Shrink pack construction and method

Claim 2

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding containers, comprising a panel of relatively stiff board substantially covering the included area of at least the central part of the top end of the cluster, and circumferential wrap of shrunk plastic sheet extending continuously over said panel and over said top end of the cluster, said plastic sheet also extending over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster and bonded at spaced locations along ends which overlap each other in the generally central region of the bottom end of said cluster, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the transverse limits of said cluster, whereby in shrunk condition the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the transverse limits of said cluster, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the central parts of said bottom end, and further whereby the stress of shrunk sheet material at bottom outer edges of the cluster is locally reduced in the regions between bonded locations.

Claim 3

A packaged cluster according to claim 1, in which said panel includes at opposite sides thereof downwardly extending side flanges respectively overlapping at least part of the corresponding opposite upstanding sides of said cluster.

Claim 4

A packaged cluster according to claim 1, in which said panel substantially covers the included area of one end of the cluster.

Claim 5

A packaged cluster according to claim 3, in which said panel includes at opposite sides thereof downwardly extending side flanges respectively overlapping at least part of the corresponding opposite upstanding sides of the cluster, at least in the region of the containers centrally loacted in said cluster.

Claim 6

A packaged cluster according to claim 1, in which the number of containers is six, arrayed in two adjacent rows of three adjacent containers.

Claim 7

The packaged cluster of claim 1, in which said panel has a maximum dimension of extent short of the corresponding dimension of said cluster.

Claim 8

The packaged cluster of claim 6, in which said panel has a second dimension transverse to said maximum dimension and substantially equal to the diameter of a can.

Claim 9

The packaged cluster of claim 7, in which said sheet has finger-access openings adjacent transversely opposed sides of said panel.

Claim 10

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding prismatic containers arrayed in side-by-side adjacency along a horizontally extending elongation axis, and a circumferential wrap of a single shrunk plastic sheet surrounding said cluster, said plastic sheet having a longitudinal axis characterized by a shrink-energy factor which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said axis, the longitudinal axis of said sheet extending in said wrap transverse to the elongation of said array, namely over the top ends of said containers and continuously over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster, said sheet being bonded at spaced locations along longitudinal ends of said sheet which overlap each other at the bottom ends of said containers in tHe elongation direction of said array, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the elongation limits of said array; whereby in shrunk condition, the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the elongation limits of said array, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the region of the alignment of the bottom ends of said containers, and further whereby the stress of shrunk sheet material at bottom outer edges of the cluster is locally reduced in the regions between bonded locations.

Claim 11

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding prismatic containers arrayed in side-by-side adjacency along a horizontally extending elongation axis, and a circumferential wrap of a single shrunk plastic sheet surrounding said cluster, said plastic sheet having a longitudinal axis characterized by a shrink-energy factor which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said axis, the longitudinal axis of said sheet extending in said wrap transverse to the elongation of said array, namely over the top ends of said containers and continuously over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster, said sheet being bonded at spaced locations along longitudinal ends of said sheet which overlap each other at the bottom ends of said containers in tHe elongation direction of said array, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the elongation limits of said array; whereby in shrunk condition, the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the elongation limits of said array, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the region of the alignment of the bottom ends of said containers, and further whereby the stress of shrunk sheet material at bottom outer edges of the cluster is locally reduced in the regions between bonded locations.

Claim 14

The method of claim 10, in which said plastic sheet is selectively bondable and shrinkable at a temperature above normal room temperature, and in which said atmosphere is air which is heated sufficiently above ambient to promote bonding and shrinking.

Claim 15

The method of claim 10, which includes the additional steps of selecting a top panel to cover at least a central region of said one end of said cluster, and applying said panel over said one end of said cluster before applying the plastic sheet.

Claim 16

The method of claim 12, in which the panel is of greater dimensional extent than one of the dimensions of the top of said cluster and in which the panel ends are down-turned as integral flanges adjacent corresponding parts of opposite upstanding sides of said cluster, prior to the application of said sheet.

Claim 17

The method of claim 13, in which the selection of said panel includes removal of panel material at finger-access cut-outs, said panel being applied to the top of said cluster with the finger-access cut-outs aligned with spaces between containers, and locally puncturing said plastic sheet at the region of its localized registry with the finger-access cut-outs, said puncturing being prior to exposure to the shrinking and bonding atmosphere, whereby the shrinking and bonding atmosphere expands the punctured sheet-material openings and effects a fused peripheral edge defining each of the expanded openings.

Claim 18

The method of claim 13, in which the sheet material is characterized by a shrink-energy factor in the longitudinal direction which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said direction, said puncturing at the cut-out locations being a single slitting on a slit axis substantially aligned with the direction of lesser shrink-energy factor.

Claim 19

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding cylindrical containers arrayed in paired side-by-side adjacency along a horizonally extending elongation axis, a panel of relatively stiff board elongated to span a centrally located one of said pairs and being of width at least no greater than substantially a container diameter, and a circumferential wrap of a single shrunk plastic sheet surrounding said cluster and board, said plastic sheet having a longitudinal axis characterized by a shrink-energy factor which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said axis, the longitudinal axis of said sheet extending in said wrap transverse to the elongation of said array, namely over the top ends of said containers and continuously over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster, said sheet being bonded at spaced locations along the longitudinal ends thereof whicH overlap each other at the bottom ends of said containers in the elongation direction of said array, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the elongation limits of said array; whereby in shrunk condition, the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the elongation limits of said array, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the region of the alignment of the bottom ends of said containers, and further whereby said sheet adjacent the elongated sides of said panel is of single thickness, for ready finger-grasping contact with the sides of said panel by local finger entry through said sheet.

Claim 20

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding cylindrical containers arrayed in paired side-by-side adjacency along a horizonally extending elongation axis, a panel of relatively stiff board elongated to span a centrally located one of said pairs and being of width at least no greater than substantially a container diameter, and a circumferential wrap of a single shrunk plastic sheet surrounding said cluster and board, said plastic sheet having a longitudinal axis characterized by a shrink-energy factor which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said axis, the longitudinal axis of said sheet extending in said wrap transverse to the elongation of said array, namely over the top ends of said containers and continuously over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster, said sheet being bonded at spaced locations along the longitudinal ends thereof whicH overlap each other at the bottom ends of said containers in the elongation direction of said array, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the elongation limits of said array; whereby in shrunk condition, the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the elongation limits of said array, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the region of the alignment of the bottom ends of said containers, and further whereby said sheet adjacent the elongated sides of said panel is of single thickness, for ready finger-grasping contact with the sides of said panel by local finger entry through said sheet.

Claim 21

A packaged cluster according to claim 16, in which the number of containers is six, with said panel spanning the central pair of said containers, said panel extending in the direction across said pair at least no more than the combined span of the containers of said pair.

Claim 22

A packaged cluster according to claim 17, in which said containers are chimed at the ends spanned by said panel, and in which the longitudinal ends of said panel are contoured to engage within the chimes of said central pair, whereby the central location of said panel is stabilized.

Claim 23

A packaged cluster according to claim 17, in which the longitudinal ends of said panel are apertured and folded downwardly over parts of the opposite outer sides of said central pair, said apertures having adjacent edges spaced by a span less than the maximum combined span of the tops of said central pair, whereby the shrunken plastic sheet may conform directly to the top outer edge curvature of said central pair, substantially unimpeded by the folds of said panel.

Claim 24

A packaged cluster of plural containers having opposed longitudinal ends and parallel-oriented in transversely arrayed adjacency, said containers having cylindrical bodies with generally circular bottoms, and a circumferential wrap of a single shrunk plastic sheet surrounding said cluster, said plastic sheet having a longitudinal axis characterized by a shrink-energy factor which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said axis, the longitudinal axis of said sheet extending in said wrap transverse to the elongation of said array, namely over both ends of said containers and continuously over adjacent opposite lateral sides of said cluster with overlap at the bottom of the cluster along a general alignment which extends in the elongation direction of said array, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the elongation limits of said array, the overlapping ends of said sheet being bonded at spaced locations along the overlap region, said spaced locations being offset from the centers of said containers; whereby, in shrunk condition, the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the elongation limits of the array, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the region of overlap, and whereby the bonded regions between and otherwise offset from container centers assure container contour conformation in the shrunk sheet without undue stress in those regions of the sheet material which are local to bottom outer edges of the cluster.

Claim 25

A packaged cluster of plural containers having opposed longitudinal ends and parallel-oriented in transversely arrayed adjacency, said containers having cylindrical bodies with generally circular bottoms, and a circumferential wrap of a single shrunk plastic sheet surrounding said cluster, said plastic sheet having a longitudinal axis characterized by a shrink-energy factor which substantially exceeds the shrink-energy factor transverse to said axis, the longitudinal axis of said sheet extending in said wrap transverse to the elongation of said array, namely over both ends of said containers and continuously over adjacent opposite lateral sides of said cluster with overlap at the bottom of the cluster along a general alignment which extends in the elongation direction of said array, said sheet having an undeformed width dimension exceeding and projecting beyond the elongation limits of said array, the overlapping ends of said sheet being bonded at spaced locations along the overlap region, said spaced locations being offset from the centers of said containers; whereby, in shrunk condition, the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the elongation limits of the array, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the region of overlap, and whereby the bonded regions between and otherwise offset from container centers assure container contour conformation in the shrunk sheet without undue stress in those regions of the sheet material which are local to bottom outer edges of the cluster.

Claim 26

The method of claim 20, in which the spaced shielded localities are positioned along the region of overlap to substantially correspond with the transverse positions of said containers; whereby local bonding is offset from container centers.

Claim 27

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding containers arrayed in side-by-side adjacency along a horizontally extending elongation axis, and a circumferential wrap of shrunk plastic sheet extending continuously over the top end of the cluster, said plastic sheet also extending over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster and bonded at spaced locations along ends which overlap each other in the generally central region of the bottom end of said cluster, said sheet having an undeformed width dimensiOn exceeding and projecting beyond the transverse limits of said cluster, whereby in shrunk condition the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the transverse limits of said cluster, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the central parts of said bottom end, and further whereby the stress of shrunk sheet material at bottom outer edges of the cluster is locally reduced in the regions between bonded locations.

Claim 28

A packaged cluster of plural like upstanding containers arrayed in side-by-side adjacency along a horizontally extending elongation axis, and a circumferential wrap of shrunk plastic sheet extending continuously over the top end of the cluster, said plastic sheet also extending over adjacent opposite upstanding sides of said cluster and bonded at spaced locations along ends which overlap each other in the generally central region of the bottom end of said cluster, said sheet having an undeformed width dimensiOn exceeding and projecting beyond the transverse limits of said cluster, whereby in shrunk condition the projecting portions of the sheet envelop at least parts of the transverse limits of said cluster, with double-thickness material bonded at spaced locations in the central parts of said bottom end, and further whereby the stress of shrunk sheet material at bottom outer edges of the cluster is locally reduced in the regions between bonded locations.

Claim 29

A packaged cluster according to claim 22, in which said sheet material is low-density polyethylene.

Claim 30

A packaged cluster according to claim 23, in which said sheet material is in the order of 1-mil thickness.

Claim 31

A packaged cluster according to claim 22, in which said containers have cylindrical bodies with circular bottoms, said bonding being at spaced locations in the direction of said array and at regions removed from but adjacent to the tangential-abutment regions of the bottoms of adjacent containers.

Claim 32

A packaged cluster according to claim 25, in which said containers are arrayed as two adjacent arrays on parallel horizontally extending elongation axes, whereby at the bottom ends of said containers the overlapped sheet ends overstand generally diamond-shaped open areas between adjacent bottoms of said containers, said bonding being primarily in said overlapped sheet ends in said open areas.