Can packaging
OwnerPhillip J. Rileyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A can package is formed by having interdigitating bumps and depressions on the cans which lock the cans against axial movement with respect to each other. A plastic band about the periphery of the group of cans holds the cans in that locked condition.
Claims9
A can having an annular protuberance at each end and having a longitudinal axis and external walls of generally cylindrical configuration, which can is to be assembled with other like cans to form a group of abutting cans in which the cans have their axes parallel and held in assembled arrangement by a band about the group, which group is to be transferred from one location to another, said can being characterized by having:
- a plurality of regularly arranged protrusions and depressions in said wall, each protrusion extending outwardly from said generally cylindrical wall and each depression extending inwardly from said generally cylindrical wall in the form of a socket for receiving a protrusion, said protrusions and depressions having proximal ends at said generally cylindrical wall, said protrusions and depressions being so positioned that when the cans are assembled in said group one object of each pair of abutting objects has a protrusion which extends into a depression of the other object of the pair, thereby preventing movement of the objects of the pair with respect to each other in a direction generally parallel to said axes so long as said objects are maintained in said abutting relationship by said band, thereby preventing the cans of said group from moving, with respect to each other, in a direction transverse to said axes, the protrusion extending farther in a radial direction from said wall than said annular protuberances and sufficiently far beyond the wall so that the protrusion will seat in the depression of an adjacent can of said group before annular protuberances of the two come into contact, whereby when the cans are tightly banded together the can walls act as springs tending to hold the cans in engagement with each other and with the band.
An assembly of a group of objects held as a unit to facilitate the movement of the group from one location to another, each object having an axis and an external wall of generally cylindrical configuration thereabout, each object being a can having annular protuberances at each end which extend outwardly from the generally cylindrical wall, said assembly comprising:
- each object having a plurality of regularly arranged protrusions and depressions in said wall, said protrusion extending outwardly from said generally cylindrical wall and each depression extending inwardly from said generally cylindrical wall in the form of a socket for receiving a protrusion, said protrusions and depressions having proximal ends at said generally cylindrical wall, said protrusions and depressions being smaller, both vertically and horizontally, at their distal ends than at their proximal ends, said protrusions and depressions being so positioned that when the objects are assembled in said group one object of each pair of abutting objects has a protrusion which extends into a depression of the other object of the pair, the part of the wall defining the depression fitting closely about the distal end of the protrusion of the other object of the pair, thereby preventing movement of the objects of the pair with respect to each other in a direction generally parallel to said axis;
- and
- a band about said group holding the objects of the group in said abutting relationship thereby preventing movement of one object of the group with respect to the remaining objects of the group in a direction transverse to said axis;
- the protrusion of one can extending sufficiently far beyond the wall so as to seat in the depression of a corresponding can before the annular protuberances of the two come into contact, said band being sufficiently tight to hold said annular protuberances of said cans in contact with one another, whereby when the cans are tightly banded together the can walls act as springs tending to hold the cans in engagement with each other and with the band.
An assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein
- in each object said protrusions and depressions are positioned in two planes normal to said axis, one plane being above the mid-point of said axis and the other plane being below the mid-point of said axis when said axis is vertically aligned;
- and
- said band encompasses the space between said two planes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.