Patent ID: 6076331
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: B65B,B65D

Abstract:
A method of packaging together a plurality of containers (6), each having a cap (26) and a neck flange (28), via a holder blank (4) comprising foldable side flaps (39) and a plurality of perforations forming flexible fingers defining a plurality of apertures for engaging with one of the plurality of containers, at least some of the flexible fingers being formed integral with and being simultaneously movable in a direction opposite to a direction of movement of the foldable side flaps (39), the method comprising the steps of:providing a plurality of holder blanks;stacking the plurality of holder blanks in a separation unit (9);sequentially feeding a holder blank from the stacked plurality of holder blanks in the separation unit (9) to an application unit (3);conveying the plurality of containers (6) in a desired arrangement (27), via a container conveyor, to a position in the application unit vertically below the sequentially fed holder blank;causing relative vertical movement between the holder blank and the plurality of containers in the application unit to facilitate folding of the foldable side flaps (39) of the holder blank (4) vertically downward for contacting and at least partially encompassing an adjacent group of the plurality of containers while the flexible fingers, formed integral with the side flaps (39), simultaneously moving in an opposite vertically upward direction, and concurrently urging the holder blank vertically downward to allow each of the apertures to engage one of the plurality of containers in a desired arrangement (27) such that the remaining flexible fingers are biased vertically upward, as a result of contact with the cap and the neck flanges of the containers engaging with the apertures; andcausing further relative vertical movement between the fed holder blank and the plurality of containers such that the fed holder blank is moved vertically below at least the caps of the plurality of containers to facilitate the flexible fingers elastically and independently springing into a locking position to captively engage at least one of the cap and neck flange of the plurality of containers.