Multipack having adhesively bonded containers and a carrying handle

Abstract

A pack includes at least four containers, each of which is in one of two container groups. Intragroup bonds hold containers in the same container group together. Intergroup bonds hold together the first and second groups. A carrying handle spans at least two containers from different groups.

Claims

1. A manufacture comprising a container pack having first and second container-groups, a first set of bonds, a second set of bonds, intergroup bonds, a carrying handle, and at least six containers, wherein each of said containers is in one of said first and second container-groups, wherein said carrying handle has ends that are attached to containers from different container-groups, wherein said bonds in said first set of bonds are intragroup bonds that bond containers in said first container-group to each other, wherein said bonds in said second set of bonds are intragroup bonds that bond containers in said second container-group to each other, wherein said intergroup bonds bond said first and second container-groups to each other, and wherein said intergroup bonds are arranged only on lower halves of said containers.

2. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein each of said intragroup bonds has an intragroup binding strength, wherein each of said intergroup bonds has an intergroup binding strength, and wherein said intragroup binding strength exceeds said intergroup binding strength.

3. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein there exist containers in different container-groups that are not end containers and that do not have an intergroup bond between them.

4. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said first and second container-groups each have at least three containers, wherein all containers are in one of said first and second container groups, and wherein there exist pairs of containers in different container-groups that do not have an intergroup bond between them.

5. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said intergroup bonds are smaller than said intragroup bonds.

6. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said intergroup bonds and said intragroup bonds are placed only below midlines of said containers.

7. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said carrying handle is one that can be lengthened to form a sling and wherein said carrying handle is folded or rolled and spans said container pack when pulled on by a consumer.

8. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein the carrying handle is a strip of plastic that, when lengthened, forms a loop to permit grasping by a consumer without interference from upper ends of said containers.

9. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein there exists a first number of intergroup bonds arranged on lower halves of said containers, wherein there exists a second number of intergroup bonds arranged on upper halves of said containers, wherein said first number is greater than said second number, and wherein said second number is zero and wherein, as a result of said intergroup bonds being only on lower halves of said containers, the product of the number of intergroup bonds on said lower halves and the number of intergroup bonds on said upper halves is zero.

10. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein arranging said intergroup bonds only on said lower halves destabilizes said container pack.

11. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein each of said intergroup bonds is placed to define a lever arm, wherein said lever arm assists a consumer in detaching a container that is held to another container by an intergroup bond, and wherein said lever arm has a length that depends on a position of said intergroup bond on a lower half of said container.

12. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said intergroup bonds consist of intergroup bonds that are on lower halves of said containers.

13. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said intergroup bonds consist of a first set of intergroup bonds and a second set of intergroup bonds, wherein said first set consists of intergroup bonds that are on lower halves of said containers, wherein said second set consisting of intergroup bonds that are on upper halves of said containers, and wherein said second set is an empty set.

14. The manufacture of claim 1, wherein said carrying handle stabilizes said container pack.

15. A manufacture comprising a container pack having first and second container-groups, a first set of bonds, a second set of bonds, intergroup bonds, a carrying handle, and at least four containers, wherein each of said containers is in one of said first and second container-groups, wherein said carrying handle has ends that are attached to containers from different container-groups, wherein said bonds in said first set of bonds are intragroup bonds that bond containers in said first container-group to each other, wherein said bonds in said second set of bonds are intragroup bonds that bond containers in said second container-group to each other, wherein said intergroup bonds bond said first and second container-groups to each other, and wherein said first and said second container-groups each have at least three containers and wherein said intergroup bonds exist only between end-position containers of said first and second container-groups.

16. A manufacture comprising a container pack having first and second container-groups, a first set of bonds, a second set of bonds, intergroup bonds, a carrying handle, and at least four containers, wherein each of said containers is in one of said first and second container-groups, wherein said carrying handle has ends that are attached to containers from different container-groups, wherein said bonds in said first set of bonds are intragroup bonds that bond containers in said first container-group to each other, wherein said bonds in said second set of bonds are intragroup bonds that bond containers in said second container-group to each other, wherein said intergroup bonds bond said first and second container-groups to each other, and wherein said container pack comprises six containers and wherein only end containers have intergroup bonds.

17. A manufacture in which intergroup bonds are disposed only on lower halves of containers, wherein said intergroup bonds attach a first container-group of a container pack to a second container-group of said container pack, said container pack comprising six containers, wherein intragroup bonds from a first set of intragroup bonds hold containers that are in said first container-group to each other, wherein intragroup bonds from a second set of intragroup bonds hold containers that are in said second container-group to each other, wherein a carrying handle has a first end that is attached to a container from said first container-group and a second end that is attached to a container that is in said second container-group, wherein said container pack is a constituent of said manufacture, and wherein said intergroup bonds, said intragroup bonds, said first and second container-groups, and said carrying handle are all constituents of said container pack.

18. A method comprising producing a container pack comprising six containers, wherein producing said container pack comprises applying adhesive to at least four of said containers, pressing said containers together to form first and second sets of bonds, said first set of bonds being intragroup bonds that join containers to form a first container-group and said second set of bonds being intragroup bonds that join containers together to form a second container-group, wherein each of said containers is in one of said first and second container-groups, forming intergroup bonds to bond said first and second container groups to each other, wherein said intergroup bonds are arranged only on lower halves of said containers, and attaching ends of a carrying handle to containers from different container-groups.

19. The method of claim 18, said method further comprising connecting end-position containers of said first and second container-groups with an intergroup bond and leaving containers other than said end containers unconnected by an intergroup bond.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying figures, in which”

(2) FIG. 1 shows a pack according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows the pack of FIG. 1 after having removed the carrying handle;

(4) FIG. 3 shows an end view of the pack of FIG. 1 as two containers are being separated; and

(5) FIG. 4 shows a view from above of the pack in FIG. 1 after having been broken into its two constituent groups.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a container pack 2 having first through sixth containers 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f. The containers are, for example, bottles made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or cans made of aluminum.

(7) The container pack 2 has first and second container groups 6a, 6b. A group 6a, 6b has three containers arranged in a row. In FIG. 1, the first through third containers 4a, 4b, 4c form the first group 6a, and the fourth through sixth containers 4e, 4d, 4f form the second group 6b. Within each group 6a, 6b the containers are arranged in a non-nesting arrangement to form the pack 2. In the arrangement shown, the pack 2 has two ends, each two containers wide, and two faces, each three containers wide.

(8) A carrying handle 8 stretches across the pack 2 midway along a line that extends between its ends. In the pack 2 shown in FIG. 1, the carrying handle extends over upper ends 16 of the second and fourth containers 4b, 4d along a midline that connects the two faces. The carrying handle 8 consists of a strip of plastic that can be lengthened to form a loop for enabling a consumer to grasp it without interference from the upper ends 16 of the second and fourth containers 4b, 4d.

(9) FIG. 2 shows the pack from FIG. 1, but after the removal of the carrying handle 8. This enables one to clearly see the bonds. There are two kinds of adhesive-bonds: intragroup bonds 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and intergroup bonds 12a, 12b. The intragroup bonds 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d connect containers within a group to each other. The intergroup bonds 12a, 12b connect groups to each other.

(10) Within the first group 6a, intragroup bonds 10a, 10b are formed by applying adhesive spots onto the first and second containers 4a, 4b and by then merging the first, second, and third containers 4a-4c in a row. Drying or hardening the adhesion spots then forms the intragroup bonds 10a, 10b. The third container 4c does not have any adhesion spot. It connects to the second container 4b by way of the spot that was applied to the second container 4b.

(11) The second group 6b is produced in the same way as the first group 6a.

(12) The intergroup bonds 12a, 12b are produced from the same adhesive as that used for the intragroup bonds 10a-10d. However, spots used to make the intergroup bonds 12a, 12b are perceptibly smaller size than those used to make the intragroup bonds 10a-10d.

(13) For a particular container, ninety degrees of arc, as measured along the container's wall, separate the intragroup bond 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d from the intergroup bond 12a, 12b. The intragroup bonds 12a, 12b are arranged between the respective corner containers 4a, 4c, 4d, 4f. This arrangement ensures that the pack 2 can be manufactured easily and economically.

(14) With the carrying handle 8 having been removed, it is easy to separate the pack 2 into its first and second groups 6a, 6b. This is because the intergroup bonds 12a, 12b, as a result of their smaller size, are weaker than the intragroup bonds 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d.

(15) Referring now to FIG. 3, in a preferred embodiment, the intergroup bonds 12a, 12b are located below a container midline 14. This creates a long lever arm that makes breaking the pack 2 into its constituent groups 6a, 6b easier. This same placement is also used for intragroup bonds 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d to make separation of containers 4a, 4b, 4c within a group 6a easier as well.

(16) Even without the carrying handle 8, the pack 2 holds together well thanks to the combined action of the intergroup bonds 12a, 12b and the intragroup bonds 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d. The carrying handle 8 further improves the pack's stability. It does so even though it only spans two containers 4b, 4e.

(17) Referring now to FIG. 4, once the pack 2 has been separated into its constituent groups 6a, 6b, it is also possible to separate containers 4d, 4e, 4f within a group 6b from each other by rotating the containers 4d, 4e, 4f.

(18) The sequence of breaking down of the pack 2 includes removing the carrying handle 8, breaking the pack 2 into groups 6a, 6b by detaching the intergroup bonds 12 that connect the groups 6a, 6b, and breaking up the groups 6a, 6b by detaching an individual container 4a, typically by rotating but also by applying a leveraging force to its upper end 16 using the intragroup bond 12a as a fulcrum of a lever arm that extends to the upper end 16. Once the groups 6a, 6b are separated, this sequence advantageously allows the consumer to only have to detach a single bond. This allows a container 4a, 4c, 4f, 4d in an end position, which as a rule is connected by two bonds to other containers of the pack 2, to be detached individually with very little exertion of force.

(19) Another advantage arises because the groups 6a, 6b are easily-handled units from which consumers can detach individual containers 4a-4f without having to hold, lift, or manipulate the entire pack 2. This also allows weaker consumers, such as children, to break up a pack 2 with little exertion of strength.

(20) A production method for forming the pack 2 includes a station for the application of a carrying handle 8. Such a station holds the containers 4a-4f of the pack 2 using suitable holding-and-gripping means. This can be carried out while the containers 4a-4f are stationary or advantageously during transport of the container group 6a, 6b being formed into a pack 2. Accordingly, the station for applying the carrying handles is ideally an integral constituent part of the hardening-and-drying station or segment, or arranged along this hardening-and-drying station or segment.

(21) Having described the invention, and a preferred embodiment thereof, what is claimed as new, and secured by letters patent is: