Bottle Packaging

Abstract

A bottle holder (2) comprising a base (3) and a lid (4), wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions (7), each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging of bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bottles are conventionally packed in boxes, in heat-shrink plastic film, or a combination thereof.

A box for accommodating bottles usually has a relatively small number of narrow compartments (e.g. 6 or 12), each of which can accommodate one bottle. The bottles stored in the box are not in direct contact with each other. The box may be equipped with one or more handles.

The boxes which are resilient enough not to break under the weight of the bottles and which are sufficiently resistant to humidity are usually expensive, because they need to be made of thick cardboard, wood or plastic. Boxes made of thin (cheaper) cardboard often fail, especially when removed from a fridge and soaked with environmental humidity. This often leads to damage of the bottles.

Bottles of soft drinks are often packed by placing them on a cardboard tray and then surrounding the tray and bottles with a thick heat-shrink plastic film. Once the film has been wrapped around the bottles it is subjected to heat treatment in a heat tunnel to shrink the film around the bottles and the tray. The heat treatment is expensive. In addition, the heat treatment may be damaging for certain fluids, or even dangerous when used with certain fluids. The heat treatment may also cause layers of plastic bottles to become delaminated.

It is desirable to provide packaging for bottles which overcomes one or more of the above disadvantages, or other disadvantages associated with prior art packaging. The packaging may be cheap, sufficiently resilient packaging for bottles, may be safe, may use less material, may be easy to unpack and may be recyclable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a bottle holder comprising a base and a lid, wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.

The invention advantageously allows bottles to be held by the bottle holder and transported easily.

The bottle receiving portions may comprise a plurality of flaps separated by cuts.

The cuts may be radially extending.

Inner edges of the flaps may define holes at the centre of the bottle receiving portions.

The flaps may be triangular, sections of an annulus or trapezoidal.

The cuts may be configured such that outer ends of the cuts are at least 5 mm from the neck of the bottle in use.

The base and the lid may be connected via a hinge. The base and the lid may be configured to be opened and closed using the hinge.

Structures may be indented into the base of the bottle holder.

Structures may be indented into the lid of the bottle holder.

The structures indented into the lid may correspond with the structures indented into the base such that when the lid is closed the structures in the lid contact the structures in the base.

An uppermost surface of the lid may be a planar surface, excluding any indented structures.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a bottle package, comprising a bottle holder according to the first aspect of the invention, a plurality of bottles engaged in the bottle receiving portions provided in the bottle holder, and a plastic film wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles.

The bottle receiving portions may hold the bottles with a force of engagement of less than 55 N.

The force of engagement may be less than 40 N.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided a method of packaging bottles, comprising providing a bottle holder with a base and a lid, the lid comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, engaging a bottle neck into each bottle receiving portion, and wrapping the bottle holder and the bottles in a plastic film.

An additional item may be placed in a space between the base and the lid of the bottle holder.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of unpacking bottles from bottle packaging, the bottle packaging comprising a bottle holder and a plastic film, the bottle holder comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each of the bottle receiving portions engaging a bottle neck, the plastic film being wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles, the method comprising removing the plastic film from the bottles and the bottle holder, and disengaging the bottles by pushing or pulling them out of the bottle receiving portions in the bottle holder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a bottle holder according to an embodiment of the invention with bottles inserted into the bottle holder;

FIG. 2 is the bottle holder without the bottles and with the lid closed;

FIG. 3 is bottle holder with bottles inserted and the lid open;

FIG. 4 is the bottle holder with the lid open;

FIGS. 5-8 are schematic examples of a bottle receiving portion provided in the bottle holder;

FIG. 9 schematically depicts a bottle neck held by a bottle receiving portion;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the bottle packaging including a plastic film;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a packaging process according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing an unpacking process according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-10 show an embodiment of the bottle packaging according to the present invention. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1-10, six wine bottles 1 are packed in the bottle packaging. Alternatively, the bottle packaging could be used with other bottles, such as beer or spirit bottles, champagne bottles, soft drink bottles, detergent bottles etc. Depending on the design of the bottle holder 2, more or less than six bottles 1 can be packed in the packaging. The invention is not limited to a specific number of bottles in the packaging. The packaging may contain e.g. 2, 4, 8, 10, 12 or 24 bottles. The invention is not limited to bottles 1 having a particular volume. The bottles 1 may be of any volume, e.g. 250 ml, 385 ml, 0.5 l, 0.75 l, 1 l, 2 l or 2.5 l.

The bottle packaging comprises a bottle holder 2 and a plastic film 9 (see FIG. 10). The bottle holder may be referred to as a tray. The bottle holder 2 engages the bottle necks 1a in a way described below, and holds the bottle necks 1a such that a pre-defined force is needed to disengage the bottles 1 from the bottle holder 2. The bottoms of the bottles 1 are not supported by the bottle holder 2. The film 9 is then wrapped around the bottles 1 held in the bottle holder 2, as described below.

The bottle holder 2 with the bottles 1 is wrapped in the plastic film 9. The bottle holder 2 without the plastic film 9 may not hold the bottles 1 with sufficient force for the bottle holder 2 to be lifted (the bottles may fall out of the bottle holder). This may apply in particular to heavier bottles, such as bottles having the volume of more than 0.5 l. Therefore, in such a case, the bottle holder 2 itself should not be used to support and handle the bottles 1 e.g. in a factory, before wrapping the bottle holder 2 and the bottles 1 in a plastic film 9.

In the example shown in the Figures, the bottle holder 2 is rectangular. Depending on the number of bottles 1 and other factors, the bottle holder 2 may be of any other suitable shape (e.g. square, hexagon, octagon etc.). In an embodiment, the bottle holder may be provided with rounded corners. This arrangement is beneficial because it reduces the risk of damage to the plastic film 9 (described below) by sharp corners of the bottle holder 2.

The bottle holder 2 may be made of suitable plastic material. For example, the bottle holder 2 may be made of PET, preferably rPET. The advantages of using rPET include flexibility of the material, low costs and easy manufacturing of the bottle holder 2. When rPET is used, it is necessary to wrap the bottle holder 2 with the bottles 1 in the plastic film 9, as mentioned above, especially with heavier bottles, because of the flexibility of rPET.

Alternatively, the bottle holder 2 may be made of any other material with some flexibility, such as different kinds of plastics.

The thickness of the material used to form the bottle holder 2 may be e.g. between 300 μm and 1000 μm. The material of the bottle holder 2 may be thicker than 350 μm; such bottle holders 2 are more rigid. Preferably, the thickness of the material of the bottle holder 2 is between 450 μm and 550 μm, and may be for example 500 μm. Such thickness provides a good balance between the rigidity of the material and the cost of the material. If extra rigidity is required, the thickness of the bottle holder 2 may be more than 700 μm or even more than 800 μm. Such a bottle holder would be more expensive, but more stable. Thicker material may be used for example when heavier bottles are to be carried by the bottle holder 2.

The bottle holder 2 comprises a base 3 and a lid 4. The base 3 and the lid 4 are both rectangular, and are connected together by a hinge 8. The hinge 8 is positioned on one edge of the base 3 and the lid 4. In different embodiments, the hinge 8 can be positioned at the shorter side of the rectangle, or at the longer side of the rectangle. If the bottle holder 2 is not rectangular, the hinge is positioned on one side as appropriate.

The hinge 8 may be e.g. a living hinge (i.e. a flexible hinge formed from the same material as the base 3 and the lid 4). The material which forms the hinge may be thinner than material which forms the base 3 and the lid 4. The living hinge is advantageous because it is easy to manufacture and does not require introduction of another (e.g. more flexible) material or of complex mechanical components. Therefore, the cost of the packaging can be kept low.

The base 3 and the lid 4 both comprise a base plane 3a, 4a, and an elevated rim 3b, 4b. The outer surface (as seen when the lid 4 is closed) of the base plane 4a is preferably planar (excluding any indented structures), so that items can be positioned on the outer surface. For example, another similar bottle pack may be positioned on top of the lid 4.

The base 3 of the bottle holder 2 comprises bottle receiving portions 7. The bottle receiving portions 7 are positioned on the base plane 3a, between the elevated rims 3b (shown in FIG. 4). Examples of bottle receiving portions 7 are shown schematically in FIGS. 5-8. The bottle receiving portions 7 may be circular (as shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8), hexagonal (as shown in FIG. 7), or any other suitable shape. Each of the bottle receiving portions 7 comprises radially extending cuts 7b, which divide the bottle receiving portion 7 into flaps 7a. The flaps 7a may be e.g. triangular, sections of an annulus, trapezoidal, or any other suitable shape. The flaps 7a are flexible enough to be bent inwards when bottle neck 1a approaches them and is pushed through the bottle receiving portion 7 (described below). The flaps 7a engage the bottle necks 1a. An example of this is depicted in FIG. 9, with the flaps 7a engaging an outward step which extends around a bottle neck 1a. Such outward steps are conventionally provided in bottle necks. In FIG. 9 the outward step forms a lowermost surface of a radial ridge 1b which extends around the bottle neck. Such a radial ridge is conventionally provided on wine bottle necks. In another embodiment the outward step may form a lowermost surface of a radial flange which extends around the bottle neck. Such a radial flange is conventionally provided on the neck of plastic soft drink bottles.

The radial cuts 7b may consist of cuts of the same length (as shown in FIGS. 5-7), or of cuts of different lengths (one example is shown in FIG. 8). In particular, if there is an even number of cuts, shorter cuts and longer cuts can alternate as shown in FIG. 8.

The radial cuts 7b may divide the bottle receiving portions 7 into e.g. 4, 6 or 8 flaps, as shown on FIGS. 5 to 8, or any other suitable number of flaps. Preferably, the number of flaps is between 3 and 8. The smaller the number of flaps 7a, the more rigid the flaps 7a are, and the more difficult it is to insert a bottle neck 1a through the bottle receiving portion 7. On the other hand, the greater the number of flaps, the more flexible the flaps become, and the easier it is for the bottle 1 to disengage from the bottle receiving portion 7.

The flaps 7a may be long enough to cover the whole bottle receiving portion 7, with their tips meeting in the middle of the bottle receiving portion 7, as shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the flaps 7a may be shorter, not covering the whole bottle receiving portion 7, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. In that case, the tips of the flaps 7a do not meet in the middle of the bottle receiving portion 7, but instead inner edges of the flaps define a hole 7c in the middle of the bottle receiving portion 7. FIG. 6 shows the hole 7c as being circular, but it is to be understood that the hole 7c could have other shapes, e.g. hexagonal as depicted in FIG. 7. The size of the hole 7c may generally correspond with the size of a neck 1a of a bottle to be received in the hole (excluding a ridge 1b provided around the neck). The shape of the hole 7c may roughly correspond with the size of a neck of a bottle to be received in the hole. The hole 7c, may be slightly smaller than the neck of the bottle such that the flaps 7a engage against the neck of the bottle (e.g. up to 2 mm smaller measuring across the hole). This may ensure that there isn't a gap between the flaps and the neck of the bottle (there may be a tolerance of around 1 mm in dimensions of the bottle holder).

Embodiments which are provided with a hole 7c are preferable because they provide more controlled engagement with the neck 1a of the bottle 1. When a hole 7c is provided, inner edges of the flaps 7a may provide engagement around substantially all of the bottle neck 1a. That is, substantially all of the inner edges of the flaps 7a may be in contact with the bottle neck 1a. If no hole is provided, such as depicted in FIG. 5, then engagement between the bottle neck 1a and the flaps 7a may be limited to innermost corners of the flaps. Furthermore, a large deflection of the flaps 7a is needed in order to allow the bottle neck 1a to pass into the bottle receiving portion 7. This large deflection may in some instances crease the flaps 7a such that they do not resiliently move back to being engaged against the neck 1a of the bottle 1. Although embodiments without a hole are less preferred, they nevertheless be used in some instances, for example to hold lighter bottles (e.g. bottles weighing 100 g or less).

In an embodiment, the bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that bottles 1 can be disengaged using a force of less than 55 N (e.g. by selecting an appropriate length of cuts 7b when forming the flaps 7a). A force of 55 N may be exerted by most people, thereby allowing disengagement of the bottles 1. In an embodiment, the bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that bottles 1 can be disengaged using a force of less than 40 N. A lower force will allow easier and more comfortable disengagement of bottles. The bottle receiving portions 7 may be configured such that force exerted due to the weight of a bottle 1 does not disengage the bottle. For example the weight of a filled bottle may be around 1 Kg, in which case the bottle will exert a downward force of around 10 N. This force will be multiplied when the bottle holder 2 and bottles 1 are being moved around (e.g. during the packing process). Thus, it may be desirable for the force needed for disengagement to be greater than the force exerted due to weight of the bottle (e.g. at least twice the force exerted due to weight of the bottle). The force needed for disengagement may be less than a force needed to retain the bottles 1 in the bottle holder 2 throughout a supply chain (the force needed would be in excess of 55 N). However, wrapping the bottles 1 and bottle holder 2 in tensioned film (as described below) will provide additional retention force to securely hold the bottles in the bottle holder throughout the supply chain. The force needed for disengagement may alternatively be referred to as the force of engagement. The weight of bottles 1 to be held by the bottle holder 2 may be taken into account when determining the force of engagement (a smaller force of engagement may be used for lighter bottles).

The force which is required to remove a bottle from the bottle receiving portion 7 will depend upon the distance from the bottle neck to outer ends of the cuts 7b. In an embodiment, the bottle holder 2 may be used to hold wine bottles. Necks 1a of the wine bottles may have a diameter of 30 mm, and may be provided with a ridge 1b having a larger diameter (see FIG. 9). In order to be able to receive the wine bottles, outer ends of the cuts 7b may extend at least 5 mm beyond the neck 1a of the wine bottle (excluding the ridge 1b of the neck). The outer ends of the cuts 7b may for example extend up to 15 mm beyond the neck 1a of the wine bottle. Thus, outer ends of the cuts 7b may be between 20 mm and 30 mm from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7.

In general, outer ends of the cuts 7b may be configured such that they are around 5 mm or more from the neck of a bottle in use. The outer ends of the cuts 7b may be configured such that they are up to around 15 mm from the neck of a bottle in use. As noted above, in embodiments in which the flaps 7a extend to a hole 7c at the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7, the size of the hole 7c may generally correspond with the size of a neck of a bottle to be received in the hole. Where this is the case, the cuts 7b may have a length of around 5 mm or more. The cuts 7b may have a length of up to around 15 mm.

In general, outer ends of the cuts 7b may be configured such that they have a radial distance from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 which is between 1.3 and 2 times the radius of the bottle neck. In other words, the cuts 7b may be configured such that the radial distance from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 to the outer ends of the cuts is at least 30% greater than the radius of the bottle neck. The cuts 7b may be configured such that the radial distance from the centre of the bottle receiving portion 7 to the outer ends of the cuts is up to 100% greater than the radius of the bottle neck.

In embodiments where cuts 7b of more than one length are provided (e.g. as depicted in FIG. 8), the outer ends of the shorter cuts may be less than 5 mm from the neck of a bottle in use. In embodiments where the bottle receiving portion 7 is provided with a hole 7c, the shorter cuts may extend less than 5 mm from the hole.

The distance from a bottle neck to outer ends of the cuts 7b may be selected such that the force needed to disengage a bottle 1 from the bottle holder 2 has a desired value (e.g. less than 55 N or less than 40 N). Increasing the distance will reduce the force, whereas reducing the distance will increase the force. In addition, the thickness of the material used to form the bottle holder 2 will have an effect upon the force needed to disengage a bottle. Using thicker material will increase the force, whereas using thinner material will reduce the force.

A plastic film 9 may be wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2, as described below.

The base 3 of the bottle holder 2 may further comprise pillars 5. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, there are three pairs of bottle receiving portions 7, positioned so that the bottle receiving portions 7 form two rows, each row comprising three bottle receiving portions 7. The pillars 5 are positioned between each four bottle receiving portions 7, and also between each sidewall of the base 3 and the adjacent pair of bottle receiving portions 7. In the embodiment shown in the Figures, there are four pillars 5. More generally, if there are 2n bottle receiving portions 7 organized in two rows, there may be n+1 pillars 5. If there are more rows of bottle receiving portions 7, the pillars 5 are positioned between each four bottle receiving portions 7, and also between the sidewalls and the adjacent pair of bottle receiving portions 7. Preferably, in such case, there are pillars positioned also between each corner and the adjacent bottle receiving portion 7.

The pillars 5 are indented into the bottle holder and protrude above the base plane 3a of the bottle holder 2. The pillars 5 may be of approximately the same height above the base plane 3a as the elevated rim 3b. The pillars 5 are formed e.g. by pressing the material into a mould of suitable shape. The pillars 5 may be formed as a protrusion, forming a cavity on the outer side of the base plane 3a. Alternatively, the pillars 5 may be filled with material, e.g. rPET. This makes the bottle holder 2 more resilient, but also more expensive.

The lid 4 of the bottle holder comprises pillars 6, with positions which correspond with the pillars 5 provided on the base 3, so that when the bottle holder 2 is closed, the pillars 5 provided on the base 3 face the pillars 6 provided on the lid. If the pillars 5, 6 are sufficiently high, the pillars 5, 6 may engage when the lid is closed. Preferably, the pillars 5, 6 touch when the lid 4 is closed. This provides the bottle holder with improved strength and rigidity, which is particularly useful in cases when there is another bottle pack with bottles positioned on top of the bottle holder 2. The pillars 6 formed on the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 may be formed similarly to the pillars 5 formed on the base 3 of the bottle holder 2.

In other embodiments other structures may be used to provide the bottle holder with improved strength and rigidity (instead of pillars or in addition to pillars). The structures may be in the form of shapes indented into the bottle holder 2. For example, the bottle holder 2 may be provided with ribs which are indented into the bottle holder. In another example an indented ring may encircle each bottle receiving portion 7. In another example indented lugs may extend inwardly from sides of the bottle holder 2. The ribs, rings, lugs or other shapes may for example be provided in the base 3 and the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 in corresponding positions such that they face each other and touch with each other when the lid is closed. The pillars, ribs, rings, lugs or other shapes may be provided with male and female portions which engage into each other when the lid is closed. Alternatively, they may be provided with faces which press against each other when the lid is closed (e.g. planar faces).

The elevated rims rim 3b, 4b may be provided with male and female features which engage into each other when the lid is closed. A flange may extend outwardly from the elevated rims 3b, 4b.

The bottles 1 are positioned in the bottle holder 2 so that they pass through the bottle receiving portions 7. The flaps 7a engage the bottle necks 1a, and the bottle necks protrude slightly (e.g. 1-3 cm) above the bottle receiving portions 7. The lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 may be open during positioning of the bottles 1 (although this is not essential). When the lid 4 is closed, the inner part of the base plane 4a may touch the bottle closures (not shown).

In one embodiment, when the bottles 1 are engaged in the bottle receiving portions 7, there is enough space between the lid 4, the base 3 and/or the bottle closures for positioning of branded material (e.g. leaflets explaining the origin of the wine in the packaging) or other items. In an embodiment, there may be enough space in the bottle holder 2 to accommodate an item such as one or more packages of peanuts. Such an item is placed between pillars 5 and bottle tops to avoid the item being crushed.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart which sets out steps that may be used to package bottles using an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, when engaging the bottles 1 into the bottle holder 2, the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 is open (step S1). When the bottles 1 and any additional materials as described above have been positioned in the bottle holder 2 (steps S2, S3), the lid 4 is closed (step S4). The bottle holder 2 with the bottles 1 is then wrapped in plastic film, as described below (step S5). In an alternative method the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 may be in the closed position throughout the method. It is not necessary for the lid 4 to be open in order to engage the bottles into the bottle holder 2. Similarly, it is not necessary to place additional materials between the base 3 and the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2.

For the purpose of closing the bottle holder 2, and keeping the lid 4 of the bottle holder 2 closed, conventional closing features such as corresponding grooves and protrusions (not shown) may be provided.

The bottle holder 2 serves as a feature which holds the bottles 1 in place (collates the bottles 1) during a wrapping process (described below) and during subsequent handling. After wrapping in the plastic film 9, the bottles are held in a fixed position with respect to each other, thus minimizing the risk of being damaged by colliding together. During subsequent handling, the bottle holder 2 also serves as a base onto which another bottle pack can be positioned without difficulty (for example during palletisation). The bottle packs can therefore be stored or transported in a space saving manner. Additionally, the bottle holder 2 of the bottle pack can be gripped through an opening formed in the film 9 (described below), lifted and handled.

Once the bottles 1 are positioned in the bottle holder 2 as described above, the plastic film 9 is wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2. The process of wrapping the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in the plastic film 9 may be conventional, e.g. as described in patent applications published under WO9009316, WO2006051281, WO2011004157, WO2015025142 or WO2015067940. In particular, the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 may be wrapped helically with the plastic film 9. As the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 are wrapped, more than one layer of the film 9 may cover the wrapped areas of the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2. With the helically wrapped bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2, successive layers of the film overlap. The number of layers of the overlapping film when the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 are wrapped helically may depend on the material and/or thickness of the plastic film 9 and on the size and weight of the bottles 1 positioned in the bottle holder 2. The number of layers may be determined based on the known properties (such as strength) of the plastic film 9.

The film may be for example 250 mm wide, 125 mm wide, or of any other suitable width. A single layer of the pre-stretch film with some overlap is sufficient for light to medium weights, i.e. for bottles 1 with overall weight of less than 10 kg (for example, six 0.7 l bottles of wine, spirit or champagne). Typically the film overlaps are between 20-100 mm, depending on the weight of the bottles 1. The overlap may be towards the bottom end of that range for light bottles and may be towards the top end of the range for heavy bottles. A typical overlap may be round 60 mm. At any single point on the wrapped bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2, there may be one or two layers of the film 9. For packaging with bottles 1 with overall weight of more than 15 kg, for example between 15 kg to 25 kg (e.g. 15 or more 0.7 l bottles of wine, spirit or champagne), three layers of the film may be used. For example, if 7 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film is used, 1-3 layers are sufficient to hold the bottles 1 with an overall weight up to approx. 20 kg. In practice, due to legislative limitations, the overall weight of the bottles 1 may be limited to e.g. 15 kg or 9 kg. As mentioned, 1-2 layers of the pre-stretch film 9 are sufficient for bottles 1 with such overall weight

Before the film 9 is wrapped around the bottles 1, the film is stretched, i.e. tension is created in the film 9 by stretching it in a longitudinal direction. When the film is wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2, the tension present in the film due to stretching exerts force on the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2. The force exerted by the film adds to the force exerted by the bottle holder 2 on necks of the bottles 1, such that the bottles are held securely in place throughout a supply chain. The combined force which secures the bottles 1 to the bottle holder 2 may be greater than 55 N.

The film 9 may include some pre-stretch, i.e. may have been stretched during manufacture and may be delivered in a stretched form. Where this is the case a further stretch of up to around 15% may be possible. An additional stretch of up to around 15% may be applied to the film during the wrapping process.

During the process of wrapping the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in the plastic film 9, the film may be perforated on at least one side of the bottles 1. The perforations 9b are created during packaging process. In one example, the stretched (tensioned) film passes over a fixed perforation wheel (not shown) when the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 are being wrapped in the plastic film 9. The perforation wheel may have a shark-tooth design. In another example the perforations 9b may be formed using laser cutting. In general, any suitable form of perforating apparatus may be used to form the perforations.

The film 9 may be cut after the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 have been wrapped, thereby separating the bottle pack from a next bottle pack. Any suitable form of cutting system may be used to cut the film 9, e.g. heated bar, hot wire, heated crimping blade or other thermal cutting system. Other cutting systems may be used such as a laser or ultrasonic cutter.

The perforations 9b form a preferred line of opening the plastic film 9. The perforations 9b are preferably provided along the whole length of the bottle pack. As the forces created from film tensioning at wrapping are at 90° to the line of perforation, the plastic film 9 does not break open prematurely. Only a small amount of force from a person is required to tear along the line of perforation. As the film tears easily along the perforations 9b under force exerted by the person, the perforations 9b simplify the unwrapping process, thus making it quicker and more efficient. The perforations 9b also eliminate the need for any tools such as knives, therefore reducing risk of injury.

The film used for wrapping the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 may be e.g. the pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 5 μm to 9 μm as described above. Use of such pre-stretch LDPE film is beneficial because such film shows advantageous stretch properties. Pre-stretch LDPE film having thickness of 7 μm is particularly beneficial because of its optimal stretch properties. The pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-described thickness, i.e. 5 μm to 9 μm, and more particularly 7 μm, provides the bottles 1 as packed in the bottle holder 2 with increased structural integrity without the need to use a heat tunnel to make the film shrink. The pre-stretch LDPE film exerts force (pressure) on the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2, thus holding necks of the bottles 1 inside the bottle holder 2 and preventing the bottles 1 from falling out, unpacking prematurely, etc. LDPE is also advantageous because it is fully recyclable.

With thickness of the pre-stretch LDPE film as described above, the force exerted by the film is sufficient to hold the bottles 1 in the bottle holder 2 during handling and transport.

The plastic film 9 prevents the bottles 1 from disengaging from the bottle holder 2. The bottle holder 2 may be designed not to hold the bottles 1 alone, especially if there are many bottles (e.g. 15) to be packed. At the same time, the bottles 1 stored within the bottle holder 2 and wrapped by the film 9 are more visible (compared to a conventional enclosed box where the product is only identifiable via a label containing text or barcode). The bottles 1 wrapped in the plastic film 9 allow an easy visual verification of the contents of the bottles 1 to take place (including verifying the fill level of the bottles). Picking errors can be reduced regardless of whether the picker has the ability or proximity to read the text. Additionally, the plastic film 9 helps to protect the bottles 1 from the environment. It is also immediately apparent if the plastic film 9 has been tampered with, because in such case the film 9 would be broken. If one or more bottles 1 are damaged or missing, this is easily seen through the transparent plastic film 9.

Any equivalent material to the pre-stretch LDPE film may be used, provided it has similar properties to that of the pre-stretch LDPE film of the above-given thickness. In particular, if the film stretches less than a 5 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film, or more than a 9 μm thick pre-stretch LDPE film, it may be unsuitable for some applications.

The plastic film 9 may be wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in only one direction, so as to completely cover the longer side of the bottle holder 2, leaving the shorter side of the bottle pack open. This is shown in FIG. 10. Parts of the uncovered side of the bottle pack and the bottles 1 may be covered by untensioned, loose film 9a. Such untensioned portions 9a may be less than 5 cm wide (relatively small to avoid wasting material).

The plastic film 9 may also be wrapped around the bottles 1 and the bottle holder 2 in two different directions, thus covering the bottles 1 in their entirety. Enclosing the bottles 1 with the plastic film 9 provides extra structural integrity, protects the bottles 1 against environment, e.g. rain, humidity etc., and increases security. With the bottles 1 completely covered in the plastic film 9, it is easier to detect tampering. However, it also increases the amount of the film used.

If the bottles 1 were to be wrapped in the plastic film 9 with no tray 2 being used, it would be easier to take out one or more bottles 1 from the packaging by just putting one's hand through an opening formed in the film 9 during wrapping process. The tray 2 prevents this, because it is not normally possible to disengage a bottle from the tray 2 when the tray 2 is wrapped in the film 9.

To disengage the bottles 1 from the bottle holder 2, the plastic film 9 is first torn along the perforations 9b (if present) and removed. If no perforations are present the plastic film may still be torn although this may be more difficult and may require a blade. The bottle holder 2 may be opened (with any additional materials provided between the lid 4 and the bottle closures removed). Once the lid 4 is opened, the bottles 1 may be removed relatively easily from the bottle receiving portions 7. During this process, the flaps 7a may be damaged or destroyed. The force used to remove the bottles 1 from the bottle receiving portions 7 may be less than 55 N, and may be less than 40 N (as discussed further above).

The force provided by the flaps 7a can be adjusted by varying the number of flaps (more flaps means less rigidity, less flaps means more rigidity). The force provided by the flaps 7a can be also adjusted by varying the length of the cuts 7b (the shorter the cuts, the greater the force, and the longer the cuts, the smaller the force). In one embodiment, the cuts can be provided with varying length, e.g. with every second cut being shorter.

When unpacking the bottles, first, the perforations 9b are located and the film is torn apart along the perforations 9b (step S6). The film is removed from the bottles (step S7), the lid 4 of the bottle holder is opened (step S8), and any additional material (if provided) is removed (step S9). Then, the bottles 1 are disengaged from the bottle receiving portions 7 and removed from the bottle holder 2 one by one (step S10). FIG. 12 shows an overview of this method. This method may be used for example when the bottle pack is resting on a supporting platform (e.g. a table). Typically, one hand pulls the bottle holder 2 upwards whilst the other hand pushes the top of the bottle 1 downwards.

In an alternative method the lid is not opened when removing a bottle 1 from the bottle holder 2. This method may be used for example when the bottle pack is unsupported. In this method the bottle 1 is pulled downwards with one hand whilst the bottle holder 2 is supported by the other hand.

While removing the bottles 1 from the bottle holder 2 one by one takes longer than unpacking the bottles 1 in one go, it is safer, because the rest of the bottles 2 are still held by the bottle holder 2 in position, and it is not easy to accidentally knock them over.

The bottle holder 2, and in particular the bottle receiving portions 7 with the flaps 7a are designed to fail when the bottles 1 are pulled downwards to disengage the bottle. In this way, the flaps 7a do not damage the bottle closures (not shown) when the bottles 1 are disengaged from the bottle holder 2. In other words, the force required to disengage a bottle 1 from the bottle holder 2 (defined above) is not sufficient to damage the bottle closure, even when the bottle is provided e.g. with a screw cap or a beer cap. As a consequence, it is relatively easy to disengage the bottles 1 from the bottle holder 2.

After unpacking the bottles 1, the plastic film 9 as well as the bottle holder 2 may be recycled. The above-described packaging uses less material when compared to conventional packaging (e.g. a cardboard box). This is especially beneficial in the wine industry, where conventional cardboard packaging has been identified as particularly wasteful.

Claims

1-17. (canceled)

18. A bottle holder comprising:

a base; and

a lid, wherein the base comprises a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each bottle receiving portion being configured to engage a neck of a bottle, and wherein the lid being configured to engage the base and cover tops of bottles engaged by the base.

19. The bottle holder of claim 18, wherein the bottle receiving portions comprise a plurality of flaps separated by cuts.

20. The bottle holder of claim 19, wherein the cuts are radially extending.

21. The bottle holder of claim 19, wherein inner edges of the flaps define holes at the centre of the bottle receiving portions.

22. The bottle holder of claim 19, wherein the flaps are triangular sections of an annulus or trapezoidal.

23. The bottle holder of claim 19, wherein the cuts are configured such that outer ends of the cuts are at least 5 mm from the neck of the bottle in use.

24. The bottle holder of claim 18, wherein the base and the lid are connected via a hinge, and wherein the base and the lid are configured to be opened and closed using the hinge.

25. The bottle holder of claim 18, wherein structures are indented into the base of the bottle holder.

26. The bottle holder of claim 18, wherein structures are indented into the lid of the bottle holder.

27. The bottle holder of claim 25, wherein the structures indented into the lid correspond with structures indented into the base such that when the lid is closed the structures in the lid touch the structures in the base.

28. The bottle holder of claim 18, wherein an uppermost surface of the lid is a planar surface, excluding any indented structures.

29. A bottle package, comprising:

a bottle holder according to claim 18;

a plurality of bottles engaged in the bottle receiving portions provided in the bottle holder; and

a plastic film wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles.

30. The bottle package of claim 29, wherein the bottle receiving portions hold the bottles with a force of engagement of less than 55 N.

31. The bottle package of claim 30, wherein the force of engagement is less than 40 N.

32. A method of packaging bottles, comprising:

providing a bottle holder with a base and a lid, the lid comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions;

engaging a bottle neck into each bottle receiving portion; and

wrapping the bottle holder and the bottles in a plastic film.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein an additional item is placed in a space between the base and the lid of the bottle holder.

34. A method of unpacking bottles from bottle packaging, the bottle packaging comprising a bottle holder and a plastic film, the bottle holder comprising a plurality of bottle receiving portions, each of the bottle receiving portions engaging a bottle neck, the plastic film being wrapped around the bottle holder and the bottles, the method comprising:

removing the plastic film from the bottles and the bottle holder; and

disengaging the bottles by pushing or pulling them out of the bottle receiving portions in the bottle holder.