Packaging for bottles and bottle neck shroud for use therewith

Packaging for a plurality of juxtaposed bottles with the bottles being of a type having a base, a body adjoining the base, the body having a shoulder and an upstanding neck adjoining the shoulder and a label adhered to the body of the bottle below the shoulder and above the base. The packaging comprises a case in the form of a parallelepiped having spaced parallel side walls and spaced parallel end walls adjoining the side walls at right angles thereto and spaced-apart top and bottom closures adjoining the side and end walls at right angles thereto. A bottom insert is disposed in the bottom of the case and has a plurality of spaced-apart wells therein for receiving the bases of the plurality of juxtaposed bottles for retaining the bases of the juxtaposed bottles in spaced-apart positions. A shroud in the case engages the shoulders of the bottles for retaining the bottles in spaced-apart positions with respect to each other to prevent the labels of the bottles from coming into contact with each other and with the side and end walls of the case. The shroud comprises a plurality of shoulder-engaging members formed integral with each other and extending over the shoulders of the bottles to retain the shoulders of the bottles in spaced-apart position with respect to each other and the side and end walls of the case and retain the shoulder-engaging members in positions spaced above the labels of the bottles.

This invention relates to packaging for bottles and a bottle neck shroud
 for use therewith.
 Packaging has heretofore been provided for packaging of bottles including
 wine bottles. However, in such packaging it has been found that label
 scuffing occurs which seriously affects the appearance of the bottle and
 thereby greatly affects resale value. There is therefore a need for new
 and improved packaging which prevents such scuffing.
 In general, it is an object of the present invention to provide packaging
 for bottles and a bottle neck shroud for use therewith which inhibits
 label scuffing.
 Another object of the invention is to provide packaging and a shroud for
 use therewith which will also prevent scuffing of foil closures used on
 bottles.
 Another object of the invention is to provide packaging and a shroud for
 use therewith which can be economically manufactured.
 Another object of the invention is to provide packaging and a shroud for
 use therewith which can be utilized in conjunction with conventional
 packaging machinery.

In general, the packaging for bottles incorporating the present invention
 is comprised of a case in the form of a parallelepiped containing a
 plurality of juxtaposed bottles packaged in the case. The bottles are of a
 type having a base, a body having an external surface adjoining the base
 with the body having a shoulder. A neck adjoins the shoulder. A label is
 adhered to the exterior of the body of the bottle below the shoulder. The
 packaging also includes a shroud having a plurality of shoulder-engaging
 members extending over the necks of the juxtaposed bottles and over the
 shoulders of the bottles. The shroud also includes means interconnecting
 the shoulder-engaging members for retaining the shoulder-engaging members
 in spaced apart positions to thereby prevent adjacent bottles from coming
 into contact with each other and to thereby prevent scuffing of the labels
 on the bottles.
 More in particular as shown in the drawings, the packaging 11 consists of a
 case 12 in the form of a parallelepiped having parallel spaced-apart side
 walls 13 and parallel spaced-apart end walls 16 adjoining the side walls
 13 at right angles thereto. The case also includes bottom and top closures
 or walls 18 and 19 which extend at right angles to the side walls 13 and
 the end walls 16. The bottom and top closures or walls 18 and 19 are
 formed by major flaps 21 adjoining the side walls 13 and minor flaps 23
 adjoining the end walls 16. The case thus far described is of a
 conventional type and as well known to those skilled in the art, the major
 flaps 21 and the minor flaps 23 as shown in FIG. 1 are folded to form the
 bottom and top closures or walls 18 and 19. The flaps are retained in the
 desired positions by the use of a suitable means such as an adhesive (not
 shown).
 A plurality of bottles 31 are placed in juxtaposed positions within the
 case. The bottles are of a type having a base 32 and a body 33 adjoining
 the base. The body has a shoulder 34 at its upper extremity. A bottle neck
 36 adjoins the shoulder 34. The bottles 31 can contain a suitable liquid
 as for example wine 37 and the wine is sealed therein in a suitable manner
 such as by a cork 38. The base 32 of the bottle can be provided with a
 punt 39. With such a punt, the bottle 31 can be in the form of a champagne
 bottle which as well known to those skilled in the art can be provided
 with a cork which is retained by a wire cage on the neck of the bottle and
 which typically is covered with a foil (not shown). Each of the bottles 31
 is provided with a label 41 which is adhered to the body of the bottle
 exterior of the bottle generally below the shoulder 34 and extends
 circumferentially around at least a portion of the bottle.
 A bottom platform or insert 51 is provided in the case 12 and can be formed
 of a suitable material such as molded pulp. The bottom insert is provided
 with a plurality of spaced-apart wells 52 that are sized to receive the
 bases 32 of the bottles 31 as shown particularly in FIGS. 1 and 2 to
 retain the bases of the bottles in juxtaposed but spaced apart positions.
 The wells 52 are provided with centrally disposed indentations 53 that are
 centrally disposed within the punts 39 of the bottles 31 and aid in
 positioning of the bases 32 of the bottles 31 in their spaced-apart
 positions.
 A shroud 61 is provided in the case 12 which can be characterized as a
 bottle neck and shoulder shroud. It is formed of a suitable material such
 as molded pulp. The shroud 61 consists of a plurality of juxtaposed
 shoulder-engaging members 62 that are adapted to extend downwardly over
 the shoulders 34 of the bottles but above and clear of the labels 41
 carried by the bottles. The members 62 are generally circular in cross
 section and have a dimension which fits rather snugly over the shoulders
 of the bottles 31. As shown, the juxtaposed shoulder-engaging members 62
 are joined together as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so as to provide two
 thicknesses of the molded material forming the members 62 and to thereby
 provide spaces 63 between the bottles whereby the bottles are spaced apart
 a predetermined distance so that labels 41 carried by the bottle clear
 each other and do not come in contact with each other to thereby prevent
 scuffing of the labels during shipment as hereinafter described. The
 shoulder-engaging members 62 are provided with cup-shaped portions 62a
 which as shown in FIG. 2 are provided with a cup-shaped curvature. The
 cup-shaped portions 62a adjoin tapered circular portions 62b and extend
 upwardly for the length of the necks 36 of the bottles and terminates
 generally at the top of the bottles. The shoulder-engaging members 62 as
 shown have openings 66 at the lowermost extremity of the cup-shaped
 portions 62a and openings 67 at the uppermost extremity of the tapered
 portion 62b. By providing the openings 67 this ensures that the shroud 61
 when placed over the necks of the bottles 31 will travel downwardly over
 the shoulders 34 of the bottles 31.
 In order to enhance the strength of the shroud 61, reinforcing portions 71
 are provided in the interior of the shroud 61 between the exteriors of
 four adjacent shoulder-engaging members 62 and consists of upwardly and
 angularly inclined side walls 72 and 73 which adjoin along a line 76 on
 each of the four sides of each reinforcing portion 71. The lower
 extremities of the side walls 72 and 73 are formed integral with the
 lowermost extremities of the shoulder-engaging members 62. The upper
 extremities of the portions 72 and 73 are joined together by curved wall
 portions 77 to provide integral upstanding reinforcing portions 71 between
 each set of four shoulder-engaging members 62.
 From the foregoing it can be seen that the shroud 61 is typically formed in
 a one piece integral construction with a plurality of shoulder-engaging
 members 62 adjoining each other in a desired geometrical arrangement as
 for example three rows of four in each row.
 As can be seen, the shroud is provided with a generally hemispherical base
 which provides the cup-shaped portion for grasping the shoulder of the
 bottle. At the truncated conical extension of the hemispherical base, each
 shoulder-engaging member has generally the appearance of an upside-down
 ice cream cone. Although the shroud has been described with an open top
 which is particularly desirable to prevent scuffing of the closure for the
 bottle as for example the foil enclosing a champagne bottle, a closure can
 be provided when damage to a closure is not of concern as for example for
 packaging for beer bottles which have metal caps.
 Operation and use of the shrouds 61 for providing packaging for bottles may
 now be briefly described as follows. Let it be assumed that the case 12
 has been erected and the bottom platform or insert 51 has been placed
 therein and that thereafter, the bottles 31 either manually or by
 automatic packaging machinery have been placed into the case 12 with the
 bases 32 of the bottles being seated within the wells 52 of the bottom
 platform or insert 51 and thereby having their bases retained in
 spaced-apart positions to provide a predetermined spacing between the
 bases of the bottles 31. While the top of the case 12 is still open, the
 shroud 61 is placed over the tops and necks 36 of the bottles 31 until the
 shoulder-engaging members 62 come into frictional engagement with the
 shoulders 34 of the bottles to firmly engage the shoulders and to retain
 the shoulders of the bottles in predetermined positions to provide the
 spaces 63 between the bottles as hereinbefore described. The case can then
 be closed and is ready for shipment. During shipment, the shroud 61 serves
 to prevent the labels of the bottles from coming in contact with each
 other or with the side and end walls of the carton and with other labels
 to thereby prevent scuffing of the labels during shipment and transport of
 the bottles 31 from one location to another as for example from a winery
 to a distributor and thence from the distributor to a retailer.
 Upon receipt of a case by a retailer or a customer, the case can be opened,
 the shroud 61 removed in one piece and thereafter, the bottles 31 removed
 in a conventional manner. The shroud 61 can be inexpensively manufactured
 from a molded pulp and can be readily used in conventional cases or
 containers for bottles. The shroud is formed in such a manner that will
 prevent scuffing of the labels. In addition since the shroud encloses the
 neck of the bottle it will also prevent scuffing of the closures for the
 bottle as for example when foil is used for example when foil is used for
 enclosing champagne corks. In other words it can be seen that with the
 construction utilized it can be seen that the shoulders and the bases of
 the bottles are grasped at non-labeled portions of the bottle to prevent
 label scuffing.
 It is apparent from the foregoing that there has been provided new and
 novel packaging for bottles and a bottle neck shroud for use therewith
 which substantially eliminates label scuffing as well as scuffing of the
 closures on the necks of the bottles. The shrouds can be readily utilized
 either manually or with automatic packaging equipment.