Abstract: A plastic carrier is deposited on a set of bottles which are moved beneath a reciprocating platen. The platen carries a set of long fingers and a set of short fingers. Each long finger is positioned to align with a different one of the lower peripheral surface sections of the carrier. Each short finger is aligned with the upper surface of the carrier, which has a bottle engaging opening for each bottle. Between the upper and lower surfaces of the carrier is an inclined side surface. As the platen is moved downwardly, the long fingers first engage and cooperate with the inclined side surface to correct any misalignment between the carrier and the bottles. Further movement causes the long fingers to contact the peripheral surface sections, respectively, and the short fingers to contact the upper surface, seating the carrier.

Abstract: A reciprocating platen automatically aligns and seats the carriers. Extending downwardly from the surface of the platen is a pair of spaced, conically shaped projections. As the platen is lowered, the inclined surface of each projection engages and cooperates with the edge of one of the circular finger-grip openings in the upper surface of the carrier. The carrier moves in a plane parallel to the platen surface until the base of each projection is received within a different one of the openings, thereby correcting any misalignment. Further movement of the platen causes the platen surface to exert a downward force on the carrier. This results in the container engaging openings being received over the closures of the respective containers. The platen is provided with recesses, each aligned with a different container engaging opening. The closures are received in the respective recesses to permit the platen to move to an extreme downward position.

Abstract: Plastic carriers are automatically applied to sets of containers by placing the carriers on the containers with recesses in the carrier aligned with the tops of the containers. Each recess is provided with a plurality of container engaging protrusions adapted to be seated below flanges on the containers. Sets of upstanding discs are situated to exert progressively increasing forces on the carrier top surface to seat the protrusions. A final set of concave discs are deformed in accordance with the curvature of the containers in order to insure sufficient contact between the disc rims and the narrow shoulder along the outer periphery of the carrier top surface, such that the container engaging projections adjacent to the shoulder are properly seated.