Abstract:
The invention relates to a packet ( 1 ) including: a group of articles ( 2 ) which are arranged in several rows ( 4, 5, 6, 7 ) which each contain at least two adjacent articles ( 2 ), including a first row ( 4 ) at the front end ( 3 ) of the packet ( 1 ), each article ( 2 ) having a base ( 9 ) and an opposing top ( 10 ); a side ( 16 ) which is made from a rigid or semi-rigid material, which is disposed on the articles ( 2 ) and which includes an upper panel ( 17 ) that covers the tops ( 10 ) of at least one row ( 5, 6, 7 ) of articles ( 2 ); and a film ( 19 ) which is wrapped tightly around the assembly. The aforementioned upper panel ( 17 ) of the side ( 16 ) covers the tops ( 10 ) of the articles ( 2 ) in all of the rows ( 5, 6, 7 ) with the exception of the tops ( 10 ) of the articles ( 2 ) in the first row ( 4 ).

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The invention relates to the packaging of articles. More specifically, the invention relates to packs in which the articles are held grouped together by means of a film tightly wrapped around said articles. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This type of pack is commonly encountered in the agri-food industry, in particular for packaging bottles or beverage cans. 
         [0003]    A standard pack comprises a group of articles wrapped in a heat-shrunk plastics film. A group of articles such as bottles has numerous raised portions and hollow spaces. Due to its elasticity, the film clings to the projections and partially fills the hollow spaces between the articles. This characteristic of the film makes it possible to ensure good stability of the group of articles, in particular during the various handling procedures to which the pack is subjected. 
         [0004]    Nevertheless, this elasticity proves to be a drawback when the articles are unwrapped: it is necessary to tear the film to gain access to the first articles, then to tear it further to gain access to the subsequent articles. 
         [0005]    A proposed solution to this problem is disclosed in the European patent EP 717 712, which describes a pack containing a group of bottles enclosed in a heat-shrunk plastics film, provided with precut lines arranged between two successive rows of bottles, to allow the easy opening of the pack and the separation of the rows of bottles. 
         [0006]    However, as the bottles are removed from the pack in pairs, with a residue of film tightly wrapped around each pair removed, to gain access to the articles of each pair removed it is necessary systematically to tear the remaining film. This solution to the problem disclosed above is therefore only partial. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    The object of the invention is to propose an alternative solution which facilitates the removal of the articles from a pack wrapped in film. 
         [0008]    To this end, according to the first of its features, the invention proposes a pack comprising:
       a group of articles arranged in a plurality of rows each composed of at least two adjacent articles, including a first row located at one front end of the pack, each article having a base and a top which are opposed;   a flange made of a rigid or semi-rigid material, arranged on the articles and comprising an upper panel covering the tops of at least one row of articles; and   a film tightly wrapped around the assembly; which pack is characterized according to the invention in that said upper panel of the flange covers the tops of the articles of all the rows with the exception of the tops of the articles of the first row.       
 
         [0012]    The flange avoids the formation of depressions in the film between the covered articles and facilitates the removal thereof; the fact that it allows the articles of the first row to be uncovered facilitates the removal thereof by simply tearing the film, which proves most particularly advantageous when the articles are containers. 
         [0013]    According to a preferred embodiment, the flange comprises two lateral panels folded back against the articles and which cover laterally an upper part thereof, said upper part being able to be flared from the top toward the base. 
         [0014]    Moreover, the lateral panels preferably have projections which cover, at least partially, the articles of the first row at the sides. 
         [0015]    Regarding the film, it is preferably provided with a precut portion which extends between the first row and the adjacent row, following at least in places, a front edge of the flange. 
         [0016]    According to one embodiment, the flange is made of cardboard, of which the grammage is greater than 280 gsm and for example 320 g/sm or 380 g/sm approximately. 
         [0017]    Moreover, the flange may have two foldable flaps made in the upper panel, defined by cutouts having a concavity facing a rear end of the pack, opposing the front end. 
         [0018]    According to one particular embodiment, the pack comprises eight articles grouped in four rows of two articles each. The articles are, for example, containers, and in particular bottles. 
         [0019]    According to the second of its features, the invention proposes a pack comprising:
       a group of at least two articles, each having an opposing base and top;   a flange made of a rigid or semi-rigid material and covering the top of at least one of the articles; and   a film tightly wrapped around the assembly; characterized in that the flange covers the top of one of the articles, leaving the top of the other article uncovered.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0023]    Further subjects and advantages of the invention will become apparent by reading the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pack of articles according to the invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a side elevation of the pack of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 1 , in which the means for manually gripping the pack are in a different configuration; 
           [0027]      FIGS. 4 and 5  are views similar to  FIG. 1 , which illustrate the opening of the pack and the removal of articles therefrom; 
           [0028]      FIGS. 6 ,  7 ,  8  and  9  are views illustrating the steps of a method of manufacturing the pack. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0029]    In  FIG. 1  is shown a pack  1 . Said pack  1  comprises a plurality of articles  2  (here, containers such as bottles or flasks) in this case eight in number, grouped in rows of two adjacent articles  2 . 
         [0030]    In the remainder of the description, the reference  2  will be used both to denote the articles or containers. 
         [0031]    Departing from one front end  3  of the pack  1 , the row  4  of articles  2  located at the front end  3  is denoted the first row, and successively, the following rows as far as one rear end  8  of the pack  1  are denoted second row  5 , third row  6  and fourth row  7 , opposing the front end  3  and where the fourth row  7  is located. 
         [0032]    Each article, when it consists of a container  2 , such as a bottle or flask, has:
       a base  9 ,   a top  10  opposing the base  9  and defined by a neck  11  surmounted by a cap  12 ,   a lateral wall  13  comprising a substantially cylindrical lower part  14 , known as the body, and a flared upper part  15  (in this case truncated, the base of the truncated cone being located at its join with the body  14 ) known as the shoulder which connects the top  10  to the body  14 .       
 
         [0036]    As is visible in  FIG. 1 , the pack  1  further comprises a flange  16  made of a rigid or semi-rigid material and comprising a substantially planar upper panel  17  which covers the tops  10  of the containers  2  of the second, third and fourth rows  5 ,  6 ,  7  by leaving the tops  10  of the containers  2  of the first row  4  uncovered, one front edge  18  of the upper panel  17  extending between the tops  10  of the containers  2  of the first row  4  and those of the second row  5 , substantially parallel thereto. 
         [0037]    The flange  16  is preferably made of cardboard, of a grammage preferably greater than 280 gsm. According to one particular embodiment, the grammage of the cardboard is 320 gsm; it may also be 380 gsm. As a variant, the flange  16  may be made of a plastics material such as polypropylene. 
         [0038]    The pack  1  finally comprises a film  19  tightly wrapped around the assembly, i.e. the containers  2  and the flange  16  together. In this case it is a heat-shrunk plastics film (such as polyethylene), which in the parts of the containers  2  not covered by the flange  16  substantially follows the shapes of the containers  2  (in particular in the region of the body  14  and the base  9 ), but which in the region of the top  10  of the containers  2 , on the covered rows  5 ,  6 ,  7 , extends within the plane of the flange  16 . 
         [0039]    In this manner, once the part of the film  19  which is tightly wrapped around the first row  4  of containers  2  is torn, and after having removed said containers, access is easily gained to the containers  2  of the subsequent rows  5 ,  6 ,  7  of which the removal is facilitated by the presence of the flange  16 . More specifically, the flange  16  achieves the double function of preventing the film  19  from filling up, even partially, the hollow spaces between the tops  10  of the containers  2 , and, as a result of the smooth appearance of its internal face (i.e. the face turned toward the containers  2 ), of not resisting the removal of the containers  2 . 
         [0040]    On the contrary, in the case of solely a heat-shrunk film enclosing a group of articles, not only the depressions in the film resist the removal thereof, but the film has, moreover, the tendency to adhere to the surfaces with which it is in contact. Moreover, in the other particular case of a pack comprising a flange made of cardboard surmounting the articles but provided with means for wedging said articles formed, for example, by folds or cutouts (see for example the US patent Chapman No. U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,750) said wedging means also resist the removal of the articles, since it is necessary to tear the flange. 
         [0041]    It is understood, therefore, that in this particular case the flange  16  and the film  19  have, in contrast in particular to the packs of the type disclosed in Chapman, contradictory functions: the film  19  aims to ensure the tight cohesion of the group of articles  2 , whilst the flange  16  aims in contrast to facilitate the movement of the articles  2  relative to the others. 
         [0042]    It is possible, moreover, to facilitate further the removal of the articles, when said articles are containers  2 , from the covered rows  5 ,  6 ,  7 , by additionally covering at least partially the side wall  13  of the containers  2 . 
         [0043]    Thus, according to a preferred embodiment illustrated in the figures, the flange  16  comprises, on both sides of the upper panel  17 , two lateral panels  20  folded back against the lateral walls  13  of the containers  2  and which extend over part of the height thereof, for example, as in this case, so as to cover the shoulder  15 . 
         [0044]    This arrangement further facilitates the removal of the containers  2  from the second, third and fourth rows  5 ,  6 ,  7  by avoiding the formation of depressions in the film  19  in the region of the shoulders  15  between the containers  2  of two adjacent rows. 
         [0045]    Moreover, as is visible in  FIGS. 1 to 5  in particular, each lateral panel  20  has a substantially trapezoidal shape, and has a projection  21  defined by a front oblique edge  22  and which in the vicinity of a lower edge  23  of the lateral panel  20  partially covers the shoulder  15  of the container  2  of the first row  4 , at the join between the shoulder  15  and the body  14 . 
         [0046]    In this manner, the lateral panel  20  avoids the formation of a depression in the film  19  in the region of the shoulders  15  between the containers  2  of the first row  4  and those of the second row  5 , which facilitates the removal of the containers  2  from both rows equally. 
         [0047]    Moreover, as is also visible in  FIGS. 1 to 5 , the film  19  is provided with a precut portion  24  which extends between the containers  2  of the first row  4  and those of the second row  5 . As is visible in  FIG. 1 , this precut portion  24  forms a line which, in places, extends along the front edge  18  of the upper panel  17 , joining it to the side of the front end  3  of the pack  1 . 
         [0048]    This precut portion  24  aims to facilitate the opening of the pack  1  for the removal of the containers  2  of the first row  4 . It is possible merely to tear the part of the film  19  covering the containers  2  of the first row  4 , but it will be more easily torn simply by pulling on the containers  2 , as is shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0049]    The containers  2  of the following rows  5 ,  6 ,  7  (covered by the flange  16 ) are then removed by being grasped by their neck  11  or even by their shoulder  15 , then tilted forward without forcing, as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0050]    Moreover, as is visible in particular in  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the flange  16  has two frangible half-moon-shaped flaps  25 , each defined by a semi-circular cutout  26 . A first flap is formed between the second row  5  and the third row  6 , the second being formed between the third row  6  and the fourth  7 . Under pressure exerted by the fingers of a user (for example the index and the middle finger) the flaps  25  are folded back inside the pack  1  by folding around a fold line  27  joining the ends diametrically opposing the cutouts  26  ( FIG. 3 ) which facilitates the gripping thereof, for example for its removal from a supermarket shelving unit. 
         [0051]    The concavity of both cutouts  26  faces toward the rear, such that even after the flaps  25  have been folded back, said flaps do not prevent the removal of the containers  2  from the third row  6  or from the fourth row  7  and, under the pressure of the containers  2 , are simply pushed forward by being folded around their fold line  27 . 
         [0052]    Although the articles  2  of the pack  1  which have been disclosed above are containers, they could be any other type of articles: cans, beverage cans, glass containers, jars. 
         [0053]    Moreover, the configuration of the pack  1  which has been disclosed above (namely four rows  4 ,  5 ,  6 ,  7  of two containers  2  each) corresponds to a conventional configuration encountered frequently on supermarket shelves, especially for bottles of small volume (in particular bottles of 0.5 1). However, any other configuration could be suitable (for example six articles grouped in rows of two, or nine articles grouped in rows of three), the minimum conditions required, however, being that the pack comprises at least two articles, of which a first article is left uncovered to the side and the second is covered thereby. 
         [0054]    Now a method is described for manufacturing the pack  1  disclosed above, referring to  FIGS. 6 to 9 . 
         [0055]    Firstly, the containers  2  are grouped together according to the required configuration (in this case four rows of two containers each). Then above the containers  2 , the flange  16  is positioned flat, the upper panel  17  (which is the central panel of the flattened flange  16 ) covering the tops  10  of the containers  2  of the second, third and fourth rows  5 ,  6 ,  7 . Then the lateral panels  20  are folded back against the shoulders  15  of the containers  2 . Then the assembly is wrapped in plastics film  19  originating from a drum such that the covering with film  19  is carried out from the side of the bases  9  of the containers  2  (see  FIG. 9 ). The film  19  is precut along a continuous line parallel to one of its lateral edges, the positioning of the film  19  being such that the precut portion  24  is positioned between the first row  4  and the second row  5 . The assembly finally passes through a tunnel oven (not shown) where the film  19  is heat-shrunk to wrap the containers  2  and the flange  16  tightly together which is thus fixedly held in place. 
         [0056]    The method which has been disclosed above may, in particular, be implemented in a conventional shrink wrapping machine (such as the sealless shrink wrapping machine proposed by the CERMEX company under the brand name TS EVOLUTION 3), to which a station for supplying flat sides might be added and, if required, a station for folding the sides around the containers.