Patent Publication Number: US-7588275-B2

Title: Combination multiple-canister carrier and lip protection device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   Canned beverages are often dispensed from vending machines. Of necessity, the interior of such vending machines are of heavyduty construction, typically made of metal. In operation, once the correct amount of money is inserted and a choice of beverage made, a keeper is released, causing the canned beverage to drop into a dispensing bin. Oftentimes the drop is substantial and causes damage to at least one end or to the cylindrical portion of the can. Similarly, such damage can occur during transport from the warehouse to the retail store or to a vending machine. In the typical case of a beverage can that is openable by a pull tab, even minor distortion of the lip or top portion of the can can cause breaks in the pull tab seal, which in turn causes loss of at least some of the can&#39;s contents and, if the beverage is carbonated, a considerable mess. There is therefore a need for a device of simple construction that is capable of protecting beverage cans from damage by dampening the shock from dropping them onto a hard surface. This need is met by the present invention. 
   There is also an ongoing need in the canned container and canister industry for carriers of simple lightweight construction and easy application that are capable of bundling a plurality of cylindrical containers or canisters into a single package to be transported, displayed, stored, stacked or sold as a single unit. These needs are also met by the present invention. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   According to the present invention, there is provided a device for protecting annular beaded rims of canisters that snaps on and off the top and/or bottom of them, and that, when joined with one or more other such devices, forms a combination bundler and carrier for multiple canisters having such annular beaded rims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE SEVERAL DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of an exemplary container lip protection device of the invention in place over a beaded rim of a canister such as a can. 
       FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the device shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in  FIG. 1  taken through the plane  3 - 3 , also in place over a beaded rim of an exemplary canister. 
       FIG. 4  is a top perspective view of an exemplary carrier of the invention comprising two of the device shown in  FIG. 1  joined together. 
       FIG. 5  is a top perspective view of another exemplary carrier of the invention comprising four of the device shown in  FIG. 1  joined together. 
       FIG. 6  is a top perspective view of another exemplary carrier of the invention comprising six of the device shown in  FIG. 1  joined together. 
       FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of the carrier of  FIG. 6  provided with finger loops to act as a carrying handle. 
       FIG. 8  is a top perspective view of the carrier of  FIG. 5  provided with a finger loop to act as a carrying handle. 
       FIG. 9  is a partial side view of a nested stack of multiple carriers of the type shown in  FIGS. 7-8 . 
       FIG. 10  is a partial side view of the carrier applied to the rims of canisters with additional bundled canisters stacked atop. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   Referring to the drawings, wherein the same numerical references generally refer to like elements, there is shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , an exemplary device  1  for protecting annular beaded rims of canisters such as cans, filter housings, artillery shells and the like, the device comprising a substantially planar annular ring  10  having a plurality of downwardly projecting flanges  12  with arcuate gaps  14  between adjacent flanges. Each arcuate gap  14  is encompassed on its top side by planar ring  10  and on its bottom side by an arcuate segment  16  connecting adjacent flanges  12 , and each arcuate segment  16  in turn is provided with an inwardly extending arcuate lip  18  that is substantially parallel to planar ring  10 . Device  1  is also preferably provided with arcuate ribs  20  on the top side of each flange  12 , which serve to both reinforce the device and permit nesting of the same for storage, shipment and loading into magazines of automated applicator machinery. 
   Device  1  is preferably made of a resilient material such as high density polyethylene by injection molding. Use of a resilient material allows arcuate lips  18  to snugly engage the underside of a beaded rim  30  of a canister with spring-like force by simply pressing downwardly in the vicinity of opposing gaps  14  to slightly deform planar ring  10  while pulling corresponding arcuate lips  18  outwardly away from beaded rim  30 , then releasing. To release the device from beaded rim  30 , the same “press/pull” forces are exerted, followed by separating the device and the canister. 
   Multiples of device  1  may be joined together at their peripheries and in substantially the same plane so as to form multiple-canister carriers, as shown in  FIGS. 4-6 . Such multiple-canister carriers are also preferably made by injection molding. When multiples of device  1  are joined together at their peripheries, the portions corresponding to arcuate ribs  20  in the vicinity of the joinder are preferably fused together “back to back” to form hyperbolic reinforcing elements  22 . Elements  22  also facilitate nesting of multiple-canister carriers for storage, shipment, for stacking of sets of multiple containers to which multiples of the device have been applied, and for loading into magazines of automated applicator machinery. 
   As shown in  FIG. 7 , multiple-canister carriers of the type shown in  FIG. 6  may be provided with carrying handles in the form of finger loops  24 , flexibly attached at points  25  that are proximal or nearest to the four outermost annular rings  10 . Loops  24  normally lie in substantially the same plane of the multiple canister carrier, thereby permitting efficient nesting of the carriers, as seen in  FIG. 9 , and stacking of bundles of canisters to which the carriers have been applied, as seen in  FIG. 10 . But when grasped for carrying, loops  24  pivot upwardly away from the plane of the multiple canister carrier by virtue of gravitational pull on canisters to which annular rings  10  have been applied. 
   As seen in  FIG. 8 , multiple-canister carriers of the type shown in  FIG. 5  may also be provided with a carrying handle in the form of a single U-shaped half-loop  26  flexibly attached at balance points  27 . As with the case of finger loops  24 , half-loop  26  normally lies in substantially the same plane of the multiple-canister container to permit efficient nesting of the carriers and stacking of bundles of canisters to which the carriers have been applied, but pivot upwardly away from that plane when grasped for carrying. 
   The device and multiples thereof may be applied to any manner of cylindrical containers or canisters bearing annular beaded rims on their tops and/or bottoms, such as food cans, beverage cans, filter housings, bullet casings, artillery shells and other ordinance packaged in canisters. 
   The terms and expressions which have been employed in this specification are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.