CN1005832B - Multi-packs for multiple cylindrical containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A composite envelope for a plurality of tubular containers of the same shape and size and arranged in side-by-side upstanding relationship in at least two parallel longitudinal rows, the composite envelope having a generally strip-like rectangular blank with transverse fold lines thereon to form a base upon which the container is placed and on which the two sides are folded upwardly in opposition, a strap extending across the upwardly folded sides and the uncovered sides about the mid-height of the container to provide carrying handles, and wherein the blank has at least one foldable surface interposed between adjacent rows of the containers.

Description

Collective package for a plurality of cylindrical containers

The present invention relates to a collective package for a plurality of cylindrical containers, wherein the containers have the same shape and size and are arranged in a side-by-side standing manner in at least two parallel longitudinal rows. The collective package has a substantially strip-shaped, rectangular cardboard blank with transverse fold lines, whereby a base surface is formed, on which the container is placed, whereby two side surfaces or end surfaces are folded upwards in opposition, which side surfaces are connected to the base surface by means of the transverse fold lines. The height of the upwardly folded side or end surfaces is equal to or less than the height of the container.

The object of the present invention is to develop a package for such tubular containers which requires a very small cardboard blank panel, but still has a high natural rigidity, which is suitable for high-speed mechanical packaging of the container, and which is easy to handle with one or two hands. The invention, however, is particularly intended to solve the problem of making a collective package of this type in such a case, i.e. the easy slipping off of the container during loading and transport of the collective package, due to the cylindrical shape of the container, it is the prevention of such relative slipping of the cylindrical container that the invention is directed.

According to the invention, this problem is solved in that a strap, which is the only means for holding the containers together and for carrying the collective package with one or two hands, extends across the upwardly folded sides or ends and the two uncovered sides of the collective package approximately in the middle of the height of the containers, and in that at least one foldable surface portion of the cardboard blank can be inserted between adjacent longitudinal or transverse rows of the tubular container.

The insertion which is adopted here for preventing slipping preferably makes this possible, wherein on the bottom surface at least one longitudinal flap for transverse folding is formed, which flap, when folded upwards by 90 °, cooperates to form a transverse web between pairs of containers arranged in different longitudinal rows, such a transverse web preventing relative slipping of the containers and at the same time serving to reinforce the cardboard base.

Another solution to prevent the containers from sliding relative to each other is in the case of an aggregate package according to the invention for a plurality of cylindrical containers arranged in three parallel longitudinal rows in a side-by-side standing manner, wherein the axes of each container of the two outer rows lie in pairs in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the row, while the containers of the middle row are staggered by half the container diameter relative to the containers of the outer rows in their longitudinal direction, and the containers of the two outer rows are moved towards the containers of the middle row to such an extent that each container of the middle row simultaneously comes into contact with two containers in each outer row.

The invention will be described in more detail below with reference to non-limiting examples and the attached drawings, in which:

figure 1 is a plan view of a cardboard cover blank for a unitized package of six containers according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base of the blank as seen from the bottom of the same assembled package;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the same collective package from above;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a blank for another embodiment of such a collective package for 8 containers of the same shape and size and arranged in two longitudinal rows in a side-by-side upstanding manner;

FIG. 5 is another embodiment of the gathering package of the present invention shown in perspective view, wherein three rows of cylindrical containers are arranged on a particularly narrow base;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the same collective package;

fig. 7 and 8 show another embodiment of the present invention.

In fig. 1, 10 is a cardboard blank for forming a cardboard envelope, 11 is the base surface of the blank on which the cylindrical containers 1 are arranged in two longitudinal rows in a side-by-side upright manner. In fig. 1, these containers are indicated by dashed lines. 12. 13 is a side wall having a height less than or in the limit, as shown in figure 2, the same as the height of the container. The length of the side walls and of the base surface is less than or at the most equal to the sum of the diameters of the containers arranged in longitudinal rows in the pack. The lateral edges of the side walls are provided with openings and/or slits 14 for fixing a circumferential band in the base 11, and an elongated flap 16 is provided which can be folded and pivoted laterally with respect to the longitudinal rows of the container. This flap 16, when folded upwards by 90 °, forms a transverse web for preventing longitudinal sliding of containers arranged in different longitudinal rows relative to each other, which engages on the circumferential surface of adjacent containers and reinforces the base surface. The flaps 16 are at least wide enough for the transverse web thus formed to contact 4 containers, i.e. two containers on each side, but are smaller than the width of the base surface 11. The envelope is bunched together around band 15 and held in place by openings 14 in the lateral edges of side walls 12, 13 so that the band can no longer move along the cylindrical container. Since in this case the length of the side walls 13 and the length of the base surface 11 is slightly smaller than the sum of the diameters of the containers arranged in longitudinal rows, this ensures that the encircling band is adapted to encircle the circular surface of the outermost container, which also results in a saving of cardboard material.

The embodiment shown in fig. 4 differs from the embodiment of fig. 1 to 3 in that the blank 20 is dimensioned from 8 containers 1, but from 6 containers in fig. 1 to 3, and in that two elongate flaps 26, 27 are embossed in the base surface 21, which flaps are pivoted in a transverse fold and, when folded upwards by 90 °, form in each case a transverse web for preventing slipping of the containers and at the same time for reinforcing the base surface. In fig. 4, the side walls are 22, 23 and the openings in the edges thereof are 24, surrounding or bounding the band 25. Due to the greater length of the two longitudinal rows of containers, in the case of the two 4 shown embodiments, two transverse webs are formed in the base surface in the form of flaps, so that a balanced structure is obtained in the transverse direction and a better rigidity and reliability against slipping of the containers is obtained. Generally speaking, it is sufficient to arrange the transverse webs unequally, as shown in fig. 1 to 3.

Furthermore, another embodiment which is particularly advantageous and particularly space-saving and cardboard material is shown in fig. 5 and 6. In this case, the cylindrical containers 1 arranged on the base surface 11 are arranged in three parallel longitudinal rows, so that the axes of each container of the outer two rows lie in pairs in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the row in each case. In all cases, the containers of the middle row are staggered by half a container diameter in the longitudinal direction of the row relative to the containers of the outer row. The containers of the two outer rows are mated with the containers of the middle row so that each container in the middle row is in contact with two containers of each of the two outer rows. It is clear that the base surface of the envelope for arranging the containers can thus be made somewhat narrower than in the previously described embodiments. The use of collective packages for palletized stacks is very advantageous in this case, since the narrow sides of the rectangular base plane arrangement of the collective packages can be made smaller in this case. 12. And 13 is a blank side wall.

The possibilities of implementing the invention are not limited to the description of the embodiments described, so that in particular the number of arrangements of containers in a column may be different in each case.

A particular advantage of this second simplified embodiment according to fig. 5 and 6 is that a particularly large handle or carrying opening is provided at each end of the collective package between the encircling band and the container.

Furthermore, a more particularly advantageous configuration of the previously described embodiment is shown in fig. 7 and 8.

Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of a cardboard blank, which is shown here only in perspective for the packaging of a three-row tubular container, an

Figure 8 illustrates how such a cardboard blank is produced.

In this case, the cardboard blanks fitted around the three rows of cylindrical containers 1 have a total of four walls 32, 33, 34, 35 connected in pairs to the base surface 31 by fold lines. The side walls 32, 33 are provided with side panels 36, 37, 38, 39 which engage the adjacent end walls 34, 35 respectively and are glued to the end walls when the side and end walls are in the folded up condition. A relatively rigid box is thus formed from the cardboard blank. The end walls 34, 35 are at least half lower than the side walls 32, 33. The height of the encircling band 15 above the base 31 can be fixed by pairs of openings in the corners of the box, the width of which is slightly wider than the width of the encircling band. The folds formed by the openings 40, 41 in the corners of the cardboard blank of the box are bent inwards under the influence of the encircling band and as a result respectively cooperate with the outer circumference of the tubular container 1. In the corner of the box, the height position of the encircling band 15 determined by the opening is determined by: a carrying opening is provided sufficient to facilitate passage of a carrier's hand between the upper edges of the encircling band 15 and the respective end walls 34, 35.

The embodiment of the assembled package according to fig. 7 and 8 is particularly suitable for the rapid working process of heavy machinery for folding, erecting, gluing the cardboard material, for filling it with tubular containers and for bundling the assembled package.

The box-like cardboard of such a collective package has a high degree of stability and rigidity, remaining upright even after all the containers have been removed. The collective package is thus also suitable for recycling of empty containers, which are furthermore easy to stack and economical.

A collective package with three rows of cylindrical containers, as shown in fig. 5 to 8, wherein the middle row of containers is one less than the number of containers in each of the two outer rows, may be designed as a tray enclosure comprising 11, 14, 17, 20 cylindrical containers.

Claims (3)

1. A unitized package for a plurality of tubular containers of the same shape and size, the containers being arranged side by side in at least two longitudinally parallel rows, the package being a rectangular blank of paperboard having transverse fold lines forming a bottom panel on which the containers are placed and two opposed side or end walls are folded upwardly, the side walls being connected to the bottom panel at the transverse fold lines, the height of the upwardly folded side or end walls being equal to or less than the height of the containers, and a strap extending around the two upwardly folded side or end walls and the two uncovered sides of the package at about half the height of the containers and serving both to brace the package with the containers and to serve as a handle for carrying the package with one or two hands, wherein: at least one folded portion is provided on the base panel for insertion between adjacent longitudinal or transverse rows of cylindrical containers, and it forms an elongated flap defining a transverse fold line, which when folded upwards through 90 ° forms a transverse partition for insertion between at least two pairs of containers in different longitudinal rows, and has slots or notches (14) in the transverse end edges of the side walls for retaining said band.

2. A unitized package for a plurality of tubular containers of the same shape and size, the containers being arranged side-by-side, the package being a rectangular blank of paperboard having transverse fold lines forming a bottom panel upon which the containers are placed, two opposed side or end walls being folded upwardly, the side or end walls being connected to the bottom panel at the transverse fold lines, the height of the upwardly folded side or end walls being equal to or less than the height of the containers, and a strap passing around the two upwardly folded side or end walls and the remaining two uncovered sides of the package at about half the height of the containers, both serving to brace the package together with the containers and serving as a handle for carrying the package with one or two hands, wherein: the lateral end edges of the side walls are provided with grooves or notches (14) to retain said band (15), and the axes of each pair of containers in the outer two rows lie in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the containers in the central row being offset longitudinally from the containers in the outer two rows by a distance of half the diameter of the containers, the containers in the outer two rows being located very close to the containers in the central row so that each container in the central row is in contact with two containers in each of the outer rows.

3. The collection package of claim 2, wherein: a carton blank for enclosing three rows of cylindrical containers, the blank having four pairs of side and end walls connected to a base panel by fold lines, wherein one pair of side walls is provided at each end with a flap which, when the side and end walls are folded upwardly, overlies the adjacent end wall and is adhered thereto to form a more rigid box, the end wall being at least half way lower than the side wall, and the strap being located at a height defined by a slot at the corner of the box such that the strap is spaced from the upper edge of the end wall by a gap which is sized to extend into one hand.

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