Rigid Plastic Container Carrier for Recyclable Variable Pack Sizes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional container carriers, particularly those made from flexible plastics, are not fully recyclable, contributing to environmental waste, and existing curbside recyclable alternatives struggle with high-speed application and uniform pack sizing.
Innovation Solution
A container carrier made from 100% curbside recyclable rigid plastics like HDPE, PET, or PPE, featuring molded ribs, frangible connections, and inwardly extending tabs for secure container engagement, allowing flexible configuration and easy division into various pack sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If flexible plastic ring carriers are used for unitizing containers, then operational efficiency and cost competitiveness are improved, but recyclability deteriorates because 60%+ consumers cannot recycle flexible plastics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from flexible plastic to rigid plastic (PET, HDPE, or PPE), which fundamentally alters the recyclability characteristic while maintaining the carrier's functional performance for container unitization
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite packaging structures combining rigid plastic carriers with aluminum cans or PET bottles, creating a system that maintains operational efficiency while improving recyclability through the use of widely accepted rigid plastic materials
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional rigid plastic carriers are used, then recyclability is improved, but application speed and pack sizing flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is divided into multiple sections with frangible connections that allow the rigid plastic structure to be efficiently applied to containers and then easily divided into different pack sizes (4-pack, 6-pack, 8-pack, 12-pack) by breaking the frangible joints
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid plastic carrier incorporates flexible elements through frangible connections and collapsible structures that enable the carrier to be both rigid enough for high-speed application and flexible enough to be divided into various pack configurations
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform pack sizes are enforced, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but adaptability to different consumer needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier structure is segmented with frangible connections between sections, allowing a single uniform carrier design to be divided into multiple pack sizes by breaking specific joints, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving pack size versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid plastic carrier is designed as a universal template that can accommodate different numbers of containers (4, 6, 8, or 12) by simply dividing the carrier along predetermined frangible lines, making the same carrier structure serve multiple pack size functions
Data Source
AI summary
A container carrier forming a package of unitized containers includes a network of molded ribs forming a plurality of container receiving openings formed in a plane. An arrangement of inwardly extending tabs are formed in each container receiving opening toward a center of each container receiving opening. A plurality of discrete handles are formed along one edge of the container carrier. The container carrier is engageable with a sidewall of each container so that each tab of the arrangement of tabs engages with a corresponding container of the plurality of containers.