Patent Publication Number: US-2023146714-A1

Title: Container carrier

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application, Serial No. 63/276,288, filed 05 Nov. 2021. This U.S. Provisional Application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its 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 solution is not considered 100% curbside recyclable by the FTC Green Guide because 60%+ consumers cannot easily 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 side view of a container carrier according to one embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG.  4    shows a perspective view of a multipack of containers according to one embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG.  5    shows a perspective view of a multipack of containers according to one embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a container carrier  10  to unitize a plurality of containers  30  into beverage multipacks or packages  20 . The container carrier  10  according to this invention is shown in  FIGS.  1 - 3    and two examples of unitized multipacks  20  are shown in  FIGS.  4  and  5   . 
     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. 
     In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the container carrier  10  includes a plurality of container receiving fittings, hereinafter clips  50 , forming a desired size of multipack. As such, although  FIGS.  1 - 5    show six container clips  50  in a 2 ×3 array, other desired container carriers may be 2×2 for a four pack, 2×4 for an eight pack, or other desired arrays forming a desirable quantity multipack size. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  1  and  3   , the container carrier  10  preferably includes a rigid central rail  40  having one or more openings  80  for grasping by a user. In addition, the plurality of clips  50  extend from the rail  40 , wherein each clip  50  is engageable with a neck and/or cap of a container  30 , preferably a bottle. In this way, the clips  50  may engage with a container  30  to retain the container  30  within the multipack  20 , as described in more detail herein. 
     As described, the plurality of clips  50  extending from the central rail  40  and each clip  50  of the plurality is configured to engage a separate container/bottle  30 . Each individual clip  50  preferably includes a pair of flexible arcuate arms  60  that extend outwardly from the central rail  40 . The pair of flexible arcuate arms  60  are engageable with the neck of the bottle  30  below the cap. The pair of flexible arcuate arms  60  together form a generally circular aperture  65  with a gap  70  at a distal end between the pair where the pair of flexible arcuate arms  60  diverge. 
     As best shown in  FIGS.  4  and  5   , the central rail  40  is configured to extend vertically between bottles  30 . Further, the central rail  40  is preferably formed in a different plane from the plurality of clips  50 . Specifically, the central rail  40  is preferably aligned perpendicularly to the plurality of clips  50 , and generally parallel to sidewalls of the bottles  30 . As such, the clips  50  extend perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the central rail  40 . The clips  50  may be configured so that the container carrier  10  can accommodate bottles  30  having a range of diameters of both body and cap, as shown between  FIG.  4    and  FIG.  5   . 
     A web  90  preferably extends between each clip  50  and the central rail  40  and is configured to be positioned between each bottle  30  and the central rail  40 . The web  90  is preferably perpendicular to the central rail  40  and may be gently curved to generally conform with the curve of the adjacent container  30 . 
     As shown in the figures, the central rail  40  may include one or more and preferably two openings  80  that are configured for a user to grasp the container carrier  10 . A user may place a hand or fingers into the openings  80  to tote the package  20 . 
     The unitized package  20  as described herein includes the plurality of containers, such as bottles, and the container carrier  10  as described. The containers  30  may be individually removed from the carrier  10  while maintaining the integrity of the remaining package  20 . When all containers  30  are removed, the container carrier  10  may be placed into the recycling stream for recycling or reuse. 
     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.