Container holder fitting device

A device for manually and simultaneously forcing four, contoured, flexible, six pack type holders over the necks of twenty-four bottles. The device includes a pair of parallel, spaced apart pipes to which a plurality of parallel, spaced apart cross bars are perpendicularly attached, with the cross bars and pipes each having downwardly extending legs at their ends which engage with the shoulders of the holders. A pair of handles are attached to the pipes to allow the user to exert a downward force on the pipes and, through the legs of the cross bars and pipes, to the shoulders of the holders. The cross bar legs are dimensioned so that the cross bars are also in contact with the tops of the holders at the same time that the legs engage the shoulders thereby ensuring that the downward force applied by the operator is evenly distributed over the holder.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
The present invention relates generally to a device for fitting a container 
holder over a plurality of containers, and more specifically to a device 
for fitting a flexible bottle holder over a group of bottles. 
BACKROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Many beverages, such as sodas and beer, are available for purchase in 
individiual portion sized containers, typically containing ten to twelve 
ounces of beverage. These individual portion containers are available for 
purchase either singly or in groups, typically in groups of six and 
commonly referred to as "six packs". Such containers include the ever 
popular aluminum can and glass bottle, both of which are available in 
individual portion sizes. The beverage containers tend to be of roughly 
uniform configuration. Bottles, for example, all have a cylindrical lower 
body portion which tapers up toward a slender upper neck portion with an 
opening of a relatively small diameter. 
When these beverage containers are sold in groups, it is desirable that 
they be physically attached to one another to facilitate handling, such as 
in groups of six, by means of a single bottle holder having an opening for 
each of the six bottles. Commonly used bottle holders are comprised of a 
flexible material, such as a plastic, and have contoured configurations 
corresponding to the outer configuration of the upper portions of the 
group of bottles to which they will be attached. In use, the bottle holder 
is fitted over the group of bottles such that each of their tapered neck 
portions jut through each holder opening. 
This fitting is accomplished by spatially arranging a group of bottles such 
that each bottle top rests under a holder opening. Physical pressure is 
then applied to the bottle holder which is forced down and over the bottle 
tops. The openings are usually of dimensions such as to fit snugly and 
tightly over the tapered neck portions of the bottles to secure the 
position of the bottles within the openings once fitted. The openings are 
further usually spaced apart from one another such that the lower body 
portions of the bottles are near, if not touching, one another. The bottle 
holders known in the art also include means for gripping the group of 
bottles contained within them. Typically, such gripping means comprises 
further openings within the holder through which the customer's fingers 
can grip the holder and the attached bottles. 
Despite the advantages offered by these bottle holders, they present 
certain disadvantages to the small scale bottler or distributor who must 
fit the holder to the bottles. The process of fitting the bottle holder 
over the bottle tops can be carried out manually, with the operator 
fitting a single holder over a single group of, typically six, bottles at 
a time or by the use of very expensive automated equipment. Because of the 
high purchase and maintenance costs of such equipment, efficient manual 
operation can be cost effective, especially for a small scale bottler or 
distributor. 
The manual process is further lengthened by the requirement that the 
bottles be spatially arranged prior to fitting such that each holder 
opening rests upon each bottle top. Further, because the holder openings 
fit snugly and tightly about the upper neck portion of the bottles, they 
are sometimes difficult to fit over the bottles. The need for human 
operation and consumption of time required to properly fit these bottle 
holders over a group of bottles results in costly inefficiencies and 
renders them burdensome to use despite their advantages. Thus, there is a 
need to provide a degree of low cost automation to the process of fitting 
bottle holders over bottles. This need is met with the present invention. 
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a container 
holder fitting device which increases a worker's efficiency in manually 
fitting container holders over a plurality of containers. 
It is another object of the present invention to provide a mechanically 
reliable device for fitting bottle holders over a plurality of bottles. 
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a manually 
operated bottle holder fitting device capable of simultaneously fitting a 
bottle holder over a plurality of six packs. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The above and other problems in trying to efficiently force a flexible, 
contoured holder over the necks of a predetermined arrangement of such 
containers, the holder being of the type having shoulders and openings for 
receiving the necks of the containers, are overcome by the device of the 
present invention which comprises a pair of pipes arranged parallel to, 
and spaced apart from each other, a plurality of cross bars connected 
perpendicularly to the pipes and arranged parallel to, and spaced apart 
from each other, and a pair of handles connected to the pipes for manually 
applying a downward force to the pipes. Each of the cross bars has a 
downwardly extending leg at each end for engagement with a corresponding 
shoulder of the holder. In the preferred embodiment the pipes are hollow 
and rectangular in cross-section. 
The length of each leg of the cross bars is selected to match the height of 
the top of the holder above the shoulder so that the cross bars bear 
against the top of the holder simultaneously as the legs contact the 
shoulders of the holder. Each pipe also has a downwardly extending leg at 
each end for engaging a shoulder of the holder. The lengths of the pipe 
legs are selected to equal the height of the top of the holder above the 
shoulder engaged by the pipe leg. 
In the preferred embodiment, the length of the pipes is selected to 
straddle six containers placed side by side in a line and the length of 
the cross bars is selected to extend between the two outside shoulders of 
two holders when placed side by side. The preferred embodiment of the 
device includes a first and a second pair of cross bars, with the cross 
bars of each pair being spaced apart from each other by approximately the 
width of a single container and the first and second pairs of cross bars 
being spaced apart from each other by approximately twice the width of a 
container, with the first and second pairs of cross bars being attached to 
the pairs of pipes at points which are spaced inwardly from the ends of 
the pipes by a distance which is approximately equal to the width of a 
container. This enables the device to straddle four six pack type 
container holders arranged side by side in a standard, twenty-four 
container, rectangularly shaped shipping carton of the type having upright 
walls, with the pipe legs and the cross bar legs engaging the holder 
shoulders which are immediately adjacent the walls of the carton. 
Each cross bar leg in the preferred embodiment is comprised of a flat, 
metal strap which is welded perpendicularly to the end of the cross bar, 
is bent at an acute angle at its upper end and is welded at such upper end 
to one of the pipes. 
The handles are preferably circular in cross-section to minimize the 
possibility of injury to a user's hands and are directly attached to both 
pipes. 
The invention is described below in greater detail with reference to the 
accompanying drawings which depict different views of an embodiment of the 
present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
Although it will be obvious that the present invention may accomodate any 
number of container holders, each of which may accomodate any number of 
containers, the invention will be decribed in detail with reference to the 
embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 
In the illustrated embodiment, each container holder accomodates six 
containers arranged side by side in a line. Four such container holders 
are also arranged side by side in a line so that each is in contact with 
two other holders. Thus, the device of the illustrated embodiment may fit 
a group of four holders over a total of twenty-four containers. This 
arrangement of twenty-four containers is appropriate for use in the 
standard rectangularly shaped shipping carton of the type having upright 
walls wherein the holders are immediately adjacent to the walls of the 
carton. 
A device of the present invention is shown generally in the drawings as 
reference numeral 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the device generally comprises a 
pair of pipes, 12 and 14, which are parallel to and spaced apart from one 
another. A plurality of cross bars, which are spaced apart from and 
parallel to one another, are perpendicularly connected to pipes 12 and 14. 
The illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 is comprised of two pairs of such 
cross bars, 16, 18, 20 and 22. Each cross bar is symetrical and includes 
one member of a pair of downwardly extending legs, 24, 26, 28 and 30, 
respectively, on each of its ends. As can be appreciated, the number of 
cross bars may vary depending upon the number of containers and container 
holders the device will be used with. The device also includes handle 
means 32, attached to both pipes 12 and 14 and extending between them, for 
manually applying a downward force to pipes 12 and 14. 
A typical container holder is shown in the drawings, particularly FIG. 2, 
as reference numeral 34. Holder 34 has a contoured configuration 
corresponding to the configuration of the upper portions of a group of 
containers shown collectively as 36 over which it will be fitted. 
Referring to FIG. 2, holder 34 also includes a raised ridge portion 38 
defining a peripheral portion and an inner top portion 39 of said holder, 
a plurality of shoulders shown collectively as 40 within the peripheral 
portion, and a plurality of apertures shown collectively as 42 within the 
inner top portion 39 for receiving the the neck portions of containers 36 
upon assembly. Ridge 38 rises over shoulders 40 by a height h (see FIG. 
3). The number of apertures 42 present on any container holder should 
correspond with the number of containers to be held. 
In operation, holders 34 are placed over a predetermined arrangement of 
containers, such as a rectangular arrangement, such that the top portions 
of containers 36 lie beneath apertures 42. The device 10 is then placed 
over the combination of containers and holders such that each member of 
downwardly extending leg pairs 24, 26, 28 and 30 physically engages with a 
holder shoulder 40 located on the outside of the group of holders as shown 
is FIG. 3. Cross bars legs 24, 26, 28 and 30 should be dimensioned such 
that cross bars 16, 18, 20 and 22 physically engage with the tops 39 of 
holders 32 simultaneously as leg pairs 24, 26, 28 and 30 contact the outer 
shoulders 40 of holders 34 to ensure that contact with the device 10 is 
distributed evenly over the holders 34. An operator, grasping the handles 
32, next applies a downward force which is transmitted through the device 
10 to the tops 39 and shoulders 40 of the holders 34. Thus, holders 34 are 
forced down and over the neck portions of containers 36 and the neck 
portions are made to protrude through apertures 42. 
The length of each member of downwardly extending leg pairs 24, 26, 28 and 
30 attached to cross bars 16, 18, 20 and 22, respectively, should be of a 
length approximately corresponding to height h in order for the force to 
be evenly distributed between the top portion 39 and the shoulders 40. 
Uneven application of this force will cause the holder to change shape and 
to fit incorrectly over the bottles, resulting in dropped and broken 
bottles when the six packs are picked up. 
In a preferred embodiment, each cross bar leg 24-30, inclusive, is 
comprised of a flat, metal strap which is connected perpendicularly to the 
end of the cross bar 16-22, inclusive, to which it is attached. As shown 
in FIG. 1, the cross bar legs may be bent at an acute angle at their upper 
ends and connected at such upper ends to pipes 12 or 14 for reinforcement. 
In the illustrated embodiment, cross bars 16, 18, 20 and 22 are of a 
length such as to extend between the two outside shoulders 40 of two 
holders 34 when placed side by side. 
In a preferred embodiment, pipes 12 and 14 each have a pair of downwardly 
extending legs 44 and 46, respectively, to engage an outer holder shoulder 
during the fitting operation. Each leg 44 and 46 should be of a length 
approximately equal to height h for even force application. Pipes 12 and 
14 can be hollow and have a rectangluar cross section. In the illustrated 
embodiment, pipes 12 and 14 are of lengths such as to straddle six 
containers placed side by side in a line. 
To aid in the process of manually applying a downward force onto the 
device, handle means 32 is preferably comprised of a pair of handles 
directly attached to pipes 12 and 14 as shown in FIG. 1. The handles 
should preferably have a circular cross section to reduce the possibility 
of injury to the user's hands and be hollow to reduce the weight of the 
device and maintain its portability. 
Use of the device thus described is an advantage over the prior known 
manual method of fitting a single holder over a single group of 
containers. The device, being simple and inexpensive to construct, 
provides a degree of low cost automation to the process of fitting 
container holders over containers. 
Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way 
of illustration and example for purposes of clarity understanding, it will 
be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within 
the scope of the appended claims.