece material, and contain about 0.4 to 1.5 grams of pasteurized tobacco. These products typically remain in a user's mouth for about 10-30 minutes. Unlike certain other oral products, snus products typically do not require expectoration by the user. Other pouch types of oral products include those marketed as COPENHAGEN Pouches, SKOAL Bandits, SKOAL Pouches, REVEL Mint Tobacco Packs by U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company; and MARLBORO Snus by Philip Morris USA. In addition, traditional tobacco materials and non-tobacco materials have been combined with other ingredients to form product formats distinct from traditional smokeless products, with example formats including lozenges, pastilles, gels, and the like. See, for example, the types of products described in US Patent App. Pub. Nos. 2008/0196730 to Engstrom et al.; 2008/0305216 to Crawford et al.; 2009/0293889 to Kumar et al.; 2010/0291245 to Gao et al; 2011/0139164 to Mua et al.; 2012/0037175 to Cantrell et al.; 2012/0055494 to Hunt et al.; 2012/0138073 to Cantrell et al.; 2012/0138074 to Cantrell et al.; 2013/0074855 to Holton, Jr.; 2013/0074856 to Holton, Jr.; 2013/0152953 to Mua et al.; 2013/0274296 to Jackson et al.; 2015/0068545 to Moldoveanu et al.; 2015/0101627 to Marshall et al.; and 2015/0230515 to Lampe et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Various types of containers for dispensing oral products, particularly components intended for human consumption, are known in the art. Such containers are often characterized by a hand-held size that can be easily stored and transported. For example, snus products have been packaged in tins, “pucks” or “pots” that are manufactured from metal or plastic. See, for example, those types of containers generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,421 to Foster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,170 to Boyd and U.S. Pat. No. 8,440,023 to Carroll et al.; and U.S. Patent Pub. Nos. 2010/0065076 to Bergstrom et al.; 2010/0065077 to Lofgreen- Ohm et al.; 2012/0024301 to Carroll et al. and 2012/0193265 to Patel et al.; each of which is incorporated by reference herein. Yet other types of containers for oral products are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 8,458,996 to Bried et al.; D574,709 to Crotts et al. and D649,284 to Patel et al.; U.S. Patent Pub. Nos. 2008/0202956 to Welk et al., 2010/0012534 to Hoffman, and 2010/0018883 to Patel et al.; and U.S. Patent No. 8,910,781 to Pipes et al.; as well as the various types of containers referenced in U.S. Patent Pub. No. 2013/0206153 to Beeson et al.; each of which is incorporated by reference herein. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 8,567,597 to Gibson et al. discloses a compartment container for snus, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

For transport, traditional combustibles are packaged and boxed in a predetermined amount in shrinkwrapped, paperboard cartons that may be lined, sealed, or otherwise treated with inks, dyes, markings that don’t provide any additional benefits to individual users or vendors and are eventually discarded if cigarette packages are sold or restocked for individual purchase. As outlined above, oral product containers are typically vertically stacked on top of one another to form a stackable arrangement. They are then securely retained in the stackable arrangement using a wrapper extending around a circumference of the stackable arrangement. This wrapper is typically a single-use plastic, which is removed and disposed of when the containers arrive at their destination for individual arrangement at a point of sale display. Such plastic waste undesirably contributes to the about 300 million tons of plastic waste that is globally produced each year.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a stackable arrangement of product packs and containers and related method of stacking. The present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations. Example Implementation 1: A method of stacking an arrangement of product containers, each of the product containers comprising opposing closed first and second surfaces and defining a central axis extending through a circumferential center of the product containers, the method comprising: applying a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form an adhesive surface thereon; axially aligning one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container; and adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers to the one of the closed first surface or the closed second surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 2: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein each of the product containers comprises a body including a circumferentially-extending body wall and forming the closed first surface of the product container and a removable cover forming the closed second surface of the product container when the cover is engaged with the circumferentially-extending body wall, and wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the closed first surface of the body and the closed second surface of the cover.

Example Implementation 3: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the closed first surface and the closed second surface of each of the product containers define planar surfaces, without a lip, and wherein adhering the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers comprises adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the planar adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers to the one of the closed planar first surface or the closed planar second surface aligned therewith of the second one of the product containers to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 4: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein each of the product containers define an interior compartment retaining a product therein in a closed configuration and formed between the closed first and second surfaces in the closed configuration, the method further comprising depositing the product within the interior compartment. Example Implementation 5: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the quantity of adhesive comprises a thermoplastic.

Example Implementation 6: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the method further comprises heating the quantity of adhesive prior to applying the quantity of adhesive on the at least one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers.

Example Implementation 7: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises five product containers. Example Implementation 8: The method of Example Implementation 1, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement of the product containers comprises a low shear strength so as to enable removal of the product containers from the stackable arrangement through rotation of the first or second product containers about the central axis thereof relative to the other one of the second or first product containers.

Example Implementation 9: A system for stacking an arrangement of product containers, each of the product containers comprising opposing closed first and second surfaces and defining a central axis extending through a circumferential center of the product containers, the system comprising: an adhesive deposition mechanism arranged to apply a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form an adhesive surface thereon; and an alignment mechanism arranged to axially align one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container; wherein the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers is adhered, via the quantity of adhesive, to the one of the closed first surface or the closed second surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 10: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein each of the product containers comprises a body including a circumferentially-extending body wall and forming the closed first surface of the product container and a removable cover forming the closed second surface of the product container when the cover is engaged with the circumferentially-extending body wall, and wherein the adhesive deposition mechanism is arranged to apply the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the closed first surface of the body and the closed second surface of the cover.

Example Implementation 11: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the closed first surface and the closed second surface of each of the product containers define planar surfaces, without a lip, and wherein the planar adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers is adhered to the one of the closed planar first surface or the closed planar second surface aligned therewith of the second one of the product containers to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 12: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein each of the product containers define an interior compartment retaining a product therein in a closed configuration and formed between the closed first and second surfaces in the closed configuration.

Example Implementation 13: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the quantity of adhesive comprises a thermoplastic.

Example Implementation 14: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the system further comprises a heater arranged to heat the quantity of adhesive prior to application of the quantity of adhesive on the at least one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers by the adhesive deposition mechanism.

Example Implementation 15: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises five product containers.

Example Implementation 16: The system of Example Implementation 9, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement of the product containers comprises a low shear strength so as to enable removal of the product containers from the stackable arrangement through rotation of the first or second product containers about the central axis thereof relative to the other one of the second or first product containers.

Example Implementation 17: A method of stacking an arrangement of product containers, each of the product containers comprising opposing closed first and second surfaces, the system comprising: applying a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a first surface and an opposing second surface of a divider, so as to form at least one adhesive surface; aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of a first one of the product containers with the at least one adhesive surface of the divider; and adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the at least one adhesive surface of the divider with the closed first or second surfaces of the first product container aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 18: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on the first surface and the opposing second surface of the divider, so as to form a first adhesive surface on the first surface of the divider and a second adhesive surface on the opposing second surface of the divider.

Example Implementation 19: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the opposing closed first and second surfaces of the product containers each define opposing closed front and back surfaces, and wherein aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of the first one of the product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider and one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of a second one of the product containers with the second adhesive surface of the divider.

Example Implementation 20: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein adhering the at least one adhesive surface of the divider comprises adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the adhesive first and second surfaces of the divider with the closed front or back surfaces of the first and second product containers aligned therewith to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 21: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers, and wherein aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of the first one of the product containers comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the five product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider, and aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of another five product containers with the second adhesive surface of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 22: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the opposing closed first and second surfaces of the product containers each defining opposing closed front and back surfaces, wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on the first surface of the divider so as to form a first adhesive surface thereon, and wherein aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 23: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers each defining the opposing closed front and back surfaces, and wherein aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the product containers comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the ten product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 24: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the opposing closed first and second surfaces of the product containers define opposing closed lateral surfaces arranged between opposing closed front and back surfaces, and the divider is portioned into discrete sections, wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on the first surface and the opposing second surface of a first section of the discrete sections of the divider so as to form a first adhesive surface on the first surface of the first section of the divider and a second adhesive surface on the opposing second surface of the first section of the divider, and wherein aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers comprises aligning one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of the first one of the product containers with the first adhesive surface of the first section of the divider and one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of a second one of the product containers with the second adhesive surface of the first section of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Example Implementation 25: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers and the divider is portioned into nine discrete sections, and wherein aligning one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of the first one of the product containers comprises arrange each of the nine discrete sections of the divider between serially disposed and adjacent closed lateral surfaces of the product containers.

Example Implementation 26: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, further comprising heating the quantity of adhesive prior to applying the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the first surface and the opposing second surface of the divider. Example Implementation 27: The method of Example Implementation 17, or any combination of preceding example implementations, wherein each of the product containers defines an interior compartment retaining a product therein in a closed configuration and formed between the closed first and second surfaces in the closed configuration, the method further comprising depositing the product within the interior compartment.

It will be appreciated that the above Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example aspects so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. As such, it will be appreciated that the above described example aspects are merely examples of some aspects and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the disclosure in any way. It will be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure encompasses many potential aspects, some of which will be further described below, in addition to those here summarized. Further, other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the described aspects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

In order to assist the understanding of aspects of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the appended drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale and in which like reference numerals refer to like elements. The drawings are exemplary only, and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure.

FIG. 1A illustrates a product container in an open configuration with its cover uncoupled from its body according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. IB illustrates a product container in a closed configuration with its cover coupled to its body according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a stackable arrangement of product containers according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a system for forming a stackable arrangement of product containers according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A illustrates an adhesive deposition mechanism applying adhesive to a product container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B illustrates an alignment mechanism axially aligning two product containers according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4C illustrates rotation of a product container relative to another product container to decouple the product container from a stackable arrangement of product containers according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a method flow diagram of a method of stacking an arrangement of product containers according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A illustrates a stackable arrangement of product containers according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG. 6B illustrates formation of a first sub-stack of the stackable arrangement of the product containers of FIG. 6 A;

FIG. 6C illustrates alignment of the product containers for formation of sub-stacks of the stackable arrangement of the product containers of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A illustrates a divider for the stackable arrangement of the product containers of FIGS. 6A- 6C;

FIG. 7B illustrates the divider of FIG. 7A adhered to a first sub-stack of product containers of the stackable arrangement of product containers;

FIG. 8 illustrates another stackable arrangement of product containers according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.9 illustrates a still further stackable arrangement of product containers according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 illustrates a method flow diagram of a method of stacking an arrangement of product containers according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These exemplary embodiments are described so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification, and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, “the”, include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The foregoing description of use of the article can be applied to the various embodiments described herein through minor modifications, which can be apparent to the person of skill in the art in light of the further disclosure provided herein. The above description of use, however, is not intended to limit the use of the article but is provided to comply with all necessary requirements of disclosure of the present disclosure.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

As used herein, “products” may refer to a variety of consumer products in solid, liquid, gel, vapor, and/or any other form that may be stored within a product container. In some example embodiments, the “products” may refer to tobacco products. Exemplary tobacco products include pelletized tobacco products (e.g., compressed or molded pellets produced from powdered or processed tobacco, such as those formed into the general shape of a coin, cylinder, bean, pellet, sphere, orb, strip, obloid, cube, bead, or the like), extruded or cast pieces of tobacco (e.g., as strips, films or sheets, including multilayered films formed into a desired shape), products incorporating tobacco carried by a solid substrate (e.g., where dividers range from edible grains to inedible cellulosic sticks), extruded or formed tobacco-containing rods or sticks (e.g., traditional cigarettes), tobacco-containing capsule-like materials having an outer shell region and an inner core region, straw-like (e.g., hollow formed) tobacco-containing shapes, sachets or packets containing tobacco (e.g., snus-like products), pieces of tobacco-containing gum, and the like. Further, exemplary tobacco products include tobacco formulations in a loose form such as, for example, a moist snuff product. Exemplary loose form tobacco used with the containers of the present disclosure may include tobacco formulations associated with, for example, commercially available GRIZZLY moist tobacco products and KODIAK moist tobacco products that are marketed by American Snuff Company, LLC.

Exemplary smokeless tobacco compositions and non-tobacco containing oral products that can be packaged in the containers of the present disclosure are set forth in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,376,586 to Schwartz; U.S. Pat. No. 3,368,567 to Speer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,756 to Pittman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,357 to Dusek et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,749 to Toft et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,244 to Kjerstad; U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,416 to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,839 to Williams; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,810,507 to Dube et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,819,124, 8,469,036 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,627,828 each to Strickland et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2008/0029116 to Robinson et al. Examples of tobacco-containing gum are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,269 to Story et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,270 to Kehoe; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,498 to Ogren. Various manners or methods for packaging oral products are set forth in U.S. Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2004/0217024 and 2006/0118589 to Amarp et al.; and 2009/0014450 to Bjorkholm; and PCT Pub. Nos. WO 2006/034450 to Budd; WO 2007/017761 to Kutsch et al.; and WO 2007/067953 to Sheveley et al. All of the above-cited references are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Embodiments of product containers for packaging products such as outlined above may include one or more components, such as, for example, trays slidably received in housings as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,946,450 to Gelardi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,066,123 to Gelardi; U.S. Pat. No. 8,087,540 to Bailey et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,096,411 to Bailey et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2011/0000931 to Gelardi et al. and 2010/0133140 to Bailey et al. U.S. Pat. No. 8,033,425 to Gelardi describes a hinged container for packaging products such as oral products. U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,261 to Thomas et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,039 to Henson et al. disclose metal containers for tobacco products with a sliding lid. U.S. Pat. No. 8,397,945 to Gelardi et al. describes a container for packaging products such as oral products including an outer casing and a dispensing tray. U.S. Pat. No. 8,540,113 to Bailey describes a container for packaging products such as oral products including a base and a lid configured to pivot and slide between open and closed positions. U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2012/0193265 to Patel et al. describes a container for packaging products such as oral products including a separable lid and base with vent channels. U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2014/0001194 to Pipes et al. discloses hinging containers with blister packs received therein. U.S. Patent No. 11,147,309 to Patel et al. discloses a container made of pulp derived from a plant material with a product therein. Additional examples of containers for oral products are set forth in U.S Patent Application Pub. Nos. 2015/0136618 to Patel et al; 2016/0270440 to Patel et al.; 2017/0100308 to Lampe et al.; 2017/0332693 to Benford; 2020/0277110 to Patel et al.; as well as WO2022/106845 to Lidstrand et al. and U.S. Patent App. No. 17/205,176 filed March 18, 2021. All of the above-cited references are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

In some example embodiments, compositions utilized as the product contained in the product containers of the present disclosure will often include ingredients such as tobacco (typically in particulate form, extracts, isolates or mixtures and combinations thereof), actives, botanicals, sweeteners, binders, colorants, pH adjusters, fillers, flavoring agents, disintegration aids, antioxidants, oral care additives, and preservatives. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,861,728 to Holton et al., which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. The products may additionally or alternatively include other active ingredients including, but not limited to, nicotine components, botanical ingredients (e.g., lavender, peppermint, chamomile, basil, rosemary, thyme, eucalyptus , ginger, cannabis, ginseng, maca, and tisanes), stimulants (e.g., caffeine and guarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine, theanine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) and/or pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and medicinal ingredients (e.g., vitamins, such as B6, B12, and C, and cannabinoids, cannabimimetics and terpenes, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)). Example products can contain tobacco or be tobacco-free, including products containing nicotine but substantially free of any tobacco plant material.

The example products are configured for oral use in some example embodiments. The term "configured for oral use" as used herein means that the composition is provided in a form such that during use, saliva in the mouth of the user causes one or more of the components of the composition (e.g., flavoring agents and/or active ingredients) to pass into the mouth of the user. In certain embodiments, the composition is adapted to deliver components to a user through mucous membranes in the user's mouth, the user's digestive system, or both, and, in some instances, said component is an active ingredient (including, but not limited to, for example, a stimulant, vitamin, an amino acid, a botanical, or combinations thereof) that can be absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth or absorbed through the digestive tract when the product is used.

Compositions configured for oral use as described herein may take various forms, including gels, pastilles, gums, chews, melts, tablets, lozenges, powders, and pouches. Certain compositions of the disclosure are in the form of solids. Certain compositions can exhibit, for example, one or more of the following characteristics: crispy, granular, chewy, syrupy, pasty, fluffy, smooth, and/or creamy. In certain embodiments, the desired textural property can be selected from the group consisting of adhesiveness, cohesiveness, density, dryness, fracturability, graininess, gumminess, hardness, heaviness, moisture absorption, moisture release, mouthcoating, roughness, slipperiness, smoothness, viscosity, wetness, and combinations thereof.

The compositions as disclosed herein can be formed into a variety of shapes, including pills, tablets, spheres, strips, films, sheets, coins, cubes, beads, ovoids, obloids, cylinders, bean-shaped, sticks, or rods. Cross-sectional shapes of the composition can vary, and example cross-sectional shapes include circles, squares, ovals, rectangles, and the like. Such shapes can be formed in a variety of manners using equipment such as moving belts, nips, extruders, granulation devices, compaction devices, and the like.

In certain example embodiments, the product formulation can be contained within a container, such as a pouch or bag, such as is the type commonly used for the manufacture of snus types of products (e.g., a sealed, moisture permeable pouch that is sometimes referred to as a “portion”) or a box, such as is the type commonly used for containing traditional cigarettes, carbon tip tobacco heating products, and/or electronic tobacco heating products (also known as e-cigarettes). A representative moisture permeable pouch can be composed of a “fleece” type of material. The product formulation is in turn contained within a package, such as the containers of the present disclosure described more fully hereinbelow. The package is sealed, and is composed of a suitable material, such that the atmospheric conditions within that sealed package are modified and/or controlled. That is, the sealed package can provide a good barrier that selectively or non- selectively inhibits the passage of compositions such as moisture and oxygen therethrough. For example, the seal or gasket can be useful for inhibiting ingress of moisture while also allowing for egress of gas. In addition, the atmosphere within the sealed package can be further modified by introducing a selected gaseous species (e.g., nitrogen, argon, or a mixture thereof) into the package prior to sealing or by drawing a vacuum therein (vacuum sealing). As such, the atmospheric conditions to which the tobacco composition is exposed are controlled during conditions of one or more of preparation, packing, storage and handling.

Accordingly, some of the products contemplated by the present disclosure may be in pouch form. An exemplary pouch may be manufactured from materials, and in such a manner, such that during use by the user, the pouch undergoes a controlled dispersion or dissolution. Such pouch materials may have the form of a mesh, screen, perforated paper, permeable fabric, or the like. For example, pouch material manufactured from a mesh-like form of rice paper, or perforated rice paper, may dissolve in the mouth of the user. As a result, the pouch and tobacco formulation each may undergo complete dispersion within the mouth of the user during normal conditions of use, and hence the pouch and tobacco formulation both may be ingested by the user. Other exemplary pouch materials may be manufactured using water dispersible film forming materials (e.g., binding agents such as alginates, carboxymethylcellulose, xanthan gum, pullulan, and the like), as well as those materials in combination with materials such as ground cellulosics (e.g., fine particle size wood pulp). Preferred pouch materials, though water dispersible or dissolvable, may be designed and manufactured such that under conditions of normal use, a significant amount of the tobacco formulation contents permeate through the pouch material prior to the time that the pouch undergoes loss of its physical integrity. If desired, flavoring ingredients, disintegration aids, and other desired components, may be incorporated within, or applied to, the pouch material.

Descriptions of various components of snus products and components thereof also are set forth in U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2004/0118422 to Lundin et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. See, also, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,479 to Linden; U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,899 to Nielsen; U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,734 to Wydick et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,516 to Den, and U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2005/0061339 to Hansson et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. See, also, the representative types of pouches, and pouch material or fleece, set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,244 to Kjerstad, which is incorporated herein by reference. Snus products can be manufactured using equipment such as that available as SB 51-1/T, SBL 50 and SB 53-2/T from Merz Verpackungmaschinen GinBH. G.D SpA out of Italy also supplies tobacco pouching equipment. Snus pouches can be provided as individual pouches, or a plurality of pouches and can be connected or linked together (e.g., in an end-to-end manner) such that a single pouch or individual portion can be readily removed for use from a one-piece strand or matrix of pouches.

In addition, traditional tobacco materials and non-tobacco materials have been combined with other ingredients to form product formats distinct from traditional smokeless products, with example formats including lozenges, pastilles, gels, and the like. See, for example, the types of products described in US Patent App. Pub. Nos. 2008/0196730 to Engstrom et al.; 2008/0305216 to Crawford et al.; 2009/0293889 to Kumar et al.; 2010/0291245 to Gao et al; 2011/0139164 to Mua et al.; 2012/0037175 to Cantrell et al.; 2012/0055494 to Hunt et al.; 2012/0138073 to Cantrell et al.; 2012/0138074 to Cantrell et al.; 2013/0074855 to Holton, Jr.; 2013/0074856 to Holton, Jr.; 2013/0152953 to Mua et al.; 2013/0274296 to Jackson et al.; 2015/0068545 to Moldoveanu et al.; 2015/0101627 to Marshall et al.; and 2015/0230515 to Lampe et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Still further, new types of oral products that deliver advantageous sensorial or biological activity have been developed. Such products typically contain flavorants and/or active ingredients such as nicotine, caffeine, botanicals, or cannabidiol. The format of such products can vary, and include pouched products containing a powdered or granular composition, lozenges, pastilles, liquids, gels, emulsions, meltable compositions, and the like. See, for example, the types of products described in US Patent App. Pub. Nos. 2022/0160675 to Gerardi et al.; 2022/0071984 to Poole et al.; 2021/0378948 to Gerardi et al.; 2021/0330590 to Hutchens et al.; 2021/0186081 to Gerardi et al.; 2021/0177754 to Keller et al; 2021/0177043 to Gerardi et al.; 2021/0177036 to Johnson et al.; 2021/0177038 to Gerardi et al.; 2021/0169867 to Holton, Jr. et al.; 2021/0169792 to Holton, Jr. et al.; 2021/0169132 to Holton, Jr. et al.; 2021/0169137 to McClanahan et al.; 2021/0204585 to Johnson et al.; 2021/0204590 to Johnson et al.; and 2021/0206554 to Holton, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Although example embodiments of product containers are illustrated in the drawings and described herein, it should be understood that the shape of the containers of the disclosure can vary and be, for example, circular, oval-shaped, rectangular, square, hexagonal (hex)-shaped, etc. See the various shaped containers set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. D594,154 to Patel et al.; D649,284 to Patel et al.; D658,377 to Corwin et al.; D692,298 to Pipes et al.; and D673,848 to Bailey et al., as well as the containers set forth in U.S. Patent App. Nos. 29/769,833 filed Febmaiy 8, 2021; 29/794,625 filed June 14, 2021; 29/794,626 filed June 14, 2021; 29/794,622 filed June 14, 2021; 29/801,745 filed July 30, 2021; and 29/806,411 filed September 2, 2021. All of the above-cited references are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Notably, although the container embodiments illustrated in the drawings have certain contours, containers with other exterior surface designs could also be used. Further, the sides or edges of the containers of the disclosure could be flattened, rounded, or beveled, and the various surfaces or edges of the container exterior could be concave or convex. Further, the opposing sides, ends, or edges of the container can be parallel or non-parallel such that the container becomes narrower in one or more dimensions. Additionally, although the example embodiments of dimensions described herein are provided in order to achieve certain benefits, the dimensions may vary in other embodiments.

The number of product units stored in the product containers of the disclosure can vary, depending on the size of the container and the size of the product units. Typically, the number of stored product units will vary from about 5 to about 100, more typically about 10 to about 50, and most often about 15 to about 30. Although the present figures show only two units of product per container, this is simply for purposes of clear illustration of the units within the container and in no way is limiting as to the number, size, shape, and/or any other characteristic(s) of the product.

FIGs. 1A and IB illustrate a perspective view of a container 100 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The container 100 may comprise opposing first and second surfaces 116, 122 defined by one or both of a lid or cover 102 and a body 104. A central axis Y may extend through a circumferential center of the product container, i.e., through a central axis of one or both of the cover 102 and the body 104. The cover 102 may be integrally formed with the body 104, or may be formed as a separate element from the body 104. The cover 102 and the body 104 may be configurable between a coupled / closed configuration and a decoupled / open configuration. FIG. 1A illustrates the cover 102 and the body 104 in the open configuration in which the cover 102 is separated from the body 104, while FIG. IB illustrates the cover 102 and the body 104 in the closed configuration in which the cover 102 is coupled to the body 104. In the closed configuration, one or more units of a product 106 may be stored therein. In one embodiment, the product 106 may be an oral product. In another embodiment, the product 106 may be selected from the group consisting of pharmaceutical products, smoking products, oral products, and consumable products. However, various other embodiments of products may be stored in the container 100.

The material of construction of the container 100 can vary. In one embodiment, both the cover 102 and the body 104 are formed from a metallic material, such as tin, aluminum, steel, or tin coated steel plate. In this regard, as described below, plastisol or other heated fluid sealing members may be applied to the metal without causing damage thereto. In some embodiments the cover 102 and the body 104 may be respectively formed from a single sheet of metal via punching, stamping, trimming, forming the sheet of metal and/or via other operations. In one embodiment the metal may define a thickness from about 0.1 millimeters to about 0.3 millimeters, and in a preferred embodiment about 0.19 millimeters. This thickness may provide the container 100 with adequate structure and allow the container to operate as described herein.

Various other materials may be employed in other embodiments including for example, wood (e.g., embodied as a pulp material as described below) and synthetic plastic materials. Polymeric materials that can be extruded and/or molded into desired shapes may be utilized, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, and the like. In one embodiment, the body 104 may be formed from a polymeric material, while the cover 102 may be formed from a metallic and/or magnetic material such as, for example, aluminum or tinplate. Such a combined configuration may be advantageous in that it may provide an aesthetically appealing appearance by using a metallic material to form the cover 102 (which may be stamped), while also allowing the body 104 to be less expensively produced using, for example, an injection molding process. Further, plastisol or other heated fluid sealing members may still be applied to the cover 102 in the manner described above.

The cover 102 may comprise a top wall 108 defining an inner surface. One or more sidewalls 110 may extend from the top wall 108 to a lower lip 112 defining a lid opening. Further, a sealing member (not shown) may extend around a perimeter of the top wall 108 at the inner surface thereof. The sealing member may extend around a perimeter of the top wall 108 at the inner surface thereof. In this regard, the top wall 108 of the cover 102 may define a channel at the inner surface thereof in which the sealing member may be at least partially received. The channel may define a depth from about 0.5 millimeters to about 1 millimeters and/or a radius from about 1 millimeter to about 1.2 millimeters in some embodiments. In a preferred embodiment the channel may define a depth of about 0.6 millimeters and define a radius of about 1.1 millimeters. In one embodiment, the sealing member may be formed from a fluid that is directed into the channel, such that the channel is partially or completely full, in a fluid form and thereafter cured or otherwise transformed into a solid or semi-solid form (e.g., a gel). For example, the sealing member may comprise plastisol that is directed into the channel and cured therein via the application of heat. As the plastisol is heated, the plastisol may transfer from a fluid form to an air-filled gel matrix. During the transformation from fluid to air-filled gel matrix, the plastisol may expand outwardly from the channel. Accordingly, the above-noted dimensions of the channel may be selected to result in a sealing member defining desired dimensions. Further, the sealing member may comprise various other embodiments of materials. For example, the sealing member may comprise rubber, plastic, or various other embodiments of elastomeric materials configured to form a seal. In particular, any material suitable for forming a resilient gasket can be used according to the present disclosure. These materials may be glued or otherwise coupled to the inner surface of the top wall 108 of the cover 102, rather than applied as a fluid and cured therein.

The body 104 of each of the product containers 100 may include a circumferentially -extending body wall 114 forming a closed first surface 116. The circumferentially -extending body wall 114 may extend from the first surface 116 to an upper lip 118. The upper lip 118 may define an opening that provides access to an interior compartment 120. The interior compartment 120 may be formed by the circumferentially- extending body wall 114 and between the first surface 116 of the body 104 and the inner surface of the top wall 108 of the cover 102 in the closed configuration (FIG. IB). The interior compartment 120 may retain the product 106 therein in the closed configuration. In particular, one or more units of product 106 may be deposited within the interior compartment 120 using one or more known methods or system(s). In some example embodiments, the cover 102 may be removable. In this regard, the cover 102 may be moveable with respect to the body 104 between the closed configuration (see, FIG. IB) in which the interior compartment 120 is substantially sealed shut and the open configuration (see, FIG. 1 A) in which the interior compartment 120 is open and thereby the units of the product 106 are accessible. In the closed configuration, the top wall 108 of the cover 102 forms a closed second surface 122 of the product container 100, such that the interior compartment 120 is formed between the closed first and second surfaces 116, 120. Alternatively, the cover 102 is not removable from the body 104 or the body 104 does not include a cover and, instead, comprises the closed second surface 122 opposing the first surface 116.

In one example embodiment the product container 100 may be configured such that from about 500 grams-force to about 2,000 grams-force is required to decouple the cover 102 from the body 104. Decoupling forces within this range may be desirable because they may provide a satisfying degree of resistance while still allowing for relatively easy decoupling of the cover 102 from the body 104. In some embodiments the selected decoupling force may also provide child resistance.

When the cover 102 and the body 104 are moved from the open configuration to the closed configuration, a portion of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 may align the body 104 with respect to the cover 102 when the cover 102 is placed on the body 104. In particular, the portion of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 including the upper lip 118 may be angled, flexible, offset, or the like, such that the upper lip 118 of the body 104 may be received with clearance within the lid opening such that a degree of tolerance is provided with respect to the lower lip 112 when the cover 102 and the body 104 are moved into contact with one another during coupling therebetween. Thus, even when a user misaligns the cover 102 and the body 104, the portion of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 may bring the cover 102 and the body 104 into alignment. Accordingly, movement of the cover 102 and the body 104 from the decoupled configuration to the coupled configuration may be facilitated.

As shown in FIG. IB, when the cover 102 is coupled to or otherwise engaged with the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 in the closed configuration, the top wall 108 of the cover 102 may form the closed second surface 122 of the container 100. In some example embodiments, the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of each product container 100 may define planar surfaces, i.e., substantially lying within a single plane. In particular, for example, one or both of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of each product container 100 may be configured without a lip or countersink arranged around a periphery of the surface(s) 116, 122. However, in some other example embodiments, a lip or countersink, or any other alignment feature, may be arranged on one or both of the first and second surfaces 116, 122.

The product container 100 may additionally include a valve assembly (not shown). The valve assembly may be configured to affect an atmosphere within the interior compartment 120. The valve assembly may be engaged with the cover 102 or the body 104. For example, the valve assembly may be engaged with (e.g., coupled to or embedded within) the body 104 of the product container 100. Regardless, by coupling the valve assembly to the body 104, the valve assembly may be in fluid communication with both the interior compartment 120 within the product container 100 and an external environment surrounding the product container 100.

Although the body 104 is described above as including the valve assembly, in some embodiments, the cover 102 and/or the body 104 may include additional or alternative features configured to affect the atmosphere within the interior compartment 120. In this regard, in some embodiments, the body 104 may include a rib structure (not shown). The rib structure may project from an outer peripheral surface of the body 104 at an upper portion of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114.

In some embodiments, the rib structure may be integrally formed with the circumferentially- extending body wall 114. In other instances, the rib structure may be a separate and discrete component secured or otherwise affixed to the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 with appropriate mechanical fasteners or adhesive (e.g., an epoxy adhesive). The rib structure may be configured to allow for venting of the interior compartment 120. In this regard, the rib structure may comprise a plurality of rib segments arranged in spaced relation around the periphery of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 (e.g., positioned circumferentially about the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 when the product container 100 is cylindrical). Any number of the rib segments may be provided in accordance with the present disclosure (e.g., often about 2 to about 20 rib segments, and frequently about 5 to about 15 rib segments), although a preferred embodiment includes about 8 to about 12 rib segments. Each rib segment may include a rib wall projecting outwardly from the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 and a rib projection projecting outwardly from the rib wall.

Exemplary dimensions for the rib projections include heights in the range of about 0.05 millimeters to about 0.25 millimeters, and widths in the range of about 1 millimeter to about 1.5 millimeters. As used herein in reference to the rib projections, height refers to the major dimension of the rib projection that extends outwardly, away from the peripheral surface. The rib projections may be positioned below the upper lip 118 of the circumferentially-extending body wall 114 in the range of about 1.5 millimeters to about 2.0 millimeters below the upper lip 118.

Each rib segment may be separated from an adjacent rib segment by a vent channel. Exemplary dimensions for the vent channels include lengths in the range of about 6.9 millimeters to about 7.2 millimeters, and depths in the range of about 0.1 millimeters to about 0.2 millimeters. The vent channels may extend from the upper lip 118 of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 downwardly past the rib segments to a shoulder. In this regard, a plurality of bumps or protrusions may be positioned on the upper lip 118 of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114. Thereby, the protmsions may separate the cover 102 from the upper lip 118 of the circumferentially -extending body wall 114 such that air may flow therebetween and through the vent channels. Such vent channels provide venting when the cover 102 is fully seated on the body 104 (FIG. IB), such that issues with respect to gas build-up within the interior compartment 120 are avoided. Thus, the vent channels may be provided as an alternative to, or in addition to the valve assembly. Various other details with respect to embodiments of rib structures and venting arrangements are provided in U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2012/0193265 and 2015/0136618 to Patel et al., which are incorporated herein by reference.

In some still further example embodiments, a liner (not shown) may be utilized on an interior or exterior of the product container 100 and may define moisture and/or air barrier properties. In some embodiments, the liner may be relatively thin. For example, the liner may define a thickness of less than about one mil (one thousandth of an inch; 0.0254 mm). The liner may be formed in various manners. For example, the liner may be formed in place, formed prior to attachment to the product container 100, thermoformed, injection molded, etc. In some embodiments the liner may be coupled to the product container 100 via interference fit. However, in other embodiments connectors and/or an adhesive may be employed to retain engagement between the liner and the product container 100. In some embodiments, the liner may comprise, by way of example, plastic, aluminum, tin, a polymer resin, polyethylene (e.g., high or low density), polypropylene, nitrocellulose, polyvinylidene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and/or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

In some other example embodiments, the product container 100 may include a coating. The coating may be applied as a spray, via immersion, applied via a role, or in any other manner. In some embodiments the coating may comprise, by way of example, a varnish, a paint, a wax (e.g., beeswax, Chinese, lanolin, shellac, spermaceti, bayberry, carnauba, candelilla, castor, esparto, Japan, jojoba, ouricury, rice bran, soy, tallow tree, ceresin, montan, ozocerite, peat, paraffin, microcrystalline, petroleum jelly, polyethylene wax, Fischer-Tropsch, esterified, saponified, substituted amide, and polymerized a-olefins), paper-type coatings, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), nitrocellulose (e.g., in solution form with an alcohol or an acetate), vinyl acetate (e.g., in wax form), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyethylene, a sealant, or anything configured to form a film. Example embodiments of commercially available coatings that may provide moisture resistance include Durata® finishes available from The Grothouse Lumber Company of Germansville, Pa. The coating may comprise magnetic particles such that the coating may be considered a magnetic coating. A polarity of the magnetic coating may vary depending on the location of the coating on the product container 100. For example, a coating of a first polarity may be applied on the first surface, while a coating of an opposite polarity may be applied on the second surface of a product container 100. Alternatively, the coating may comprise an adhesive substance that when subjected to an elevated temperature, may allow the coating to become tacky and allow it to adhere to other materials.

In some example embodiments, a product container 100 may include the coating at the exterior. This configuration may allow the coating to perform sealing or other functions as noted above at the exterior of the product container 100. However, in some embodiments the coating may be positioned at the exterior of at least one of the cover 102 and the body 104 and not positioned at an interior of the cover 102 and the body 104. In other words, in one embodiment the coating may be positioned at an exterior of the cover 102, but not at an interior of the cover 102. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments the coating may be positioned at an exterior of the body 104, but not an interior of the body 104. In an alternative embodiment, the coating may be positioned at the interior of the cover 102 and the body 104. In a further embodiment, the coating may be positioned at the interior and an exterior of the cover 102 and the body 104. In some of these embodiments, the coating positioned at an interior of the cover 102 and/or the body 104 may be different from the coating positioned at an exterior of the cover 102 and/or the body 104. Thus, the product container 100 as described herein may take the form of any one of the numerous different types of product containers disclosed herein.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a stackable arrangement 200 of product containers, such as a plurality of the container 100 illustrated in FIGs. 1A and IB, is shown. The stackable arrangement 200 may comprise two or more of the product containers 100 stacked in a transport configuration. As shown in FIG. 2, five product containers 100 are stacked so that each of the product containers 100 are substantially aligned along their central axes Y. Although five product containers 100 are shown in FIG. 2, any number of product containers may form the stackable arrangement 200 (e.g., one container, two containers, three containers, four containers, five containers, six containers, seven containers, etc.)

To form a stackable arrangement of product containers, it is known to use a wrapping material, traditionally a single-use plastic, in order to retain the product containers in the stackable arrangement during transport. In an effort to provide a more environmentally-friendly solution for transporting the product containers, as described in detail hereinbelow, alternatives to single-use plastic wrapping material for forming a stackable arrangement of product containers are provided. Each of these alternatives may retain the product containers 100 in the stackable arrangement 200 during transport, but allow for easy removal of each product container 100 from the stackable arrangement 200 for display.

In one example embodiment, a system, generally designated 300, for stacking an arrangement of product containers 100 is illustrated in the schematic of FIG. 3. The system 300 may include an adhesive deposition mechanism 302 arranged to apply a quantity of adhesive on at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of a first one of the product containers 100 so as to form an adhesive surface thereon. Representative types of adhesive deposition mechanisms may include nozzles and other similar type of equipment such as that available as the PRECISION and SATURN® series nozzle, and the MINIBLUE® II hot melt glue applicator and adhesive dispenser manufactured by NORDSON® out of Ohio.

The adhesive may be a hot melt adhesive or another type of thermoplastic adhesive having a low shear strength. Representative types of hot melt adhesives may comprise solvent-free formulations that become liquid when heated and are applied in a molten state, such as those available in the TECHNOMELT series manufactured by Henkel out of Texas, those from BOSTIK®, Jowat, and the like. The adhesive may be in the form of a solid (e.g., pellets or beads) that are stored in an source container 304 and which may be melted before being deposited. Large open-head dmms may also be used to store the adhesive pellets or beads. Representative types of source containers may include adhesive reservoirs and other similar type of equipment such as that available as the DURABLUE® melter manufactured by NORDSON®.

In some example embodiments, the adhesive is heated prior to applying the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of the first one of the product containers 100 so as to form an adhesive surface thereon. In this embodiment, the system 300 may comprise a heater 306 in communication with the adhesive deposition mechanism 302. The heater 306 may be integral with or separate from the source container 304 and may be arranged to heat the quantity of adhesive prior to applying the quantity of adhesive to the first product container by the adhesive deposition mechanism 302. For example, the heater 306 may comprise a heated platen which when heated to a melting point of the adhesive, is capable of melting the adhesive. The heated adhesive may then be pumped (e.g., via a drive motor and gear pumps) or otherwise transported through heated hoses and applied via the adhesive deposition mechanism 302 on at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of the first one of the product containers 100. Notably, the melting point of the adhesive is determined by a composition of the adhesive. One or more sensors, non-transitory computer readable mediums, microprocessors, motors, and/or control units may interact with the source container 304, the heater 306, and/or the adhesive deposition mechanism 302 to control one or more functions of the system 300. For example, the sensors and/or control units may measure / control / maintain the temperature of the adhesive, control the quantity of adhesive applied to the product container, an output rate of the quantity of adhesive, and the like.

FIG. 4A illustrates one example embodiment of an adhesive deposition mechanism 302 that is capable of applying the quantity of adhesive 308 on at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 on a first one of the product containers. In particular, FIG. 4A illustrates that the quantity of adhesive is applied on the cover 102 forming the adhesive surface. The adhesive deposition mechanism 302 is in the form of a nozzle, although any type of deposition mechanism may be used depending on the deposition technique, quantity, pattern, adhesive material, etc. For example, a nozzle such as that illustrated in FIG. 4A may be used for dropping adhesive in fluid form onto the product containers, while a nozzle having another orifice size, engagement length, and/or orifice shape (other than what is shown in FIG. 4A) may be used for non-fluid applications of the adhesive, i.e., depositing an adhesive strip onto the product container. Some orifice cross-sectional shapes may include, for example, a multi-hole spreader nozzle, a flat spreader nozzle, a “T” shaped nozzle, a spray nozzle, an angled tip nozzle, and the like.

In some example embodiments, the quantity of adhesive may be applied proximate to the circumferential center C of the product container 100 as a dot, stitched bead, or solid bead, which may intersect with the central axis Y as in FIG. 4A. In this example, the adhesive deposition mechanism 302 may be able to deposit the quantity of adhesive within ± 4 degrees from the circumferential center C. In other example embodiments, the quantity of adhesive may also be applied around a periphery of at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of the product containers in addition to or instead of at the circumferential center C. The quantity of adhesive may be continuously applied about at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122 of the product container and/or may be discretely deposited such that there is one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, etc., separate quantities of adhesive applied on the at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122. Alternatively, and in some example embodiments, the adhesive deposition mechanism 302 is capable of applying the quantity of adhesive 308 in the form of a strip of adhesive, or another pattern, arrangement, shape, quantity, etc. Regardless of how the quantity of adhesive is applied, a total quantity of the adhesive applied (i.e., a total volume of the quantity of adhesive) may be between about 1 gram and about 5 gram, and may be a same or different amount where multiple discrete quantities are applied on the at least one of the closed first surface 116 and the closed second surface 122. Thus, the quantity of adhesive applied may vary depending on a corresponding size of the product container 100.

An alignment mechanism 310 as shown in FIG. 3 may then be arranged to axially align one of a closed first surface 116 or a closed second surface 122 of a second one of the product containers 100 with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers 100. Advantageously, the alignment mechanism 310 may align two or more containers comprising planar first and/or second surfaces 116, 122, without the benefit of an alignment component (e.g., a lip or countersink) on one or both of the closed first and second surface(s) 116, 122 to aid in alignment. For example, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the alignment mechanism 310 may comprise a vertical chute or channel, with interior walls that act as a guide to axially align the product containers 100. In this example, the alignment mechanism 310 is capable of aligning the two product containers 100 such that a central axis Y of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis Y of the second container.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the adhesive surface (i.e., the closed second surface 122 with the quantity of adhesive 308 applied thereto) of the first product container 100 is substantially coaxially aligned with and arranged adjacent to the closed first surface 116 of the second product container 100. The two product containers 100 are then brought into contact with one another via the alignment mechanism 310, such that the quantity of adhesive 308 adheres the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers 100 to a closed first surface 116 of the second one of the product containers 100 aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement 200 of the product containers 100. Where the first and second surface(s) 116, 122 of the product containers define planar surfaces, the alignment mechanism 310 may align and adhere, via the quantity of adhesive, the closed planar second surface 122 of the first one of the product containers to a closed planar first surface 116 of the second one of the product containers to form a stackable arrangement 200 of the product containers.

Once two or more product containers 100 are adhered with one another to form the stackable arrangement 200, the stackable arrangement 200 may be transported for display and distribution at a point of sale. In order to enable safe transport, a longitudinal strength of the stackable arrangement (as measured along the central axes Y of the coaxially aligned product containers 100 in the stack) may be appropriate to retain the containers 100 through stacking and transport so as to prevent individual containers from decoupling from one another during transit. In order to enable removal of the product containers from the stackable arrangement through rotation of each of the product containers about its central axis thereof relative to the other ones of the product containers, the stackable arrangement of the product containers may comprise a shear strength that is less than an average grip strength of an adult. This shear strength is high enough to prevent accidental decoupling of individual containers from one another during transit, but low enough so that a user may rotate or twist individual containers to break the adhesive bond between adjacent containers so as to remove a container from the stack. FIG. 4C illustrates the rotation of one of the product containers 100 in a counterclockwise direction along the central axis Y. Approximate force needed to break the adhesive bond between two containers will be greater than the shear strength of the stackable arrangement.

Turning now to FIG. 5, one example embodiment of a method of stacking an arrangement of product containers is provided. The method, generally referred to as reference 400, comprises applying, in step 402, a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form an adhesive surface thereon. The method further comprises axially aligning, in step 404, one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container. The method still further comprises adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, in step 406, the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers to the one of the closed first surface or the closed second surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

In another example embodiment, another method of stacking an arrangement of product containers is provided. The method comprises applying a magnetic material on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form a magnetic surface thereon. The method may also comprise axially aligning one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers with the magnetic surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container. The method may further comprise attracting, via the magnetic material, the magnetic surface of the first one of the product containers to the one of the closed first surface or the closed second surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

As described herein, the magnetic material may comprise a flexible, magnetic adhesive label that may be adhered to one or both of the closed first and second surfaces of the product container. Alternatively, the magnetic material may comprise a coating applied to one or both of exterior surface(s) of the cover 102 and the body 104 of the product container 100 or may impregnate the material of one or both of the cover 102 and the body 104. In some example embodiments, the magnetic material may be arranged in the interior compartment 120 of the product container 100.

The magnetic material may comprise an alloy of neodymium, iron, and boron (NdxFcijB). a ferromagnetic powder including iron, steel, nickel, cobalt, etc., and the like. Magnetic material having a first polarity may be applied on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers, while magnetic material having an opposing polarity may be applied on the other of the closed second surface and the closed first surface of the first one of the product containers. Alternatively, the composition of the other of the closed second surface and the closed first surface may be such that it will magnetically attract the magnetic material on the at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers.

Turning now to other example embodiments, stackable arrangements may be formed by aligning product containers and adhering them to a divider. The divider may be used to retain the product containers in any one of many configurations that allow for transport, display, and sale of product containers. One example embodiment of a stackable arrangement is illustrated in FIGs. 6A-7B. . As shown therein, the stackable arrangement may be generally referred to as reference numeral 500, and may be characterized by product containers 502 being stacked along two axes (i.e., X-axis and Z-axis) as compared with the stackable arrangement disclosed in FIG. 2, where the product containers 100 are stacked along a single axis, i.e., along their central Y-axis. Stackable arrangements stacked along all three axes (i.e., X, Y, and Z axes) are also contemplated, but not shown in the present disclosure.

As shown in this embodiment, each of the product containers 502 may define a rectangular prism forming a box, where each product container comprises at least a first closed surface and an opposing second closed surface. For example, each product container 502 comprises a front side and an opposing back side (i.e., front and back surfaces), two opposing lateral sides (i.e., lateral surfaces), and top and bottom sides (i.e., top and bottom surfaces). The product containers 502 may be the size and shape of a typical cigarette box, although other sizes (e.g., standard sized, wider or narrower sized, taller or shorter sized, etc.) and shapes (e.g., square-shaped, oval-shaped, hex-shaped, etc.) may be contemplated herein. Similarly, the product containers 502 may be composed of materials similar to typical cigarette boxes, such as pulp fibers; although other materials, such as various metals and metal alloys are also contemplated herein.

In some example embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 6A, the stackable arrangement 500 may comprise ten containers, with two sets of five containers, each set being stacked so that lateral sides of adjacent product containers 502 are in contact with one another and that the respective front and back sides, and top and bottom sides, are substantially co-planar. So stacked, each set forms a sub-stack 501, with two sub-stacks 501 then being combined and stacked with one another so that the front or back sides of the product containers 502 in each of the sub-stacks 501 are facing one another. When there are ten product containers 502 stacked in the stackable arrangement 500, the resulting stackable arrangement 500 may be referred to as a “carton”. However, within the meaning of this disclosure, at a minimum, a stackable arrangement 500 comprises at least two or more product containers 502 stacked along the X- and Z-axes.

Initially, to form each sub-stack 501, as well as combine the sub-stacks 501, a divider 504 may be utilized. As shown in FIG. 7A, the divider 504 may comprise a longitudinally -extending material comprising a length L greater than its height H. The length L and the height H of the divider 504 may vary depending on the size, shape, and number of the product containers 502 being used to form each sub-stack 501. For example, and as shown in FIG. 7B, where there are five product containers 502 forming each sub-stack 501, a total length L_Totai of the product containers in the sub-stack 501, as measured along the X-axis, may be greater than the length L of the divider 504 along the X-axis. Notably, it is beneficial for the divider 504 to have an length L and a height H to receive at least one or more quantities of adhesive and adhere to each of the product containers 502 in the sub-stack 501. As such, the length L of the divider 504 may be equal to or even longer than the total length L_Totai of the product containers 502 in the sub-stack 501 if so desired.

Likewise, in this example, and as shown in FIG. 7B, where there are five product containers 502 forming each sub-stack 501, a height H_Pc of the product containers in the sub-stack 501 along the Y-axis may be a height of each of the product containers 502 individually since the product containers 502 are not stacked along the Y-axis in the stackable arrangement 500. Thus, the height H_Pc may be greater than the height H of the divider 504, which may be desirable in order to stack multiple stackable arrangements 500 on top of one another along the Y-axis for transport. However, the height H of the divider 504 may be even greater than or equal to the total height H_Pc of the product containers 502 in the sub-stack 501. For example, the height H of the divider 504 may be greater than the total height H_Pc of the product containers 502 and, may optionally, define a handle to enable easy transport of the stackable arrangement 500.

The divider 504 may comprise any type of material capable of receiving a quantity of adhesive for adhering onto the product containers 502. Ideally, the divider 504 has a stronger adhesive bond with the quantity of adhesive than a material forming the front or back sides of the product containers 502. For example, the divider 504 may be cardboard or paperboard, although any other material is contemplated. The divider 504 may comprise opposing first and second surfaces, each capable of adhering to a respective substack 501. For example, and as shown in FIG. 7B, since the sub-stack 501 comprises five product containers 502, there are five individual quantities of adhesive 508 for adhering the first surface 506 of the divider 504 to the individual product containers 502.

In some example embodiments as shown in FIG. 6C, the quantity of adhesive 508 is applied on the first surface 506 and the opposing second surface 506 of the divider 504, so as to form a first adhesive surface on the first surface 506 of the divider 504 and a second adhesive surface on the opposing second surface 506 of the divider 504. Thus, the surface(s) that the quantity of adhesive is applied to are considered the “adhesive surfaces”. Then, one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of the first one of the product containers 502 is aligned with the first adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504 and one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of a second one of the product containers 502 is aligned with the second adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504. As shown in this example, each set of the five product containers 502 is arranged so that one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the five product containers 502 is aligned with the first adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504, and one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the other five product containers 502 are aligned with the second adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504 to form the stackable arrangement 500 of the product containers. In this manner, either the front or back sides of the product containers 502 are aligned with the adhesive surfaces 506 of the divider 504, and so that the lateral sides of adjacent product containers 502 are next to one another and that the respective front and back sides, and top and bottom sides, are substantially co-planar.

Then, and as shown in FIG. 6B, a first adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504 adheres to the back or front surface of the product containers 502 to form a first sub-stack 501. Notably, FIG. 6B shows only the first sub-stack adhered to the divider 504, while the other set of product containers 502 are merely arranged so that the front or back sides of the product containers 502 are aligned with a second adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504. Once the other set of product containers 502 are adhered to the second adhesive surface 506 of the divider 504, then (and as shown in FIG. 6A) a stackable arrangement 500 is formed, where the adhesive first and second surfaces of the divider 506 are adhered, via the quantity of adhesive, with the closed front orback surfaces of the first and second product containers 502 aligned therewith.

In some other example embodiments, the adhesive 508 may be applied to a center C of either the back or front sides of each of the product containers 502, such that the surface of the product container 502 that the adhesive is applied to is considered the “adhesive surface.” The product containers 502 may then be arranged so that lateral sides of adjacent product containers 502 are in contact with one another and that the respective front and back sides, and top and bottom sides, are substantially co-planar. Once arranged in this manner, the first and second surfaces 506 of the divider 504 may be aligned with and adhere to the adhesive surfaces of the product containers 502 to form the sub-stacks 501 and ultimately the stackable arrangement 500. In some still further example embodiments, adhesive is applied to both the divider 504 and the front or back side of the product containers 502.

As noted herein, the quantity of adhesive 508 may be applied in a variety of manners to either the divider 504 and/or the product containers 502. In the example embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A-7B, the quantity of adhesive 508 is deposited as a single dot, stitched bead, or solid bead along a longitudinal axis of the divider 504 (i.e., along the X-axis thereof). However, the quantity of adhesive 508 may be deposited as multiple dots, stitched beads, or solid beads along the longitudinal axis of the divider 504, or about other locations on the divider 504 either randomly or in pre-determined locations, such that there is two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, etc., separate quantities of adhesive applied. Alternatively, the quantity of adhesive 508 may be applied continuously along the longitudinal axis of the divider 504 and/or (and as shown in FIGs. 6B, 6C, and 7B) discrete quantities of adhesive may be deposited at either equidistant or random intervals along the longitudinal axis of the divider 506. Regardless of how the quantity of adhesive 508 is applied, a total quantity of the adhesive applied (i.e., a total volume of the quantity of adhesive) may be between about 1 gram and about 5 grams, and may be a same or different amount where multiple discrete quantities are applied. Thus, the quantity of adhesive 508 applied may vary depending on a corresponding size of the product containers 502 and/or the divider 504.

In some example embodiments, the divider 504 may be perforated or otherwise separable. For example, the divider 504 may comprise individual regions that are separated by a series of perforations, where each of the individual regions correspond to where each pair of opposing sub-stack product containers 502 is attached to the divider 504. In this manner, the divider 504 may be separable along its perforations (or other separation mechanism) to remove the one or more pairs of opposing sub-stack product containers 502 for consumer purchase, or simply for storage and/or transport. This may be beneficial such that instead of buying the stackable arrangement 500 with ten product containers, a consumer may purchase a subset of the stackable arrangement 500, such as, two, four, six, or eight product containers 502. FIG. 8 illustrates another example embodiment of a stackable arrangement, referred to generally as 600. The stackable arrangement 600 may be characterized by product containers 602 being stacked along one axis (i.e., X-axis) as compared with the stackable arrangement disclosed in FIG. 2, where the product containers 100 are stacked along their central Y-axis and the stackable arrangement disclosed in FIGs. 6A- 7B, where the product containers 502 are stacked along two axes (i.e., along the X-axis and Z-axis).

As shown in this embodiment, each of the product containers 602 may define a rectangular prism forming a box, where each product container comprises at least a first closed surface and an opposing second closed surface. For example, each product container 602 comprises a front side and an opposing back side (i.e., front and back surfaces), two opposing lateral sides (i.e., lateral surfaces), and top and bottom sides (i.e., top and bottom surfaces). The product containers 602 may be the size and shape of a typical cigarette box, although other sizes (e.g., standard sized, wider or narrower sized, taller or shorter sized, etc.) and shapes (e.g., square-shaped, oval-shaped, hex-shaped, etc.) may be contemplated herein. Similarly, the product containers 602 may be composed of materials similar to typical cigarette boxes, such as pulp fibers; although other materials, such as various metals and metal alloys are also contemplated herein.

Similar to the example embodiment illustrated in FIGs. 6A-7B, a divider 604 may be utilized to form the stackable arrangement 600. As shown in FIG. 8, the divider 604 may comprise a longitudinally- extending material comprising a length (along the X-axis) greater than its height (along the Y-axis). However, the length and the height of the divider 604 may vary depending on the size, shape, and number of the product containers 602 being used to form the stackable arrangement 600. In contrast to the embodiment illustrated in FIGs. 6A-7B, however, in FIG. 8 a quantity of adhesive 608 may be applied on a first surface of the divider 604 so as to form a first adhesive surface 606 thereon. No adhesive may be applied on an opposing second surface of the divider 604. Then, one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the product containers 602 may be aligned with and adhered to the first adhesive surface 606 of the divider 604 to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers 602.

FIG. 9 illustrates a still further example embodiment of a stackable arrangement, referred to generally as 700. The stackable arrangement 700 may be characterized by product containers 702 being stacked along one axis (i.e., X-axis) as compared with the stackable arrangement disclosed in FIG. 2, where the product containers 100 are stacked along their central Y-axis and the stackable arrangement disclosed in FIGs. 6A-7B, where the product containers 502 are stacked along two axes (i.e., along the X-axis and Z- axis).

As shown in this embodiment, each of the product containers 702 may define a rectangular prism forming a box, where each product container comprises at least a first closed surface and an opposing second closed surface. For example, each product container 702 comprises a front side and an opposing back side (i.e., front and back surfaces), two opposing lateral sides (i.e., lateral surfaces), and top and bottom sides (i.e., top and bottom surfaces). The product containers 702 may be the size and shape of a typical cigarette box, although other sizes (e.g., standard sized, wider or narrower sized, taller or shorter sized, etc.) and shapes (e.g., square-shaped, oval-shaped, hex-shaped, etc.) may be contemplated herein. Similarly, the product containers 702 may be composed of materials similar to typical cigarette boxes, such as pulp fibers; although other materials, such as various metals and metal alloys are also contemplated herein.

Similar to the example embodiment illustrated in FIGs. 6A-7B, a divider may be utilized to form the stackable arrangement 700. The divider may be portioned into discrete sections n, where n is an integer value that varies depending on a number of product containers 702 in the stackable arrangement. For example, and as shown in FIG. 9, where the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers 702, the divider may be portioned into nine discrete sections (n=9) 704a, 704b, 704c, 704d, 704e, 704f, 704g, 704h, and 704i. A size of each of the discrete sections may vary depending on the size, shape, and number of the product containers 702 being used to form the stackable arrangement. Each of the discrete divider sections may comprise a same size or shape, or a different size or shape. For example, each of the discrete divider sections may comprise a height in the Y-axis greater than its width in the Z-axis.

In FIG. 9, a quantity of adhesive 708 may be applied on a first surface and an opposing second surface of a first section 704a of the discrete sections of the divider so as to form a first adhesive surface 706a on the first surface of the first section 704a of the divider and a second adhesive surface 706a on the opposing second surface of the first section 704a of the divider. Then, one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of the first one of the product containers 702 may be aligned with the first adhesive surface 706a of the first section 704a of divider and one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of a second one of the product containers 702 may be aligned with the second adhesive surface 706a of the first section 704a of the divider to form the stackable arrangement 700 of the product containers. Where the stackable arrangement 700 comprises ten product containers 702, the alignment comprises arranging each of the nine discrete sections of the divider 704a, 704b, 704c, 704d, 704e, 704f, 704g, 704h, and 704i between serially disposed and adjacent closed lateral surfaces of the product containers 702. In this manner, when the stacked arrangement 700 is formed, the top and bottom surfaces and the front and back surfaces of the product containers 702 are co-planar.

Notably, the systems and methods for applying the adhesive and aligning the product containers 502, 602, 702 may be similar to that already described herein with regard to product containers 100. However, other systems and/or methods are also contemplated herein. For example, the divider described herein may comprise a roll of divider material, where the system applies a quantity of adhesive at predetermined intervals along a longitudinal length of the roll of divider. A cutting mechanism (not shown) may then cut the divider to a desired length. An aligning mechanism (not shown), may then arrange the product containers into the sets for alignment and adherence to the divider to thereby form the stackable arrangements 500, 600, 700.

Once formed, the stackable arrangements 500, 600, 700 may then be transported for display at a point of sale. In order to enable safe transport, a strength of a bond of the adhesive of the stackable arrangement 500, 600, 700 may be appropriate to retain the containers through stacking and transport so as to prevent individual containers from decoupling from one another during transit. When ready to be removed from the stackable arrangement, a typical user may be able to apply force to the individual product containers to remove them from the stackable arrangement without damage to the product container, itself. In this manner, the bond strength of the adhesive to the divider may be greater than the bond strength of the adhesive to the product containers, themselves.

Accordingly, the stackable arrangements 500, 600, 700 may be advantageous as compared with traditional cartons or other stackable arrangements of product containers, because the quantity of packaging needed to form the stackable arrangement is reduced through the use of the divider and adhesive. Thus, no plastic packaging is needed to stack and retain the individual product containers in the stackable arrangement.

Turning now to FIG. 10, one example embodiment of a method of stacking an arrangement of product containers is provided. The method, generally referred to as reference 800, comprises applying, in step 802, a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a first surface and an opposing second surface of a divider, so as to form at least one adhesive surface. The method further comprises aligning, in step 804, one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of a first one of the product containers with the at least one adhesive surface of the divider. The method still further comprises adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, in step 806, the at least one adhesive surface of the divider with the closed first or second surfaces of the first product container aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

Many modifications and other aspects of the disclosure set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which the disclosure pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specific aspects disclosed and that modifications and other aspects are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

CLAIMS:

What is claimed is:

1. A method of stacking an arrangement of product containers, each of the product containers comprising opposing closed first and second surfaces and defining a central axis extending through a circumferential center of the product containers, the method comprising: applying a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form an adhesive surface thereon; axially aligning one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container; and adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers to the one of the closed first surface or the closed second surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the product containers comprises a body including a circumferentially -extending body wall and forming the closed first surface of the product container and a removable cover forming the closed second surface of the product container when the cover is engaged with the circumferentially-extending body wall, and wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the closed first surface of the body and the closed second surface of the cover.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the closed first surface and the closed second surface of each of the product containers define planar surfaces, without a lip, and wherein adhering the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers comprises adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the planar adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers to the one of the closed planar first surface or the closed planar second surface aligned therewith of the second one of the product containers to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the product containers define an interior compartment retaining a product therein in a closed configuration and formed between the closed first and second surfaces in the closed configuration, the method further comprising depositing the product within the interior compartment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the quantity of adhesive comprises a thermoplastic. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising heating the quantity of adhesive prior to applying the quantity of adhesive on the at least one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises five product containers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the stackable arrangement of the product containers comprises a low shear strength so as to enable removal of the product containers from the stackable arrangement through rotation of the first or second product containers about the central axis thereof relative to the other one of the second or first product containers.

9. A system for stacking an arrangement of product containers, each of the product containers comprising opposing closed first and second surfaces and defining a central axis extending through a circumferential center of the product containers, the system comprising: an adhesive deposition mechanism arranged to apply a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a first one of the product containers so as to form an adhesive surface thereon; and an alignment mechanism arranged to axially align one of a closed first surface and a closed second surface of a second one of the product containers with the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers such that a central axis of the first container is substantially aligned with a central axis of the second container; wherein the adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers is adhered, via the quantity of adhesive, to the one of the closed first surface or the closed second surface of the second one of the product containers aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the product containers comprises a body including a circumferentially -extending body wall and forming the closed first surface of the product container and a removable cover forming the closed second surface of the product container when the cover is engaged with the circumferentially-extending body wall, and wherein the adhesive deposition mechanism is arranged to apply the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the closed first surface of the body and the closed second surface of the cover.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the closed first surface and the closed second surface of each of the product containers define planar surfaces, without a lip, and wherein the planar adhesive surface of the first one of the product containers is adhered to the one of the closed planar first surface or the closed planar second surface aligned therewith of the second one of the product containers to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the product containers define an interior compartment retaining a product therein in a closed configuration and formed between the closed first and second surfaces in the closed configuration. The system of claim 9, wherein the quantity of adhesive comprises a thermoplastic. The system of claim 9, further comprising a heater arranged to heat the quantity of adhesive prior to application of the quantity of adhesive on the at least one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers by the adhesive deposition mechanism. The system of claim 9, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises five product containers. The system of claim 9, wherein the stackable arrangement of the product containers comprises a low shear strength so as to enable removal of the product containers from the stackable arrangement through rotation of the first or second product containers about the central axis thereof relative to the other one of the second or first product containers. A method of stacking an arrangement of product containers, each of the product containers comprising opposing closed first and second surfaces, the system comprising: applying a quantity of adhesive on at least one of a first surface and an opposing second surface of a divider, so as to form at least one adhesive surface; aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of a first one of the product containers with the at least one adhesive surface of the divider; and adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the at least one adhesive surface of the divider with the closed first or second surfaces of the first product container aligned therewith to form a stackable arrangement of the product containers. The method of claim 17, wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on the first surface and the opposing second surface of the divider, so as to form a first adhesive surface on the first surface of the divider and a second adhesive surface on the opposing second surface of the divider. The method of claim 18, wherein the opposing closed first and second surfaces of the product containers each define opposing closed front and back surfaces, and wherein aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of the first one of the product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider and one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of a second one of the product containers with the second adhesive surface of the divider. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein adhering the at least one adhesive surface of the divider comprises adhering, via the quantity of adhesive, the adhesive first and second surfaces of the divider with the closed front or back surfaces of the first and second product containers aligned therewith to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers, and wherein aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of the first one of the product containers comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the five product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider, and aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of another five product containers with the second adhesive surface of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the opposing closed first and second surfaces of the product containers each defining opposing closed front and back surfaces, wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on the first surface of the divider so as to form a first adhesive surface thereon, and wherein aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers each defining the opposing closed front and back surfaces, and wherein aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the product containers comprises aligning one of the closed front surface and the closed back surface of each of the ten product containers with the first adhesive surface of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the opposing closed first and second surfaces of the product containers define opposing closed lateral surfaces arranged between opposing closed front and back surfaces, and the divider is portioned into discrete sections, wherein applying the quantity of adhesive comprises applying the quantity of adhesive on the first surface and the opposing second surface of a first section of the discrete sections of the divider so as to form a first adhesive surface on the first surface of the first section of the divider and a second adhesive surface on the opposing second surface of the first section of the divider, and wherein aligning one of the closed first surface and the closed second surface of the first one of the product containers comprises aligning one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of the first one of the product containers with the first adhesive surface of the first section of the divider and one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of a second one of the product containers with the second adhesive surface of the first section of the divider to form the stackable arrangement of the product containers. The method of claim 24, wherein the stackable arrangement comprises ten product containers and the divider is portioned into nine discrete sections, and wherein aligning one of the opposing closed lateral surfaces of the first one of the product containers comprises arrange each of the nine discrete sections of the divider between serially disposed and adjacent closed lateral surfaces of the product containers. The method of claim 17, further comprising heating the quantity of adhesive prior to applying the quantity of adhesive on at least one of the first surface and the opposing second surface of the divider. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the product containers defines an interior compartment retaining a product therein in a closed configuration and formed between the closed first and second surfaces in the closed configuration, the method further comprising depositing the product within the interior compartment.