Special receptacle or package – Structural features for vertical stacking – i.e. – similar... – Closure structure specified for stacking
Patent
1999-02-01
2000-07-04
Castellano, Stephen
Special receptacle or package
Structural features for vertical stacking, i.e., similar...
Closure structure specified for stacking
220619, B65D 21036
Patent
active
060825413
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to containers, and finds particular application in cans of human and animal food products.
Canned products are conventionally sold in single cans, or in bulk in shrink-wrapped trays of cans. Canned products are sometimes sold in so called multipacks of for example 3 or 4 cans, held together by shrink-wrapping or board.
Conventional cans may be able to sit stably one on top of another; however, they must be held together, such as by shrink wrapping, while being handled. Further, it is not currently possible to stack cans having ring pull openings, since a can may bear on a ring pull below, damaging the ring pull or causing the line of weakness around the can lid to fail. Currently, ring pull cans are transported in trays in single layers. This is expensive, particularly for small capacity cans, and means that the label on the can is largely obscured if the entire tray is placed on retail shelves.
Cans are generally of standard sizes. Conventionally, multipacks contain cans of one size only. Switching production from one size of can to another can cause delays in production, as machinery is altered to handle the new size of can.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a stackable container, several of which can be locked together to form a stable substantially rigid stack which can withstand handling during production and transport without being further secured. This is provided by a container, such as a can, having a lid carrying a substantially peripheral rim, a base, a side wall and a generally peripheral skirt around the base, preferably continuously, extending away from the container body adapted to resiliently fit over the rim of another similar container.
Preferably, the rim and the skirt are shaped to interlock when the skirt of one container is resiliently fitted over the rim of another similar container.
Preferably, the side wall is necked at the lid end so that the rim lies inside the perimeter defined by the side wall. Alternatively, the lower portion of the container is flared outward, so that the skirt can fit over the rim of another container.
Preferably, the skirt defines a channel on its inward facing side.
Preferably the container is a metal can, and particularly preferably a two piece container, such as a so called draw and redraw (DRD) can, in which the side wall and base are of one piece and the lid is of a second piece. In this case, the skirt is continuous with the side wall and the base, and the rim is the seal between the side wall and the lid.
In the case of cylindrical containers the skirt of one preferably fits over the rim of another with a friction fit as well as a resilient fit to prevent relative rotational movement of stacked containers.
The invention also provides a stack of at least two containers according to the invention.
The invention also provides a method of processing a plurality of containers in which the containers are stacked prior to being processed. Preferably, the process is adapted for containers of a first height and the containers to be processed are of a height or heights less than the first height in which the containers to be processed are stacked to a height substantially equal to the first height.
Containers according to the invention can be stacked together immediately after being filled and sealed so that subsequent production steps are carried out on the stack. This means that several smaller containers, for example, two 200 g cans, can be stacked together and processed in the same equipment as a single 400 g can, without alteration of the equipment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
Containers according to the invention can be stacked prior to retail sale to allow multipacks to be provided without the need for shrink wrapping or other means to secure the containers together.
The stacks of containers can contain more than one variety of product and more than one size of container.
Different types of container can be stacked together; for example, a can of a wet product can be sta
REFERENCES:
patent: 2759628 (1956-08-01), Sokoloff
patent: 3272671 (1966-09-01), Gaylord
patent: 3912109 (1975-10-01), Essex, Jr. et al.
patent: 5169017 (1992-12-01), Cooper et al.
patent: 5740914 (1998-04-01), Herzog
Castellano Stephen
Mars U.K. Limited
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