Patent Publication Number: US-6213297-B1

Title: Packaging for bottles and bottle neck shroud for use therewith

Description:
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. 
    
    
     Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments are set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view, showing the packaging with certain portions broken away for bottles incorporating the present invention and showing a bottle-neck shroud for use therewith. 
     FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the bottle-neck shroud shown in FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric view shown in FIG.  3 . 
    
    
     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  62   a  which as shown in FIG. 2 are provided with a cup-shaped curvature. The cup-shaped portions  62   a  adjoin tapered circular portions  62   b  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  62   a  and openings  67  at the uppermost extremity of the tapered portion  62   b . 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.