Abstract:
The present invention is directed to a container which has a handle and having a shrink sleeve that covers the body of the container. More particularly, the shrink sleeve has a cut-out such that the sleeve covers the body of the container, but does not cover the handle.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention is directed to a container which has a handle and having a shrink sleeve that covers the body of the container. More particularly, the shrink sleeve has a cut-out such that the sleeve covers the body of the container, but does not cover the handle.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A wide array of containers are used in a wide array of industries for various types of goods such as foods, home and personal care, automotive fluids etc. Such containers typically have labels which are stuck onto the container. Such labels are typically used not only for decoration but also to display usage instructions or information on the composition of the content for example. These labels typically cover only a portion of the container and therefore leave must space on the container where more decorations may be placed or other indicia in attempt to bring the consumer&#39;s attention to the product or make the product pleasant looking to the consumer. Additionally, legislation, in order to look after the consumer&#39;s interest and health concerns as well as for other reasons, continues to require manufacturers to provide more information about products on the outer packaging.  
         [0003]     Shrink sleeve packages have been developed to enable more space to provide product information or simply to decorate the packaging. However, many of these types of shrink sleeved containers do not account for containers having a handle. Some embodiments do account for handled containers, however they call for the shrink sleeve to cover the handle of the container. Covering the handle of the container with the shrink sleeve causes numerous problems in production as well as in use by the consumer. In production, the requirement to align the sleeve perfectly with the container handle leaves little room for error as a slight shift on the sleeve may result in the sleeve being on the side of the handle rather on a front face as typically intended. Additionally, a sleeve that covers the handle may be uncomfortable for the consumer during use. Shrink sleeves have a tendency to unwrap on their edges, especially when constantly pulled up around the edges such as when handle by a consumer. A sleeve on the handle is especially susceptible to this since the container is constantly picked up by the handle. Additionally, when the sleeve covers the handle a seam may provide discomfort when gripping the handle.  
         [0004]     An object of the present invention is to provide a container with a handle which has a display surface and which is easy to assemble and which is comfortable for the consumer during use.  
         [0005]     Other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the specification.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention is direct to a container having a base, a top part, sides, and a handle located on a side of the container, said container being shrink-sleeved, said sleeve comprising a cut-out allowing a user to grip the handle, wherein said cut-out has a fringe maintained flush against the container and wherein the sleeve does not cover the handle.  
         [0007]     All numerical ranges and percentages in this specification and claims are intended to be modified by the term about.  
         [0008]     As used herein, the term “comprising” means that a specified material or element is present, optionally together a further material or element, and includes including, made up of, composed of, consisting and/or consisting essentially of.  
         [0009]     For a more complete understanding of the above and other features and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and to the accompanying drawing. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container according to the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     The invention relates to a container having a labeling means where the means of labeling is a shrink sleeve. The term container hereby should be understood generally to include any type of packaging for holding products, such as a container for fluid products, fluid products.  
         [0012]     The container  2  has a base  4 . By a base it should be understood a part of the container on which the container is left to stand upright. The base should have a surface suitable to hold the container in a stable position on a flat supporting surface. For example, the base may be flat, or may be formed from a molded tripod, or from a flat ring.  
         [0013]     The container further comprises a top part  6 . The top part is typically the part of the container opposed to the base. The top is commonly the part of the container which provides an exit for the content of the container.  
         [0014]     The container also comprises sides  8 . The sides are the surfaces which generally speaking are joining the top and the base of the container. Typically, when the container is upright, the sides are substantially vertical and perpendicular to the base. In some containers, the sides have an exit for the content of the container.  
         [0015]     The container comprises a handle  10  located on a side of the container. This makes the container different from containers without handles and also from container with a handle on the top part. The handle according to the invention is normally forming a recess in the vertical direction when the container is upright, the recess being such that a user may slide the hand in the recess to hold the container by the handle.  
         [0016]     The container is shrink-sleeved. Shrink sleeving consists in enveloping a part of the container in a thermoplastic tube like sleeve, the sleeve being heated to shrink and fit onto the container.  
         [0017]     The shrink sleeve  12  may be comprised of any material known for such purposes. Typical thermoplastic materials used for shrink sleeving include polyvinylchloride (PVC), polyestertetraphtalate (PET), oriented polypropylene (OPP) and oriented polystyrene (OPS).  
         [0018]     The sleeve  12  also comprises a cut-out  14  which is positioned where the handle is located when the sleeve is applied to the container. This will allow the user to grip the handle without the shrink sleeve interfering. The cut-out should be large enough such that the entire handle may fit through the shrink sleeve once the sleeve is applied to the bottle.  
         [0019]     Preferably, the cut-out has a fringe  16  maintained flush against the container. This is to avoid to have the fringe of the cut out to hang loose in the recess area. Indeed, this would be incommode for a user, or even dangerous if such fringe has sharp edges. The fringe may be maintained flush against the container by any means known such as by an adhesive.  
         [0020]     Preferably the sleeve covers at least 30% of the outer surface of the container, in order to provide for a sufficient surface for indicia such as product information and container decoration. More preferably, the sleeve covers at least 50% of the outer surface of the container, even more preferably 65%, and most preferably at least 80% of the outer surface of the container. It should be understood the “outer surface of the container” hereby comprises the whole outer surface, including the outer surface of the base, or of the handle for example.  
         [0021]     It should be understood of course that the specific forms of the invention herein illustrated and described are intended to be representative only as certain changes may be made therein without departing from the clear teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, reference should be made to the following appended claims in determining the full scope of the invention.