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[0001] The present invention relates to packages for groups of containers, and, more particularly, to plastic carriers having arrays of loops for engaging and holding individual containers, particularly for large groups of containers.
[0002] Container carriers are used frequently to unitize a plurality of containers, such as bottles or cans, into conveniently saleable quantities. Both paperboard and plastic are materials commonly used. Paperboard carriers generally comprise a box in which the containers are held. The box may be totally enclosed, or may have an open top, with individual compartments for each container. In an enclosed box, a handle in the form of an opening or slot in the box may be provided. In an open top box, a handle can be extended upwardly between rows of the container compartments. Disadvantages of paperboard carriers include excess material and cost. Further, once opened, an enclosed box no longer holds the containers securely. An open top carrier can spill the contents therein, if inverted.
[0003] Plastic carriers have achieved wide acceptance for their performance, light weight, low cost and versatility in being adapted for containers of different sizes and shapes. The general design for plastic carriers includes the formation of apertures in a stretchable plastic. The apertures are sized and shaped to stretch around the periphery of the containers to be held, either bottles or cans. Automated machinery is available for attaching stretchable plastic carriers to containers quickly and efficiently.
[0004] For convenient carrying of a group of containers held by the carrier, various types of hand-grasps are known. For example, it is known to provide holes for finger-tip grasping of the package. It is also known to provide a handle on the carrier, either along one side of the group of containers, or at the tops of the containers.
[0005] In one such known design, the carrier is formed from two webs of plastic material juxtaposed over one another. Handle portions and container engaging portions are stamped from the juxtaposed webs simultaneously. The webs are fused or welded along selected portions, such as by lamination. The resulting handle portion is thereby a double thickness of material, and the container engaging portions freely depend from the remainder of the carrier, at each side thereof. The container engaging portions are a single ply of material.
[0006] Rapid or instantaneous visual product recognition is an aspect of marketing for many beverage suppliers. While the containers individually lend themselves to consumer identification, the area visible on any one container within the group held by a carrier is small, potentially limiting the impact of the printed area, or “billboard”. In this regard, paperboard carriers have an advantage, in that the side of the box, whether of the enclosed type or of the open-top type, provides a unitary billboard area. Shrinkable wraps have been used, and provide unitary billboard areas. However, once breached, the integrity of the wrap as a carrier is lost, and all containers held therein may become free. In addition, shrink-wrap carriers are not aesthetically pleasing at their ends, and it is difficult to incorporate a handle with a shrink wrap carrier.
[0007] A growing trend in the beverage industry is to group larger quantities of containers for sale. While plastic carriers, as described above, have been used for so-called twelve-packs, known carriers for twelve packs commonly have been of the side handle variety. That is, with the containers secured in the carrier, and arranged in an upright position, the carrier handle is provided along one side of the group of containers. In a carrying position, the containers are positioned horizontally, at right angles to the upright position. For some consumers, carrying beverage containers horizontally is uncomfortable, because of fear, largely groundless, that a container seal may rupture, spilling all or a substantial quantity of the beverage. Further, a large group of containers, whether bottles or cans, secured only by stretchable rings in an array of a plastic carrier, might have a feel of instability, with individual containers allowed to skew or twist relative to other containers in the group.
[0008] What is needed in the art is a container package including a plastic loop array type of carrier having significant billboard area, and arranged for top handle carrying of a well-balanced and securely held group of containers.
[0009] The present invention provides a plastic carrier with an array of rings having one ring for each container, and a stretchable sleeve for surrounding and securing the group of containers, while also providing a large informational billboard on each side of the group of containers. In a preferred arrangement, the containers are held in four rows, with a top handle extending upwardly between the middle two rows.
[0010] In one form thereof, the invention provides a package for a group of containers including individual containers to be held in rows and ranks. The package has an integral plastic carrier including a container holding portion of interconnected stretchable loops. One loop is provided for each container, with each loop surrounding a different one of the containers. A handle portion is connected to the container holding portion. The handle portion extends upwardly between adjacent rows of containers, to above tops of the containers. A sleeve of stretchable material surrounds the group of containers.
[0011] In another form thereof, the invention provides a package for a group of individual containers arranged in at least four rows, with a plurality of containers in each row. A stretchable array of interconnected loops has one loop for each container. Each container is disposed in a separate loop that surrounds the container. A handle is substantially parallel to the rows and is connected to the array. The handle is disposed between adjacent rows of containers and extends upwardly between the containers, with two of the at least four rows of containers on each side of the handle.
[0012] In a further form thereof, the invention provides a carrier for a group of containers with an array of interconnected loops arranged in rows and ranks. The array includes four rows. A handle is connected to the array, with two rows disposed on each side of the handle.
[0013] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art, upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings, in which like numerals are used to designate like features.
[0014]
[0015]
[0016]
[0017]
[0018] Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description, or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description, and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter, and equivalents thereof, as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.
[0019] Referring now more specifically to the drawings and to
[0020] With reference to
[0021] Suspension portion
[0022] Handle portion
[0023] Container holding portion
[0024] Each loop
[0025] Sleeve
[0026] Sleeve
[0027] In a preferred structure of package
[0028] In addition to providing an enlarged billboard area
[0029] The combination of a carrier
[0030] In package
[0031] The present invention provides improved stability of large packages such as twelve packs, by providing an encircling band for stabilizing containers held in a carrier. The band provides space for advertising and product recognition information.
[0032] Variations and modifications of the foregoing are within the scope of the present invention. It is understood that the invention disclosed and defined herein extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text and/or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the present invention. The embodiments described herein explain the best modes known for practicing the invention, and will enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention. The claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
[0033] Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.