The invention relates to a method of packaging together series of bottles (6) by holder blanks (4) in which each one is to hold a number of bottles. The holder blanks (4) are provided in stacks (8) and are fed via a separation unit (9) to an application unit (3), into which bottles are fed on a conveyor (5) in a required formation (27). When a holder blank is applied, its laterally disposed flaps (39) are bent downwards and, at the same time, fingers (44), integrated with the flaps and possibly additional fingers are pressed upwards by the bottle caps (26) and the bottle flanges (26), respectively, and are moved downwards below their level. At the same time, the holder blank is cut through to obtain individual holders to rows of holders. The invention also relates to a device (1) designed to carry out this method and a holder (4), to be used when carrying out the method and with the device (1), respectively.
Substantially tubular, or sleeve-type, cartons each with an end opening having a width less than a pitch of flight bars of a packaging machine but having a combined end opening equal to the pitch of the packaging machine are erected and placed between the flight bars. In one embodiment, the cartons are detachable affixed to one another. In another embodiment, the cartons are detachable affixed to one another in collapsed condition such that the composite collapsed carton formed thereby has dimensions substantially similar to a single carton loadable on the machine.
A bottle carrier system for enabling a user to quickly and easily divide bottled beverages into six packs. The bottle carrier system includes a plurality of bottles. A bottle carrier has a plurality of apertures, each aperture is structured to frictionally engage a top of an associated one of the plurality of bottles when the top of the associated one of the bottles is inserted through the aperture. A rigid planar member has a plurality of holes. Each of the holes is positioned to align with an associated one of the apertures when the rigid planar member is positioned over the bottle carrier, whereby applying a downward force to the rigid planar member when the bottle carrier is positioned between the plurality of bottles and the rigid planar member urges the top of each the bottle through the associated aperture to secure the bottle carrier to the plurality of bottles.
Methods of loading cartons in a packaging machine are provided. A method comprises providing cartons with an end opening having a width less than a pitch of flight bars of a packaging machine, and detachably affixing the cartons so that one carton is horizontally adjacent another and the combined end opening width of the horizontally adjacent cartons is substantially equal to the pitch of the flight bars. The method also includes placing the cartons between the flight bars so that the horizontally adjacent cartons are disposed within the pitch of flight bars and detaching the plurality of cartons from one another after the cartons have been loaded. Other embodiments are claimed and disclosed.
