US2555102A - Combined bottle carrier and rack - Google Patents

Description

M. S. ANDERSON COMBINED BOTTLE CARRIER AND RACK May 29, 1951 Filed 00k. 5, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. MIN/5R s An/omszw y 29, 1951 M. s. ANDERSON 2,555,102

" COMBINED BOTTLE CARRIER AND RACK Filed Oct. 5, 194a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. MINER 5. Ali/D5550 Patented May 29, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

COMBINED BOTTLE CARRIER AND BACK Miner S. Anderson, Wabasha, Minn.

Application October 5, 1948, Serial No. 52,879

The present invention relates to a combined bottle carrier and rack, and more particularly is directed to a carrier which will require less handling of the bottles between the bottling plant and the ultimate consumer, and which is so constructed as to permit the easy and quick insertion of the bottles into the carrier and their removal from the carrier.

In recent years, it has been more or less universal practice to purchase beverages such as soft drinks from a retailer in inexpensive cartons containing six bottles. While these cartons or carriers are generally quite satisfactory and 9 Claims. (Cl. 224-48) are of a size permitting the carton to be located entirely suitable for storage in the bottling plant and for the transportation of the carton from the plant to the retail establishments.

Accordingly, a cardinal object of the present invention is to provide a sturdy,. light weight carrier which will also serve as a rack, the bottle carrier being so fabricated that it may support the bottles in either the vertical or horizontal positions. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide a bottle carrier and rack assembly wherein one wall of the carrier is so constructed that the bottles may be readily removed therefrom for consumption.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottle carrier wherein the carrier may be disposed within a home refrigerator with the bottles in the horizontal position whereby the bottles may be very easily removed from the carrier for drinking purposes.

And a still further object of my invention is to provide a bottle carrier of the character described which is simple in structural detail, efiicient in operation, and which may be inexpensively manufactured.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective, partly broken away, of a combined bottle carrier and rack constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a front end view of the carrier and rack shown in Figure 1, but being on a somewhat smaller scale.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of another form of bottle carrier and rack.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the rack showing the position of the bottles when the rack is employed for storage purposes such as in the bottling plant.

Figure 6 is a front end view of the rack shown in Figure 4, but being on a somewhat smaller scale.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, there is shown a bottle carrier and rack including a bottom 10, spaced parallel side walls ll, rear wall l2, substantially open upper and front ends I3 and I4, and a handle or grip member l5. The above mentioned side walls are preferably stamped or pressed from a light weight metal or other suitable material, but manifestly, other fabricating methods may be employed.

The bottom III is provided with a plurality of apertures I6 for drainage purposes and is formed with substantially low front and rear upstanding flanges I l and I8, respectively. The side walls II and the rear wall l2 are preferably integral and bent to the configuration shown in Figure 1. The front edge of each side wall II is inturned, as shown at l9, and riveted or otherwise attached near the lower end to the flange IT, as indicated at 20. The rear wall 12 may be similarly attached to the upstanding flange [8 formed along the rear edge of the bottom l0. Hence, it will be noted that the side walls I l and the rear wall l2 are thus fastly and rigidly attached to the bottom l0.

A transverse plate 2| extends between the side walls H adjacent the rear wall l2 and may be attached to the respective walls by welding, brazing or the like. The handle I5 has one of its free ends riveted to the plate 2| intermediate the ends thereof, as illustrated at 22, and the handle extends substantially horizontally, as shown at 23, from the plate 2! to a point in alinement with the front edges IQ of the walls, at which point it extends vertically, as at 24, and is suitably affixed at its lower end to the flange H, as at 25.

Referring to Figure 2, it will be observed that the upper end of each front edge 19 of the side walls is downwardly inclined, as indicated at 26, and that the vertical portion 24 of the handle is inclined, as at 21, thereby providing a surface of greater width than the remainder of the handle. This particular arrangement, as will later be more fully discussed, will prevent the bottles from moving forwardly of the carrier.

A spacer or divider 23 is located intermediate the side walls H, and the vertical edges of the divider may be secured to the rear wall l2 and the vertical portion 24 of the handle IS in any desirable manner. Also, the inner face of the rear wall i2 is provided with a plurality of spaced embossed cups 29 of a configuration to substantially conform to the bottom wall of a bottle. The flange IT is provided with an arcuate recess 39 between each side wall and the vertical portion 24, each recess being adapted to receive the neck of the lowermost bottle disposed in the rack.

In filling the carrier at the bottling plant, the rack is placed with the wall I2 resting on the supporting surface and the bottles are introduced into the rack in the enlarged opening between the inclined end 26 of the front edge E9 of the side wall and the handle l5 and is then moved toward the bottom wall Ii) until the bottom of the bottle overlies the embossed cup 29 on the wall l2. This procedure is repeated until the rack is completely filled with the bottles which, in this instance, is six, there being three on opposite sides of the divider 28. Hence, it can be seen that the bottles may be stored in they plant in the vertical position and can be stacked, since the necks of the bottles will extend into the embossed cups of the wall I2 of the rack disposed thereupon. The plate 2! will maintain the bottles within the rack when the rack is disposed on the wall [2, and the divider 28 will prevent appreciable transverse displacement of the bottles. When the bottles are being transported from the plant to the retail establishment, they can be maintained in the vertical position by carrying the rack by the portion 24 of the handle Hi.

The purchaser of the bottles may carry the rack with the bottles in either the vertical or horizontal position although it is undoubtedly desirable to carry them in the horizontal position by gripping the portion 23 of the handle. The rack may be disposed in the refrigerator with the bottles in the horizontal position as shown in Figure 3 and each bottle may be easily withdrawn therefrom through the enlarged area between the side wall and the portion 24 of the grip l5.

Manifestly, by being able to remove the bottles horizontally, it is unnecessary to take the rack out of the refrigerator which is often necessary in those carriers wherein the bottles are disposed in the horizontal position and the advantage thereof is believed to be readily apparent.

In lieu of the embossed cups 29 on the rear wall l2, it is also possible to use a plurality of prong-like projections for separating the bottles when the rack is resting on its rear wall l2.

In Figures 4 to 6, inclusive, there is shown a rack which is generally similar to that of Figure 1, with the exception that the body portion of the rack is wire rather than stamped or pressed metal, and the same reference characters will be applied to corresponding parts, with the exception that they will be primed. Referring to Figure 4, it will be noted that the bottom member comprises a substantially rectangular frame element 40, and a plurality of laterally extending rods 4| are secured at their extremities to the frame by welding or the like. The side walls of the rack include vertically extending rods 42 attached at their lower ends to the frame 40 and connected at their upper ends by a substantially horizontally extending rod member '43.

The rear ends of the rod members 43 are connected by a laterally extending rod 45, and a plurality of spaced rod elements 46 are connected to the member 45 at the upper end and the frame 40 at the lower end. Vertically spaced embossed cups 4'! are welded to the elements 46 and a divider or partition 48 is attached at one end to one of the elements 46 and at the opposite end to the vertical portion 24' of the handle [5.

The handle [5 comprises a horizontal portion 49 which is hinged to the plate 2|, as shown at 50. The outer end of the horizontal portion 49 is downturned, as indicated at 5i and provided with an elongated slot 52 near the free end thereof. The upper end of the vertical strap 24 is formed with a latch member 53 rotatably mounted thereon and the latch is adapted to extend through the elongated slot 52. Manifestly, by rotating the latch approximately at right angles to the slot, the horizontal portion 49 will be locked to the strap 24'. It is apparent that by proper manipulation of the latch, the portion 49 may be moved upwardly about its hinge 59 to permit easy access to the interior of the rack.

To insure that the bottles will not have any relative longitudinal movement with respect to the front end, it will be noted that a rod-like member 54 is attached at its upper end to the forward rod-like member 42 and at its lower end to the frame 40 and extends laterally towards the vertical portion 24 to cooperate with this strap in restricting the forward movement of the bottles.

If desired, suitable identifying or advertising material may be pressed into one of the side -walls [9 or end wall 12 of the carrier and rack shown in Figure 1, or a metal plate may be suitably attached to one 'of the walls of the rack shown in Figures 4 to 6.

The invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the inventionas expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a carrier and rack for bottles, a body including parallel side walls, a rear wall, a bottom wall and a front end of lesser height than the rear wall, a handle extending from the rear wall to the front end, raised portions in the rear wall, each of said raised portions being adapted to receive the bottom of a bottle and means on said side Walls to .pre'vent longitudinal displacement of the bottles.

2. A carrier and rack for bottles as claimed in claim 1 wherein a partition extends between the rear wall and the front end in parallel relationship to the side walls.

3. In a carrier and rack for bottles, a body 'includingparallel side Walls, a rear wall, a bot tom wall and a front end of considerably less height than the rear wall, a partition extending between the rear wall and the front end, raised portions on said rear wall on both sides of the partition, each of said raised portions being adapted to receive the bottom of the bottle, handle means on said body whereby the carrier may be transported and means on said side walls cooperating with said means to prevent longitudinal displacement of the bottles.

4. In a carrier and rack for bottles, a body including parallel side walls, a rear wall, a bottom wall and a front end of considerably less height than the rear wall, embossed cup portions on said rear wall, each cup portion being adapted to receive the bottom of the bottle, a plate extending between said side walls and the rear wall, a handle having one end attached to said plate and the opposite end attached to the front end and means on said side Walls cooperating with said handle to prevent longitudinal dis-placement of the bottles.

5. A carrier and rack for bottles as claimed in claim 4 wherein a partition extends between said rear end and said front wall.

6. A carrier and rack for bottles as claimed in claim 4 wherein said last named means includes an inturned portion on each of said side walls.

'7. In a carrier and rack for bottles, a body including parallel side walls, a rear wall, a bottom wall and a front end of less height than the rear wall, a partition extending between the rear Wall and front end in parallel relationship to the side walls, a plurality of spaced embossed cups on said rear walls on both sides of said partition, each of said cups being adapted to receive the bottom of a bottle, a plate extending between said side walls adjacent the rear wall, a vertical strap attached to the front end intermediate the ends thereof, and a horizontally extending handle 6 portion secured at one end to the said strap and at the opposite end to the plate.

8. A carrier and rack as claimed in claim 7 wherein each of the side walls is provided with an inturned portion, said inturned portions c0- operating with the vertical strap to prevent longitudinal displacement of the bottles.

9. In a carrier and rack for bottles, a body including parallel side walls, a rear wall, a bottom wall and a front end of less height than the rear Wall, a partition extending between the rear Wall and the front end in parallel relationship to the side walls, a plurality of spaced embossed cups on said rear wall on both sides of the partition, each of said cups being adapted to receive the bottom of a bottle, a plate extending between the side walls adjacent the rear wall, a vertical strap attached to the front end intermediate the ends thereof, a horizontally extending handle portion pivoted to said strap, and complemental means carried by the free end of said handle portion and vertical strap to detachably connect the handle portion to the vertical strap.

MINER S. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 628,778 Edwards July 11, 1899 960,833 Crum June '7, 1910 1,939,504 Lee Dec. 12, 1933 2,329,656 Sedgwick Sept. 14, 1943

Images