Abstract:
Improved carriers and improvements in handling equipment to provide for accurate entry of carriers into machines for application of carriers to containers and to prevent inverted entry of carriers into machines for applying carriers onto containers.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     Reference is made to my Provisional Application No. 60/555,642, filed Mar. 22, 2004, entitled “Improved Container Carriers”.  
     
    
     BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates to carriers for containers for a variety of substances and materials. Such containers are generally fabricated of plastic or glass and have removable caps.  
         [0003]     The present invention provides various improvements in carriers and related equipment.  
         [0004]     The present invention provides improvements in bottling machines for use with such carriers, including a plurality of posts or rods spaced about a stack of carriers in such machine to maintain them oriented for accurate application of carriers to containers.  
         [0005]     Tab portions on carriers engage components of carrier application machines. Tabs on carriers engage at entrance plate openings to prevent the insertion of inverted carriers.  
         [0006]     Tabs on carriers are provided to engage the openings of carrier installing machines to prevent entry into the machine of inverted carriers.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  shows a typical prior art container carrier which lacks the improvements provided by the present invention;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a single handle carrier embodying some of the improvements of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a side or edge view of the carrier embodiment of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  is an elevational view of a carrier according to  FIG. 2  disposed on a container;  
         [0011]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view taken at line  5 - 5  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 6  is a sectional view taken at line  6 - 6  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0013]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view taken at line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 8  is a plan view of a two-handle carrier embodying certain features of the present invention;  
         [0015]      FIG. 9  is an edge view of the carrier of  FIG. 8 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 10  is an elevational view showing the carrier of  FIGS. 8 and 9  with handles bent upwardly for manual grasping for carrying a container;  
         [0017]      FIG. 11  is a top view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 12  is a plan view of a two-carrier embodiment embodying features of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 13  is a plan view, partially in section, showing a carrier according to  FIG. 2  disposed in an inlet opening  40  of a container bottling machine, showing a tab feature serving to prevent entry of inverted containers into a container capping machine;  
         [0020]      FIG. 14  is a perspective view of a stack of carriers retained in position by rods of a container bottling machine; and  
         [0021]      FIG. 15  is a top view of the embodiment of  FIG. 14  showing posts which support and align a stack of carriers prior to carriers passing downwardly for securement to containers.  
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Referring to the drawings,  FIGS. 2, 3  and  4  illustrate a preferred embodiment  10  of the present invention wherein a handle member  12  is connected and integral with a ring or container support member  14  which has a plurality of inwardly extending tabs  16  to support a container at the neck thereof.  FIG. 3  is a side or edge view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , support portions or tabe  16  are integral with the container support member  14 , and have the cross-sectional J-shaped configuration shown. A handle portion has a gripping portion  18  of generally oval cross-section, as indicated in  FIG. 7 . The handle portion  18  is of a cross-sectional configuration comprising two intersecting portions, as indicated in  FIG. 6 , and the remainder of the handle comprises an oval configuration, as indicated in  FIG. 7 .  
         [0023]      FIG. 4  shows the embodiment of  FIGS. 2 and 3  disposed on a container  20  which has a cap  22  thereon, with the handle portion  18  thereof in upward configuration for manual grasping.  
         [0024]     Referring to  FIGS. 8 through 11 , an embodiment is shown wherein two handles  23 ,  24  are provided on a single container support structure  26 , The utilization of two separate handles  23 ,  24  for the gripping and handling of a single container provides advantages in that with the handles extending upwardly together, a person can grasp the two handles between a thumb and finger to lift a container. This arrangement is typically utilized with containers of small cross-section fabricated of a non-breakable plastic, typically polypropylene. This has the advantage that in the event that one of the two handles breaks while held by a person and supporting a container, the container typically will not fall, or involve such a sudden shock as would be involved with only a single handle, thus providing substantial safety and reduction of risk in falling and breaking.  
         [0025]     As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , the rod-like portions of the handles have generally oval cross-sectional configurations, or in  FIG. 6 , a combination of oval portions. Substantial savings of material and cost are provided without substantial reduction in strength in the components.  
         [0026]     Referring to  FIGS. 2, 3  and  8 , there is shown the manner in which the handle  12  and the container support member  14  are blended and tapered to provide an arched curve when bent up to 90° during the lifting or carrying of a container, and to provide an arched curve when bent 90° in the supporting of a filled container.  
         [0027]     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the handle  18  is thicker and stronger at the shoulder  19  where it joins the container support structure  26 . This is important in so distributing stress that the handle generally will not break in the region of the juncture of the shoulder with the main portion of the handle. The increased radius of the bend effected or caused by such taper distributes stress and greatly reduces the likelihood of breakage in the critical area between the handle and the support structure  26 .  
         [0028]     The filling of containers is generally done by a machine having an upside-down suction cup member (not shown) which engages about the outer rim of respective carriers in succession to force each carrier ring down about a bottle cap on a filled container. If a carrier ring becomes lodged under the upside-down cup member of the machine, it will not be properly mounted ir will hot be mounted. This problem must be corrected with expensive delay and down-time with no production until the problem is corrected.  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 12 , tabs  48 ,  50  serve the same function and purpose as tabs  38  of the embodiment of  FIG. 13 . The tabs prevent installation of a carrier upside down in the same manner as with tabs  38  in the embodiment of  FIG. 13 . The tabs eliminate the problem of the carrier slipping into a cup of the machine. The same problem exists with single-pack and multi-pack carriers. The inner wall of the cup of the machine may be similar to the diameter of the circle  52  ( FIG. 12 ). The machine cup would press the carrier down over the cap of the container which should be smaller in diameter. Thus, if there were no tab on the carrier, it would tend to slip up inside the cup as it was being forced down, there being substantial bending and distortion of the carrier. The ends of the carrier have extensions  54  on which barcode labels are attached.  
         [0030]      FIG. 13  shows the tab  38  of a carrier shown in broken lines disposed at  38 ′ in relation to a carrier, thus to prevent the carrier from passing through an edge of opening  40  of a machine plate  42 . The tab when thus positioned under an edge of the machine opening prevents a carrier or carriers from passing through the intake opening  40  in machine plate  42 . If a carrier or carriers are incorrectly oriented upon insertion into the machine, typically as by being inserted upside-down, the tab  38  thus engages at  38 ′ an edge portion of the opening  40  of the machine, thus to prevent loading of a plurality or stack of carriers into the feed hopper of the machine which would cause stoppage of the machine until the problem is corrected.  
         [0031]     If one or more carriers in a stack of carriers is disposed inwardly or is upside down at the opening  40  in machine plate  42  or, even worse, an upside-down carrier may be partially installed on a bottle by the machine, although upside down with a ring carrier portion hung up on the bottle cap. A serious problem results when a person, such as a customer, picks up the container, in that the carrier may allow the filled container to fall from the carrier and fall to a floor or other surface, breaking the container, with possible resultant serious personal injury, and at least causing a substantial cleaning task.  
         [0032]     A plurality of posts or rods  60  of  FIG. 14  guide a stack of carriers and interfere with a person inserting carriers upside down. If a person during insertion of carriers into a hopper, drops carriers, then inserts one upside down, the stack of carriers will move down in the machine until the upside down carrier encounters a post and then goes no farther. The upside down carrier will bump into the post, and stop.  
         [0033]     The posts or rods prevent carriers from passing upside down in the hopper. A cut-out at the bottom conforms to the posts or rods to prevent passage through the throat of the machine. The carrier tab is sufficiently stiff to resist its deflection. If a carrier is upside down it will not pass through. A non-symmetrical placement tab prevents the carrier from being loaded in the hopper upside down. Any carrier in any stack cannot be upside down because the eccentric placement tab interferes with hopper supports. A small tab or finger lays in the same direction so that an eccentric tab is not needed.  
         [0034]      FIG. 15  shows in dotted lines a tab interfering with the throat or a post interfering with the tab, so that a person cannot insert the carrier upside down, as indicated in  FIG. 14 . A post is in the way of the tab with the carrier upside down.  FIG. 13  is similar to  FIG. 14  but does not show posts because  FIG. 13  is a view taken below the posts.