Abstract: An elongated plastic track for use in a gravity feed display is extruded from a mixture of high impact polystyrene and dimethylpolysiloxane.

Abstract: A fully-enclosed wrap-around carton comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls interconnecting the top and bottom walls to form a tubular structure, end closure panels hinged to opposite ends of the top and bottom walls to close, at least partially, the ends of the carton, the end closure panels which are hinged to the top wall being joined to adjacent side walls by integral web panels, characterized in that each web panel is formed from two distinct panel portions hinged together by an integral bridging element and each of the panel portions is provided with a crease line so that the web panel can be collapsed inwardly when the end closure panel is brought into a closed position.

Abstract: The invention relates to a package accommodating a plurality of primary containers arranged in at least one row. The package includes a wrapper (10) of foldable sheet material wrapped about the containers and which partially can be removed whereafter each container is detachable from an adjacent container such that each detached container is left with a part of the wrapper (48-51) which provides a handle by which the container can be grasped.

Abstract: A cellular article carrier of the basket type formed from a single blank and comprising a series of cells provided on opposite sides of a longitudinal medial partition, the cells of each series being separated from an adjacent cell by a transverse partition structure including a main transverse partition panel hinged to the longitudinal medial partition and a supplementary transverse partition panel hinged in overlapping relationship to the main transverse partition panel, the overlapped faces of all the supplementary partition panels being presented towards one and the same end of the carrier.

Abstract: Apparatus for the aseptic packaging of high acid foods having a pH below 4.6 includes conveying means with carrier plate receptacles having orifices to receive preformed cups, the orifices being contoured to match the shape of the sealing flanges of the cups. The conveying means carries cups through a lock of liquid sterilant, past sprays that ensure against air pockets in the cups, through a bath of sterilant liquid in submerged, inverted position, lifts the cups from the bath and into a chamber of sterile inert gas, allowing liquid sterilant to drain therefrom, moves the cups in sequence to filling means and then to sealing means, where cover elements, pre-sterilized from the liquid of the cup bath, dried and preheated, are applied to hermetically close the cups by the action of heat and pressure. Jets of the sterile inert gas, recirculated from the chamber, are directed at the cups after liquid sterilant has drained therefrom, so as to dry the sealing flanges of the cups.

Abstract: The invention relates to materials and method for forming composite packages comprising a first flexible material (11) and a second relatively rigid material (12) which are connected together without the use of additional connecting materials. The connection is achieved by causing the flexible material (11) to be deformed to cooperate in tension with interrupted zones (19) of the relatively rigid material (12). Many different packages may be formed for a variety of uses but the invention is particularly suitable for connecting a heat shrinkable plastics body part to a paperboard or like sheet material end part.

Abstract: This invention relates to a carton of the wrap-around neck-through type for bottles in which at least three parallel rows of apertures are provided in a top wall panel of the carton for receiving neck portions of the bottles. The carton further includes an end closure at opposite ends thereof, each end closure comprises a top flap hinged to the top wall of the carton and to the adjacent side walls, and a pair of base flaps hinged to respective ones of the carton base panels and to the adjacent side walls. The base flaps are secured in overlapping relationship with respect to the top flap.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for providing a sterile inert atmosphere in an aseptic packaging machine wherein an inert gas is passed through a microbiological filter and then sparged through a bath of hot sterilizing liquid into the interior of the machine. A portion of the sterile inert gas is withdrawn from the machine interior by means of a suitable pump or blower, and separated into three parts; the first part being passed through a heater and then over the flange areas of containers passing through the machine to dry same prior to heat sealing operations, the second part being directed to the machine filler means to provide a back-up microbiological barrier for the filler, and the third part being passed through jets aligned on either side of a web of cover material as said cover material emerges from a sterilizing bath, said jets being arranged to blow off liquid sterilant adhering thereto.

Abstract: The invention provides a package comprising a plurality of primary containers, such as bottles or cans, connecting means for holding said containers clustered together to form a unit, and an outer sleeve of paperboard passing around at least one such clustered unit, said outer sleeve providing handle means by which the package can be grasped and carried.

Abstract: The invention relates to materials and method for forming composite packages comprising a first flexible material (11) and a second relatively rigid material (12) which are connected together without the use of additional connecting materials. The connection is achieved by causing the flexible material (11) to be deformed to cooperate in tension with interrupted zones (19) of the relatively rigid material (12). Many different packages may be formed for a variety of uses but the invention is particularly suitable for connecting a heat shrinkable plastic body part to a paperboard or like sheet material end part.

Abstract: A display device such as is used to display automobile service station price data in which a support surface (26) provides a display area (22,23,24,25) and an adjustable information strip (39) is slideable across the support face to present different information characters (40) in the display area and a reflective surface carried by the support face to reflect light through either translucent characters on opaque background areas of the strip or through translucent background areas of the strip having opaque characters.

Abstract: A resilient hinge assembly particularly useful in display structures for merchandising goods comprises a band of plastics material incorporating a central flexible bridge interconnecting a pair of end elements. One of the end elements attaches to a back panel of a display structure and the other end element is slotted to receive a stabilizer shelf for the structure. A leaf spring extends across the flexible bridge and is connected to the end elements for imparting the required degree of restoration force to the assembly.

Abstract: A temporary display stand comprising the combination of corner post units and shelf units, all the units being formed from sheet material such as pressed laminated paperboard folded to provide a double ply thickness of material, in which corner portions of each shelf unit are united with respective corner post units by integral connector arms provided by one of the units and secured by retaining sleeves formed by overlapped portions of the other of said units.

Abstract: This invention relates to a cellular article carrier in which partitioning means forming a plurality of individual article cells is provided on each side of a medial partition structure. The medial partition includes a multi-ply handle structure comprising an outer handle structure secured in overlapping relationship with respect to an inner handle structure and extending between opposite end walls of the carrier, the outer handle structure including reinforcing straps hinged thereto and secured to the end wall panels at one end of the carrier.

Abstract: A wrap-around carrier formed from a unitary paperboard blank and particularly adapted for accommodating large bottles, the carrier comprising a bottom wall and side walls extending upwardly therefrom and inclined toward each other to conform generally to the upwardly tapered configuration of the bottles, the side walls being joined by a narrow panel overlying the tops of said bottles and provided with handgripping apertures adjacent the top panel. Handle reinforcing panels are hinged to the carrier side walls and are folded inwardly into overlapping relationship therewith to provide a double play thickness of material in the vicinity of the hand-gripping apertures.

Abstract: An erector mechanism for setting-up article carriers of the basket type from a collapsed condition to a set-up condition comprises a pivotal arm arranged to oscillate between a pair of spaced carrier erector locations. The erector locations each include a pivotal leg having suction elements to withdraw collapsed carriers from a supply and maintain them in position for setting-up and the pivotal arm includes two opposed sets of suction elements for cooperation with the suction elements of the respective pivotal legs in that position so that the carrier side walls are drawn apart to set up the carrier. The pivotal legs are timed from a cam system to withdraw carriers from a supply at each erector section alternately and the pivotal arm is synchronized by the cam system to cooperate in the carrier setting-up procedure with each pivotal leg in turn while the other pivotal leg is actuated to withdraw the next succeeding carrier.

Abstract: This invention relates to a bottomless bottle carrier for a pair of bottles and which comprises a pair of side walls flanking wall portions of the bottles, the side walls having mutually inclined upper portions hinged together to provide a top wall, the top wall having a bottle-neck receiving aperture for each bottle and including bottle-neck engaging means by which the load exerted by the bottle is transferred to the carrier to support the bottle when the carrier is lifted, a wrap-around end wall connecting together lower portions of the side walls at each end of the carrier and providing, together with the lower side wall portions, a peripheral skirt to maintain the bottles in close side-by-side relationship, and tying flaps secured together within the carrier connecting together the side walls to limit movement of the upper side wall portions away from one another.

Abstract: An article carrier of the basket type having locking tabs in the lower portions of riser panels at both ends of the carrier which are engaged by the carrier bottom panel to maintain the carrier in squared set-up condition. The locking tabs and the cooperating parts of the bottom panel are sized and positioned such that displacement of a carrier end wall to engage one tab causes simultaneous displacement of the opposite end wall by an amount sufficient just to clear the opposite locking tab from the bottom panel so that complete locking occurs when the displacement force is relieved.

Abstract: A packaging machine includes a bottle carrier erector section, a bottle infeed and carrier transfer section and a bottle loading section. The erector section continuously sets up carriers which are then transferred to the loading section and at the same time bottles continuously are supplied to the loading section. The loading section includes a suspension feed line for the bottles and a carrier feed line to feed carriers in the same direction as and below the suspension feed line. The carrier feed line and bottle feed line converge and are so timed that each bottle arrives at a position directly above a carrier when the convergence of the feed lines has brought the bottle into close proximity with a carrier. Each bottle is caused to enter a carrier at an angle to the vertical and means are provided for controlling the bottle attitude and for causing detachment from the suspension feed line to deposit the bottle in a carrier at the appropriate moment.

Abstract: A bottle carrier which comprises a tubular sleeve having top, bottom and spaced sidewalls and end closure panels hinged to the sidewalls at each end of the carrier. The end closure panels are closed by overlapping one with the other and are maintained closed by interengaging tabs formed along the inner edges of the panels. The tabs on the outermost end panel engages behind an oblique locking edge formed on the innermost end panel and relative movement between the locking tab and locking edge is limited by the tab formed on the innermost end panel.