Abstract: The method of manufacturing and bottle having a neck ring with a first face having a distinguishing characteristic wherein the first face may be distinguished, and thus oriented, thereby orienting the soft drink bottle during the filling, labeling and/or packaging process. The first face is preferably planar so that it may cooperate with a guide so that the bottle may be rotated about a longitudinal axis extending through the bottle for either maintaining the orientation of the bottle or for changing the bottle orientation during various steps of the manufacturing and filling processes.

Abstract: A series of transport carts (21) are positioned in side by side relation in fore and aft extending spaced apart rows disposed along a delivery van (22) to leave an aisle (58) between them. The carts have wheel supported frames (28) with bottom supports (131) for the products disposed at a level above the floor of the van and open fronts from which the carts can be unloaded. The carts have rear posts (58) which are disengageably locked in track sections (66, 67) provided in longitudinally spaced relation along the van side walls. Pallets (30) with discs (34) projecting downwardly from the floors of the pallets support the product stacks on the cart bottom supports. A hand truck with a bifurcated nose plate defining disc receiving arms engages under each pallet to enable removal of a pallet and product stack (31) from the cart.

Abstract: A method of utilizing a mini-pallet to create, organize, and move product stacks. In a preferred configuration, the mini-pallet is a nestable lightweight shipping tray which provides a convenient means for handling packaged units, in particular packages of beverage containers. The mini-pallet can support loads at an elevation above a supporting surface through the use of a deck supported by two side legs and a central support. The legs are located to facilitate a user in positioning a carrier under the deck for transportation. The central support, in a preferred embodiment, compatibly fits with a designated opening in the lifting portion of the carrier. When not loaded, the mini-pallet is capable of “nesting” within another mini-pallet for convenient storage.

Abstract: The invention relates to a trayless close packed array of cans locked together in a heat shrunk sleeve. The packaging machine includes a marshalling station for marshalling the cans in arrays in which there are unequal numbers of cans in each row and a collation station in which the array of cans in rows and columns are collated into close packed formation. A wrapping machine wraps a plastic sleeve around the close packed array and a sealing station seals and heat shrinks the sleeve around the array to lock the array into its formation.

Abstract: The apparatus comprises a cylinder housing a rotary scroll Tubular preforms are fed into the cylinder in an upright state and displaced along the cylinder by a fin of the scroll. An upstream cam engages each preform in turn and inverts it. The inverted preforms are then driven over a series of nozzles discharging ionized gas to purge the preforms of debris. The preforms are then reinverted by a downstream cam and/or discharged.