System of Interconnecting Containers

This invention relates in general to packaging, and in particular to a system for interconnective multipack packaging of containers without requiring wrapping or other packaging material.

Individual containers of beverages, foods, and other products have long been distributed and sold in multipack cartons or packages for the convenience of the consumer. The conventional distribution of canned in multipack cartons popularly known as six-packs, eight-packs, or the like, is but one example of multiple packaging of separate containers which are individually removed from the package and used.

Although multipack packaging of individual containers is convenient for the distributor and the consumer of such products, there are a number of disadvantages associated with multipack heretofore available in the art. One obvious disadvantage is the waste material which is provided by the opened and discarded multipack packaging material. Most multipack packages must be torn or ripped apart to remove the packaged containers, leaving bits of paper or other packaging material which frequently become litter. Even where containers are package with non-tearing packages, such as the well-known plastic loops through which ends of beverage cans are inserted, the discarded package material still provides a prolific source of potential litter. Still another disadvantage to multipack packages of the prior art is the cost involved in providing and forming the package material, and in inserting the individual containers within the package. The cost considerations of conventional multipack packaging have recently been accentuated by the rapidly-increasing costs of packaging materials such as paper and plastics. Moreover, money spent on providing multipack packaging material is generally unrecoverable, since no feasible way has been found to collect and recycle used packaging material (unlike metallic beverage cans, for example, which are more conducive to collection for recycling).

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for multipack packaging of containers.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for interconnective packaging of multiple containers without disposable packaging material.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide multipack container interconnections through structural means integral with the individual containers.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of the disclosed embodiements as illustrated in the Figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view showing two lateral-connected containers according to a disclosed embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section view of the lateral-connecting containers of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing an example of multiple lateral-connecting containers of the type shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section view showing lateral connecting containers according to an alternative disclosed embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view showing the interconnected containers of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view showing lateral-connecting containers according to another disclosed embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of lateral-connecting identical containers according to another disclosed embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a plan section view taken along line 36--36 of FIG. 7, showing the lateral connection interrelationship;

FIG. 9 is an elevation view showing a disclosed example of both lateral-connecting and end-connecting containers in multiple package arrangement, according to the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is an elevation view showing a bottle form of identical lateral-connecting container according to another disclosed embodiment of the present invention.

Stated in general terms, the present invention comprises containers provided with integral interconnective means which enables similarly equipped containers to be mutually interconnected to comprise a multipack package of several containers. The interconnective means on each container is complementary to interconnective means on one or more other containers, so that the containers can be interconnected together in end-to-end connection, in lateral or side-to-side connection, or in both end and side interconnection. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed in the context of containers for products such as beer and soft drinks, which may include a scored easy-open end structure. The end-connecting embodiments of the present invention maintain the scored opening structure out of contact with the ends of an adjacent interconnected container. The present invention includes containers having dissimilar complementary connective structure, referred to hereinafter as "paired containers," as well as containers having identical connective structure for interconnection with like containers.

The present invention is better understood by referring to the embodiments thereof that are disclosed herein, with initial reference taken to FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein there is shown the first of several disclosed embodiments of lateral-connecting containers according to the present invention. The embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 is exemplified by the paired containers 196a and 196b, designated respectively as a male container and a female container. The male container 196a can be a conventional beverage can, for example, having a cylindrical body 197 closed by bottom and top ends and having a bottom chime 198 and a top chime 199. Although the container 196a is shown in FIG. 30 as being a two-piece container having a bottom end 200 formed separately from the body 197, the container 196a can alternatively be of one-piece construction as previously described.

The female container 196b also has a body 201 closed by a top end and a bottom end. It can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the top chime 202 and the bottom chime 203 of the female container 196b cooperatively engage the conventional top and bottom chimes 199 and 198, respectively, of the male container 196a. The top chime 202 of the container 196b is formed with an annular circumferential channel 204 surrounding the top end of the container body 201 and facing longitudinally along the body toward the bottom end of the container. The bottom chime 203 likewise has an annular circumferential channel 205 facing longitudinally upwardly to confront the top channel 204. A row of serrations 206, seen in FIG. 29, is formed in the extremity of each channel-defining portion of the chimes 202 and 203.

The paired containers 196a and 196b are connected together in side-by-side lateral relation, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, by snap-in engagement of the top and bottom chimes 199 and 198 within the corresponding top and bottom channels 204 and 205. The longitudinal spacing between the channels 204 and 205 must be sufficient to receive the chimes of the male container 196a while allowing the serrations 206 surrounding the two channels to grip and interlock the chimes of the male container 196a. The two containers 196a and 196b are separated by grasping and laterally pulling apart the containers to unsnap the interconnection.

Although the lateral-connecting embodiment described in FIGS. 1 and 2 requires dissimilar containers, it is shown in FIG. 3 that a plural number of such containers can be interconnected to form a multipack grouping of containers without requiring any wrapping or packaging material. A standard six-pack unit of interconnected containers is shown in FIG. 3, with the male-female orientation of adjacent paired containers being staggered to permit locking lateral connection between adjacent containers.

Another disclosed embodiment of laterally-connected dissimilar containers is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein are shown the containers 210a and 210b in the form of easyopen beverage containers. The top chime 211 of the container 210a has a curled portion 212 circumferentially surrounding the container body 213 and angularly displaced at an acute angle from the container body as indicated at 214. The bottom chime 215 of the container 210a has a similar curled portion 216 which is also angularly displaced outwardly from the body 213.

The top chime 219 of the container 210b is disposed radially inwardly of and surrounded by a circumferential, longitudinally outwardly-facing channel 220 formed by the depressed portion 221 of the container body 222. A similar annular and longitudinally outwardly-facing channel 223 is formed adjacent and circumferentially surrounding the bottom end 224 of the container 210b. The channels 220 and 223 provide recesses for snap-in engagement with the corresponding outwardly-angled curled portions 212 and 216, respectively, on the top chime 211 and the bottom chime 215 of the container 210a, in the manner shown in FIG. 4. It will also be apparent that more than two containers of the type shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can be connected together to provide a multipack container assembly of the type depicted in FIG. 3.

The laterally-connecting container embodiment shown in FIG. 6 uses similar containers 228 and 229. Each end chime of the containers 228 and 229 has a number of engagement members 230 which extend radially outwardly from the chime and terminate in a longitudinal inwardly-turned hook portion 231 spaced apart a distance from the outer periphery 232 of the chime. Interposed between each of the engagement members 30 is a recess 233 formed in the end of the corresponding chime and of proper dimension to receive the hook portion 231 of an engagement member 203. As shown in FIG. 6, two or more of the containers 228, 229 are side-connected by appropriate engagement of hook portions 231 with recesses 233 of adjacent containers.

The disclosed embodiment of laterally-connecting container apparatus shown in FIGS. 7-9 utilizes similar connective structure and does not require specialized chime construction for the side connection. Turning to FIG. 7, the two identical containers 238 and 239 have bodies 240 and 241 which may be cylindrical over a substantial longitudinal extent. Disposed on the body of each container 238 and 239, adjacent the top ends thereof in the depicted embodiment, is the lateral connective region provided by a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart rib members 242 each of which is generally elongate in configuration and extending longitudinally along the body of the container, with each rib member projecting radially outwardly of the norminal diameter defined by the cylindrical body 240 of the container 238, for example.

Interposed between each spaced-apart rib member 242, and radially recessed relative to the outermost extent of such rib members, is a plural number of elongate channels 243. The innermost diameter defined by the channels 243 can be substantially the nominal diameter of the container body 240.

Each of the rib members 242, as best shown in FIG. 8, has an outermost surface 246 having a circumferential extent which is slightly greater than the outermost spacing 247 of each channel 243. It is also seen in FIG. 8 that each of the channels 243 has an inner circumferential spacing which is slightly greater than the outermost spacing 247, and the inner circumferential spacing is preferably sufficient to receive a rib member 242 in complementary fit within a channel 243 as shown in FIG. 8. Assuming that the containers 238 and 239 are made of thin-gauge metal, as is conventional with the fabrication of beverage cans and similar containers, the rib members 242 and channels 243 have sufficient elastic resilient qualities to enable rib members to be snapped into and out of channels. Since the containers are laterally connected after the containers have been filled, the contents of the container provide internal support which prevents the body of the container from being irreversibly deformed during lateral connection.

Each of the elongate channels 243 has ends 248 and 249 that are closed or at least of restricted cross-section, relative to channel regions intermediate the ends. Each of the ribs 242 is complementary to the channels 243, so as to be laterally receivable within the channels, and the ribs have ends 250 and 251 which contact the channel ends 248 and 249 to prevent longitudinal sliding disengagement of laterally-connected containers 238 and 239.

Returning to FIG. 7, it is seen in the broken-away portion of the container 238 that the bottom end 252 of that container is surrounded by a bottom chime 253 having an inwardly-facing circumferential lip. Referring to FIG. 9, it is seen that the bottom chime 253 is selectively engageable for snap-in connection surrounding a top chime 254 of a container 255, so that end-connection and lateral-connection are both provided in a single type of similar container according to the present invention. It will be apparent, moreover, that combined lateral and end connection of containers is not limited to the specific types of end-connection and lateral-connection depicted in FIG. 9, and that alternative embodiments of end and lateral connections according to the present invention may be used to provide containers which can be combined in lateral and end connection to provide various configurations of interconnected container groupings.

The embodiment depicted in FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a non-cylindrical lateral-connecting container according to the present invention. The container 259, which may be made of metal as typically used for beverage cans and the like, tapers from the capped top end 260 downwardly along a body portion 261, having a shape resembling a truncated cone. The body portion 261 joins an interconnecting region 262 having alternating rib members 263 and channels 264, similar to the corresponding elements shown in FIG. 7. The container 259 terminates at its lower end in a base 265. It will be understood that a plural number of the containers 259 can be interconnected together in lateral relation by snap-in engagement of rib members 263 with corresponding adjacent channels 264.

Although the embodiments of FIGS. 7 -10 utilize lateral connective structure which extends along the longitudinal axis of the containers, other configurations of laterally-extending mutually interlocking projections and indentations can be employed without criticality residing in the longitudinal extent of such interlocking elements. For example, mutually interlocking laterally-extending elements can be provided in the general shape of a diamond as seen in vertical elevation view.

The use of metal containers in the disclosed embodiments is by way of example only, since the teachings of the present invention are applicable to nonmetallic containers made of a material having sufficient elastic deformability to provide the snap-in connection and disconnection described herein. Containers that are blow-molded of suitable plastic materials are one example of such nonmetallic containers.

It will be understood, moreover, that the foregoing description relates to specific disclosed embodiments of the present invention, and that numerous alterations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.