CLUSTER PACK COMPRISING CONTAINERS HAVING A REINFORCED WALL SECTION

Abstract

A cluster pack comprises at least two containers connected by a glued joint. One of the containers has a thickened wall region in the region of the glued joint. This region acts as a well reinforcement to reduce the risk of tearing a container during detachment from the cluster pack.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A manufacture comprising a cluster pack that comprises a glued joint, a wall reinforcement, a first container and a second container, wherein said wall reinforcement is a thickened region of a wall of said first container, wherein said glued joint interconnects said first and second containers, and wherein said wall reinforcement is disposed in a region of said glued joint.

12. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement comprises a ring that extends around a circumference of said first container.

13. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall of said first container comprises a first region having a first wall-thickness and a second region having a second wall-thickness, wherein said second region defines said wall reinforcement, and wherein said second wall-thickness is at least 5% thicker than said first wall-thickness.

14. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement is frame-shaped.

15. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall of said first container comprises a first region having a first wall-thickness and a second region having a second wall-thickness, wherein said second region defines said wall reinforcement, wherein said second wall-thickness is at least 30% thicker than said first wall-thickness.

16. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall of said first container comprises a first region having a first wall-thickness and a second region having a second wall-thickness, wherein said second region defines said wall reinforcement, wherein said second wall-thickness is at least 50% thicker than said first wall-thickness.

17. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement has a diameter that is at least 3% greater than a diameter of said glued joint.

18. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement has a diameter that is at least 5% greater than a diameter of said glued joint.

19. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement has a diameter that is at least 10% greater than a diameter of said glued joint.

20. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement has a diameter that is at least 15% greater than a diameter of said glued joint.

21. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement has a surface area that is at least 3% greater than a surface area of said glued joint.

22. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement comprises a plateau having a circular or oval base surface.

23. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement is polygonal.

24. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement is circular.

25. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said wall reinforcement is flat.

26. The manufacture of claim 11, further comprising a tapering wall-section that defines a transition between a first region of said wall of said first container and a second region of said wall of said first container, wherein said wall reinforcement is within said first region and wherein said wall reinforcement is outside of said second region.

27. The manufacture of claim 11, further comprising a rim, wherein said rim is a part of said wall of said first container, wherein said rim extends around said first container, wherein said rim defines said wall reinforcement.

28. The manufacture of claim 11, wherein said reinforcement extends radially inward towards a vertical axis of said container.

29. A method comprising producing a cluster pack with at least two containers, at least one of which has a wall having a reinforced wall section, wherein producing said cluster pack comprises delivering said containers to a glue applicator, aligning said containers in relation to said glue applicator, causing said glue applicator to apply glue to a glue point on said wall reinforcement, and joining said containers together at said glue point.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising, prior to delivering said containers, providing preforms for said containers, said preforms comprising a reinforced application of material at a predetermined location, producing said containers from said preforms, and transporting said containers to said glue applicator for application of glue thereon.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] These and other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying figures, in which:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a container with a wall reinforcement in the form of a point, and

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of a container with a circular wall reinforcement at a roll ring.

[0036] The above figures are not drawn to scale. Certain features have been exaggerated to promote clarity of expression.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] FIG. 1 shows first and second PET (polyethylene tetraphthalate) bottles 2a, 2b. Each bottle 2a, 2b has a wall 4 having a thickened wall section 6. Outside of the thickened wall section 6, the wall thickness is typically about 0.15 millimeters.

[0038] The thickened wall section 6 is where a glue point is to be applied in order to form a glued joint. An application of wall reinforcement 8 in the thickened wall section 6 increases the wall thickness. In some embodiments, the thickness increases by about 30%. In other embodiments, the thickness increases by an amount somewhere between 0.15 millimeters and 0.2 millimeters. In either case, the thickened wall section 6 suppresses the risk of damage when attempting to detach a first bottle 2a from a second bottle 2b to which it has been attached via a glue point as part of the formation of a cluster pack. Preferably, the wall reinforcement 8 is applied at a point about halfway up the bottles 2a, 2b.

[0039] In the illustrated embodiment, the wall reinforcement 8 is as a circular surface area, the diameter of which is 10% greater than that of the glue point that is to be applied. The surface of the wall reinforcement 8 is more than 3% larger than the surface of the glued joint. In the illustrated embodiment, the wall reinforcement 8 is a circular lens with a flattened edge region. This configuration reduces material usage.

[0040] This wall reinforcement 8 avoids tension peaks that normally arise when detaching the first and second bottles 2a, 2b from each other. This reduces the risk of tearing a bottle 2a, 2b.

[0041] In order to be able to add further bottles to the first and second bottles 2a, 2b to form a larger cluster pack, it is useful to apply two additional wall reinforcements 8 onto mutually opposed sides of the first and second bottles 2a, 2b. The bottles 2a, 2b are aligned before the application of the glue point in such a way that the glue point is applied onto the wall reinforcement 8.

[0042] In some cases, it is useful for the glued joint to make contact at a wall reinforcement on each of the two bottles connected to one another. To achieve this, the bottles 2a, 2b to be connected are aligned before joining them in such a way that wall reinforcements 8 applied in the form of points come into contact.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows another PET bottle 2 having a wall 4 that has a roll ring 10 formed at the lower end thereof. The roll ring 10 extends circumferentially around the cylindrical bottle 2 and thus defines a portion of the wall 4 that has an external diameter that is greater than that of other portions of the wall 4. However, the wall 4 does not have a greater wall thickness in the region of the roll ring 10. Instead, the wall 4 has a constant 0.15 millimeter thickness.

[0044] In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the glue point is applied at the roll ring 10 to produce a glued joint. When the bottles are detached, the leverage gives rise to high forces that act on the lower end of the bottle 2. As a result, it is useful to provide the roll ring 10 with a wall reinforcement 8, which is typically also made of PET. This wall reinforcement has a wall thickness that is about 40% greater than that of the wall 4.

[0045] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the wall reinforcement 8 extends circumferentially all the way around the bottle. This consumes more material than was the case when the wall reinforcement amounted to a point. However, it also provides the advantage of dispensing with the need for careful alignment. This simplifies bottle manipulation.

[0046] A practical method for making a bottle 2 as described above is to start with a preform that is made from whatever plastic the bottle is to be made of. In those cases where the preform is produced by casting, the mold can have cut-outs or indentations that form wall sections having different thicknesses. By suitably shaping the mold, these sections of reinforced wall thickness, or wall reinforcements 8, can be configured as points, flat areas, or rings that extend circumferentially around the bottle.

[0047] The dimensions of the wall reinforcement 8 depend on those of the glue points. Typically, the wall reinforcement 8 has diameter that is greater than that of the glue points. Preferably, the diameter is 10% greater.

[0048] In some embodiments, the cut-outs are shaped to form a tapering edge region at the wall reinforcement 8. The thickness of the tapering edge region at the wall reinforcement 8 is the same as the maximum thickness of the wall reinforcement 8. As one traverses the tapering edge region away from the wall reinforcement 8, this thickness decreases until it matches that of the surrounding wall 4.

[0049] An alternative bottle-manufacturing method includes introducing additional material into the mold's indentations or cut-outs onto which the material of the wall 4 is then applied. The additional material and the material of the wall 4 adhesively bond or fuse with one another. As a result, the wall 4 comprises at least one wall reinforcement 8. Although this alternative method is more elaborate than the other methods described herein, it is useful in certain cases, for example if the material of the wall reinforcement 8 is not identical to that of the wall 4.

[0050] In either case, once the preforms have been made, they are then molded to form bottles that comprise one or more wall reinforcements 8 at predetermined points.

[0051] Forming a cluster pack from the bottles 2 next includes rotating the bottles into alignment relative to a glue applicator. The glue applicator then applies the glue through a nozzle to form a glue point on the wall reinforcement 8. The bottles are then brought into a position that permits clamping strips press them together in such a way that the walls of the bottles contact each other at the glue point. The glue is then treated to promote hardening or cross-linking, depending on the type of glue being used. Treatments include exposure to radiation, heating, drying, and/or cooling.

[0052] Once the glue hardens or undergoes cross-linking, the glued joint forms and the cluster pack is stable. Thanks to the wall reinforcements, it is possible to remove or detach a bottle from the cluster pack without risk of damaging any bottles.

[0053] Embodiments include those in which only the first bottle 2a has a wall reinforcement 8 as well as those in which both the first and second bottles 2a, 2b have wall reinforcements 8.