Collapsible insulating sleeves for multi-container packages

Abstract

Insulators for multi-container packages and products including multi-container insulators are disclosed. In some embodiments, beverage insulators include sleeves of resilient insulating material which can be slid over multi-container beverage packages. The sleeves can tend to conform to the periphery of the package and can collapse toward the remainder of the package when a container is removed from the package. The insulator can include a panel attached to an end of the sleeve and defining an opening through which the package can be grasped. The inside of the sleeve can include a scuff guard. A flap can be attached to an open end of the sleeve to cover the multi-container package. The insulator can be dimensioned to hold a four, six, twelve, eighteen, or twenty-four container package. Methods of advertising using multi-container beverage insulators are also disclosed. Some methods include using multi-container beverage insulators for advertising.

1 . An insulator comprising:
 a sleeve of resilient insulating material shaped and dimensioned to allow a multi-container package to slide into the sleeve;   the sleeve being open at one end to receive the multi-container package as the multi-container package slides into the sleeve;   the sleeve generally conforming to a periphery of the multi-container package when the multi-container package is in the sleeve; and   when one or more of the containers are absent from the multi-container package, the sleeve at least partially collapsing toward the remaining containers of the multi-container package.   
   
   
       2 . The insulator of  claim 1  further comprising a panel attached to the end of the sleeve opposite the open end and defining an opening for grasping the multi-container package. 
   
   
       3 . The insulator of  claim 1  further comprising a scuff guard disposed on at least a portion of an inside surface of the sleeve. 
   
   
       4 . The insulator of  claim 1  further comprising a flap attached to the open end of the sleeve and being shaped and dimensioned to generally cover a portion of the multi-container package when the multi-container package is in the sleeve. 
   
   
       5 . The insulator of  claim 4  wherein the open end of the sleeve has a pair of short sides and a pair of long sides, the flap being attached to one of the short sides. 
   
   
       6 . The insulator of  claim 4  further comprising a hook and loop fastener including a hook half and a loop half, one of the halves being on the flap and the other half being inside of the insulator. 
   
   
       7 . The insulator of  claim 1  wherein the sleeve is generally oblong when not collapsed and when viewed looking toward the open end of the sleeve. 
   
   
       8 . The insulator of  claim 1  wherein the multi-container package is selected from the group consisting of a six pack, a twelve pack, an eighteen pack, a case flat, and a case suitcase. 
   
   
       9 . A product comprising:
 a multi-container package; and   a sleeve of resilient insulating material shaped and dimensioned to allow the multi-container package to slide out of the sleeve;   the sleeve generally conforming to a periphery of the multi-container package;   the sleeve being open at one end to release the multi-container package as the multi-container package slides out of the sleeve; and   when one or more of the containers are absent from the multi-container package, the sleeve at least partially collapsing toward the remaining containers of the multi-container package.   
   
   
       10 . The product of  claim 9  further comprising a panel attached to the end of the sleeve opposite the open end and defining an opening, the multi-container package including a device with rings releasably attaching the containers to each other and defining a grip, the opening being generally adjacent the grip. 
   
   
       11 . The product of  claim 9  further comprising a scuff guard disposed on at least a portion of the inside of the sleeve. 
   
   
       12 . The product of  claim 9  further comprising a flap attached to the open end and being shaped and dimensioned to generally cover the multi-container package when the multi-container package is in the sleeve. 
   
   
       13 . The product of  claim 12  further comprising a hook and loop fastener including a hook half and a loop half, one of the halves being on the flap and the other half being inside the sleeve. 
   
   
       14 . The product of  claim 9  wherein the sleeve is generally oblong when viewed looking toward the open end of the sleeve. 
   
   
       15 . The product of  claim 9  wherein the multi-container package includes a box. 
   
   
       16 . The product of  claim 15  wherein the box includes a perforation defining a dispensing panel. 
   
   
       17 . The product of  claim 9  further comprising a device with rings releasably attaching the containers to each other. 
   
   
       18 . A method of advertising comprising:
 placing an advertisement on a plurality of insulators, each insulator including:   a sleeve of resilient insulating material shaped and dimensioned to allow a multi-container package to slide into the sleeve;   the sleeve being open at one end to receive the multi-container package as the multi-container package slides into the sleeve;   the sleeve generally conforming to a periphery of the multi-container package when the multi-container package is in the sleeve; and   when one or more of the containers are absent from the multi-container package, the sleeve at least partially collapsing toward the remaining containers of the multi-container package, the advertisement being placed on a portion of each of the insulators visible when a multi-container package is in the sleeve; and   giving a consumer an insulator with the advertisement placed on it.   
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18  further comprising displaying at least one of the sleeves with a multi-container package in the sleeve, the advertisement corresponding to the multi-container product. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 19  further comprising displaying a stack of multi-container packages in sleeves.