AU3940200A - Packaging device and casing - Google Patents

Description

Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

(ORIGINAL)

.000 0 0.

0 00 Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: Invention Title: Lion Nathan Australia Limited of Level 11, Gateway, 1 Macquarie Place, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia Philip HARGANS DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia "Packaging device and casing" Details of Associated Provisional Application No: PQ0890 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1- Q:\OPER\DH\ARCH 2000UUNE\PQ0890 CAP AU.DOC 9/6/00 P:\OPERD $pqO890 cap.doeO.OI6AO -2- PACKAGING DEVICE AND CASING Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a packaging device and casing, particularly but not exclusively for packaging bottles to allow detachment of a unit of bottles from the casing.

Description of the Prior Art In the field of beer bottle packaging, for example, small units of bottles are packaged into a larger casing using separate packaging. Bottles are generally packaged in units of six bottles with four such units being packaged in a casing which holds twenty-four bottles in total. This has the disadvantage of wasting packaging material, with the bottles essentially 10 being packaged twice.

*.00 :*oeos S Additionally, in the case of beer bottle packaging, each of the units are generally arranged s in two adjacent rows of three bottles each and wrapped with cardboard or plastics such that ooe -the ends of the unit packaging are left open. When the units are stacked for vending, the open ends of the packaging are usually presented to a purchaser, which makes it difficult to 15 identify the type or brand of beer in the packaging.

The present invention seeks to address the above disadvantages.

Summary of the Invention In accordance with the invention, there is provided a casing for packaging items, including a packaging device forming a wall portion of the casing, the device being coupled to the items and severable from the casing to allow the device and items to be removed from the casing as a single unit.

Preferably, the device includes a main body forming part of a top wall portion of the casing and a side flap corresponding to a side wall portion of the casing, the side flap providing an indicia bearing surface adapted to be presented to a purchaser of the items when the unit is in a vending location.

rp.doc-9A6/O -3- Preferably, the items are elongate and the main body includes apertures through which ends of the items are adapted to pass, the apertures having retaining elements to releasably engage the items.

Preferably, the main body includes finger holes to allow the purchaser to grip and carry the unit.

Preferably, the items comprise bottles and the retaining elements engage with necks of the bottles.

Preferably, the casing includes perforations about a perimeter of the device to facilitate S.easy separation of the device from the casing. More preferably, the casing includes a 10 plurality of units and a tear away tab is provided at least between adjacent devices for o .separating the devices from each other. Preferably, the casing includes four units, with six bottles each.

In another aspect, there is provided a device, as described above.

Brief Description of the Drawings The invention is more fully described, by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a casing of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of a retaining blank for use with the invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of an alternative casing of the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of an alternative casing of the invention; Figure 5 shows plan and cross-sectional views of a retaining blank for use with the invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention The casing 1, as shown in Figure 1, is for packaging items such as bottles, although the bottles are not shown, for ease of description. The casing includes a base wall 2, four side walls 3, 4, 5, 6 and a top wall 7. Four packaging devices, 8, 9, 10, 11 are integrated into

P:\OPER\DH\

p q8O90 cap.do.E09/06A)o -4the walls with the casing. Each device includes a main body 12 which corresponds to a portion in the top wall 7, and a side flap 13, which corresponds to a portion of one of the side walls. Perforations 14 are provided about a perimeter 15 of each device so that the devices may be readily severed from the rest of the casing. In this regard, the perforations also define tear away tabs such as tab 16, 17 between adjacent devices 8, 11 and devices 8 and 9 as well as a tab 18 which runs along side the side flap 13 and back up onto the top wall 7 adjacent the side wall 3. A perforated push through disk 20 may be provided in the top wall 7 of the casing to allow the tabs to be easily gripped.

1 The main body 12 of each device includes two finger holes 21, 22 arranged between two rows 23, 24 of three bottle receiving apertures. The apertures each have retaining elements 25 in the form of resilient fingers, for releasably engaging a respective bottle neck.

oo°0° In order to separate one of the devices, for example device 8, from the casing, the disk is pushed through and the tear away tabs 16, 17, 18 removed. A finger and thumb are then inserted through holes 21, 22 to grip the main body 12 of the device 8 and subsequently lift the device and bottles clear of the casing as a single unit. The bottles should be held in a relatively rigidly array and, for this purpose, a retaining blank 30 shown in Figure 2, may be fitted about the bottle bases. The blank 30 includes six openings 31, each defined by an annular collar 32 segmented to form fingers 33 adapted to resiliently grip the sides of the respective bottles. The blank also includes lateral wing portions 34, 35 suitable for spacing the bottles of the unit away from bottles of other units, either in the casing or when the units are stored together at a vending location.

As may be appreciated, when the units are stored at a vending location the side flap 13 of each unit may be arranged to face toward a purchaser. As such, the side flap 13 provides an indicia bearing surface which is suitable for displaying the bottle brand and/or other forms of advertising material.

An alternative form of casing 40 is shown in Figure 3. The casing includes devices 41, 42, 43, 44 which are generally similar in construction to the associated devices of Figure 1, but which include a second side flap, such as side flap 45, to increase the available advertising surface whilst maximising the structural rigidity of the device. The casing includes an P:\OPER\DH\pqo890 apdoc-09AO0 alternative tear away tab arrangement 46, which may be provided with additional push through disks 47, 48, 49, to accommodate the change in construction of the devices. The casing otherwise has a similar construction and working inter-relationship with each of the devices, as the casing of Figure 1.

An additional alternative form of casing is shown in Figure 4. The casing includes devices 51, 52, 53 which are generally similar in construction to the associated devices of Figure 1, but which do not include bottle receiving apertures in the main body of a device 54. The casing includes a tear away tab arrangement similar to that presented in Figure 1.

10 This embodiment of the present invention allows items contained within the casing to be packaged without requiring that the bottle receiving elements of Figure 1 be integrally formed within the devices 50, 51, 52, 53.

Shown in Figures 5a to 5c are views of an additional retaining blank 55 to hold the tops of bottles in place in the embodiment presented in Figure 4. In conjunction with the retaining blank 30 of Figure 2 for holding the base of bottles in position, this additional retaining blank will hold the bottles in a relatively rigid array. Each of the devices 50, 51, 52, 53 contains a retaining blank 55. Each retaining blank contains bottle receiving apertures 56 having retaining elements in the form of resilient fingers for releasably engaging a respective bottle neck.

As may be appreciated, the invention has been described with reference to bottles but is equally applicable to other types and numbers of items. Further, the number of devices in each casing may be varied, as required.

The casing and component devices have been described by way of example only and many modifications and variations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

P:\OPER\DHpq0890 cap.doc096/00 -6- The reference to any prior art in this specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment or any form of suggestion that that prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia.

Claims (11)

1. A casing for packaging items, including a packaging device forming a wall portion of the casing, the device being coupled to the items and severable from the casing to allow the device and items to be removed from the casing as a single unit.

2. A casing as claimed in claim 1, where the device includes a main body forming part of a top wall portion of the casing and a side flap corresponding to a side wall portion of the casing, the side flap providing an indicia bearing surface adapted to be presented to o" a purchaser of the items when the unit is in a vending location.

A casing as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the items are elongate and the main body 10 includes apertures through which ends of the items are adapted to pass, the apertures having retaining elements to releasably engage the items.

4. A casing as claimed in claim 3, wherein the items comprise bottles and the retaining 6 elements engage with necks of the bottles.

A casing as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the main body includes finger holes to allow the purchaser to grip and carry the unit.

6. A casing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing includes perforations about a perimeter of the device to facilitate easy separation of the device from the casing.

7. A casing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing includes a plurality of units and a tear away tab is provided at least between adjacent devices for separating the devices from each other.

8. A casing as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing includes four units, with six bottles each.

9. A device adapted to be coupled to items received within a casing, to allow removal of the items as a single unit, the device comprising at least a wall portion of the casing.

PAOPEROMW8qO90 cap.dc-9A6A -8- A casing, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings.

11. A device adapted to be coupled to items received within a casing, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the drawings. DATED this 9th day of June, 2000 LION NATHAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED By DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Attorneys for the applicant oe 0