Environmentally safe holder device
OwnerThomas Rathbone, Timothy J. Martininventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A container holder adapted to releaseably retain a plurality of similarly configured containers and adapted to permit release of each container individually. The holder is comprised of a central panel portion and a plurality of retaining portions. Each of the retaining portions has a pull tab that corresponds to it. The pull tab is joined to its respective retaining portion along the margin. The pull tab has a scoreline of a selected length proximate the pull tab so that the pull tab can be operated to release the loop-like structure thus preventing wildlife from becoming entangled in unruptured rings of plastic containers once the package is discarded.
Claims18
A holder adapted to releasably retain a plurality of objects each having a common geometric shape and adapted to permit release of each said object individually, comprising:
- a central panel portion;
- a plurality of retaining portions joined with said central portion, said retaining portions each having an upper surface and a lower surface and a thickness measured between said upper and lower surfaces, each said retaining portion having an opening sized to receive a respective one of said objects and having an outer peripheral edge portion with a peripheral margin of a selected width located between said opening and said peripheral edge portion, each retaining portion thereby defining a loop-shaped structure that acts to retain a respective said object in the opening thereof;
- and
- a pull-tab structure corresponding to each of said retaining portions, each said pull-tab structure joined to its respective retaining portion along the margin thereof, each said margin having a score line having a variable depth across the width of said margin and having a selected length and extending at least partially across the width of said margin and proximate to the respective pull-tab whereby the respective pull-tab may be operated both to release the object and sever the loop-shaped structure.
In a holder adapted to releasably retain a plurality of cylindrical cans as a packaged unit wherein said holder is formed as a planar web having a peripheral edge and a thickness between an upper surface and a lower surface thereof, said holder having plurality of circular openings formed therethrough to form a plurality of loop shaped structures each operative to receive and retain a respective cylindrical can, the improvement comprising a pull-tab associated with each of the openings and a score line associated with each said pull-tab, each said score line having a variable depth extending through the thickness of said web and extending at least partially across a margin portion of said web between a respective of opening and said peripheral edge and located proximate the associated pull-tab said scoreline having a greater depth proximate the pull-tab than proximate the opening, whereby each said pull-tab may be manually grasped and operated to sever the respective margin both releasing a can received in the respective opening and break open the respective loop-shaped structure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.