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US 4,067,949 AGranted
Container with improved heat-shrunk cellular sleeve
AssigneeOwens-Illinois, Inc.
InventorJames A. Karabedian
Life of this patent
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AssigneeOwens-Illinois, Inc.
InventorJames A. Karabedian
Estimating the term…
There is disclosed herein improved packages, and methods of forming same, of the type wherein a container, such as for example a glass container, like a bottle or jar, is provided externally thereof with a heat-shrunk, cellular thermoplastic member, circumferentially and snugly engaging a sidewall portion of the container; the improvement resides in employing, as the thermoplastic member, a composite structure, or laminate, having a closed cellular polymeric layer preponderantly of polystyrene having incorporated therein from zero weight percent up to compatible amounts of a copolymer of ethylene and an alkyl ester of alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate or a copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or mixtures thereof, and, in adhered relationship to said cellular layer, a layer of a non-cellular polymeric material preponderantly of ethylene moieties having incorporated therein moieties of vinyl acetate, or an alkyl ester of alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or an alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or mixtures thereof. By having the non-cellular layer disposed intermediate the sidewall portion of the container and the cellular layer, improved glass retention characteristics are achieved with increased economics.
In a method wherein a heat-shrinkable, polymeric sleeve, having a major orientation circumferentially of said sleeve is telescopically located about the sidewall of a container and heat-shrunk into snug engagement with said sidewall, the improvement wherein said polymeric sleeve is a composite structure of a closed cellular polymeric layer preponderantly of polystyrene having incorporated therein, in an amount from zero weight percent up to compatible amounts, a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate, or a copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate, or a copolymer of ethylene and an alkyl ester of an alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or a copolymer of ethylene and an alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or mixtures thereof, and a non-cellular polymeric layer in adhered engagement with said closed cellular layer, said non-cellular layer having preponderantly ethylene moieties and incorporated therein moieties of vinyl acetate, or an alkyl ester of an alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or an alpha-beta monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, or mixtures thereof, the amount of said incorporated moieties in said non-cellular layer being sufficient to promote the adhesion of said layers to the extent that a portion of said cellular layer cohesively fails when said layers are peeled apart, said cellular layer being disposed outwardly of said non-cellular layer and said non-cellular layer being disposed intermediate said cellular layer and said wall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.