APPLICATOR SYSTEM FOR COUPLING AT LEAST ONE CARRIER TO A SET OF DRINK CANS TO FORM ONE OR MORE PACKAGES

Description

CROSS REFERENCE

This application is a national stage entry application under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/CL2022/050092 filed on 13 Sep. 2022, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present patent application is applicable in the technical field of packaging. More specifically, it refers to an applicator system for attaching at least one carrier to a set of beverage can containers to form one or more can packages.

BACKGROUND

In the field of containers for holding beverages, cans for containing drinks, soft drinks, beers, or similar are widely known; normally, cans offer a content volume that represents an individual consumption portion, so it is possible to find cans of different capacities on the market, typically ranging from 150 ml to even 500 ml.

As individual containers, they are usually marketed in groups, forming packages that allow for manual handling and transport by a consumer at a point of sale; these final packages are typically sets of 4 or 6 cans, with some special packages containing two or eight cans.

Among the means known to form these packages are complete wrapping means, such as plastic wrapping sheets or cardboard wrapping sheets forming a kind of box with pre-cut lines; but there are also so-called top carriers, which are generally plate-shaped pieces with circular cutouts into which the necks of the cans are inserted and held; in the case of plastic carriers, they are rings that elastically deform to be retained under the rims of the cans; meanwhile, in the case of cardboard carriers, they have a plurality of radial tabs or flaps arranged around the perimeter of circular cutouts that receive the cans and are fitted under the rim of each can. Examples of these two types of top carriers are described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,109 by Rapata.

Within this group of cardboard top carriers for grouping cans, two main groups can be distinguished: those formed by a plate with complete cutouts that, when inserted around the rim of the can, leave the top of the can completely visible, devoid of any cover, as can be seen in the carrier of U.S. Pat. No. 11,420,802 by Kooc; and in another group, there are carriers that have partial openings that also fit partially under the rim of the can but retain a portion of the cardboard to cover the tops of the cans, as exemplified in the application WO03004376 by Karlsson or in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,178 by Davies.

Specifically, the present disclosure aims to provide an applicator system for attaching a cardboard carrier of the latter type mentioned; more specifically, it is developed to apply a carrier of a type that has upper covers that extend over the tops of the cans, but that, unlike the previously mentioned carriers, the distribution of the covers is of the radial type from a central portion of the carrier that remains above the cans, so that the openings of the carrier to receive the cans are incomplete arc-shaped openings that leave a bridge portion for joining the aforementioned covers to the central portion of the carrier, so that once this carrier is installed over the set of cans, a wide upper plane is formed by the central portion and the covers, suitable for advertising printing on the upper face of the package.

This type of special carrier is the basis for the development of the present disclosure and is extensively described in the application WO2021179099 by Herrera, the inventor who is also the applicant of the present disclosure. In this top carrier, the cutouts or openings are of incomplete elliptical contour and have retaining flaps that decrease in height as they approach the point of origin of the covering flaps; these retaining flaps are fitted under the raised rim of the can; each opening is surrounded by a portion of material in the shape of an arc, which when the carrier is already attached to the cans, appears as flanges that are bent downwards and surround the conical neck of the cans; between these flanges, there are transition portions between the horizontal central upper plane of the carrier and the outer edges of the flanges. Thus, these transition portions extend downwardly inclined radially from the upper central area.

On the other hand, as a background to understanding the origin of the present disclosure, it is important to know the different types of cans that exist, especially those that are most marketed, as well as it is important to know their shapes and dimensions.

Beverage cans are widely known containers, and they can be distinguished by the following essential parts: first, there is a main body that is of straight cylindrical shape with a smooth surface, at its lower end the base is defined on which the container stands, which has an inverted truncated conical shape; on the other hand, at the upper end, the cans have a portion commonly known as the “neck” of the can; at the upper end of this neck sits the can lid, which corresponds to a circular upper plane where the opening device is located; the peripheral edge of the lid, when joined to the upper end of the neck, defines a joining edge known as the “rim” of the can, which is an annular body that is raised with respect to the upper end of the neck, so that under the rim there is a slight recess, in which a carrier is usually fitted.

Based on this basic configuration of cans, there are different types according to the proportion between the diameter and the height of the body, highlighting three main types, which are, by the way, the most marketed; the first is a can known in the industry as a “slim” can, which has a slender appearance, normally with a content volume of 150, 200, and 250 milliliters; among them, the height varies, but the same body diameter of approximately 53 millimeters is maintained, while the height of the neck is around 9 millimeters.

Then there are the cans known in the industry as “sleek” cans, which are a bit thicker than “slim” cans but still have a slender appearance; the content volume is normally 250, 330, and 355 milliliters; their body height also varies, but all maintain a body diameter (D) of approximately 58 millimeters and the neck height is around 9 millimeters. This can also typically has a diameter (d) of 54 millimeters at the level of the upper rim.

The other type is the classic or standard can, which has a more robust appearance, with a content volume of 330 and 500 milliliters, the height varies, but the same body diameter (D) of 66 millimeters is maintained; the neck height is around 16 millimeters. This can also typically has a diameter (d) of 54 millimeters at the level of the upper rim.

From the above, it is important to note that the classic can and the “sleek” can have the same diameter (d) at the upper rim, but their body diameter (D) varies; therefore, when placing a group of classic cans side by side, the lateral distance between their rims is greater than the distance that occurs between the rims of “sleek” cans. This factor is very relevant to the present disclosure, and it will be developed in detail later in the description.

Now, cardboard carriers are initially flat templates, and to be attached to a group of cans, they must undergo controlled deformation, which is why different applicator systems have been developed to place and secure the carriers on the groups of cans to form packages.

In the state of the art, there are several solutions for applying the carriers onto the cans, all of which have the common characteristic of having a top plate with a plurality of cavities, each cavity arranged to individually surround the rim of each of the already grouped cans; by applying downward pressure, these cavities of the applicators produce deformation in the carrier template to provide the attachment around the rim of the cans. Many of the known solutions also include a press machine that facilitates the application of force on the cans, usually transmitted with a flat upper plate that pushes the applicator component.

The existing solutions also address the problem of how to orderly group the cans before receiving the top carrier; among those solutions are simple container boxes where the cans are arranged in rows and columns to receive one or a set of templates joined together, which once placed in the groups of cans, form as many packages as templates were joined together.

Examples of the above are described in the applications WO2019168747A1 and US2019233145, both by Kooc, where a top applicator in the form of a plate with individual cavities to fit over the rims of the cans is seen, and a lower box where a group of cans is arranged according to the order of the openings in the carrier template. Additionally, the upper plate with the cavities includes a series of lower stops provided around the perimeter of the plate, which serve to guide the sliding of the applicator as it descends and fits between the cans.

Something relatively similar to the previous examples is seen in the application CL2020003307 by Zacherle, a family of the application WO2019245949A1; therein an applicator device is seen and described that allows placing a set of templates joined together over a large group of cans to form several packages of items; it has a dosing base in the form of a box with internal divisions to divide the cans into groups, and an applicator plate with a plurality of individual cavities to receive the top of a plurality of individual cans. In this case, the internal divisions act as confining walls in a common space where the cans are placed side by side, and, unlike the previous solutions, instead of the applicator plate having lower guiding stops, it has vertical stems that emerge from the internal dividing walls of the dosing base, which fit with corresponding perforations present on the underside of the upper applicator plate to generate a guiding effect between them.

In the previous cases, while the arrangement of individual templates or groups of templates over a set or several sets of cans is resolved, and ensures the orderly arrangement of the cans to receive the carriers, it is possible to see that these solutions are not capable of solving the problem of attaching a carrier of the type that has cover portions that remain over the cans; this is seen because the templates have complete circular cutouts and because the multiple cavities of the applicator plates are also complete circles that, by completely surrounding the rim of the can, cause the entire perimeter of the cutouts of the carrier to be hooked under the rims of the cans, also causing the entire carrier to descend as a single plane.

From the above, it is deduced that the solutions mentioned so far would not allow applying a carrier of the type described in the application WO2021179099 by Herrera, already noted as the reason for the development of the present disclosure.

A solution that comes somewhat close to solving the problem of attaching a carrier of the type that leaves a top cover over the cans is described in Italian patent document ITMI20090581A1 by Barozzi, as it describes a machine for placing a carrier that has a cover over the cans, in the form of transverse strips to the package, which remain as rectangular bands over the cans; in that case, the system is for application at an industrial level with handling of large volumes of cans, as it has a machine with continuous feeding endless belts of two rows of cans, which at one point come together to form groupings of six cans, three on each side; these three cans on each side are separated by a lateral applicator in the form of three adjacent concave arches, which fit laterally to the cans to confine them at a certain point forming the group of six cans; then, that group of six cans passes under a top press that has six individual cylindrical projections with a diametrical cut that, when pushed down, allows the carrier to be hooked only by the lateral edges of the rims of the cans, leaving the rectangular cover strips over the cans.

The aforementioned solution, while allowing the placement of a carrier of the type with a top cover, has covers that are a transverse strip, not radial covers that project from a central area of the carrier.

Another problem in the art, which is not addressed by the described solutions, is the appropriate distance that must exist between the grouped slim cans to receive the carrier; this distance relates to the distance between the rims of each can, as mentioned earlier, in the case of slim cans there is very little difference between the diameter of the body and the diameter of the rim, so when confining the cans closely together, the distance between their rims is very small, which would require the design of the carrier to have a very thin section of material between the receiving openings of the cans, making it very weak. This problem does not occur when confining classic cans, as they have a larger body diameter, when placed side by side, the distance between their rims is greater and therefore the carrier can also have a greater width in the separation between its cutouts. If the carrier for classic cans were used on slim cans, there is the problem of providing adequate separation for the cans to fit in the position where the carrier openings are; even so, the result would not be ideal, as a package with very separated cans also results in being weak and very easy to tear.

SUMMARY

For the above reasons, the design of the carrier that is the subject of the present application includes a design for classic cans and one for slim cans, in the latter the separation between the openings of the carrier is less than in the carrier for classic cans, but at the same time, it is not as thin as the distance that occurs if the slim cans are placed closely side by side. In the case of the latter, it is required that the cans be at a greater distance than that given when the cans are closely placed next to each other, so simply grouping them in a type of box as described in the prior art does not resolve this emerging requirement.

For all the above, there arises the need to have an applicator system that allows, on one hand, to apply carriers of the type that have a central upper portion that remains above the grouped cans forming a package; on the other hand, that also allows applying carriers to form one or more packages with different quantities of cans and, additionally, that also allows applying carriers both in groups of classic cans and in slim cans, commonly known in the industry as “slim” or “sleek” cans.

The present disclosure aims to provide an applicator system for attaching at least one carrier to a set of beverage cans to form at least one package, where the carrier is partially attached to the top of a set of already ordered confined cans to form said package.

Another objective is to provide an applicator system formed by a set of applicators that allows attaching carriers for different quantities of cans, for example, for four, six, or more cans, as well as to place a set of carriers temporarily joined together to be applied simultaneously over a larger set of cans, such as, for example, in 24 cans that are then separable into individual packages of fewer cans.

Yet another objective of the present disclosure is to provide an applicator system formed by a set of applicators that allows applying carriers for classic type cans and for slim type cans that require a greater separation distance between them to place a carrier.

An additional objective of the present disclosure is to provide an applicator system formed by a set of lower confining components that allow grouping and properly ordering the cans to receive the carrier or carriers.

The applicator system is for attaching carriers of the type that have a central portion that remains above the cans and from which coplanar covering flaps project over the central portion that cover the top of each of the cans gathered in the package, in order to provide a continuous upper horizontal plane in the package that is not interrupted by the openings where the cans fit, to place advertising or information about the same product on said plane.

The carriers to be placed with the present are for grouping and transporting a set of beverage cans forming a package; it provides a continuous upper surface that protects the cans and increases the available upper area for advertising printing; it includes substantially conical retaining flanges with inclined proximal ends; arc-shaped receiving openings that have a series of radial cuts that form retention flaps under the rim of the can; each receiving opening includes a covering flap that remains attached to the carrier, where each covering flap is coplanar with the central area of the carrier; it also includes transition portions that extend downwardly inclined as a continuation of the upper central area and laterally connect with the flanges.

In a first aspect of the disclosure, a top applicator is provided in the form of a quadrangular plate with flat faces; for this applicator to be capable of applying one or more carriers over the cans to assemble individual or group packages, one of the flat faces includes at least one recess defined by a bottom wall and a multilobular contour; the recess includes a central zone and, around it, as many lobes as the number of cans to be grouped with the same carrier to form a package; where the multilobular contour of the recess includes multiple successive walls in the shape of an arc, whose open portion of each arc is oriented towards said central zone of the recess. The multiple walls in the shape of an arc have a stepped cross-section, and on said flat face of the plate, right where the multilobular contour of the recess is located, a flat outer perimeter edge of the recess is defined.

In the tangential area between a lobe and its adjacent one, a separation wall is formed between lobes, each wall includes a distal end that points towards said central zone of the recess, and the height of said wall, with respect to the bottom wall of the recess, decreases in the direction of said distal end, either through a stepped edge or a beveled edge.

In one embodiment, for example, for four cans, the recess of the top applicator includes four lobes, each with a perimeter equivalent to approximately three-quarters of a circumference; meanwhile, the distal end of each separation wall slightly widens to have a straight outer edge that matches the width of each transition portion in the carrier.

In the case of an embodiment to form packages of six cans, the four lobes at the ends have a cross-section of three-quarters of a circumference; however, the two central lobes, facing each other, have a semicircular cross-section where the inner part of the distal end of their separation walls presents a curved extension that allows the applicator to push the total of the transition portions of the carrier.

In an embodiment of the top applicator for slim cans, the width of the separation walls corresponds to the width of the transition portions of a carrier for slim cans; compared to a carrier for classic cans, these transition portions between openings are wider, since the diameter of classic cans is greater than in the case of slim cans, the separation of the rims is greater and therefore requires the carrier to have a greater width in its transition portions.

To understand which parts of the top applicator act on the carrier placed horizontally over the top of the cans, it must be considered that the shape and dimensions of the bottom wall of the multilobular recess correspond to the shape and dimensions of the set of covering flaps and central area of the carrier, this set of the carrier remains at a level above the upper face of the cans when the carrier is attached to cans to form a package, therefore it does not undergo any deformation due to the top applicator and remains flat horizontal as originally in the carrier template.

That said, then it is the flat outer perimeter edge of the multilobular recess, the separation walls, and also the stepped peripheral walls of the recess that, when pressing the applicator against the top of the cans, exert pressure on the flanges of the carrier, bending them downwards so that they surround the conical portion of the neck of each can; meanwhile, it is the separation walls between lobes that, thanks to their beveled or stepped distal end, exert pressure on the transition portions of the carrier to make them deform downwardly inclined from the upper central area of the carrier towards the perimeter of the carrier.

The steps of the walls in the shape of an arc that form the lobes of the recess correspond to at least two steps, where the step of the bottom of the recess describes a diameter equivalent to the diameter of the rims of the cans, so that once the top applicator has been pressed down to the point where the rim touches the bottom wall of the recess, said rim is surrounded by the first step, forcing the retention flaps present at the edge of the openings in the carrier to be retained under a portion of the rim of the can.

The top applicator also includes straight peripheral walls, perpendicular to said main face where the at least one multilobular contour recess is located. The peripheral walls are at least one for each side of the flat plate that forms the top applicator, and are arranged parallel to the length of each side. Each of these peripheral walls includes an inner face, an opposite outer face, a proximal edge for joining to the flat plate, and an opposite distal edge with a rounded cross-section.

This rounded edge facilitates the movement of the applicator when pushed down, so that there are no straight edges that could cause friction with the cans or with other walls present in a lower component of the system that will be explained later.

The inner faces of the set of straight peripheral walls define an inner perimeter whose width and length are equivalent to the width and length of a carrier in a flat template state, so that in the application process, the carrier is placed within this perimeter where it is contained without the possibility of moving, thus ensuring that when the top applicator is placed over the top of the confined cans, the openings of the carrier align with the rims of the mentioned cans.

Alternatively, said inner faces of the set of straight peripheral walls define an inner perimeter whose width and length are equivalent to the width and length of a set of carriers temporarily joined together to be simultaneously attached to a set of cans to form several packages at once; so that in this embodiment, the system offers a larger applicator to assemble several packages simultaneously, having a larger template that gathers more than one carrier joined together temporarily, for example, through a pre-cut line for easy tearing.

Each of said peripheral straight walls has at least one notch, preferably semicircular, the bottom of the notches being located close to the flat face of the applicator where the multilobular recesses are; the purpose of these notches and why their bottom is located close to the flat face of the applicator is because once the carrier is placed within the perimeter defined by the peripheral straight walls, when the applicator is inverted to place it over the cans, these notches allow the passage of the fingers of an operator to hold the carrier and prevent the carrier from falling; it should be remembered that to operate the upper applicator, the flat face with the one or more multilobular recesses must be pointing downwards to be able to rest on the upper faces of the cans. In one embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a top applicator to form an individual package of four cans, whether these are classic cans or thin cans; in this case, the flat face of the upper applicator includes a single recess with a multilobular contour, where this recess includes four lobes given by four corresponding successive walls in an arc shape.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a top applicator to form an individual package of six cans, whether these are classic cans or thin cans; in this case, the flat face of the upper applicator includes a single recess with a multilobular contour, where this recess includes six lobes given by six corresponding successive walls in an arc shape, three on each side.

In yet another embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a top applicator to form an individual package of eight cans, whether these are classic cans or thin cans; in this case, the flat face of the upper applicator includes two recesses with a multilobular contour, each with four lobes, given by four corresponding successive walls in an arc shape.

In other embodiments of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a top applicator forming more than one package simultaneously, for which it operates with carriers that are temporarily joined together forming a larger template, joined for example through pre-cut lines that allow them to detach easily when applying the carrier or later when separating the assembled packages.

In one embodiment of this version, to simultaneously assemble two packages of four cans each, eight cans in total; the upper applicator includes two recesses with a multilobular contour of four lobes each. In this case, the larger template includes two carriers temporarily joined together, where each carrier has four openings each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble three packages of four cans each, twelve cans in total; the upper applicator includes three recesses with a multilobular contour of four lobes each.

In this case, the larger template includes three carriers temporarily joined together, where each carrier has four openings each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble two packages of six cans each, twelve cans in total; the upper applicator includes two recesses with a multilobular contour of six lobes each. In this case, the larger template includes two carriers, temporarily joined together, where each carrier has six openings each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble four packages of four cans each, sixteen cans in total; the upper applicator includes four recesses with a multilobular contour of four lobes each. In this case, the larger template includes four carriers temporarily joined together, where each carrier has four openings each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble three packages of six cans each, eighteen cans in total; the upper applicator includes three recesses with a multilobular contour of six lobes each. In this case, the larger template includes three carriers temporarily joined together, where each carrier has six openings each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble four packages of six cans each, twenty-four cans in total; the upper applicator includes four recesses with a multilobular contour of six lobes each. In this case, the larger template includes four carriers temporarily joined together, one next to the other, where each carrier has six openings each.

In yet another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble six packages of four cans each, twenty-four cans in total; the upper applicator includes six recesses with a multilobular contour of four lobes each. In this case, the larger template includes six carriers temporarily joined together, where each carrier has four openings each.

Several possible embodiments of the upper applicator have been described; however, these embodiments are just some of the possible examples conceived to form different packages of cans; it will be understood that the embodiments are not limited only to those mentioned here.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a lower confining component is provided to orderly group the cans to receive the carrier and the upper applicator that couples it; it includes a base with at least one confining cavity with a multilobular contour to receive the cans to be grouped; each confining cavity has as many spacer lobes as the number of cans to be confined to form a package.

To intentionally create spacing between the cans, the distance from the center axis to the center axis of adjacent lobes is greater than the distance from the center axis to the center axis of adjacent cans.

This embodiment aims to define an appropriate distance between the thin cans, which as explained earlier, have a smaller body diameter; if they were placed touching each other without any separation, the distance between their upper rims would be very reduced, forcing the carrier to have a very thin transition portion between each opening that receives the cans, making it a weak carrier.

With the solution of the present disclosure, it is possible to design a carrier with a distance between the openings (transition portions) that is greater than the actual distance between thin cans, since what is achieved with the lower confining component is to position the thin cans more spaced apart from each other, at a predetermined distance, to receive a carrier of dimensions with more resistant transition portions.

In the case of classic cans, since a greater distance is produced between their rims, it is possible to confine and arrange them in a lower component that does not necessarily have spacer cavities; in this case, it would be sufficient for them to be peripheral walls forming a kind of box fitted within which the cans are arranged and touching each other.

Hence, the main objective of the lower confining component is to operate with thin cans, not with classic ones.

Each confining cavity with a multilobular contour of the lower confining component includes a vertical inner face that partially hugs the cans to give them stability, and the vertical inner face is perpendicular to a horizontal bottom wall where the base of each can rests. Regarding the depth of these cavities, it is sufficient to hug the walls so that the cans do not lose stability; in a preferred embodiment, the depth of the cavities may correspond to a quarter or a third of the height of the cans.

In the lower confining component, the spacer lobes have a curved cross-section, whose perimeter length is equivalent to at least half a circumference to surround part of the body of the cans that it houses inside. In one embodiment, for example, for four cans, each spacer cavity includes four lobes, each with a section equivalent to approximately three-quarters of a circumference; however, in the case of an embodiment for six cans, the two central lobes have a semicircular cross-section, while the four end lobes have a cross-section of three-quarters of a circumference.

Between each of two adjacent lobes, a separation wall is formed that has a distal edge. This separation wall is merely the area where each lobe meets the adjacent lobe and, therefore, the width of its distal edge affects, in a way, the distance between the cans.

The lower confining component also includes at least one spacer pillar with a rhomboidal cross-section with concave sides to adapt to the portion of the can that is not hugged by a corresponding spacer lobe. In an embodiment with cavities for four cans, the lower confining component includes only one central pillar in each spacer cavity, so that between the concave faces of the central pillar and the four lobes, four spaces are formed where four corresponding cans are received.

In an embodiment for six cans, the lower confining component includes two pillars for each spacer cavity, where each pillar is located in the central space of four adjacent lobes.

The confining device also includes peripheral guides to guide the downward movement of the upper applicator, the peripheral walls rising upwards and perpendicular to a top face of the lower confining component.

These peripheral guides are distributed in a number of at least one for each of the sides of the quadrangular body that makes up the lower confining component and are arranged along each of said sides.

Each of said peripheral guides includes an inner face, an outer face, a proximal edge for joining to the base, and an opposite distal edge, where optionally, the distal edge is beveled at its outer edge to facilitate the movement of the upper applicator.

The outer faces of the set of peripheral guides of the lower confining component define an outer perimeter whose width and length are equivalent to the width and length of the inner perimeter of the peripheral walls of the upper applicator, to guide the downward vertical movement of said upper applicator; meanwhile, the inner perimeter of the peripheral guides of the lower component corresponds to the perimeter formed by the cans, so that said cans are tangent to the inner face of the guides.

These peripheral guides of the lower confining component play an important role in forming packages with thin cans, since just as there is a need to separate them from each other to apply a carrier that has transition portions wider than those needed if the thin cans were touching each other, in this case, it is also necessary that the flanges of the carrier surrounding the cans be of sufficient width to be resistant; thus, the thickness of these peripheral guides represents a margin between the body of the cans and the edge of the flanges in the carrier template, allowing the flanges to also have a sufficient width to be resistant.

In one embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a lower confining component to form an individual package of four cans; in this case, the lower confining component includes a single confining cavity with four spacer lobes and a central spacer pillar.

In another embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a lower confining component to form an individual package of six cans; in this case, the component includes a single confining cavity with six spacer lobes and two central spacer pillars.

In yet another embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a lower confining component to form an individual package of eight cans; in this case, the component includes two confining cavities with four spacer lobes each, each cavity with a central spacer pillar.

In an alternative embodiment of the disclosure, the applicator system includes a lower confining component to form more than one package simultaneously, for which it operates with carriers that are temporarily joined together forming a larger template, joined for example through pre-cut lines.

In an example of this version to simultaneously assemble two packages of four cans each, eight cans in total; the lower confining component includes two confining cavities with four spacer lobes each, each cavity with a central spacer pillar.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble three packages of four cans each, twelve cans in total; the lower confining component includes three confining cavities of four spacer lobes each, and each of them with a central spacer pillar.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble two packages of six cans each, twelve cans in total; the lower confining component includes two confining cavities, each with six lobes and each cavity with two central spacer pillars.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble four packages of four cans each, sixteen cans in total; the lower confining component includes four confining cavities of four lobes each, and each cavity with a central spacer pillar.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble three packages of six cans each, eighteen cans in total; the lower confining component includes three confining cavities with six lobes each, and each confining cavity with two central spacer pillars each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble four packages of six cans each, twenty-four cans in total; the lower confining component includes four confining cavities with six lobes each; each confining cavity with two central spacer pillars each.

In another embodiment, to simultaneously assemble six packages of four cans each, twenty-four cans in total; the lower confining component includes six confining cavities with four lobes each and each cavity with a central spacer pillar.

In operation, the lower confining component is loaded with as many cans as lobes each of the cavities has; once loaded, the carrier is placed inside the inner perimeter of the peripheral walls of the upper applicator and then this applicator is placed over the cans, with the peripheral walls projected downwards, so that the inner perimeter of the peripheral walls of the upper applicator surrounds the outer perimeter of the peripheral guides of the lower confining component; the upper applicator is pushed down, for example by means of a press, and is lowered until the bottom wall of the multilobular recess of the upper applicator touches the upper edge of the rims of the cans, on which the portion of the carrier that remains as a cover rests.

Within the scope of this application, it is foreseen or intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples, features, and alternatives presented in the previous paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings may be considered or taken independently or in any combination thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To achieve the objectives, the disclosure can be implemented in different ways, so the figures presented here are only illustrative and do not limit the scope of the disclosure, which can take multiple embodiments.

Thus, a detailed description of the disclosure will be carried out together with the figures that are an integral part of this presentation, where:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of the assembly of the upper applicator and the lower confining component with a carrier and incorporated cans.

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an example of a package to be formed with the present applicator system.

FIG. 3 is a top view of an example of a type of template to be applied with the present applicator system.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a groupable can with the present applicator system.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view in elevation of the top of thin cans.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view in elevation of the top of classic cans.

FIG. 7 is a top view of an example of a type of template for thin cans to be applied with the present applicator system.

FIG. 8 is a top view of an example of a type of template for classic cans to be applied with the present applicator system.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the interior part of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for a carrier of four cans.

FIG. 10 is a top view of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for applying to four thin cans.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for applying to four classic cans.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for applying to six classic cans.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for applying to four thin cans.

FIG. 14 is a top view of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for applying to four classic cans.

FIG. 15 is an isometric view of the interior part of the upper applicator of the present applicator system for a carrier of six cans.

FIG. 16 is a lateral cross-sectional view of an upper applicator over a pair of classic cans.

FIG. 17 is an isometric view of the coupled assembly of the upper applicator and lower confining component to apply a carrier of four cans.

FIG. 18 is an exploded isometric view of a lower confining component to apply a carrier of four cans.

FIG. 19 is a top view of a lower confining component to apply a carrier of four thin cans.

FIG. 20 is a reference image of four thin cans.

FIG. 21 is a top view of a lower confining component to apply a carrier of six thin cans.

FIG. 22 is an isometric view of a lower confining component to apply a carrier of four thin cans.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional elevation of an upper applicator assembly for thin cans, the cans and the carrier undistorted.

FIG. 24 is a cross-sectional elevation of an upper applicator assembly for thin cans, the cans and the carrier already deformed over the cans.

FIG. 25 is a top view of an assembly of an upper applicator and a carrier placed inside it.

FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional elevation of an upper applicator assembly for classic cans, the cans and the carrier already deformed over the cans.

FIG. 27 shows a top view of a template for four thin cans.

FIG. 27a shows a top view of a lower confining component for four thin cans.

FIG. 27b shows an isometric view of a lower confining component for four thin cans.

FIG. 27c shows a top view of an upper applicator for four thin cans.

FIG. 27d shows an isometric view of an upper applicator for four thin cans.

FIG. 28 shows a top view of a template for six cans.

FIG. 28a shows a top view of a lower confining component for six thin cans.

FIG. 28b shows an isometric view of a lower confining component for six thin cans.

FIG. 28c shows a top view of an upper applicator for six thin cans.

FIG. 28d shows an isometric view of an upper applicator for six thin cans.

FIG. 29 shows a top view of a template for eight thin cans.

FIG. 29a shows a top view of the base of a lower confining component for eight thin cans.

FIG. 29b shows an isometric view of a lower confining component for eight thin cans.

FIG. 29c shows a top view of an upper applicator for eight thin cans.

FIG. 29d shows an isometric view of an upper applicator for eight thin cans.

FIG. 30 shows a top view of a larger template composed of four smaller templates for four cans each.

FIG. 30a shows an isometric view of a lower confining component to confine 24 cans and form six packages of four cans each.

FIG. 30b shows an isometric view of an upper applicator to apply a larger carrier over 24 cans and form six packages of four cans each.

FIG. 30c shows an assembly of an upper applicator and its corresponding lower confining component to form six packages of four cans each.

FIG. 31 shows a top view of a larger template composed of three smaller templates for four cans each.

FIG. 31a shows an isometric view of a lower confining component to confine 12 cans and form three packages of four cans each.

FIG. 31b shows an isometric view of an upper applicator to apply a larger carrier over 12 cans and form three packages of four cans each.

FIG. 32 shows a top view of an upper applicator to form four packages of six cans each.

FIG. 33 shows a top view of an upper applicator to form four packages of four cans each.

FIG. 34 shows a top view of an upper applicator to form two packages of six cans each.

FIG. 35 shows a top view of an upper applicator forming three packages of six cans each.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Taking as an example the embodiment of FIG. 1, the present disclosure relates to an applicator system (1) for applying one or more carriers (A) over a group of cans (B) of beverages to form one or more packages (C) of cans simultaneously. It essentially includes a top applicator (10) to apply a carrier (A) over a group of cans (B) and a lower confining component (20) to orderly position the set of cans (B) to receive the upper applicator (10).

The present applicator system addresses the problem of applying carriers (A) of the type shown in FIG. 2, which comprise a central upper area (A1) and a plurality of covering flaps (A2) that remain at a level above the upper face of the cans (B), forming a package (C); it includes substantially frustoconical holding straps (A3) and receiving openings (A4) for the cans, which have a series of radial cuts that form retention fins (A5) under the rim (B1) of the can. It also includes transition portions (A6) that extend downwardly inclined as a continuation of the central upper area (A1) and laterally connect with the holding straps (A3). The carrier (A) is conceived as a flat template to be placed over the cans before being applied with the present system; in FIG. 3, the different components of an embodiment of the carrier to be placed with the present system are appreciated. To provide a clear explanation of other scopes of the disclosure, FIG. 4 shows any can (B) for beverages, in which a top rim (B1), a lid (B2), a frustoconical neck (B3), a main body (B4), and a base (B4) are distinguished.

Another problem addressed by the present disclosure relates to the appropriate distance that must exist between grouped cans to receive the carrier; this distance is related to the distance between the rims (B1) of each can (B), since in the case of thin cans, as illustrated in FIG. 5, there is very little difference between the diameter (D) of the body and the diameter (d) of the rim, so that when confining the cans tightly together, the distance (s′) between their rims (B1) is very small, compared to what is seen in the classic cans illustrated in FIG. 6. In the case of thin cans, this small distance (s′) would require that the design of the carrier have very thin transition portions (A6), making it very weak.

This problem does not occur when confining classic cans, since they (FIG. 6), having a larger body diameter (D), when placed side by side, the distance(s) between their rims (B1) is greater, and therefore the carrier can also have a greater width in the transition portions, although not necessarily as wide as for the classic can version, so that the carriers are designed differently for classic cans and for thin cans, where in the case of thin cans (FIG. 7) a width (t′) of the transition portion (A6) is proposed that is greater than the actual distance(s) between the rims of the thin cans, while in the case of classic cans (FIG. 8), the width (t) of the transition portions (A6) coincides with the actual width(s) of separation between the rims of the cans.

That said, carriers for thin cans are designed to have a width of transition portions that are wider than the actual distance(s) between the thin cans, so the solution of the present disclosure is to establish the distance between thin cans prior to placing a carrier, so that the separation between thin cans adapts to the appropriate width of transition portions in the carrier to ensure it is strong. In a first aspect of the disclosure, as exemplified in FIG. 9, the upper applicator (10) includes, on one of the flat faces (100), at least one recess (101) formed by a bottom wall (102) of multilobular contour (103) that defines a flat outer edge (104) of the recess (101) to flex the retention fins of the carrier that fit under the rim of the cans. This recess (101) includes a central zone (105) from which lobes (106) project, as many lobes as the number of cans to be grouped with the same carrier to form a package; where these lobes (106) of the recess correspond to multiple and successive walls (107) in an arc shape, which have a stepped cross-section.

As seen in FIG. 10, in a tangential area between adjacent lobes (106), a separating wall (108) is formed, where each separating wall (108) includes a distal end (109) that points towards said central zone (105) of the recess (101), and where the height of said wall with respect to the bottom wall (102) of the recess decreases towards said distal end (109), either through a stepped edge or a beveled edge.

In one embodiment, for example, for four cans (FIG. 11), each lobe (106) includes a perimeter of approximately three-quarters of a circumference; however, in an applicator for a carrier of six cans (FIG. 12), which therefore has six lobes (106), the outer lobes (106a) have a perimeter of approximately three-quarters of a circumference and the two central lobes (106b) facing each other have a semicircular perimeter where the inner part of the distal end (109) of their separating walls (108) presents a curved extension (110) that allows the applicator to push all the transition portions of the carrier.

On the other hand, in the case of an applicator for thin cans (FIG. 13), the separating wall (108) is thinner than the wall (108) for applicators for thick cans (FIG. 14); this addresses the width (t, t′) of the transition portions of the carriers, as explained in the reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

Additionally, as illustrated in figures FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 together, the upper applicator (10) also includes straight peripheral walls (111) perpendicular to said flat face (100) where at least one multilobular recess (101) is located; the straight peripheral walls (111) are distributed in a number of at least one for each of the sides of said main face (100) and are arranged along each of said sides. Each of said straight peripheral walls (111) includes an inner face (112), an opposite outer face (113), a proximal edge (114) for joining to the flat plate (100), and an opposite distal edge (115) of rounded cross-section.

As best seen in FIG. 16, the inner faces (112) of the set of straight peripheral walls (111) define an inner perimeter whose width and length are equivalent to the width and length of a carrier (A) in a flat template state, so that, in the application process, the carrier is placed within this perimeter where it remains contained without the possibility of moving.

Each of said straight peripheral walls (111) has at least one notch (116) (FIG. 15), preferably semicircular, whose bottom is located close to the flat face (100) of the upper applicator (10); the purpose of these notches and why their bottom is located close to the flat face of the applicator is because once the carrier is placed within the perimeter defined by the straight peripheral walls (111), when inverting the applicator to place it over the cans, these notches allow the passage of the fingers of an operator to hold the carrier so that it does not fall.

In another aspect of the disclosure, as illustrated in FIG. 17, the applicator system (1) includes a lower confining component (20) to orderly group the cans to receive the carrier and the upper applicator (10).

For its part, the lower confining component (20), as seen disassembled in FIG. 18, includes a base (201) with a top face (202) on which at least one confining cavity (203) of multilobular contour is arranged to receive the cans to be grouped; each confining cavity (203) has as many spacer lobes (204) as the number of cans to be confined to form a package. Each confining cavity (203) includes a vertical inner face (205) that partially embraces the cans to provide stability and is perpendicular to a horizontal bottom wall (206) where the base of each can rests.

As seen in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 together, the lower confining component (20) is designed to intentionally create a spacing between the cans, the distance (e) from the center axis of adjacent spacer lobes (204) is greater than the distance (f) from the center axis of adjacent cans, so that when placing the cans inside each lobe of the confining cavity, the cans are spaced apart.

In the lower confining component (20), the spacer lobes (204) have a curved cross-section, whose perimeter length is equivalent to at least half a circumference to surround part of the body of the cans that it houses inside. Thus, in one embodiment, for example, for four cans as seen in FIG. 19, each confining cavity (203) includes four lobes (204), each with a section equivalent to approximately three-quarters of a circumference; however, in the case of an embodiment for six cans, as seen in FIG. 21, the two central spacer lobes (204b) have a semicircular cross-section, while the four outer lobes (204a) have a cross-section of three-quarters of a circumference. Between each pair of adjacent lobes (204), a separating wall (207) is formed that has a distal edge (208); this separating wall (207) is simply the area where each spacer lobe (204) meets the adjacent lobe and therefore, the width of its distal edge (208) generates, in a way, the distance between the cans.

The lower confining component (20), as seen in the same FIG. 21, includes at least one spacer pillar (209) with a rhomboidal cross-section of concave sides to adapt to the portion of the can that is not embraced by a corresponding spacer lobe (204). In this embodiment with cavities for six cans, the lower confining component (20) includes two spacer pillars (209).

Taking reference to FIG. 22, the lower confining device (20) also includes peripheral guides (210) that rise upward and are perpendicular to the top face (202) of the base (201); they are distributed in several at least one for each of the sides and are arranged along the same sides.

These peripheral guides (210) serve to laterally confine the cans and guide the downward movement of the upper applicator (10) as seen in FIG. 23. Each of said peripheral guides (210) includes an inner face (211), an opposite outer face (212), and a proximal edge (213) for joining to the base (201) and an opposite distal edge (214), where optionally, the distal edge (214) is beveled at its outer edge to facilitate the movement of the straight peripheral walls (111) of the upper applicator (10).

The outer faces (212) of the set of peripheral guides (210) define an outer perimeter whose width and length are equivalent to the width and length of the inner perimeter of the set of straight peripheral walls (111) of the upper applicator (10), to guide the vertical downward movement of said upper applicator; meanwhile, the inner faces (211) of the peripheral guides (210) form an inner perimeter that corresponds to the perimeter formed by the confined cans, so that these cans remain tangent to the inner face (211) of the guides.

Meanwhile, the thickness of the peripheral guides (210) corresponds to the distance between the perimeter of the group of confined cans and the inner perimeter of the peripheral walls (111) of the upper applicator.

Continuing with FIG. 23, in general, to form packages with thin cans, the lower confining component (20) is loaded with the cans; once loaded, the carrier (A) is placed inside the inner perimeter of the peripheral walls (111) of the upper applicator (10) and then this applicator is positioned over the carrier (A) with the peripheral walls (111) projected downward, so that the inner perimeter of the peripheral walls (111) of the upper applicator surrounds the outer perimeter of the peripheral guides (210) of the lower confining component (20); the upper applicator is pushed downward, for example by a press, and is lowered (FIG. 24) until the bottom wall (102) of the multilobular recess (101) of the upper applicator (10) touches the upper edge of the rims (B1) of the cans (B).

Hence, and as seen in FIG. 24, it is the flat outer edge (104) of the recess (101) and the stepped peripheral walls (107) of the lobes that, when pressing the applicator against the top of the cans, exert pressure on the straps (A3) of the carrier (A), flexing them downward so that they surround the frustoconical portion of the neck of each can.

Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 25, it is the separating walls (108) between lobes that exert pressure on the transition portions (A6) of the carrier (A) to make them deform downwardly inclined from the central upper area (A1) of the carrier (A) towards the perimeter of the carrier.

In the case of forming packages of cans with classic cans, as mentioned earlier, it is not necessary for these cans to be intentionally separated, since due to their larger body diameter than thin cans, when placed side by side, a greater distance is obtained between the rims of the cans, coinciding with the width of the transition portions of the carrier. As shown in FIG. 26, the same parts of the recess (101) that operate in the previous embodiment are the ones that deform the straps (A3) of the carrier (A) downward to surround the cans (B), that is, the flat outer edge (104) of the recess (101) and the stepped peripheral walls (107) of the lobes; the difference with the applicator for thin cans is that, being able to dispense with the lower confining component, the inner faces (112) of the straight peripheral walls (111) of the upper applicator (10) surround the body of the cans (B).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, useful for forming an individual package of four thin cans, a carrier (A) for thin cans with four openings is used, as seen in FIG. 27; the system includes a lower confining component (20) (FIG. 27a and FIG. 27b), which has a single confining cavity (203) that includes four spacer lobes (204) and a spacer pillar (209), and an upper applicator (10) (FIG. 27c and FIG. 27d) that includes a single recess (101) with four lobes (106).

In an alternative embodiment of the disclosure, useful for forming an individual package of six cans each, a carrier (A) for six cans is used, as seen in FIG. 28; the system includes a lower confining component (20) (FIG. 28a and FIG. 28b), which has a single confining cavity (203) that includes six spacer lobes (204) and two spacer pillars (209), and an upper applicator (10) (FIG. 28c and FIG. 28d) that includes a single recess (101) with six lobes (106).

In another alternative embodiment of the disclosure, useful for forming an individual package of eight cans each, a carrier (A) for eight cans that has two groups of four cans is used, as seen in FIG. 29; the system includes a lower confining component (20) (FIG. 29a and FIG. 29b), which has two confining cavities (203) that comprise four spacer lobes (204) each and a spacer pillar (209) for each confining cavity (203), and an upper applicator (10) (FIG. 29c and FIG. 29d) that includes two recesses (101) with four lobes (106).

In another alternative embodiment of the disclosure, useful for forming more than one package simultaneously, for example to handle 24 cans and form six packages of four cans each, a larger carrier (A′) is used as seen in FIG. 30, formed by six carriers for four cans each, joined by weakened pre-cut lines (a) that detach easily when the carrier is applied over the cans; the system includes a lower confining component (20) (FIG. 30a), which has six confining cavities (203) with four spacer lobes (204) each and each confining cavity (203) with a respective pillar (209), and an upper applicator (10) (FIG. 30b) that includes six recesses (101) with four lobes (106) each. It operates in the same way as for individual packages, sliding the upper applicator (10) over the lower confining component (20) as seen in FIG. 30c.

In another alternative embodiment of the disclosure, useful for forming more than one package simultaneously, to handle 12 cans, to form three packages of four cans each, a larger carrier (A′) is used as seen in FIG. 31, formed by three carriers for four cans each, joined by weakened pre-cut lines (a) that detach easily when the carrier is applied over the cans; the system includes a lower confining component (20) (FIG. 31a), which has three confining cavities (203) with four spacer lobes (204) each and each confining cavity (203) with a respective pillar (209), and an upper applicator (10) (FIG. 31b) that includes three recesses (101) with four lobes (106) each.

An example for forming four packages simultaneously is seen in FIG. 32 where, by way of example, a configuration of upper applicator (10) with four recesses (101) of six lobes (106) each is appreciated, to form four packages of six cans each.

Another possible embodiment for applying a carrier over classic cans where the system does not need to operate with the lower confining component is seen in FIG. 33, where an upper applicator is shown that includes four recesses (101) of four lobes (106) each, to simultaneously form four packages of four cans each.

Another possible embodiment for applying a carrier over classic cans where the system does not need to operate with the lower confining component is seen in FIG. 34, where an upper applicator is shown that includes two recesses (101) of six lobes (106) each to simultaneously form two packages of six cans each.

In yet another possible embodiment for applying a carrier over classic cans where the system does not need to operate with the lower confining component is seen in FIG. 35, where an upper applicator is shown that includes three recesses (101) of six lobes (106) each to simultaneously form three packages of six cans each.