Heat shrunk carrier for bottles

Claim 2

A package of articles comprising: a plurality of articles; a thermoplastic wrapping film material under tension around said articles to substantially enclose and tightly hold the same as a package having upwardly extending sides and a top having an openable upper surface with a weakened portion of defined pattern to permit opening of said upper surface in the vicinity defined by said weakened portion with the opening being of sufficient size to enable removal of said articles from and insertion of articles into said package; and a handle of thermoplastic film positioned over said upper surface and having first and second end portions, said first end portion being overlappingly attached to a first upwardly extending side portion of said wrapping film which is under tension, said attachment of said first end portion being at a position which extends below the level of said weakened portion, said second end portion being overlappingly attached to a second upwardly extending side portion of said wrapping film which is under tension, said attachment of said second end portion being at a position which extends below the level of said weakened portion and is at an opposite side of said package from the position of attachment of said first end portion, said first and second attachments being sufficiently below the level of said weakened portion so that when said package is carried by said handle said attachments extend below the level of said weakened portion and said package remains intact when said weakened portion is opened and said package is carried by said handle with said articles therein, and said handle having a portion between said end portions which is unattached to said package.

Claim 3

A package as claimed in claim 1 in which said films are polyethylene or polypropylene.

Claim 4

A package as claimed in claim 1 in which said handle film is molecularly oriented at least in the general direction from said first end portion to said second end portion.

Claim 5

A package as claimed in claim 3 in which said articles are upstanding containers having an inwardly inclined upper portion and are positioned in a side-by-side relationship.

Claim 6

A package as claimed in claim 4 in which said weakened portion is vertically beneath said handle.

Claim 7

A package as claimed in claim 5 in which said weakened portion comprises a plurality of perforations through said upper surface extending at least partly in a line between the tops of articles and generally parallel to said handle.

Claim 8

A package as claimed in claim 6 in which said films are polyethylene or polypropylene.

Claim 9

A package as claimed in claim 7 in which said wrapping film is high density polyethylene and said handle film is low density polyethylene which is molecularly oriented in at least the general direction from said first end portion towards said second end portion.

Claim 10

A package of claim 1 in which said weakened portion is positioned vertically beneath said handle and said weakened portion extends in the direction towards the locations of said attachment of first and second end portions.

Claim 11

A package as claimed in claim 1 in which said handle first end portion and second end portion are heat-sealed to said package.

Claim 12

A package as claimed in claim 10 in which said handle film end portions are heat-shrunk during heat-sealing.

Claim 13

A package of claim 11 in which said weakened portion is positioned vertically beneath said handle, and said weakened portion extends in the direction towards the locations of said attachment of first and second end portions.

Claim 14

A package of claim 11 in which said articles are plastic containers.

Claim 15

A package as claimed in claim 13 in which said films are polyethylene or polypropylene.

Claim 16

A package of containers comprising: a plurality of containers in side-by-side, upstanding position, said containers having inwardly directed upper portions; a thermoplastic wrapping film under tension heat-shrunk around said containers to substantially enclose and tightly hold the same as a package having a bottom, upwardly extending first and second opposite ends, a top having an upper surface, and upwardly extending, opposite sides between said ends which sides are horizontally longer than said ends, said upper surface having a weakened portion of a defined pattern to permit opening of said upper surface in the vicinity defined by said weakened portion with the opening being of sufficient size to enable removal of said containers from and insertion of said containers into said package; and a handle of thermoplastic film positioned over said upper surface and having first and second end portions, said first end portion being overlappingly attached to the upper portion of said first end of said package by shrinking and heat sealing said first end portion to said wrapping film, said attachment of said first end portion being at a position which extends below the level of said weakened portion, said second end portion being overlappingly attached to the upper portion of said second end of said package by shrinking and heat sealing said second end portion to said wrapping film, said attachment of said second end portion being at a position which extends below the level of said weakened portion, said attachments being sufficiently below the level of said weakened portion so that when said package is carried by said handle said attachments extend below the level of said weakened portion and said package remains intact when said weakened portion is opened and said package is carried by said handle with said containers therein, and said handle having a portion between said end portions which is unattached to said package.

Claim 17

A package of containers comprising: a plurality of containers in side-by-side, upstanding position, said containers having inwardly directed upper portions; a thermoplastic wrapping film under tension heat-shrunk around said containers to substantially enclose and tightly hold the same as a package having a bottom, upwardly extending first and second opposite ends, a top having an upper surface, and upwardly extending, opposite sides between said ends which sides are horizontally longer than said ends, said upper surface having a weakened portion of a defined pattern to permit opening of said upper surface in the vicinity defined by said weakened portion with the opening being of sufficient size to enable removal of said containers from and insertion of said containers into said package; and a handle of thermoplastic film positioned over said upper surface and having first and second end portions, said first end portion being overlappingly attached to the upper portion of said first end of said package by shrinking and heat sealing said first end portion to said wrapping film, said attachment of said first end portion being at a position which extends below the level of said weakened portion, said second end portion being overlappingly attached to the upper portion of said second end of said package by shrinking and heat sealing said second end portion to said wrapping film, said attachment of said second end portion being at a position which extends below the level of said weakened portion, said attachments being sufficiently below the level of said weakened portion so that when said package is carried by said handle said attachments extend below the level of said weakened portion and said package remains intact when said weakened portion is opened and said package is carried by said handle with said containers therein, and said handle having a portion between said end portions which is unattached to said package.

Claim 18

A package as claimed in claim 15 in which said containers are thermoplastic.

Claim 19

A package as claimed in claim 15 in which said films are polyethylene or polypropylene.

Claim 20

A package as claimed in claim 15 in which the defined pattern in said upper surface comprises perforations vertically beneath said handle.

Claim 21

A package as claimed in claim 18 in which said perforations extend generally parallel to said handle.

Claim 22

A package as claimed in claim 19 in which said films are polyethylene or polypropylene.

Claim 23

A package as claimed in claim 20 in which said wrapping film is high density polyethylene and said handle film is low density polyethylene which is molecularly oriented in at least the general direction from said first end portion towards said second end portion.

Claim 24

A package as claimed in claim 21 in which said films have a thickness of about 1 to 4 mils.

Claim 25

A package as claimed in claim 22 in which said containers are thermoplastic.

Claim 26

A package as claimed in claim 23 in which said high density polyethylene forming the wrapping film is molecularly oriented in at least the direction of wrapping around said articles.