BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.
[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in the application of holders to containers
to form multipackages by the operation of apparatus in combination with the holders
on a substrate or in a crate.
[0002] Development work with holders for gripping the top portion of containers such as
bottles has shown that such holders can be made with less than 50% of the area of
paperboard necessary to hold bottles by early forms of multipackaging which must surround
the whole of the bottle body.
[0003] Such reduced area holders are able to hold the bottles more firmly and so prevent
their sharp contact together. The earlier forms of multipackage are loose because
they must be made all the same size and must be applied as a tube by machinery which
is only able to wrap it around the containers which because they are variable and
slightly elliptical and can move within the tube into an even slacker position. Therefore
it is possible for a reduced area multipackage to better protect the glass for the
benefit of all concerned and for the bottler to multipackage all the year round for
a cost similar to his high seasonal promotions currently multipackaged for many companies.
[0004] It is an object of the present invention not only to provide multipackages which
are more economic and tight on the container necks to enable the containers to be
better seen but to apply them with apparatus including a spring hinge of variable
geometry which will enable the apparatus to operate through using the resistance of
the erect but unapplied holder to activate the apparatus and control it to produce
the desired tight grip of each individual bottle.
[0005] . It is also an object of the present invention to provide blanks for the holder
to so operate the apparatus. It is a further object of the invention to provide means
for positioning the holder ready for application to containers and for positioning
the bodies on a substrate which may be flat or irregular such as for instance, when
they are housed in a crate.
[0006] BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION. According to the present invention there is provided
apparatus mechanically operated in combination with a retained holder for containers
operable with the containers on a substrate and having a neck portion reducing toward
a downwardly facing rib, the holder comprising a pair of spaced side walls each having
upper and lower longitudinally extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper
edges and preventing relative displacement of the upper edges away from each other,
a lower wall connecting the lower edges and preventing the relative disp
- lacement of the lower edges away from each other, said upper and lower walls having
aligned openings therein, the openings in the lower wall being dimensioned to pass
freely over the rib portion and engage a wider part of the container and the openings
in the upper wall arranged with tabs able to pass over a rib of the container neck
or its closure and engage below it, both side walls able to engage below rib parts
of the container and a longitudinally extending fold line in at least one of the side
walls adapted for engagement with the containers when the containers are disposed
between the side walls and when said one side wall is folded inwardly of its upper
and lower edges comprised in one such holder or two such holders sharing one blank,
by the apparatus; the apparatus cuprising at least one spring hinged first member
formed for applying pressure to said one side wall and fold it inwardly of its upper
and lower edges and caused to fold further inwardly by a second member of the apparatus
shaped to simultaneously or subsequently apply pressure to the upper wall or walls
until the holder is applied to the containers by the downward operation of the apparatus
and holder onto the bottles, the apparatus thereafter disengaging from the holder
and containers for reuse in combination with another holder and containers on a substrate
arranged to occupy the openings of the holder.
[0007] According to a prefered embodiment of the invention the said retained holder is retained
below the second member by member means projecting through the second member for engagement
of the holder, for instance means larger than the said openings in the upper wall
arranged with tabs and able to pass through their resistance for retention on the
larger portion of the means until removed by the second member.
[0008] According to another prefered embodiment of the invention the spring hinge is formed
of elastomeric material fixed to a component member and a support member.
[0009] According to yet another prefered embodiment the erected holder on containers is
disengaged from the apparatus by the inner surface of the closed members formed to
allow the apparatus to initially retract before the spring hinge must move to allow
further retraction of the apparatus.
[0010] It will be understood that to carry the invention into effect it is an essential
that the bottles are supported from below for the reaction to the downward operation
of the apparatus and which reactive compnnent of the invention is provided by the
said substrate which must provide that the top of the bottles are level whether the
bottles are the same in height or slightly vary in height therefore the invention
provides that, wherein the bottles are similar in type but having height irregularity,
means comprising in an individual support below each bottle, the suppo- orts each
of similar height and retained vertically by compressable material which compressability
may be adjustable, such that when the bottle upper parts are pressed downward for
application during the application of holders according to the invention the said
pressure applied to cause the bottle upper parts to be level by any irregularity of
the bottle height being accommodated by the compressable material below the application
of pressure by parts of the apparatus which are level.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
[0011] Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example, reference being
made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig 1 is a perspective view of apparatus according to the invention.
Fig 2 is a view of the underside of the apparatus shown by Fig 1.
Fig 3 is a sectional view on X - X of the apparatus shown by Fig 2.
Fig 4 is an end view of the apparatus in combination with a holder and containers
operating in accordance with the method of the invention.
Fig 5 shows fig 4 in a subsequent stage of the operation.
Fig 6 shows an alternative form of half of the apparatus shown by fig 5.
Fig 7 shows another embodiment of the holder according to the invention with apparatus
according to the invention shown retracted.
Fig 8 shows a blank for a holder according to the invention.
Fig 9 is an end view of the blank shown by fig 8 during erection into a tubular structure
for subsequent application.
Fig 10 shows the holder shown by fig 9 in the erected condition and retained ready
for application by another part of the apparatus to bottles.
Fig 11 shows the the apparatus and holder shown by fig 10 after cooperating together
to apply the holder to bottles.
Fig 12 shows a diagramatic view of a row of bottles of irregular height with their
upper parts level.
Fig 13 shows a diagramatic view of a row of bottles of irregular height resting on
an irregular substrate supporting.
Fig 14 shows a diagramatic view of a row of bottles in a crate with an irregular base
supporting them, their upper parts level and the method according to the invention
supporting them below the crate.
Fig 15 is a section on X - X of Fig 16.
Fig 16 is a plan view of a means for supporting bottles of irregular height.
Fig 17 is a perspective view of an apparatus for the application of carrier blanks
(less the First and Second apparatus members) to bottles when loaded into crates.
Fig 18 shows an embodiment of a part of the invention through three positions on the
same drawing centre line.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TEE INVENTION.
[0012] Figures 1, 2 and 3 show an embodiment of the invention in its relaxed condition prior
to operation. Like reference figures have like meaning throughout, 3 is a support
member actuated by other unspecified means and positioned with the centre of the openings
4 each directly above the centre of a bottle to be held and with the skirt parts 11
open to receive the upper wall 21 of an erected holder between them and guide the
side walls 18c and 20b between the crests 10 when the support member 3 is moved in
the direction of arrow 13 of Fig 4.
[0013] Figure 4 shows the free ends of the Second Members 2 performing as levers and being
deflected by their contact with the upper wall 21 supported by the bottles 32 resulting
in the inward movement of the First Members 1 and made practical by the spring hinge
of which 5 shows a prefered embodiment seen clamped to the support member 3 and to
the First and Second Members 1 and 2. As shown the spring hinge is made of strips
of sheet elastomeric material, for example Polychloroprene.
[0014] The elastomeric spring hinge has several advantages over a mechanical hinge, firstly
it has an effective pivot point which moves with the cleft 6 formed between the First
and Second Members 1 and 2 and which retains the upper edge of the side wall 7a and
7b-in the correct position while being tollerant of related dimensions, whereas a
mechanical hinge with a fixed central pivot would cause clefts 6 to move in an arc
and if the cleft position is correct with the pivot in one position it will be wrong
when the angle of the First and Second Mebers is changed since the pivot point cannot
conveniently be identical with cleft point 6. A second advantage of the elastomeric
hinge is that it will spring return to the position shown by Fig 1 without substantially
changing its force regardless of surrounding conditions such as dryness through lack
of maintenance or stickiness associated with bottled products and which would adversely
affect the performance of a mechanical hinge with a metal return spring. A third advantage
of the elastomeric return spring hinge is that the spring is inherent and so will
not occupy any space whereas a metal spring requires both central space and anchorages
at each end which it is less practical to apply to the apparatus required.
[0015] It has been found to be important for both sides of the holder to receive similar
treatment where the holder is designed to be symetrical otherwise one side of the
holder will form before the other and further bias the application to produce an asymetric
finished product as seen in end view. Fig 6 shows a prefered development of the present
invention where the extension 8 of the double thickness section 9 provides a curve
which will cause a rolling action between the First Members 1 and the strips of sheet
elastomer 5 which results in the control of the locus of the cleft 6 and the crest
10 on each side resulting in an imaginary pivot point which can be made to coincide
with the cleft points 6 and which has proved to be important to the ability of the
apparatus in combining with the holders in applying it to containers correctly without
slipping to one side or the other. The embodiment shown by Fig 6 also shows an advantage
in its construction since the shape shown for the First and Second Members shown by
Figs 1 to 5 are very difficult to produce with the necessary dimensional control especially
as it must be different for each different holder design which is dictated by the
bottle shape but the double section 9 both allows the shaping to be done in two parts
and joined by spot welding later and it provides the only thick part necessary since
it is required to take screw threads for screws to clamp the elastomeric sheet strip.
. Figs 1 to 5 show that the Second Member 2 is divided to produce the two activating
levers for operating against the upper wall of the holder 21 which will be produced
concave when applied to containers and this too is made more practical as shown by
Fig 6 through the addition of a moulded resin compound to produce the cooperating
convex shape 12. Figs 10 and 11 . show an ideal shape for the First and Second Members
where they are moulCted.
[0016] One such moulding is produced on an internal former machine wherein the wall panels
are represented by four members having one and two flat sides and pivoted at each
end on clamps able to move vertically and horizontally such that the inside form can
be made up to any such form, while the outer surface is covered by a stiff sheet with
plastic covering and apropriate lines of fold adapted to be clamped over the outer
surface. Stainless steel inserts are provided at the ends of the Second Member lever
end for making active contact and other inserts are provided for the screw threads.
If stainless steel inserts are used between the First and Second Members then poyester
resin catalized,with glass cloth which is well impregnated is better than epoxy resin
catalised, with carbon fibre fillaments.
[0017] Figure 4 shows that the Second Member(parts) 2 is here divided and operated as two
separate levers because the holder in this instance is symetrical and the two levers
thus provided have moved upwards and are higher than the crests 10 of the First Members
1 which have made contact with the side walls 18c and 20b below the upper wall 21,
thus the holder itself performs as a major active part of the apparatus as the upper
wall moves into the apparatus, while the First Members continue to move further inward
to initiate the inward buckling of the side walls 18c and 20b the crests 10 will reach
a maximum point beyond which they cannot go due to the geometry necessary to allow
the requirement already described.
[0018] As support member 3 continues down in the direction of arrow 13 the divided Second
Members 2 come together to complete the Second Member 2 which will take over from
the First Members 1 and be able to exert pressure over the whole of the upper wall
21 and the folds 7a and 7b with folds 26 of the holder take over to combine with the
apparatus to apply the force from the Second Member 2,with the-holder confined between
clefts 6, until it is applied to the bottles as shown by Fig 5. The support member
3 will then retract in the direction of the arrow 14 and because the shape of the
holder is changed irretractably the Second Members 2 are held as one so that the First
Members 1 cannot move outward to release the holder, therefore the parallel depth
15 of the form of the present invention is included to allow the release of Second
Member parts 2 and the dependent First Member parts 1 through the inclination of the
spring hinges 5 of the present invention to open rapidly and facilitate fast action.
[0019] The end views in Figs 4 to 5, 7, 9 to 11 show joined panels forming the holder with
their practical proportions and positions for performing according to the invention
which extends to the blanks for the purpose of their application to containers as
holders.
[0020] The holder may be erected into a rectangular tube structure by simply gluing a lap
extension 16 of the bottom panel 19 to the related side wall 18a and although the
gluing operation is an added expense it is useful in that the means for erecting it
are more simple and the supporting machinery is therefore cheaper.
[0021] If the holder is to be erected and applied at higher speed then a more expensive
machine can be amortised over a shorter period due to the quantity of holders thus
used and saving the gluing operation cost. Therefore the blank may be arranged such
that three or more resultant resistances to forces in different directions are in
opposition to make them immovable in the normal course of usage. In Fig 5 all members
of the applied holder and bottles together are in tension or compression to form a
prestressed monocoque construction therefore such directional resistance to movement
can be arranged. Fig 7 for instance shows the necks of the end bottles of two rows
of bottles with their necks each through a lower opening 24 of lower walls 19 joined
together therefore there are two separate holders according to the invention each
a mirror image of the other and embodied in one blank. Therefore when the longitudinal
fold line, said to be in at least one of the sidewalls, 26a was buckled inwardly with
7 under the rib or rim of the bottle and upper wall 21 was folded down so that tabs
22 snapped under the bottle rim, so both opposing walls 20a were made tight against
the lower walls 19 to make all wall and bottle members captive with the ends of the
blank 27a and 27b perpendicular to lower walls 19 to form a panel for a handling hole
facility, while extensions 20c interlock with lower wall 19 to maintain the strong
position and prevent twisting of the tubular structures so formed.
[0022] The earlier position of the tubular structures is shown by a chain dot line above
one-side of the twin holder while above the chain dot form there is shown an embodiment
of the apparatus, the comparable members of which can be readily understood from the
references. However it shows that spring hinge 5 may be positioned such that on being
moved down by the support member 3 in the one direction shown by arrow 28 it will
result in a lateral force on 7 until resistance is reached whereupon a vertical force
will again apply to 7 resulting in a rotary force in the direction of the arrow 9,
thus the one vertical force is vectored to comprise other useful force components.
Only one half of the apparatus is shown in Fi
g 7.
[0023] A similar join is made without gluing in a single row bottle holder blank as shown
by Fig 8 and which is erected as shown by Fig 9. The dimensions indicated at (a1)
and (a2) and (b) show the repeat lengths where (al) is an . end while (a2) being a
mirror image of it is the other end and (b) is equal to one bottle pitch and can be
repeated two or three times to hold three or four bottles or as required.
[0024] It is notable throughout that any of the blanks for the holders could be cut from
board with a die cut forme and with gutters between in the normal way of the trade,
it is possible with the blank shown by Fig 8 to have a particular arrangement of the
invention wherein the blanks interlock and so economise in board further since no
guttering waste is included.
[0025] To demonstrate this economy embodiment parts of the surrounding blanks are shown
on the left and the bottom so that the repeat arrangement on all sides can be seen.
[0026] The walls are arranged with the join made between the lower part of the side wall
18a and the upper part of the side wall 18c and 18b together but in other ways the
references are as in previous Figs 4, 5, or 7.
[0027] The lower wall 19 has openimgs24 which rest on the shoulders of the bottles and which
wall is joined by a line of fold to side walls comprising 18a and 18b with 18c,and
20a and 20b joined by a line of fold to upper wall 21 with opening 23 to receive the
rim of the bottles and surrounded by tabs 22 with their free end for engaging below
the rim of the bottles or other rimmed container for locking the other walls in their
place and holding side wall extensions 25 tightly under the bottle rim and from which
the superiority of this form of holder is derived.
[0028] In the applied condition of the holder shown by Fig 5, wall 18a will resist a force
able to move 18b away from its position flat against upper wall 22 while 18b will
itself resist a movement away from the resistant bottle and which in turn is held
by a similar action of the opposite side Therefore the components for resisting in
three opposing directions is present at the confined corner 26 .of Fig 5 and would
prevent the escape of any wall if 26 was a line of cut instead of a line of fold,
provided that the cut edge of 18a would not slip off the cut edge of 18c and the cut
edge of 18c would not slip off the cut edge of 18a. Therefore in the blank shown by
Fig 8 wall 18a has extension 18b and wall 18c has extension 18d with the confluence
of the extensions at line 26b,.the extensions interlocked and preventing the above
slipping. Such interlocking also prevents twisting of the tubular structure and which
if it had a cut line at 26,would cause the cut edges to slideone over the other.
[0029] The side wall extensions 25, as in Figs 4 and 5, reach beyond the locking tabs 22
and engage a rim of the bottle. The locking tabs 22 may engage a rim of the bottle
as shown by Fig 11 but will preferably engage a rim of the closure so allowing the
upper wall 21 to be higher and which is better because it will allow the wall extensions
25 to be shorter and so be able to support much heavier loads. The extensions 25 are
given much more strength when applied to the bottles because their dependent creases
35a, 35b, and 35c allow the board to bend around the container at that point to provide
a stiff corrugation.
[0030] According to another embodiment of the invention the extensions 18b, which are hinged
at fold lines 26b, are provided with subextensions 17 which are cut from the side
wall 18a and are therefore on the opposite side of fold lines 26b to the extensions
18b as shown in Fig 8. Fig 9 shows that when extension 18d of 18c is pushed into the
slit vacated by subextensions 17 then 17 will be displaced and rotated on its hinge
as shown by arrow 30 thus providing a tendency for 18b to find its way between 18c
and 21 as seen when erect ready for application in Fig 10 so that it will become trapped
when secured to bottles as shown by Fig 11.
[0031] The tendency described is important to the apparatus because if 18b were to slip
slightly to the other side of perpendicular then it would not deflect into the angle
between 18c and 21 and there is no convenient control method for the apparatus to
operate inside the holder therefore here again the holder is a part of the apparatus
for application of the holder to containers. This is especially important where the
holder must be erected in one place and transported to another place for application,
such as a row of bottles inside a crate for the apparatus to operate the therein.
The holders described are ideal for crated bottles particularly where the crates have
separators between the individual bottles.
[0032] Such transport apparatus through retention of the holder is a further feature of
the invention, in one embodiment the necks of the bottle are used to retain the holders
immediately prior to application but in another embodiment there is provided a probe
able to project through openings in the Second Member 2,Fig 10, and which openings
it'must have because it is shaped to fit to the upper wall 21 through which the bottle
closures will project. The probe is therefore central with the final position of a
bottle and able to retain an erected holder in that position.The probe 31. carries
means able to engage a holder for instance by a head slightly larger than the opening
23 able to penetrate between the free ends of the tabs 22 and so pick up the holder
positioned below it and transport it as required. The holder can then be removed onto
the bottles and then applied to them by the decent of the Second Member 2,on the support
member 3, to collapse 18c, 18b and 21 together, and similarly collapse 20b and 21
together, as in Figs 4 to 5 onto bottle 32 and in Fig 11 onto bottles 34 where the
holder is secured without any gluing cost the . apparatus will then retract as described
for Fig 5.
[0033] It will be understood that such transport means can be used with any supporting machine
arrangement for the apparatus and with any form of the blank, however a particularly
suitable arrangement for applying holders to crated bottles would include a number
of such apparatus for a single application to a full crate of bottles and fixed to
act as one, first moving to a position over a group of erected holders by passing
them through an erecting tunnel, the apparatus moving down to pick up the holders
on the probes 31, the apparatus moving up and on to
' a position over the centres of the bottles in the crate, then down so that the probe
31 will stop short of the bottles and the Second Members 2 will pull the holder from
the probe and continue down to stop with the holders applied to the bottles before
returning to repeat the cycle. Additionally a second group of apparatus could make
a similar travel such that while the first group of apparatus moves down to pick up
holders the other moves down in harness to apply its holder group and while the two
groups of apparatus are up the crate is replaced with another crate of bottles without
holders, therefore a relatively slow and simple machine could provicb a good output
due to the quantity of bottles in a crate.
[0034] In addition to the above simple machine for operation in accordance with the invention,
another such machine for operation in accordance with the invention will now be described
because it shows by way of example the special substrate required where the bottles
are of one type but are not the same height due to industrial glassware manufacturing
tolerance and where such bottle are returnable and are there- forefrom different batches,
or made by different manufacturers at different times.
[0035] It will be understood from previous description that the blank when folded into a
holder must necessarily be straight with straight longitudinal lines of fold, therefore
the bottle's closures and any downwardly facing rim used by the holder must be all
in line as the holder is applied,as shown diagramaticallyby Fig 12, regardless of
any individual bottle height. Such returnable bottles are usually capped by a crown-closure
and transported in crates made from plastics material and which is inherently semi-flexible,
usually polypropylene. However such crates are themselves very irregular and at their
point of support for the bottles which adds to the irregularity of the bottle height.
One reason for irregularity of the crate is that they are moulded while hot and on
cooling there are internal stresses which show up as distortions upon reheating, for
such purpose as washing, this is known as "memory" in the plastics trade.
[0036] Also such crates are subject to wear and other forms of distortion. Therefore the
irregularity of support for the bottom of the irregular bottles, as diagramatically
shown by Fig 13 make it even more difficult to achieve the situation shown by Fig
12 and which is necessary. Therefore an important part of the present invention is
the substrate refered to in claim 1 and which may be substantially flat for the support
of disposable bottles made in the same batch of glassware but which substrate may
be of special formation and diagramaticall shown by Fig 14. Fig 14, like Fig312 and
13 are greatly exaggerated since the real deviation, if drawn to scale,would not be
discernable. Figure 14 shows the base (A) with spring loaded plungers (I) which are
best understood with reference to Figs 15, 16 and 17.
[0037] Refering to Figsl5, 16 and 17 together, (D) is a slat feed conveyor for carrying
crates forward to the substrate which supports the bottles in this way and which I
call the Equalising Bed 35 generally, and located for instance in the machine shown
by Fig 17 as 35. The Equalising Bed has spring loaded rails (B) on each side to support
the crate 36 as they are pushed forward by flights 37 to ensure correct timing. The
spring loading of the rail support (C) is only sufficient to carry the filled crate
so that rail (B) will collapse when the bottles within the semi- flexible crate 36
are pressed down against the central resisting pungers (G), outer resisting plungers
(H) and corner resisting plungers (I).
[0038] The bottles are pressed downwardly by an embodiment of the invention shown by Fig
18 wherein similar reference letters are used. One difference being that the side
skirts 11 of the apparatus are removed and another difference is that flat spring
plates 38 are fixed to each side, the plates having a cleft 39 coinciding with each
side of the bottle for centering the bottles when the apparatus is in the downward
position, see the lower part of Fig 18. However the main difference is that there
is an additional level surface 40 for pressing the top of the bottles until the tallest
bottle is pressed level because the additional level surface 40 is set to push downwardly
until it reaches the lowest bottles normally encountered. Therefore the tallest bottles
are displaced downwardly by flexing the semi-flexible crate and the plunger which
supports it.
[0039] The plungers (G),(H)and (I) are shown supported by compression springs (J) which
are in turn supported by pressure control thimbles (K) which are held by lock-nuts
(L). (N) is a plunger retaining plate. (M) is the light springs for controlling the
collapsing side rails (B). (F) is a protective membrane sheet. (E) is a slat conveyor
for removing the crate after the holders have been applied to the bottles by them
being moved forward again by the flights 37.
[0040] Refering to Fig 18, the platen 41 carries the apparatus and only one of the bottle
centre lines of action is shown. The probe 31 is spring loaded in the downward direction
and it is controlled by it being held upwardly by the platen, excepting that it can
only move downwardly to its limit shown at 31C. The sequence of operation is that;
the crate of capped bottles moves into position on rails (B) above the Equalising
Bed 35 and below the platen 41 which is drawn down as a controlled press action after
a row of carrier blanks 42, see Fig 17, has moved under the apparatus and a holder
42 is moved under the apparatus for application as shown by Fig 18.
[0041] The platen 41 and the apparatus follow the path of the arrow line "Y" of Fig 18 therefore;
the first level is 41A with the probe pick-up end at 31A; the second level has the
platen level at 41B and the probe pick-up end at 31B has engaged in the holder opening
23 as previously described; the third position has the platen level again at position
41A and the probe at 31A with the holder on it and shown by the chain dot line as
a rectangle, meanwhile the carrier which brought the holder to the position will remove
and pick up another load set of holders in rectangular form for the next cycle; the
third position is where the platen and its apparatus continues on the move down but
where the holder is pulled from the probe at 31C where it stops at the limit of its
travel and said pulling is done by the Second Members 2 as previously described; the
fourth position has the platen in its lowest position 41D with the surfaces of the
apparatus
)and refered to as 40. acting as a press for pushing the highest bottle down to the
height of the lowest bottle by the highest bottles having depressed the plungers below
them and having bent the semi-flexible crate sufficiently to allow the bottle tops
to all be pressed flat by the in-line surfaces 40 and the holders to be fixed to the
bottles by the combined action,of the apparatus, of the vertical pressure, of the
blank holder, of the probe and of the substrate supporting the bottle operating in
unison in accordance with the invention.
[0042] The present invention provides a marked advance in the state of the art through providing
a speedy and efficient apparatus operating in combination with the holders which provide
multipackages able to display the bottle body, its content and label while holding
them firmly to reduce bottle breakage, while saving both money and raw material resources.
lo Apparatus mechanically operated in combination with a retained holder for containers
operable with the containers on a substrate and having a neck portion reducing toward
a downwardly facing rib, the holder comprising a pair of spaced side walls each having
upper and lower longitudinally extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper
edges and preventing relative displacement of the upper edges away from each other,
a lower wall connecting the lower edges and preventing the relative displacement of
the lower edges away from each other, said upper and lower walls having aligned openings
therein, the openings in the lower wall being dimensioned to pass freely over the
rib portion and engage a wider part of the container and the openings in the upper
wall arranged with tabs able to pass over a rib of the container neck or its closure
and engage below it, both side walls able to engage below rib parts of the container
and a longitudinally extending fold line in at least one of the side walls adapted
for engagement with the containers when the containers are disposed between the sidewalls
and when said one side wall is folded inwardly of its upper and lower edges comprised
in one such holder or two such holders sharing one blankby the apparatus; the apparatus
comprising at least one elastomeric spring hinge hinging said at least one first member
formed for applying pressure to said one side wall and fold it inwardly of its upper
and lower edges and caused to fold further inward by a second member of the apparatus
shaped to simultaneously or subsequently apply pressure to the upper wall or walls
until the holder is applied to the containers by the downward operation of the apparatus
and holder onto the bottles, the apparatus thereafter disengaging from the holder
and containers for reuse in combination with another holder and containers on a substrate,the
bottles arranged to occupy the openings of the holder.-
2. Apparatus operated in combination with a retained holder as claimed in claim 1
or claim 2 wherein the second member comprises a part or parts spring hinged along
one longitudinal edge with its free longitudinal edge angled toward the upper wall
and making first contact with the upper wall when moved toward it, a first member
fixed to the second member part and moved by the second member when it is deflected
by the upper wall such that the first member will initiate the inward folding of a
side wall, the second wall member becoming effective when its further displacement
is prevented whereupon further movement against the upper wall will further fold the
side wall and cause the tabs to engage below a rib of the container.
3. Apparatus in operation with a retained holder as claimed in any previous claim
wherein the holder is retained below the second member by means projecting through
the second member for engagement of the holder, for instance means larger than the
said opening in the upper wall arranged with tabs and able to pass through their resistance
for retention on the larger portion of the means until removed by the second member.
4. A holder for application in combination with the apparatus and according to claim
1 comprising a pair of spaced side walls each having upper and lower longitudinally
extending edges, an upper wall connecting the upper edges and preventing relative
displacement of the upper edges away from each other, a lower wall connecting the
lower edges and preventing the relative displacement of the lower edges away from
each other, opening in the upper and lower walls to allow a part of each container
to pass therethrough into the space between the side walls, and a longitudinally extending
fold line in at least one of the side walls to allow said one side wall to fold inwardly
upon the upper and lower edges of said one side wall being displaced one towards the
other to grip each container when disposed between the side walls.
5. A blank for forming the holder according to claim 5 comprising a substantially
rectangular piece of foldable material such as, for example, paperboard divided by
longitudinally extending fold lines into four panels such that two of the panels which
form holder side walls have a third panel therebetween which forms one of the holder
upper and lower walls and the third and fourth panels forming the holder upper and
lower walls have one of the holder sidewalls therebetween, said upper and lower wall
panels having aligned openings therein dimensioned to admit a container part, a further
longitudinally extending fold line formed in at least one of the side wall panels
intermediate the width thereof which fold line is interrupted by a cut line at locations
corresponding to the openings, and means on one longitudinal edge of the blank adapted
for attachment to the other longitudinal edge of the blank.
6. A blank according to claim 5 and application for Europatent No 78300117.5 wherein,
either alone or continuous with another similar blank erectable into a closed four
wall structure without adhesive, the said attachment of one longitudinal edge of the
blank to the other is a join imposed upon a confined angle of the holder when applied
to containers, the join made between laterally interlockable tongue extensions of
wall parts and provided to be arranged each angled one to the other when considered
in edge view with the outside of their confluence engaging with a receptive abutment
part of the holder blank or the blank in co-operation with a part of the containers
when the said one side wall is caused to fold inwardly upon the upper and lower edges
of said one side wall by the upper and lower edges being displaced one toward the
other in combination with the apparatus characterised in that, the said tongue extensions
of the lower wall part below the said further longitudinally extending fold line have
a subextension cut from the lower wall and the main tongue extensions divided from
the lower wall part by the longitudinally extending fold, the free end of the main
tongue extensions arranged to interlock with fixed extensions of the remainder of
the same side wall which upon engagement with the subextensions will turn the free
extension to lie against the higher part of the side wall, such that in combination
with the apparatus the free extensions will become trapped between the fold of the
higher part of the side wall and the upper wall.
7. Apparatus in combination with a retained holder for containers as claimed in any
preceeding claim wherein the erected holder on containers is disengaged from the apparatus
by the inner surface of the closed members formed to allow the apparatus to initially
retract from the erected holder before the spring hinge must move to allow further
retraction of the apparatus.
8 . Apparatus as claimed in any preceeding claim wherein the spring hinge is fixed
to the first or second member in such a manner to the support member that force action
of the support member will result in a vectored force action of the first and second
members.
9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceeding claim wherein spring members depending from
each side of the apparatus will engage the upper part of the container for centering
the container below the apparatus, said springs deflecting during application of the
holder by the apparatus.
10. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim and wherein the said substrate is
provided by means comprising in an individual support below each container, the supports
each of similar height and retained vertically by compressable material and which
compressability may be adjustable, such that when the container upper parts are pressed
downward for application during the application of holders according to the invention
the said pressure applied is able to cause the container upper parts to be level by
any irregularity of the container height, for instance returnable bottles filled,
closed and loaded into crates, being accommodated by the compressable material below
the application of pressure by parts of the apparatus which are all level.