Multipackaging Devices

Plastics-material strips of integrally interconnected bands have been used in the prior art to form packages of selected numbers of containers, and various machines and methods have been developed for application of the strips to groups or rows of containers with the bands of the strips encircling the containers. In the prior art there are many more plastics-material multipackaging devices or carriers than there are applicating machine developments or designs for applying the carriers to containers. Thus, while the configuration of a particular prior art carrier device may be meritorious, more often than not it has added little to the art or science of multipackaging because of the absence in the art of a method and machine for applying such a carrier device. Those skilled in this art will understand that the multipackaging devices or carriers that have made the greatest contribution to the art have been those carrier designs which have been the impetus for successful applicating machine and packaging system developments. A series of such carrier designs began with the original developments of a Mr. Ougljesa Jules Poupitch, see U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,835. Mr. Poupitch's patents were assigned to the Illinois Tool Works Inc. of Chicago, Illinois and various engineers of that company have continued his work. That series of carrier designs led to the successful development of two basic types of now commercially successful applicating machines, one which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,828 and the other being described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,032,943 and 3,032,944. The present commercial models of those carriers and machines which are being used on a worldwide basis, for primarily the multipackaging of cans into six-packs, represent the present state of the subject art. In those machines, a plurality of pins or jaw elements positively control the stretching and application of each band of the carrier to the individual containers.

Against the foregoing background, the subject invention represents a unique advance in the art. That advance is unique because the invention is a radical departure from known carrier designs wherein the bands must be substantially individually stretched and applied to the containers. Because of the configuration of the bands of the strips of the present invention stretching forces need only be applied transversely outwardly in the vicinity of the side marginal edges of the strip.

Briefly, a multipackaging devices strip of the present invention comprises an integrally interconnected row of elongated bands along each side of the strip with the portion of the strip between those bands comprising a plurality of substantially straight-line intersecting band segments which are arranged diagonally of the strip. The band segments, in cooperating with each other and with the side bands, form intermediate bands within the strip. The invention comprises at least one intermediate band between each transversely disposed pair of side bands, and it is contemplated that the teachings of the invention include, and may be used to make, a multipackaging devices strip of more than one intermediate band between each trnsversely disposed pair of side bands.

Other objects and features of the invention will be apparent upon perusal of the hereinafter specification read in conjunction with the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a container package made with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a section of a strip constructed according to the invention in an embodiment for making packages of twelve containers;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the invention showing a strip from which packages, such as the package of FIG. 1, may be made;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a package made with one of the devices of the strip of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of an applicating machine for stretching and applying one embodiment of the invention to containers, and particularly showing the strip of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a view of a portion of a machine such as shown in FIG. 5, but viewed substantially from beneath the stretching and applicating mechanism to show the general configuration of the strip substantially at the position of application.

The strip sections, 10 in FIG. 1 and 11 in FIG. 3, of the invention shown in the drawings are both embodiments for multipackaging three rows of adjacent containers and those embodiments are shown in the drawings substantially accurately in configuration. Further, the disclosed containers for those embodiments are substantially cylindrical containers, such as the cans 12 of FIG. 2 or the cans 13 of FIG. 4. It is believed that upon an understanding of the two embodiments shown and described that those skilled in the art will understand how to make the strip of the invention for application to more than three rows of containers. It will be further understood tat while FIGS. 1 and 4 show packages where a single carrier or device from the strip of the invention has been applied to the upper end portions of the containers, such devices may be applied about some other portion of the containers such, for example, as the lower end portions of the containers. An understanding of the invention will further teach one skilled in the art how to make a strip of the invention for other than circular containers, and that the handle elements or finger gripping means shown at 14 in FIGS. 2 and 4 and at 15 in FIGS. 1 and 3 may be formed within the strip at other than the locations shown, or completely omitted if unnecessary for any particular multipackaging arrangement.

All embodiments of the invention are intended to be made of a resilient, flexible plastic material, such, for example, as low density polyethylene. Such a plastics-material is relatively low in cost and has the necessary properties of resiliency, elasticity and deformability which render such a material suitable for making the subject invention. The thickness of the plastics-material may be varied depending upon the actual size of the containers to be multipackaged and the weight or loads which the device must handle or absorb in use. One well-known common use for such devices, is, of course, to provide a package which enables a consumer to buy and carry home a plurality of container packaged product. The invention contemplates that in some embodiments the packages formed may not be intended for transport by a person carrying the same, but may form part of a shipping and distribution system for large numbers of containers. Thus, the thickness of the plastics-material may vary over a wide range. However, for a well-known consumer "6-pack," a plastics-material having a thickness of about 18 mils or less is suitable.

In the embodiments shown in the drawings, the strips 10 and 11 are formed to have a series of integrally interconnected bands 16 along one side marginal edge portion thereof and what amounts to a mirror image series of integrally interconnected bands 17 along the other side of the strip. Each of the bands 16 and 17 is substantially elongated longitudinally of the strip and the inner periphery of each band is circumferentially continuous. The outer periphery of each band 16 and 17 may be generally described as approximating parallelism with the inner periphery thereof. The outer peripheries of adjacent bands 16 are integrally interconnected by webs 18, and in a comparable manner the bands 17 are integrally interconnected by webs 20.

In further detail, each band 16 may be described as having an outer band portion 16a, an inner band portion 16b, and end portions 16c and 16d. The band portions 16a and 16b are substantially straight segments longitudinally of the strip with the band portion 16a being longer than the band portion 16b. The end portions 16c and 16d are curved band portions which interconnect the ends of the band portions 16a and 16b. The various band portions 17a, 17b, 17c and 17d of the bands 17 are respectively substantially mirror images of the band portions 16a, 16b, 16c and 16d.

Each of the strip embodiments 10 and 11 of the invention further comprises intermediate band segments 22 and 23. One band segment 22 and one band segment 23 is formed as an integral intersecting pair of band segments. In the embodiments shown, the angle of intersection is approximately at 90.degree. angle, although the invention contemplates that other angles may be used. Each pair of intersecting band sections 22 and 23 is integrally formed in the strip so that its intersection 24 straddles a transverse line through the webs 18 and 20 on opposite sides of the strip. One end of each band segment 23 is integrally connected to the band portion 16b of a band 16 with the other end of that band segment being integrally connected to the inner band portion 17b of the band 17 which is longitudinally adjacent to the band 17 transversely opposite from the band 16 to which the one end of the band segment 23 is connected. In a similar manner, one end of each band segment 22 is connected to the inner band portion 17b of a band 17 with the other end thereof integrally connected to the inner band portion 16b of the band 16 which is longitudinally adjacent to the band 16 which is transversely opposite of the band 17 to which the one end of the band segment 22 is connected.

While the band segments 22 and 23 have been described as substantially straight-line band segments, the four corners of each intersection 24 are curvilinear as shown, and the end connections of the band segments 22 and 23 to the bands 16 and 17 merge along curvilinear lines into their connections with the bands 16 and 17.

The longitudinally adjacent pairs of intersecting band segments 22 and 23 define the intermediate apertures 26. The shape of each aperture 26 in the present disclosure may be described as generally lemon-shaped, and the opposite ends of each aperture 26 in a longitudinal direction lie on transverse lines drawn through the longitudinally disposed ends of the end portions 16c and 17c of the bands 16 and 17 and the ends of the end portions 16d and 17d of the bands 16 and 17. Further, the peripheral margin of each aperture 26 is circumferentially continuous and is of a length substantially equal to the length of the inner peripheral margin of the bands 16 and 17. In one reduction to practice of the invention the length of the periphery of the apertures 26 measured 6.016 inches (15.281 cm) while the length of the inner peripheral margin of the apertures 16 and 17 measured 6.160 inches (15.646 cm). The lengths of the inner peripheral margins of the apertures 26 and the bands 16 and 17 are less than the circumferential dimension of the containers, such as containers 12 and 13, intended to be packaged with either strip 10 or 11.

As described above, the strips 10 and 11 are intended for machine application to containers and thus the strip sections shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 merely represent small longitudinal sections of much longer strips which, for example, could inlcude one or several thousand or more carrier devices in the strip. Such strips are generally wound upon reels and in that condition delivered to the applicating apparatus for machine application to the containers. A suitable machine for applying the strips 10 or 11 of the subject invention is shown and described in the co-pending United States application of Benno et al. Ser. No. 583,079, filed June 2, 1975 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,949. The application drum of the machine of that application is partially shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and those showings are an attempt to visually display how the srips 10 and 11 are configured when they are stretched by transversely opposite stretching forces applied within the strip against the portions 16a and 17a, respectively, of the bands 16 and 17. It is important to note in the showing of FIGS. 5 and 6 that the apertures 26 of the intermediate bands are enlarged by the transversely applied stretching forces without a serious distortion of the apertures 26. The inventor of the subject invention has found that when he attempted to stretch known prior art carriers of at least three bands wide by opposed transversely directed stretching forces on the side bands, the center bands and their apertures invariably distorted into shapes unsuitable for projection over containers such as cans. He often found that the longitudinally disposed ends of the center bands would stretch into substantially straight lines which would interfere with attempted applications of such carriers to cylindrical containers. Importantly, the curvilinear shapes of the longitudinally disposed ends of the apertures 26 are substantially maintained during the application of transversely opposed stretching forces. An attempted analysis of why the longitudinally disposed ends of the apertures 26 maintain such excellent curvilinear configurations, with good stretching configurations of the bands 16 and 17, for application to containers such as cans 12 and 13 has led the inventor to believe that the intersection areas 24 of each intersecting pair of straight-line band segments 22 and 23 is an isotropic area. In other words, upon application of transversely opposed stretching forces the intersection areas 24 exhibit a tendency to grow substantially equally in all directions and thus the curvilinear configuration of the ends of the apertures 26 is maintained during such stretching.

For a complete understanding of how the applicating drum shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 operates, reference is made to the co-pending United States application of Benno et al, Ser. No. 583,079, filed June 2, 1975 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,949. A brief description of the drum assembly will be given herein to explain the stretching of the strips 10 and 11 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The drum assembly which is partially shown in FIG. 5 is substantially cylindrical in general configuration and comprises a hub or spider rotating about a horizontal axis and carrying a plurality of jaw stations 30 circumferentially thereabout. As shown in FIG. 5, the jaw stations 30 are rotated in the direction of the arrow 31. Each jaw station 30 comprises a pair of jaws 32. Each jaw 32 comprises a pair of radially extending jaw elements 32a and 32b. The jaws 32 are carried on four rods 33, and each jaw 32 is fixed to two of the four rods 33. The rods 33 are appropriately connected to cam rollers 35 so that as the drum assembly rotates in the direction of the arrow 31 the cam rollers 35 are moved in a direction axially of the drum assembly by the annular cam plates 36 and 37 to move the jaws 32 of each jaw station 30 apart.

As shown in FIG. 5, the strip 10 is fed onto the jaw stations 30 rearwardly of the top of the drum assembly with the jaw elements 32a and 32b of the jaws entering the apertures of the bands 16 and 17. At that application position, the jaws 32 of each jaw station 30 are in their closed position or position of minimum spacing therebetween. As the drum assembly rotates, a strip guide assembly 38, partially shown at the top of FIG. 5, folds the portions 16a and 17a of the bands 16 and 17 to be substantially aligned in a direction radially of the drum assembly. As the rotating drum assembly carries the strip 10 from the guide assembly 38, the jaws 32 gradually move apart to transversely stretch the strip 10. When the bands of the strip reach the substantially vertically downward position they are moved into encircling cooperation with the containers, such as the cans 13 shown in FIG. 5. The encircling engagement of the carrier bands with the containers 13 may be described as a snap-on action. The three containers 13, shown in FIG. 5, represent three adjacent rows of containers 13 which are moving in a direction perpendicular to FIG. 5 and into the drawing. The view in FIG. 6 is taken from a position below the drum assembly and looking vertically upwardly at the assembly. Thus, the jaw stations 30 are moving in the direction of the arrow 40 in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6 the carrier bands indicated at 16x, 26x and 17x are the bands which would be applied to the containers 13 shown in FIG. 5. In viewing FIGS. 5 and 6 it should be kept in mind that one is viewing elements arranged about a cylinder which have been projected onto a flat sheet. It is believed clear from the showing of FIGS. 5 and 6 that the carrier strips 10 or 11 are substantially ideally stretched merely by the transversely opposed stretching forces as described for projected application onto containers, such as cans 12 or 13.

From the foregoing it may be seen that once the three rows of containers 13 have passed beneath the applicating drum, the jaw elements 32a and 32b of the jaws 32 are withdrawn from the side marginal portions of the strip by virtue of the straight-line movement of the three rows of cans and the upwardly and outwardly rotating movement of the jaws 30 about the drum and away from the straight-line movement of the cans. The strip 10 or 11 is thus applied in a continuing manner to the three rows of containers. Thereafter, selective transverse severance of the strip 10 or 11 through webs 18 and 20, and through the intersection areas 24 enables one to produce packages in multiples of three containers. If the strip has not handle means, such as handle means 15 of FIG. 1 or 14 of FIG. 4, transverse severance may be provided through each of the webs 18 and 20 and the intersection areas 24 to produce 3-packs. Further, if the packages produced are not intended to be carried by a person, but are, for example, to be part of a pallet load of packages, transverse severance might be made after, for example, every twentieth container in each row.

The handle means 15 of FIG. 1 and 14 of FIG. 4 are provided to enable a person to carry each of the packages shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The package of FIG. 1 has been made from a strip, such as strip 11 of FIG. 3. In that embodiment the handle means 15 provide finger gripping means, and a pair of finger gripping means 15 is provided between every other pair of straight-line segments 22 and 23 longitudinally of the strip. It is obvious from FIG. 3 that transverse severance through the webs 18 and 20 and the intersecting areas 24 at the strip positions where the straight-line band segments 22 and 23 are void of finger gripping means 15 will produce packages of six containers, such as shown in FIG. 1, with a pair of finger gripping means 25 conveniently positioned within the package for gripping thereof by a person's fingers. The package of twelve containers, shown in FIG. 4, is produced by the strip of FIG. 2 where every fourth pair of straight-line segments 22 and 23 in the strip 10 is provided with the handle elements 14. Thus, with transverse severance of the strip 10 being made through the webs 18 and 20 and the intersecting areas 24 which are two positions longitudinally of the strip 10 from the handle elements 14 will produce the packages of twelve containers, such as shown in the top plan view in FIG. 4. Again, two handle elements 14 are disposed conveniently substantially at the center of the package for carrying of the package by those elements. Where packages, such as shown in FIG. 4, are made with relatively heavy containers 13 such that gripping of the handle elements 14 by a person's fingers is uncomfortable, the invention contemplates that a simple U-shaped bale member (not shown, but of a type generally contemplated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,874,835) with hook portions on the ends of the legs thereof may be hooked beneath the handle elements 14 to provide a more comfortable carrying arrangement for such heavy packages by a person.

In making the strips of the invention, handle elements 14 or finger gripping means 15 must be so formed as to avoid any interference with the stretching of the straight-line band segments 22 and 23 as previously described. Reductions to practice of the strips 10 ans 11 have established that when the finger gripping means 15 or the handle elements 14 are formed as curved strap elements extending between the straight-line band segments 22 and 23 as shown, substantially no interference with the stretching of those straight-line band segments 22 and 23 is produced.

Having described the invention, it should be understood that changes can be made in the described embodiments by one skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the hereinafter following claims.