PACKAGING UNIT METHOD

• US 20140283488A1
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PCO Group GmbH
• Original Assignee: PCO Group GmbH
• Inventors: Lemke, Stefan, Wettlaufer, Bernhard
• Granted Patent: US 9,010,074 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/457
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 29/00 Packaging of materials presenting special problems
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/42 Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/48002 integral
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/5007 formed by inwardly protruding of folded parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 71/00 Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material

Abstract

A method of using a packaging unit with a selected beverage container comprises obtaining a packaging unit having a receiving chamber for popcorn or the like and a square pocket coupled to the outside of the receiving chamber, a lower end portion of the pocket having one or more strip-shaped wall sections; selecting either a conical beverage cup or a beverage bottle; configuring the pocket based on the configuration of the selected beverage container; and inserting the selected beverage container into the correspondingly configured pocket, wherein in a first configuration, the conical beverage cup is held in a clamp seat, or in a second pocket configuration the beverage bottle is supported on a partial bottom support member formed by the strip-shaped wall sections.

Claims

1. A method of using a packaging unit with a selected beverage container having a configuration, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a packaging unit having a receiving chamber for popcorn or the like and a pocket coupled to the outside of the receiving chamber, wherein the pocket is square in plan and is dimensioned such that a conical beverage cup can be inserted in a clamp seat into the pocket, wherein on a lower end portion of the pocket one or more strip-shaped wall sections are partially cut free at one or more respective corners of the pocket in parallel with a lower edge of the pocket, the one or more strip-shaped wall sections being spaced apart from the receiving chamber, and wherein the pocket further comprises fold lines at each end of the strip-shaped wall sections, so that the strip-shaped wall sections can be bent around the fold lines into the interior of the pocket, and when folded into the interior of the pocket the one or more strip-shaped wall sections form a bottom support member;

configuring the pocket based on the configuration of the selected beverage container between a first pocket configuration wherein the at least one strip-shaped wall sections are not inserted into the pocket to hold the beverage container in a clamp seat in the pocket when the beverage container comprises a conical beverage cup, and second pocket configuration wherein the at least one strip-shaped wall sections are folded into the interior of the pocket to support the bottom of the beverage container; and

inserting the beverage container into the pocket.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pocket has two strip-shaped wall sections on adjacent corners, respectively, both of which are spaced from the receiving chamber.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of configuring the pocket to the second pocket configuration comprises folding the strip-shaped wall sections from the exterior of the container into the interior of the pocket.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a beverage container from among one or more cups having a conical configuration and one or more bottles.

5. A method of using a packaging unit with a selected beverage container, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining a packaging unit having a receiving chamber for popcorn or the like and a pocket coupled to the outside of the receiving chamber, wherein the pocket is square in plan, wherein on a lower end portion of the pocket two strip-shaped wall sections are partially cut free at adjacent corners of the pocket in parallel with a lower edge of the pocket, the strip-shaped wall sections being spaced apart from the receiving chamber, and wherein the pocket further comprises fold lines at each end of the strip-shaped wall sections;

selecting either a conical beverage cup or a beverage bottle;

configuring the pocket based on the configuration of the selected beverage container between

a first pocket configuration wherein the at least one strip-shaped wall sections are not folded into the pocket such that pocket is configured as sleeve with an open top and bottom, and

a second pocket configuration comprising the step of folding the strip-shaped wall sections at the fold lines into the interior of the pocket so that the strip-shaped wall sections form a partial bottom support member at the bottom of the pocket; and

inserting the selected beverage container into the correspondingly configured pocket, wherein

in the first pocket configuration the conical beverage cup is held in a clamp seat in the pocket, and

in the second pocket configuration the beverage bottle is supported on the partial bottom support member.