Background Of the Invention Field Of The Invention This invention relates to package assemblies, and more particularly to a shrink wrapped container package assembly using a rigid base member and a frangible adhesive and further including a cover member.

Description Of The Related Art The art described in this section is not intended to constitute an admission that any patent, publication or other information referred to herein is "prior art" with respect to this invention, unless specifically designated as such. In addition, this section should not be construed to mean that a search has been made or that no other pertinent information as defined in 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(a) exists. U.S. Patent No. 4,505,389 issued Mar. 19, 1985 to Whiteside discloses a package assembly having a rigid base member with parallel lines of weakening defining a tear strip. At least one row of containers is removably secured to the base member by spots of frangible adhesive, and a plastic film retains the containers. The containers are removed from the base member by tearing the tear strip from the base member and separating the containers from the tear strip by breaking the frangible adhesive bond. The disadvantages of the assembly disclosed by Whiteside include die inconvenience of having to separate the container from the tear strip. Further, only two spots of adhesive are used to affix a container to the base member. The package assembly disclosed by Whiteside is suitable for use with canned goods, rectangular packages and other containers of equal dimensions, but not for a container such as a tub or the like which has a base which is narrower than its top, or a container that has a small base in relation to its height and weight. In addition, the adhesive does not separate cleanly from the container or package due to the presence of the tear strip. Portions of the tear strip and adhesive adhere to the bottom of a container packaged thereby, rendering the goods therein less marketable or less appealing due to the sloppy appearance of the container.

U.S. Patent No. 3,885,671 issued May 27, 1975 to Speigel et al. is directed to a carded package including an article disposed within a heat shrinkable tubing which is connected to the perforated area of a card by an adhesive.

U.S. Patent No. 4,050,579 issued Sept. 27, 1977 to Gorski et al. discloses a package for orienting a plurality of articles with a t-shaped support member having a base, a central divider, and outer side walls, the central divider and side walls having adhesive strips to retain the packages therein. Plastic overwrap is an option.

U.S. Patent No. 4,304,332 issued Dec. 8, 1981 to Danti discloses a package for canned goods comprising a base and two tensioned film wraps, one of which serves as a handle means. No adhesive is used.

U.S. Patent No. 3,878,943 issued Apr. 22, 1975 to Ryan et al. discloses a rectangular shrink wrapped two component open end package and shipping carton. The top portion of the carton is removed to reveal a display tray.

U.S. Patent No. 3,542,193 issued Nov. 24, 1970 to Hewlett et al. is directed to a shrink wrapped multiple unit package of easily separable unit doses of medication. The package has a shallow rectangular tray with a perforated base which allows separation of the unit doses. No use of adhesive is disclosed.

Prior art packages and packaging methods do not address the special problem of packaging containers of unequal dimensions. It has been found that as the volume of a container of unequal dimensions, such as a tub shaped container or the like having a narrower base than top, increases, its center of gravity reaches a point at which during normal handling, the frangible bond between container and base member is broken. Once this bond is broken, the package loses its shape and strength, which can affect the stability of the entire pallet of packages. A need exists for a package assembly for containers of increased height and volume relative to the diameter of the base thereof, utilizing a frangible adhesive which provides a smooth clean release of the containers from the base member, and provides a cover member to stabilize the containers.

Summary Of The Invention

Various steps were explored to solve the problems related to packaging containers of unequal dimensions and increased height. It was unexpectedly found that a packaging assembly comprising a corrugated base member, a frangible adhesive bond

between the base member and the containers, a planar cover member placed on top of the containers and a layer of plastic material solved the problem of packaging taller containers of unequal dimensions. In particular, the unexpected combination of a frangible adhesive bond between the containers and the base member, with an additional cover member over the containers, cooperated to effectively secure the containers, to prevent shingling and prevent release of the adhesive bond between the base member and the containers.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a container package assembly comprising a rigid planar base member having at least one strip of frangible adhesive, at least one row of containers removably secured to the base member by said adhesive strip, a planar cover member placed on the containers such that the containers are "sandwiched" between the base member and the cover member, and a film of plastic material passing over the base member. The plastic material or overwrap is secured over the containers, cover member and base member to further secure the containers in assembly therewith. The containers are removable from the assembly by removing the plastic film and cover member and separating the containers from the base member by breaking the frangible adhesive. The containers separate cleanly from the base member without the need of a tear strip, as disclosed in the prior art. The improved package assembly for containers of the present invention is therefore suitable for use with containers of unequal dimensions, such as tubs and the like having a narrower base than top, for example. The present invention is of particular utility with such containers of unequal dimensions of increased height and volume and/or with a high center of gravity, especially such containers which have a smaller base.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container package assembly of the present invention showing the base member with containers adhered thereto, and the cover member and shrink wrap applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the container package assembly of the present invention prior to application of the shrink wrap and showing an alternative base member;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the container package assembly of the present invention prior to application of the cover member and shrink wrap and showing another alternative base member;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a base member with strips of frangible adhesive applied thereto; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a base member with intermittent strips of frangible adhesive applied thereto.

Description Of The Preferred Embodiments While this invention may be embodied in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and described in detail herein specific preferred embodiments of the invention. The present disclosure is an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. Various steps were explored to solve the problems related to packaging containers of unequal dimensions and increased height. It was unexpectedly found that addition of a cover member on top of containers packaged in a packaging assembly further comprising a corrugated base member, a frangible adhesive bond between the base member and the containers, over which a layer of plastic material is wrapped solved d e problem of packaging taller containers of unequal dimensions. In particular, the combination of the frangible adhesive bond between the containers and the base member, with the cover member over the containers, unexpectedly cooperated to effectively secure the containers, to prevent shingling or release of the adhesive bond between the base member and the containers, thereby ensuring package stability during handling.

Referring to Figure 1, the assembled container package unit is shown generally at 10, and comprises a flat, rectangular base member 12 onto which containers 14 are adhered, a cover member 16, and shrink wrap 18. Base member 12 is made of corrugated board. Examples of alternative configurations for base members are shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Cover member 16 may be made of any suitable material such as chip board or paper board, although corrugated board may also be used. Cover member 16 may be as rigid as base member 12. Chip board possesses the minimum rigidity

necessary to impart the desired degree of stability to the package assembly according to the present invention.

After placement of cover member 16, shrink wrap 18 is adhered over containers 14, base member 12 and cover member 16. By means of appropriate adhesive dispensing equipment the nature of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, strips of frangible adhesive 20 are placed on die upper surface 21 of base member 12, as shown in Figure 4, adhesive strips 20 being disposed parallel to ends 22 and 24 of base member 12. The adhesive is a hot melt, frangible adhesive which may be applied by applicators situated above a conveyor along which base member 12 is traveling. The frangible adhesive may be the same as that used in U.S. Patent 4,505,389. One such adhesive is commercially available from Swift Adhesives, Inc. of 383 Orendo Road, Bramalea, Ontario LGT-164 as Nicolmelt* hot melt adhesive. Other such adhesives are commercially available as well, such as H.B. Fuller Product HL-7505. Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention, in which adhesive strips 20a are intermittent, so that the adhesive strips extend only beneath the individual containers and not between them.

While the adhesive is still molten, containers 14 are placed in an adjacent side by side relationship on adhesive strips 20 on base member 12, as shown in Figure 1. Containers 14 may be positioned on base member 12 by equipment which feeds containers 14 in a direction perpendicularly to the direction in which base member 12 is traveling, and then positions a pre-arranged set of containers 14 on base member 12 immediately after adhesive strips 20 have been applied thereto. Containers 14 touch the adhesive at two contact points, or at four contact points, as shown in Figures 4 and 5 at 26, 28, 30 and 32 and 26a, 28a, 30a and 32a, respectively, in which strips of frangible adhesive, after a container has been affixed thereto and removed, are shown for purposes of illustration. Bonding takes only a few seconds.

Once containers 14 are in place on base member 12, cover member 16 is placed on top of containers 14. Cover member 16 is ideally of the same dimensions as base member 12, although any smaller size cover member which provides significant contact with all containers may be sufficient.

After placement of cover member 16, shrink wrap 18 is applied. Shrink wrap 18 may be applied by means of a shrink wrap applicator and shrink tunnel, or

other means recognized in the art. An example of a suitable shrink film is a 1.5-mil low-density polyethylene, commercially available from Aπnin Plastics.

The package assembly including the base member 12 with containers 14, cover member 16 and shrink wrap 18 applied thereto is shown in Figure 1. Frangible adhesive strips 20 hold containers 14 firmly in place on base member 12. Containers 14 and cover member 16 are used as the support structure of the container package assembly. The adhesive is such that it will adhere to containers 14 to the extent that containers 14 are secured to base member 12 firmly enough to, in conjunction with cover member 16, resist movement relative thereto during normal handling. Since the center of gravity of containers 14 may cause the adhesive to break during handling without cover member 16, cover member 16 serves to prevent premature breaking of the frangible bond, and retain the shape of the package assembly should such breakage occur.

Containers 14 are removable from the assembly by removing plastic film 18 and cover member 16 and separating containers 14 from the base member 12 by breaking the frangible adhesive. The adhesive can be broken by manual force by grasping and twisting an individual container and separating it from base member 12.

Containers 14 separate cleanly from base member 12 without the need of a tear strip, as disclosed in the prior art. Containers 14 may be retained on base member 12 until their removal is desired.

Cover member 16 provides stability for containers of unequal dimensions which have a high center of gravity, or have a small base relative to their height and weight. The improved package assembly for containers of the present invention is therefore suitable for use with containers of unequal dimensions, such as tubs and die like having a narrower base than top, for example. The present invention is of particular utility with such containers of unequal dimensions of increased height and volume and/or with a high center of gravity, especially such containers having a smaller base, and containers that are unstable because they tip easily due to die relationship between the diameter of the base, the height and weight thereof. Advantages of the container packaging assembly of the present invention are many. A primary advantage of die inventive packaging assembly is the clean release of die container from the base member. Prior packaging assemblies employ adhesives which do not release the containers, leaving adhesive and fibers from the base

on the containers. Anotiier distinct advantage is provided by die use of a corrugated base member which is not only instrumental to the strength of the container package assembly, but also contributes to the clean release of the containers.

The packaging assembly of the present invention provides an improvement over previous packaging assemblies for containers of the type requiring a base member with tear strips, onto which packages are removably secured to a tear strip by spots of frangible adhesive. The rigid base member of the present invention requires no tear strips, and uses strips of an improved frangible adhesive to removably secure the containers to the base member instead of spots of adhesive. The planar cover member provides an unexpectedly high degree of stability to the containers.

The inventive package assembly is especially ideal for packaging top heavy containers, such as tubs and the like. The package assembly saves money in labor costs and in packaging materials costs and is simple to disassemble at the store level. Further, containers packaged in the packaging assembly of the present invention do not lose marketability because of the adherence of a tear strip or glue spots thereto as is common with prior packaging assemblies. The present packaging assembly provides clean release of the containers packaged therein.

The package assembly is also environmentally friendly. The invention replaces the use of corrugated boxes resulting in a reduction of 40% to 60% in the amount of packaging materials. In addition, all materials are recyclable after use while the base and cover members can be made from recycled paper.

The container package assembly of the present invention offers a low cost, environmentally sound alternative for shipping food products.

This completes the description of die preferred and alternate embodiments of the invention. Those skilled in the art may recognize other equivalents to the specific embodiment described herein which equivalents are intended to be encompassed by die claims attached hereto.