Multiple packaging apparatus

Claim 1

A PACKAGE INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF CANS, A DEVICE FOR REMOVABLY HOLDING THE PLURALITY OF CANS TOGETHER IN A PREDETERMINED RELATIONSHIP AFTER SAID DEVICE HAS BEEN MOVED DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID CANS WHEN IN SAID RELATIONSHIP, WHICH CANS DEFINE A PARTIALLY CLOSED OPENING THEREBETWEEN, WITH EACH OF SAID CANS INCLUDING A SIDE WALL HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIALLY EXTENDING BEAD ON THE UPPER END PORTION THEREOF, EACH OF WHICH BEADS IS DEFINED BY FIRST AND SECOND RADIALLY SPACED, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CYLINDRICAL SURFACES, WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND SURFACES MERGING AT THEIR UPPER EXTREMITIES INTO A THIRD SURFACE, AND SAID SECOND SURFACE TERMINATING ON THE LOWER END THEREOF IN A FOURTH SURFACE THAT IS DISPOSED OUTWARDLY FROM SAID SIDE WALL, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISES: A BODY MOLDED OF A RESILIENT POLYMERIZED RESIN MATERIAL DEFINING A PLURALITY OF FIRST ENGAGING MEANS DISPOSED IN CONTACT WITH SAID FIRST SURFACES, A PLURALITY OF SECOND ENGAGING MEANS THAT SLIDE ALONG SAID SECOND SURFACE DURING ASSEMBLY AND FINALLY SNAP INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID FOURTH SURFACES, EACH FIRST AND SECOND ENGAGING MEANS COOPERATIVELY FORMING AN ELONGATED SLOT THEREBETWEEN THAT IS NARROWER IN WIDTH THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID THIRD AND FOURTH SURFACES WHEN SAID BODY IS NOT DEFORMED, EACH SLOT BEING SO DISPOSED THAT IT IS OVERLYING A PART OF ONE OF SAID THIRD SURFACES WHEN SAID CANS ARE IN SAID RELATIONSHIP, EACH FIRST ENGAGING MEANS BEING DEFORMED TO EXERT FORCES DIRECTED OUTWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO EACH CAN WHEN SAID BODY IS FORCEFULLY MOVED DOWNWARDLY RELATIVE TO SAID CANS, AND SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS AS SAID BODY IS SO MOVED BEING FIRST DEFORMED LATERALLY AWAY FROM SAID FIRST ENGAGING MEANS TO SLIDE DOWNWARDLY OVER SAID SECOND SURFACE, WITH EACH OF SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS MOVING LATERALLY TOWARD ITS RESPECTIVE FIRST ENGAGING MEANS AFTER SAID SECOND ENGAGING MEANS HAS MOVED BELOW SAID FOURTH SURFACE TO A POSITION WHERE THE BEAD OF THE CAN IS RESILIENTLY RETAINED BETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND ENGAGING MEANS AND AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID SECOND MEANS IS DISPOSED UNDER EACH FOURTH SURFACE TO REMOVABLY HOLD SAID CANS TOGETHER AND SUPPORT SAID CANS IN A DEPENDING POSITION FROM SAID BODY, WITH ANY ONE OF SAID CANS BEING SEPARABLE FROM SAID BODY DUE TO THE RESILIENCY OF SAID MATERIAL DEFINING THE SAME WHEN SAID CAN IS PIVOTED UPWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY ABOUT ITS BODY ENGAGING BEAD PORTION TO A POSITION WHERE, WHEN AN OUTWARD PULL IS EXERTED ON SAID CAN, SAID FIRST AND SECOND ENGAGING MEANS SLIDE ON SAID FIRST AND SECOND SURFACES AND SAID CAN SEPARATES FROM SAID BODY.