Patent Application

App. No. 12/424,139

Abstract

Claims (33)

1 . A product multi-pack comprising:

a plurality of elongate generally circumferentially symmetrically shaped product containers, each having a bottom region, an open top closed by a cap and a tubular wall extending there between, with the wall provided with a label having a front portion extending about a limited section of the wall circumference;

a carton sized to display the plurality of product containers retained therein, the carton having an open face exposing a portion of the product container wall; and

a locator web formed of a thin sheet of plastic having a plurality of spaced apart apertures formed therein and sized to be at least partially elastically deformed when installed over the caps of the product containers;

wherein the locator web provides frictional resistance to rotation of the product containers enabling the containers to be positioned and held in place relative to the carton open face so that the label front portions are visible.

2 . The product multi-pack of claim 1 wherein the carton is sized to contain at least two product containers.

3 . The product multi-pack of claim 2 wherein the carton is sized to contain two product containers.

4 . The product multi-pack of claim 2 wherein the carton is sized to contain three product containers.

5 . The product multi-pack of claim 1 wherein the cap of the product containers has an outer diameter that is larger than a corresponding inner diameter of the aperture, such that an interference fit is formed when the cap is inserted into the aperture of the web, the interference fit providing the frictional resistance to rotation of the container.

6 . The product multi-pack of claim 1 wherein the web has a width approximately equal to the maximum diameter of the product containers and a length approximately equal to the width multiplied by the number of product containers interconnected by the web.

7 . An elongate web member comprising:

a thin elongate strip of flexible elastically deformable plastic having a longitudinal length, a transverse width and a thickness, the strip provided with:

a series of generally centrally oriented longitudinally aligned spaced apart apertures sized to receive an end portion of a product container;

a series of transversely spaced apart pairs of perforations longitudinally spaced along the length of the strip for cooperation with a drive sprocket; and

a series of transverse slits extending partially across the width of the strip and terminating short the opposed transverse edges thereof, with at least two apertures and three pairs of perforations in each of a plurality of web portions located between adjacent slits;

wherein the section of the strip interconnecting adjacent web portions may be severed after product containers are loaded in the apertures to form a subassembly of linked product containers.

8 . The elongate web member claim 7 wherein the web portion between adjacent slits includes two apertures each sized to contain one product container.

9 . The elongate web member claim 7 wherein the web portion between adjacent slits includes three apertures each sized to contain one product container.

10 . The elongate web member of claim 7 wherein the web has a width approximately equal to the maximum diameter of the product containers and a length approximately equal to the width multiplied by the number of product containers interconnected by the web.

11 . The elongate web member of claim 7 wherein the web is formed of polyethylene.

12 . The elongate web member of claim 7 wherein the web is formed of low density polyethylene.

13 . A method of packaging at least two generally circumferentially symmetrically shaped product containers provided with a label having a front portion extending about a limited section of the circumference in an open face carton, comprising:

inserting an end of each of at least two product containers into one of a plurality of spaced apart apertures in a plastic web;

optically sensing the orientation of the product containers;

automatically rotating the product containers to a desired position based on the sensed orientation and the location of the label front portion; and

enclosing the at least two product containers and the interconnecting plastic web into an open face multi-pack carton so that the label front portions of the plurality of product containers are oriented to be visible through the carton open face.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein each aperture elastically deforms when the end of the product container is inserted, thereby the aperture conforms to and frictionally engages the end of the product container.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein a pair of drive members frictionally engage the product containers to automatically rotate the product containers relative to the web so that the label position of the product container when released from the drive members is in a desired position based on the sensed orientation and the location of the label front portion.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising cutting the web at spaced apart positions between adjacent apertures forming a plurality of product containers interconnected by a web segment with the labels oriented in a desired position.

17 . The method of claim 13 wherein the ends of two product containers are inserted into the apertures of the web.

18 . The method of claim 13 wherein the ends of three product containers are inserted into the apertures of the web.

19 . The method of claim 17 wherein the two product containers are enclosed in the open face multi-pack, thereby forming a two-pack.

20 . The method of claim 18 wherein the three product containers are enclosed in the open face multi-pack, thereby forming a three-pack.

Assignments (8)