Patent Publication Number: US-2023145290-A1

Title: Container carrier

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application, Serial Nos. 63/276,280, filed on 05 Nov. 2021 and 63/348,612, filed on 03 Jun. 2022. These U.S. Provisional Applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety and are made a part hereof, including but not limited to those portions which specifically appear hereinafter. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to beverage multipacks and, more particularly, to multipacks made up of a plurality of containers. 
     Description of Prior Art 
     Conventional container carriers are often used to unitize a plurality of similarly sized containers, such as cans, bottles, jars and boxes and/or similar containers that require unitization. Flexible plastic ring carriers and paperboard boxes are two such conventional container carriers. 
     However, with growing concerns surrounding the environmental impact of improper disposal of plastic waste, manufacturers are transitioning offerings to best support a circular economy. One such solution is plastic ring carriers made from 50% post-consumer recycled content. This carrier is operationally efficient, competitively priced, simple, and has a low carbon footprint in comparison to other beverage multipack alternatives. Today, this flexible solution is not considered 100% curbside recyclable by the FTC Green Guide because 60%+ consumers cannot recycle flexible plastics. Multi-packaging systems are generally used in the beer, soft drink, and general products industries. A new and innovative beverage multipacking solution is desirable that includes a 4, 6, 8, and/or 12 beverage capacity. A preferred design is produced using 100% curbside recyclable rigid plastics, like HDPE or PET. These carriers would be applied on PET bottles and/or aluminum cans. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention generally relates to a container carrier for unitizing a plurality of containers into a multipack. 
     A preferred embodiment of the subject invention is made from materials that are 100% curbside recyclable, in particular rigid PET and HDPE plastics that can enter most municipal recycling streams. This invention focuses on end-user needs and structural plastics that can easily be recycled. A solution that is meaningful, practical and makes a positive impact to encourage people to recycle is desired. 
     Other objects and advantages will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the appended claims and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  2    shows a top plan view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  3    shows a bottom plan view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  4    shows a side view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  5    shows a stick of multiple container carriers according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  6    shows a perspective view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  7    shows a top plan view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  8    shows a side view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG.  9    shows a perspective view of a multipackage formed by a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a container carrier to unitize a plurality of containers into beverage multipacks. The container carrier according to this invention is shown in  FIGS.  1 - 9   .  FIG.  1    includes phantom lines showing where containers  5  would be positioned within a unitized multipack and  FIG.  9    shows a completed multipack featuring a unitized plurality of six containers. 
     According to a preferred embodiment of this invention, the container carrier  10  is injection molded or otherwise formed from high density polyethylene (HDPE). Alternatively, PET or HDPE plastics may be used. Preferably, the material is generally rigid and 100% post-consumer recyclable in most or all markets. 
     Once manufactured, the container carrier  10  may be applied to groups of containers  5  to make completed unitized multipacks. Although much of the disclosure shows and describes six pack multipacks, it is further contemplated that 4 packs, 8 packs, 10 packs and 12 packs may be unitized without departing from the essential features of this invention. 
     In a preferred embodiment of this invention, shown in  FIGS.  1 - 5   , the container carrier  10  includes a network of molded ribs  20  forming a plurality of container receiving openings  30  corresponding with a desired size of multipack. As such, although  FIGS.  1 - 4    show six container receiving openings in a 2 x3 array, other desired container carriers may be 2x2 for a four pack, 2x4 for an eight pack, or other desired arrays forming a desirable quantity multipack size. 
     The plurality of container receiving openings  30  are preferably formed in a first plane  35 . Although the container carrier  10  described includes some thickness, the thickness is generally negligible compared to a footprint of the container carrier  10 . 
     The container receiving openings  30  are each preferably generally circular but include a plurality of radial tabs  40  positioned within each container receiving opening  30 . The container receiving openings  30  and the respective integrated radial tabs  40  are preferably all formed in a single, first plane  35 . 
     As such, the container receiving opening  30  comprises one diameter while the plurality of radial tabs  40  together comprise a slightly smaller diameter thereby permitting engagement with a chime of a container  5 , preferably a traditional aluminum can. In this manner, a container may be snapped into place within the respective container receiving aperture  30  such that the radial tabs  40  engage directly with the chime while the remainder of the container receiving aperture  30  simply encircles the chime. 
     The radial tabs  40  may be formed equidistantly around the perimeter of each container receiving opening  30 , such as shown in  FIG.  2   . Further, the radial tabs  40  are preferably offset from longitudinal and transverse axes of the container carrier  10 . As such, the radial tabs  40  in one embodiment are generally positioned at 2, 4, 8, and 10 o’clock presuming 12 o’clock is a top of  FIG.  2   . As described above, the radial tabs  40  preferably comprise two or more radial segments of the container receiving opening  30  that include a smaller diameter than the respective container receiving opening  30 . 
     As shown in the figures, the container carrier  10  preferably further includes a plurality of raised rings  50 . Each raised ring  50  is preferably formed relative to a respective container receiving opening  30 . As such, one raised ring  50  formed over one container receiving opening  30 . The raised rings  50  are preferably formed in a second plane  55 . 
     The raised rings  50  are preferably generally circular and configured in a slightly smaller diameter than the respective container receiving opening. A pair of risers  80  are preferably formed at each longitudinal extremity of the respective raised ring  50  to connect the ribs  20  surround each container receiving opening  30  with the respective raised ring  50 . 
     A band  60  is preferably formed over each raised ring  50  in the second plane  65 . The band  60  may include marketing graphics regarding the respective product, pricing information, recyclability information and/or other printed subject matter. One or more bands  60  may further include a central recess  65  extending across the band  60  and a respective raised ring  50 . The bands  60  may additionally prevent cans in the respective multipack from accidentally opening or “venting” when stacked and removed. Further the bands  60  may act to minimize larger openings in the container carrier  10  to prevent entrapment by wildlife or entanglement with comingled recyclables. 
     As best shown in  FIG.  4   , the container carrier  10  may further include a rail  70  positioned on an underside of the container carrier  10  between each transverse pair of container receiving openings  30 . The rail  70  is preferably fairly narrow and includes a smooth profile that extends downwardly from the first plane  35 . The rail  70  preferably extends downwardly a same or similar distance as the raised rings  50  are elevated over the container receiving openings  30 . For instance, a height of the risers  80  may be approximate to a depth of the rail  70 . In this manner, the container carriers  10  may be stackable but also are easily and smoothly disengageable from the stack for application to containers and handling. 
     As shown in  FIG.  5   , the container carrier  10  may be grouped in segments or “sticks”  90  of two to four container carriers  10  connected in a unitized stick  90  that includes frangible connection points  100  between adjacent container carriers  10 . For ease of application to containers and handling of bulk container carriers  10 , a pitch  95 , or longitudinal distance, between adjacent container receiving openings  30  is constant throughout the stick  90 . As such, the pitch  95  between container receiving openings  30  within a single container carrier  10  is the same as the pitch  95  between edge container receiving openings  30  that are joined at connection points  100  within the stick  90 . 
     A finger hold  110  is preferably formed between each four of the container receiving openings  30  to provide an opening for grasping the multipack. As such, in a six-pack arrangement, a pair of finger holds  110  are formed between six container receiving openings  30 . As shown in the figures, these finger holds may be rhombus shaped having generally rounded corners. 
       FIGS.  6 - 9    show another embodiment of a container carrier  200 . As best shown in  FIGS.  6  and  8   , the container carrier  200  preferably includes a contoured thickness  220  around a perimeter of each container receiving opening  230 . In this way, the container receiving opening  230  may engage with a chime  7  of the container  5  to retain the container  5  within the multipack. 
     A pair of fingerholds  240  are preferably formed within the container carrier  200 . Likewise, these fingerholds  240  preferably form a contoured thickness for ease of carrying the multipack. 
     A series of struts  250  are additionally formed through the container carrier  200 . These struts  250  preferably extend from corner to corner of the container carrier  200  and transversely across a central area of the container carrier  200 . These struts  250  provide stability to the multipackage while also discouraging accidentally opening of can tabs when multipackages are handled or stacked. 
     The invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element, part, step, component, or ingredient which is not specifically disclosed herein. 
     While in the foregoing detailed description this invention has been described in relation to certain preferred embodiments thereof, and many details have been set forth for purposes of illustration, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is susceptible to additional embodiments and that certain of the details described herein can be varied considerably without departing from the basic principles of the invention.