Abstract:
The present invention relates to a bottle shipment assembly that can withstand shock and impact during shipping. The assembly can accommodate a wide variety of bottles, uses very little material such as HDPE and PVC, and is easily recyclable. There are three parts to the assembly: a neck portion that locks around the bottle&#39;s neck, a base portion that snugly fits around the bottle&#39;s bottom, and an exterior box that securely and immovably houses the bottle fitted with the neck portion and base portion. The neck portion has a center portion and two wings that move from inoperable to operable position. The center portion has with a head-engagement recess that slips over the bottle&#39;s neck. In operable position, the neck portion has a square configuration, and fits snugly inside the exterior box. The base portion also has a square configuration that fits snugly inside the exterior box.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority of Provisional application No. 61902735 filed on Nov. 11, 2013. The present invention relates to a packing and shipping assembly for fragile items, more specifically glass bottles. The present assembly requires very little material to accomplish safe transport of bottles due to its novel construction, and all material is fully recyclable. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    There are many existing assemblies for shipping or transporting one or a plurality of glass bottles. For example, if a wine enthusiast residing in North America wishes to try a particular wine from a particular French vineyard, safely shipping this bottle requires a certain amount of shock-absorbing material. Also, due to current FAA regulations, it is impossible to bring liquids as carry-on baggage, and passengers require a safe method to pack glass bottles in their checked luggage without the risk of the glass bottle breaking during baggage manipulation by airline crew. 
         [0003]    There is known U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,997 for BOTTLE SUPPORT FOR PACKAGING AND SHIPPING, which discloses an invention to safely ship one, two or three bottles. The disadvantages of this invention are two-fold: firstly, more time is required to fabricate the assembly from inoperable to operable mode by folding its structural members, and secondly, gluing may be required to achieve structural rigidity of the assembly. 
         [0004]    There is also known U.S. Pat. No. 7,311,201 for a PACKING CONTAINER FOR A BOTTLED COMMODITY. This invention protects a glass bottle from heat fluctuation and impact, but is limited to only one size of bottle and cannot adapt to a variety of bottle shape and sizes. 
         [0005]    The present invention offers advantageous solutions to the problems posed by prior art: the assembly adapts to many different styles of bottles, does not require prior fabrication, is very quick and easy to attach to bottles, and uses significantly less material. 
       OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention aims to improve efficiency of packaging material for shipping bottles and reduce the amount of packaging. This is accomplished through an assembly of three parts: a molded neck portion, a molded base portion and an exterior box. All parts are made from reusable, recyclable material. 
         [0007]    The present assembly is adapted to accommodate many different shapes and sizes of bottles, is installed within a matter of seconds, and can withstand the most severe shocks and impacts that are associated with standard shipping conditions. The assembly parts are designed to nest within each other, saving on storage space, easily accessible to be assembled. 
         [0008]    It is the object of the present invention to eliminate the prerequisite of glue, staples, tape or other binding means to securely attach the assembly to a bottle. All components are immobilized by either snapping locking means or a snug fit to create a pocket of space around a bottle to absorb shocks and impacts associated with transport. 
         [0009]    The invention&#39;s object is accomplished by spreading out the undesirable effects of impact and shocks. Rather than immobilize the bottle by the head, it is held in place by its neck, thus distributing load more evenly and preventing stress failures. The present assembly can be used for displays of fancy bottles, due to the fact that the label remains unobstructed and it is feasible to package the bottles in gift boxes with windows so that the consumer can see the bottle inside the box. 
         [0010]    The present invention accommodates secure fastening of a label without use of glue, which is a formidable advantage since glue is detrimental to the recycling process. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the assembly of the present invention prior to insertion into its box. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the bottle neck portion of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side view of the bottle neck portion of  FIG. 2 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the bottle neck portion on a bottle neck for a champagne type of bottle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of base portion of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the present invention inserted into the exterior box. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a cross-section side view of  FIG. 7 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a top view of the second modification of neck portion. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a third modification of the present invention accommodating three bottles. 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  shows perspective view of neck and base portions shown on  FIG. 10 . 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  shows a perspective view of a bottle inside the gift box of the present invention. 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  shows a perspective view of the present invention with gift box inserted into the exterior box. 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  shows a perspective view of the neck portion shown on  FIG. 9 . 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  shows a cross-sectional view of the base portion shown on  FIG. 5 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the base portion shown on  FIG. 8 . 
           [0027]      FIG. 17  is a cross-section view of the base portion of  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0028]    The present invention discloses an assembly for safely shipping bottles. It can be used for single bottles or a plurality of bottles. The assembly comprises three parts: bottle neck portion, bottle base portion, and box. In the preferred embodiment, said neck and base portions are made from molded plastic, and said box is made of cardboard. However, other materials can be used, such as pulp and paper products, organic or synthetic materials, as long as they provide adequate balance between rigidity, compression and flex. It is a further advantage of the present invention that all materials can be reused and recycled, and no glue is used to interfere with the recycling process. Materials such as HDPE and PVC are easily recyclable, and the shape can be thermoformed or made with injection molding. 
         [0029]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , bottle  1  is sandwiched between bottle shipping assembly  2 &#39;s neck portion  4  and base  5 . In the preferred embodiment, neck portion  4  and base  5  are manufactured by molding 100% recyclable clear PVC plastic sheet. It is an important feature of the present invention that shipping assembly  2  can be manufactured out of recyclable material. Other materials are possible, as long as they meet similar impact-resistant characteristics. Such materials include pulp and paper, corn, and other biodegradable material. 
         [0030]    As can be seen on  FIGS. 2 and 3 , in its storage and inoperable mode, neck portion  4  comprises center portion  8 , male wing  10  and female wing  12 . Wings  10  and  12  are attached to center portion  8  by hinges  16 . Center portion  8 , substantially of a square configuration, comprises head engagement recess  14  substantially in its center, said recess  14  being adapted to slip over a bottle&#39;s head, and is of a configuration to accommodate a multitude of different head shapes. A label can be held in place with four protruding label locks  42 , located adjacent to finger access recesses  15  molded into the sides of neck portion  4 &#39;s center portion  8 . 
         [0031]    Two hinges  16  are located at opposite extremities of center portion  8 , and two ribs  9  at adjacent extremities. Ribs  9 , oriented in the same plane as recess  14 , comprise stress crimps  20 , said crimps  20  enhancing rigidity of neck portion  4  by interrupting bending forces that may be exerted on assembly  2  during transport. Ribs  9  have a trapezoidal configuration, the lower angles being substantially 135° and upper angles being substantially 45°. 
         [0032]    Male wing  10 , attached by hinge  16  to center portion  8 , comprises rib  11  at the opposite extremity of hinge  16 . Stress crimps  20  are molded into rib  11 , and half-cylindrical concave neck engagement half-recess  18  is molded into male wing  10 &#39;s extremity. Two male portions  24  of locking means  22 , one on either side of half-recess  18 , comprise round protrusions extending substantially in the same plane as recess  14 . As seen on  FIG. 3 , the shape of rib  11  can be broken down into a rectangle and an equilateral triangle (45°-45°-90°), one of said triangle&#39;s 45° angles being immediately adjacent to hinge  16 . 
         [0033]    Female wing  12 , attached by hinge  16  to center portion  8 , comprises rib  13  at the opposite extremity of hinge  16 . Stress crimps  20  are molded into rib  13 , and half-cylindrical concave neck engagement half-recess  18  is molded into female wing  12 &#39;s lower extremity. Two female portions  26  of locking means  22 , one on either side of half-recess  18 , comprise square recesses substantially in the same plane as recess  14 . As seen on  FIG. 3 , the shape of rib  12  can be broken down into an equilateral triangle (45°-45°-90°) and a rectangle, one of said triangle&#39;s 45° angles being immediately adjacent to hinge  16 . 
         [0034]    It is important to note that half-cylindrical concave neck engagement half-recess  18  of wing  10  (see  FIG. 2 ) is a mirror image of half-recess  18  on wing  12 , presuming that the mirror is oriented in the same plane as recess  14 , perpendicular to the orientation of wings  10  and  12 . In its inoperable, storage mode, neck portion  4  is designed to nest within other neck portions  4  in order to save space. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  shows the second modification of neck portion  4  provided with head recess  14   a  used for bottle with a champagne or mushroom type cork retained with a muselet, or wire cage. 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  shows a perspective view of the base portion  5  of the present invention for beer or champagne-type bottles. Gap  38  creates a pocket of space for bottle  1  that is supported by ridge  40 . Twelve ribs  44  grip bottle  1 &#39;s base, and are designed to collapse or fold in case bottle  1  is wider than cavity  6  without compromising immobilization of bottle  1  inside base  5 . 
         [0037]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 6 , neck portion  4  is shown in operable mode on bottle  1 . Locking means  22  are engaged, and bottle  1 &#39;s head is inside recess  14 . As seen on  FIG. 6 , wings  10  and  12  are folded along hinges  16  and locking means  22  comprises immobilized round male portions  24  inside square female portions  26 . Said 45° angles of ribs  9 ,  11  and  13  cooperate to form operational embodiment of neck portion  4 , and stress crimps  20  offer rigidity in all planes. The circumference of bottle  1 &#39;s neck  27  is surrounded by half-recesses  18  of wings  10  and  12 , and bottle  1 &#39;s head is snug within recess  14 . 
         [0038]    As seen on  FIGS. 1 ,  8 ,  16  and  17 , base portion  5  for wine bottles, substantially of a square configuration, comprises concave recess  6  and rib  7 . Recess  6 , substantially in the center of base  5 , is adapted to receive bottle  1 &#39;s base portion. Rib  7  comprises the shell of base  5 , flanging slightly outwardly from top to bottom relative to bottle  1 &#39;s vertical plane. Stress crimps  20 , oriented in the vertical plane, are molded into rib  7 . As can be seen on  FIGS. 15 and 17 , rib  7 &#39;s lowest edge extends past the lowest point of recess  6 , thus forming a gap  38  located below base portion  5 . As seen on  FIGS. 8 ,  16  and  17 , wine bottle base  5 &#39;s recess or cavity  6  has formed cavities  40   a  and  40   b  provided for various diameters of bottle  1  bases. Base  5  is designed to nest within other bases  5  in order to save storage space. 
         [0039]      FIGS. 7 and 8  shows assembly  2  inside box  28 . Box  28  is configured in such a way that the bottommost part of box  28  is substantially identical to the dimensions of base  5 &#39;s rib  7  at its flange&#39;s widest part, and the top of box  28  comprises flaps  30 . Said flaps  30  are adapted to exert downward pressure on neck portion  4  to snugly sandwich bottle  1  between neck portion  4  and base  5 . Flaps  30  comprise rigid segments connected by hinges  32 . If bottle  1  is shorter than the height of box  28 , the user can occupy the unused space above bottle  1  by folding flaps  30  in such a way that they create a rigid buffer between top of bottle  1  and top of box  28 . Flaps  30  accomplish an important feature of the present invention: bottle  1  must be kept immobile between neck portion  4  and base  5 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 9  discloses another embodiment of the present invention, namely finger access recesses  15  molded on neck portion  4 . Said recesses  15  permit a user to grab neck portion  4  to pull it off bottle  1  while the present assembly  2  is still inside box  28 . This embodiment is necessary for certain types of bottles, to facilitate user&#39;s safe removal of bottle  1  out of box  28 . 
         [0041]      FIGS. 10 and 11  show another embodiment of the present invention provided to accommodate three bottles. In this embodiment, three neck portions  4  are connected side by side and three base portions  5  are also connected side by side. In this case, exterior box is modified to accommodate six bottles comprising two rows of three-bottle assemblies  2 . 
         [0042]    This invention is not restricted to three-bottle assemblies. It can also be made for two bottles, wherein two neck  4  and base  5  portions are connected side by side as shown on  FIGS. 9 and 14 . 
         [0043]      FIGS. 12 and 13  show a gift box  34  provided with a label display window  36  that is adapted to be snugly placed within exterior box  28 . In this arrangement, the user can see the bottle  1 &#39;s label unobstructed without removing bottle  1  from gift box  34 . The purpose of this arrangement is to keep the label of an expensive bottle  1  undamaged and unscratched, which is an important advantage of the present invention. 
         [0044]      FIG. 14  shows a neck portion  4  designed to accommodate two bottles. 
         [0045]      FIG. 15  is a cross-section view of base portion  5  for a beer or champagne bottle  1  showing cavity  40  inside recess  6 , ribs  44 , and gap  38  spaced below recess  6 .  FIGS. 16 and 17  show a perspective and cross-section views of base portion  5  for wine bottle  1 , demonstrating cavities  40   a  and  40   b  to accommodate various diameters of bottles  1 . 
         [0046]    In operation, a user takes bottle  1  and inserts base of bottle  1  into wine base portion  5 &#39;s recess  6 . If bottle  1 &#39;s base has a narrower diameter than cavity  40   a,  it will slip all the way to the bottom of recess  6  into cavity  40   b.  If bottle  1 &#39;s base has a wide diameter, it will be arrested by the wider and shallower part of recess  6  at cavity  40   a.  There will always be a gap  38  between the lowest part of bottle  1 &#39;s base and any surface upon which base portion  5  is located due to the fact that rib  7  extends below the lowest part of recess  6 , said gap  38  being an integral part of assembly  2 &#39;s shock absorbing characteristics, as shown on  FIG. 15 . 
         [0047]    If shipping a champagne or beer bottle, user inserts base of bottle  1  into beer or champagne base portion  5 , wherein the bottom of bottle  1  will abut cavity  40 . If bottle  1 &#39;s width is slightly wider than cavity  6 , ribs  44  will collapse or fold around bottle  1 &#39;s base to permit inserting said bottle  1 &#39;s base into cavity  6 . 
         [0048]    Once bottle  1 &#39;s base is secured in base portion  5 , user inserts bottle  1 , base  5  first, into box  28 . Once base  5  settles at the bottom of box  28 , user transforms neck portion  4  from inoperable to operable mode by folding wings  10  and  12  along hinges  16  so that half-recesses  18  form a continuous hollow cylinder with a sealed end at recess  14 . User engages locking means  22  by snapping round male portion  24  into square female portion  26 . Once neck portion  4  is in operable mode, user aligns neck portion  4 &#39;s walls with box  28 &#39;s walls, and slips neck portion  4  along the inside of box  28 &#39;s walls so that said hollow cylinder comprising two half-recesses  18  slips over neck  27  of bottle  1 . User keeps pushing down on neck portion  4  until bottle  1 &#39;s top abuts the inside of recess  14 . Notwithstanding the height of bottle  1 , neck portion  4  should be located completely inside box  28 . User immobilizes bottle  1  inside box  28  by manipulating flaps  30  in such a way as to prevent bottle  1  from any movement inside box  28 . Bottle  1  is ready to be safely shipped. 
         [0049]    To remove bottle  1  from box  28 , the process is reversed. User opens flaps  30 , slips fingers into the hollows formed by neck portion  4 &#39;s finger access recesses  15 , grabs neck portion  4  and pulls up so that said hollow cylinder slips off neck  27 , and neck portion  4  is completely removed out of box  28 . User then removes bottle  1 . 
         [0050]    As long as the structural integrity of assembly  2  is not affected, it can be reused indefinitely. If it is no longer useful or required, it can be easily recycled.