Containers and methods for manufacturing such containers

Abstract

Container, which is formed from a group of articles (4) arranged in a non-nesting position, in particular bottles, cans, or similar containers, wherein at least one axially oriented contact area (12) extends between adjacent articles (4), in which one or more contact or touching surfaces (13) are also located, wherein the articles (4) of the container (2) are looped around by a strapping (11) formed by at least one strapping element, characterized in that a maximum of 50%, ideally a maximum of 25%, of the articles (4) of the articles (4) forming the respective container (2) or the corresponding group of articles (4) are at least partially provided with an adhesive or bonding agent (8) on at least a partial area of ​​the contact or touching surface (13).

Description

The invention relates to a container according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein the container is formed from a group of articles comprising at least four articles arranged in a non-nesting position, wherein at least one axially oriented contact area extends between adjacent articles, which is defined by the area of ​​closest proximity in which one or more contact surfaces are also located, wherein the articles of the container are enclosed by a strap formed by at least one strapping element, which strap is looped around the group of articles and holds them together to form the container. The strapping can have at least one closure with at least one closure element. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such containers. Articles within the meaning of the invention are in particular containers, i.e., for example bottles, cans, tubes, pouches, each made of metal, glass and / or plastic, i.e., for example, also PET bottles, but also other packaging materials, in particular those suitable for filling liquid or viscous products, but also articles already grouped together (multi-pack). In detail, the production of the containers takes place, for example, by feeding them upright on a transport platform of a conveyor, with their container axis oriented vertically or substantially vertically, into a mass transport or a wide container stream in which the containers have an arbitrary orientation with regard to distinctive container features and / or equipment characteristics. This wide container stream is then divided into several single-lane container streams by means of lane division. In further process steps, the containers that will later become individual containers are separated.the container groups forming which are made from the single-track container streams, the merging of the necessary number of containers into a compact container group in which the containers with several shell or circumferential surfaces, i.e. with the contact or touching surfaces, are in contact with each other, and the joining of the containers of each container group to form the compact and solid or stable container. It is known to group or assemble several articles into a product group and to produce rigid or transportable storage and transport units or containers from these product groups using shrink films (e.g., US 7,726,464 A1). A disadvantage of this method is that the films used, and especially the shrinking process itself, incur considerable costs due to the input of heat or energy. It has also been proposed to produce transportable containers by packaging the items, each grouped together, with strapping that loops around the group (DE 10 2009 025 824 A1, DE 10 2009 044 271 A1, DE 41 26 212 A1), i.e., by connecting them together to form a container. This represents a particularly cost-effective and simple way to produce containers or transport and storage units. The strapping can also be glued to the containers (US 3,930,578). However, a disadvantage of strapping is that when an item is first removed from such a container, the remaining items are no longer held together by the strapping. This applies not only if the strapping is cut or separated, but also if it is possible to remove an item from the container without cutting the strapping. Furthermore, when transporting such containers on a belt conveyor, there is always a risk that cylindrical or nearly cylindrical items, such as cans, bottles, or containers, will shift due to vibration, shocks, etc., assuming a nesting position, i.e., slipping into the gap of the adjacent row. To prevent this, a very high tension must be applied to the strapping for known containers. For this purpose, the aforementioned US 3,930,578 and DE 10 2009 044 519 A1 propose, in addition to strapping, also bonding the bottles or containers to each other by means of one or more applications of adhesive. The object of the invention is to provide containers and a method of the type mentioned above in which it is always avoided in a simple manner that the articles enter a nesting position during transport, and in which, even after the removal of one or more articles from a container, the cohesion of the remaining articles in the container is maintained or can be restored by the strapping. To solve this problem, a container is designed according to claim 1. The process engineering aspect of the problem is solved by a method with the features of claim 7. According to the invention, a maximum of 50%, ideally a maximum of 25%, of the items comprising the respective container or group of items are provided with an adhesive or bonding agent on at least a portion of their surface or outer surface, or the contact or touching surface. The advantage is that by bringing the other items, or the items or containers directly adjacent to the "adhesive" item, together and pressing them against each other, the items are bonded to form a firm and stable container via this adhesive or bonding agent, even though the other items in the container do not have this adhesive coating. Articles within the meaning of the invention are, in particular, containers, e.g., PET bottles, dhua bottles, cans, tubes, pouches, each made of metal, glass and / or plastic, but also other packaging materials, especially those suitable for filling with liquid or viscous products, but also articles already grouped together (multipacks). Hereinafter, the articles are also referred to as containers. "Adhesives" within the meaning of the invention include, among others, all materials or masses with which an adhesive bond between containers is possible, in particular compounds, materials, or masses that, when applied in a liquid or viscous state, form a self-adhesive coating and / or effect an adhesive bond under the application of pressure and / or energy input and / or after curing or crosslinking (also through energy input). "Adhesives" within the meaning of the invention also include, among others, multilayer materials, e.g., those consisting of at least one carrier material coated with a material with which an adhesive bond between containers is possible, i.e., those that are adhesive on at least two sides. An "adhesive" container within the meaning of the invention has adhesives or is provided with an adhesive coating.The adhesive or bonding agent is preferably selected such that the containers can be removed from the container manually and without damage, or separated from each other. In general, the advantage of a container according to the invention is that it is very stable during the manufacturing and conveying process and shows no tendency to nest, even with lower contact forces due to the strapping compared to known solutions. A further advantage is that after the initial release of the group of items, they can be reassembled into a stable unit by the strapping or by combining strapping with a carrying handle or loop, which the end user can easily transport as a group. Surprisingly, it has been found that it is sufficient to apply an adhesive or bonding agent to only a very small subset of the contact surfaces or areas of adjacent articles or containers in order to achieve this multiply advantageous effect. The respective package can, for example, consist of four, six or nine items or containers, whereby the number mentioned is of course not limiting but merely exemplary. If the container consists of four vessels, it is advantageous for only one of them—the one containing the adhesive—to be a corner vessel. This corner vessel has direct contact with two adjacent vessels, which are thus bonded to the adhesive vessel. Of course, it is also possible to apply adhesive to two vessels. If the container consists of six containers arranged in two rows of three or three rows of two, it is advantageous to apply the adhesive to a single container in the middle layer. This "adhesive" container has direct contact with the other container in the middle layer as well as with the adjacent corner containers. With a six-container set, it is advantageous to apply the adhesive to only 16.67% of the containers, or a single container. Of course, it is also possible to apply the adhesive to two or three containers. However, applying the adhesive to only a single container is certainly more efficient. If the container consists of nine containers arranged in three rows of three, it is advantageous, according to the invention, if only the central container is designed as an adhesive container. In a container of nine, only 11.11%, or a single container, is provided with adhesive. Of course, it is also possible to provide two, three, or four containers with adhesive. However, it is certainly advantageous to provide only a single container with the adhesive. Therefore, it is advisable that only one of the containers in the package be designed as a "sticky" container. If the package contains more than nine bottles, only one container, a maximum of 50% of the containers, and ideally a maximum of 25% of the containers can be designed as a "sticky" container. The adhesive can be applied to the entire contact surface of the container. However, it is also advantageous to apply the adhesive in an interrupted circumferential manner, or in dots and / or strips, to the contact surface of the container. It is particularly preferred to have only a single adhesive dot or strip on the container, as this provides sufficient transport stability, preventing any shifting of the individual containers within the assembly into a nesting position. If the adhesive is to be applied in a strip across the contact surface, it is advisable to arrange the strip extending vertically. Of course, the strip can also be arranged to extend circumferentially. To ensure that the adhesive contact area is in contact with the adjacent container when adhesives are arranged in a point or strip pattern on the contact surface, the container can be aligned or inspected using an alignment feature that is a prominent container or container equipment feature or corresponds to such a feature. This ensures that the containers in each resulting package have a target orientation, meaning their container or equipment features are oriented in a predetermined direction. This also ensures that the adhesive points or strips are in a target orientation relative to the adjacent containers. As a result, each package also has a harmonious and visually appealing appearance, which, among other things,This provides an additional purchase incentive, especially compared to packages with containers arranged in an arbitrary orientation. It is also possible, of course, to simply inspect and align the "adhesive" containers in order to position the "adhesive" contact surface in relation to the adjacent containers. Alignment according to container or container features could then be omitted, since the adhesive points or strips can serve as such alignment features. This approach is possible because the location or position of the adhesive points or strips is precisely and repeatably defined around the circumference of the "adhesive" container. If the container in question has, for example, four compartments, a single adhesive dot or strip on the relevant contact surface is sufficient. However, it is also possible to provide two adhesive dots or strips at a 90° angle to the contact surface, so that the "adhesive" corner compartment has "adhesive" contact with two adjacent compartments. If the container in question has, for example, six compartments, a single adhesive dot or strip on the relevant contact surface is sufficient. However, it is also possible to provide two or three adhesive dots or strips at a circumferential angle of 90° to each other on the contact surface, so that the relevant "adhesive" corner compartment has "adhesive" contact with two or three adjacent compartments. If the container in question contains, for example, nine containers, a single adhesive dot or strip on the relevant contact surface is sufficient. However, it is also possible to provide two, three, or four adhesive dots or strips at a circumferential angle of 90° to each other on the contact surface, so that the relevant "adhesive" corner container has "adhesive" contact with two, three, or four adjacent containers. As already mentioned, a particularly simple impregnation process can be used, which does not have to exert such a high degree of tension, since a fall into a nesting position of the containers is effectively avoided by means of the preferably single “sticky” container of the respective package. A further advantageous embodiment consists in the fact that the respective strapping of the containers can be opened and closed multiple times and, in addition, the loop length of the loop formed by the strapping can be changed as often as desired, so that after the removal of an article or container from a container by shortening the loop length or by retightening the strapping, the articles or containers remaining in the container are still held or fixed there. In the context of the present invention, the statement that "the strapping of the containers can be opened and closed multiple times" is to be understood as meaning that even an extension of the length of the loop formed by the strapping leads to its opening. Completely cutting the strapping, or separating the ends of the loop from one another, is possible, but not absolutely necessary. Further developments, advantages, and possible applications of the invention will also become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures. All features described and / or illustrated are, individually or in any combination, fundamentally the subject matter of the invention, irrespective of their compilation in the claims or their cross-reference. The content of the claims is also incorporated into the description. The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the figures, using an exemplary embodiment. The figures show: Fig. 1 a device for producing a package with six items or containers, Fig. 2 a package with six items or containers in a perspective view, Fig. 3 a single item or container in a perspective view, Fig. 4 a package with six items or containers in a perspective view with an additional strapping option, Fig. 5 the package from Fig. 4 with one item removed, Fig. 6 a package in a top view with four items or containers, Fig. 7 a package in a top view with six items or containers, and Fig. 8 a package in a top view with nine items. In the different figures, identical parts are always labeled with the same reference symbols, which is why they are generally described only once. In the following, items are referred to as containers. Fig. 1 shows a device 1 for producing the containers 2. The device 1 comprises a conveyor 3 on which the containers 4 stand with their container axes oriented in a vertical direction or substantially in a vertical direction and are fed in mass transport, i.e. in an unordered quantity and with a relatively large conveying width in a transport direction A on a section 3.1 of the conveyor. In a section 3.2 of the conveyor 3, which follows section 3.1, the container flow is first divided into lanes by means of outer and inner guide rails 5 in such a way that several, i.e. in the illustrated embodiment three, lanes 6 are formed separated by the inner guide rails 5, in which the containers 4 each form a single-lane container flow. In a section 3.3 adjoining in the transport direction A, or in a workstation 7 therein, schematically represented by the block in Fig. 1, the adhesive or bonding agent applications 8 (Fig. 2, Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 5, Fig. 6 to Fig. 7) are applied, and the containers 4 are joined and pressed together to form the packages 2. The carrying handles 10 and the strapping 11 are also applied simultaneously in workstation 7. The functionality and general training of workstation 7 are not described further. As can be seen in Fig. 2, the container 2 is formed from a group of containers with at least four, or by way of example six, containers 4 arranged in a non-nesting position, wherein at least one axially oriented contact area 12 extends between adjacent articles or containers 4, which is defined by the area of ​​closest proximity in which one or more contact surfaces 13 are also located, wherein the articles 4 of the container 2 are enclosed by a strapping 11 formed by at least one strapping element, which strapping 11 is looped around the group of articles or containers and holds them together to form the container 2. The strapping 11 can have at least one closure with at least one closure element. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the strapping 11 is arranged in a foot area of ​​the articles or containers 4. The carrying handle 10 is attached to the outer circumference of the central containers 4, e.g., glued on. As can be seen further in Fig. 2, only a single container 4 has an adhesive application 8 on its contact or touching surface 13, which is only shown in an exemplary strip shape and extends parallel to the container's vertical axis X. The adhesive application 8 can also be applied in a spot-like manner or, viewed in the circumferential direction, completely or intermittently to the contact or touching surface 13. The aim is that only a single container 4 needs to be provided with a single application of adhesive 8 in order to prevent the containers 4 from shifting into a nesting position within the container 2. Figure 3 shows a single article or container 4. The container 4 is designed as a PET bottle and has a base 14 and an intermediate head 15, the opening of which is closed with a cap 16. Both the base 14 and the head 15 of the container 4 have protrusions forming contact surfaces 13. In a central area 17, the container 4 is constricted with respect to these protrusions. The illustration and description of the container 4 are, of course, only exemplary. The essential point is that the container 4 has at least one area where the contact surfaces 13 are formed. It is advantageous if the contact surface 13 is located in the head of the container 4. The contact surface 13 can extend completely around the container 4. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the container has two containers in three rows (or three containers in two rows). The contact surfaces 13 of each pair of outer containers are in contact with each other and with the middle containers. It is advantageous if only one of the middle containers 4 is provided with the adhesive 8. It is particularly preferred if the adhesive 8 is applied as a single adhesive dot or strip, as shown in Fig. 2, to the contact or touching surface 13 at the top. In contrast to the embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the embodiment according to Fig. 4 has a strapping 11 arranged in the central area of ​​the containers 4, with a carrying handle 10 attached to the strapping 11. In this embodiment as well, it is advantageous that only one of the containers 4 in the middle row is provided with an adhesive coating 8. The strapping 11 has a relief loop 9, a section of the strapping 11 in which it is doubled and secured by a loop fastener 9.1, which here is implemented as an adhesive strip. Alternatively, the relief loop could also be fixed to the strapping 11 by an adhesive or welding process, e.g., ultrasonic welding. When this relief loop 9 is released, the strapping 11 forms a single ring or band, and the containers 2 can be easily removed without damaging the strapping 11. Alternatively, a multi-openable and / or closable closure element could be arranged at the position of the relief loop 9, for example, similar to a cable tie, especially a releaseable one, or a hook-and-loop fastener. To illustrate that the container 2 or its container 4 remains in its non-nesting position during transport due to the inventive arrangement of the single adhesive application 8 on a single container 4, and that this stability is maintained even when, for example, one of the containers 4 is removed from the container 2, this circumstance is shown in Fig. 5. Furthermore, Fig. 5 shows an advantageous variant of the adhesive application 8, which comprises an adhesive section and a gripping and manipulation section. The adhesive section is essentially arranged between the adjacent containers 4, and the gripping and manipulation section projects into the space between the containers or beyond them, so that it can be grasped manually by the end user and released and removed by pulling and, for example, the resulting deformation of the adhesive application. An example of such an adhesive is the one known as Powerstrip®, or an adhesive with comparable properties. It is particularly advantageous if the strapping 11 can be adjusted in length without damage. For this purpose, a loop can be pre-attached to the strapping during manufacturing; this loop is detachable and can be opened by simply releasing it, thus relieving the tension and lengthening the strapping 11. This allows for the removal of a container 2. In the example shown in Figures 4 and 5, the carrying handle 10 is wrapped around the strapping 11, so that even after the removal of a single container 4, the remaining intact strapping 11 tightens when the handle 10 is lifted or pulled vertically, grouping and holding the remaining containers 4 together. The aforementioned tying together is no longer possible so automatically when removing more than one container 2, because when the carrying handle 10 is pulled, it slips the strapping 11 over the containers 2. A further development and improvement therefore consists of providing a locking or latching element (not shown) that is attached to or forms part of the strapping 11 and that allows for multiple length adjustments and subsequent re-fixing of the adjusted length. Examples include snap fasteners similar to (especially releasable) cable ties or hook-and-loop fasteners. Figures 6, 7 to 8 each show a container 2 consisting of four, six, or nine containers 4 in top view. In Fig. 6, four containers 4 are combined to form the container 2. The strapping is not shown. The containers 4 are also in contact with each other at their contact surfaces 13 and have no air gap between them. The visible air gaps in Figs. 6 and 7 are shown only for clarity, to better illustrate the possible "glued joints". The containers, corresponding to the containers 2 shown in Figs. 6 and 7, are in contact with each other at their contact surfaces 13, as can be seen in Fig. 8. Basically, it is sufficient if only one of the containers 4 of the container 2 has a single application of adhesive 8. In a four-container set (Fig. 6), one of the corner containers is advantageously designed as an "adhesive" container. This container can have a single adhesive application 8 to only one of the directly contacting containers. However, it is also conceivable to provide two adhesive applications 8 and 8a, respectively, spaced apart from each other circumferentially by 90°, so that each adhesive container 4 is bonded to two containers. In a six-unit container (Fig. 7), as already explained, one of the middle containers is advantageously designed as an "adhesive" container. This container can have a single adhesive application 8 to one of the directly contacting containers. However, it is also conceivable to provide two or three adhesive applications 8, 8a, or 8b, respectively, spaced apart from each other circumferentially by 90°, so that each adhesive container 4 is bonded to two or three other containers. In the case of container 2 with several parallel rows of containers, for example a nine-container container (Fig. 8) with three container rows 1, II, and III, it has surprisingly been found that for stable transport during production, it is sufficient to provide only one adhesive application 8 (between rows I and II) or 8a (between rows II and III) between each row I and II and III. Advantageously, only the central container is designed as the "adhesive" container. To improve handling by the end user, it is advantageous to provide further adhesive applications 8b and / or 8c, as these stabilize the remaining group of containers as a unit when the corner container is removed. In the illustrated embodiment, these are spaced apart from each other by 90° in the circumferential direction, so that the adhesive container 4 is bonded to four containers.Especially in combination with a resealable strapping 11, a very easy-to-handle container 2 is created with minimal use of packaging material. Reference symbol list: 1 Device for manufacturing containers 2 Containers 3 Conveyor (3.1 to 3.3 sections thereof) 4 Container / Article 5 Guide rail 6 Lanes 7 Workstation 8 Adhesive application (also 8a to 8c) 9 Relief loop 9.1 Loop securing device 10 Carrying handles 11 Strapping 12 Contact area 13 Contact or touching surfaces 14 Foot area 15 Head area 16 Closure 17 Middle area

Claims

A container, each consisting of a group of articles (4) arranged in a non-nesting position, in particular bottles, cans, or similar containers, wherein at least one axially oriented contact area (12) extends between adjacent articles (4), in which one or more contact or touching surfaces (13) are also located, wherein the articles (4) of the container (2) are looped around by a strapping (11) formed by at least one strapping element, characterized in that a maximum of 50%, ideally a maximum of 25%, of the articles (4) of the respective container (2) or the corresponding group of articles (4) are at least partially provided with an adhesive or bonding agent (8) on at least a partial area of ​​the contact or touching surface (13). Container according to claim 1, characterized in that adhesive applications (8) are provided only on the contact or touching surfaces (13) of a single contact area (12) within a container (2). Container according to claim 2, characterized in that a single adhesive application (8) is arranged on a single contact or touching surface (13) of only one contact area (12) of the container (2). Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adhesive application (8) is carried out in a dot-like or strip-like manner. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the adhesive application (8) has an adhesion and bonding section and a grip and handling section. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the strapping (11) is non-destructively variable in its length, in particular comprising at least one locking or detent element or this is attached to the strapping (11) which enables multiple length changes and fixing of the changed length. Method for producing a container (2) which is formed from a group of articles (4) arranged in a non-nesting position, in particular bottles, cans, or similar containers, wherein at least one axially oriented contact area (12) extends between adjacent articles (4), in which one or more contact or touching surfaces (13) are also located, wherein the articles (4) of the container (2) are looped around by a strapping (11) formed by at least one strapping element, in particular according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a maximum of 25% of the articles (4) of the articles (4) forming the respective container (2) or the corresponding group of articles (4) are provided at least partially on at least a partial area of ​​the contact or touching surface (13) with an adhesive or bonding agent (8). Method according to claim 7, characterized in that only a single container (4) of the container (2) is provided with an adhesive application (8). Method according to one of claims 7 or 8, characterized in that only a single adhesive application (8) is applied to the relevant contact or touching surface (13). Method according to one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that the adhesive application (8) is applied in a dot-like or strip-like manner.

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