GB2183590A - Decorated carrier for bottles - Google Patents

Abstract

A single piece plastics carrier for a plurality of filled and capped bottles in which the neck of each bottle to be carried by the carrier is received in an aperture 21 in the top panel of the carrier. The carrier is provided with a skirt 13 which extends generally downwardly from the top panel, also tapering somewhat outwardly in the preferred embodiment. Substantially more than one-half of the vertical extent of at least one side of the carrier, and preferably at least a pair of opposed sides of a four-sided carrier, comprise flat surface areas 18,20 and decorative material is placed on the flat surface area(s) by printing or by the attachment of labels thereto. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Decorated carrier for bottles Background of theinvention Field of the invention This invention relates to an improved semi-rigid plastic carrierforcarrying a plurality offilled and capped glass or plastic bottles from the upper portions thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to a carrier ofthe aforesaid type which is constructed with large flat surface areas in the skirt portion thereof and in which one or more of such surface areas is provided with decorative material to help to identify the type of beverage contained in the associated bottles and/or to otherwise enhance the overall appearance of the package which consists of the carrier and the associated filled and capped bottles.

Description ofthe prior art U.S.Patent 4,139,094 describes a semi-rigid plastic carrierfor carrying a plurality offilled and capped bottles from the upper portions thereof. Such a carrier has a top panel with a plurality of apertures to receive the neck portions ofthe bottles to be packaged in the carrier, and the carrier also hays a peripheral skirt which extends downwardly and somewhat outwardly from the top panel to surround the necks ofthe bottles.

The downwardly and outwardly extending skirt of the carrier ofthe aforesaid U.S.Patent4,1 39,094 has a generally sinusoidal configuration for most ofthe depth thereof, as it is constructed with alternating outwardly convex and outwardly concave portions to define compartments for the associated bottles.

This generally sinusoidal configuration precludes the decoration of such carriers, by printing thereon ortheattachmentofa label thereto, and such carriers, therefore, lack one of the importantfeatures of various ofthe other populartypes of bottle carriers such as the printed wrap-around paperboard carriers and the printed basket carriers.

Summary ofthe invention In accordance with the present invention there is provided a carrier which functions in substantially the same manner asthe carrier described in the aforesaid U.S.Patent4,139,094, but which can be constructed with a downwardly extending skirt that hasflatsurfaceareasextendingfora majorportion ofthe depth thereof as opposed to the sinusoidal configuration of the major portion ofthe surface of the skirt of the carrier of the aforesaid U.S.Patent.

The flat surface areas lend themselves quite nicely to the placement of decorative material thereon, by printing thereon or the attachment of a printed label thereto, and this decorative material can be used, for example, to identify the contents ofthe associated bottles as is done with printed wrap-around paperboard carriers or printed paperboard basket carriers.

Accordingly, it is an object ofthe present invention to provide an improved carrierforcarrying a plurality of filled and capped bottlesfrom the upper portions thereof. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a semi-rigid plastic carrierforcarrying a pluralityoffilled and capped bottles, which carrier comprises one or more relatively large flat decorated surface areas in the skirt portion thereof.

For a further understanding ofthe present invention and the objects thereof, attention is directed to the drawing, to the detailed description of the invention and to the appended claims.

Description ofthe drawing Figure lisa top plan view ofthe preferred embodiment of a carrier according to the present invention; Figure2 is a front elevational view of the carrier of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a side elevational view ofthe carrier of Figures 1 and 2, as taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of a carrier according to the present invention; Figure 5is a front elevational view of the carrier of Figure4; and Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the carrier of Figures4and 5, as taken in line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Detailed description ofthe invention Figure 1 illustrates a carrier, generally indicated by reference numeral 11,which may be formed in a single piece from a sheetofa suitablethermoplastic material by a process which includes a thermoforming operation to shape the sheet into the illustrated complex generally four-sided three dimensional shape. Carrier 1 1 is designed to be applied to a plurality offilled and capped beverage bottles by being directed downwardly over the tops thereof, and may be dimensionally designed to be used with any ofthe popular sizes and types of bottles used in packaging single service guantities of a beverage, e.g., 16 oz. glass bottles.A suitable carrier for six (6) of such 16 oz. glass bottles can be formed from a sheet of high density polyethylene of approximately 25 mil (0.025 in.) sheet thickness.

Carrier 11 comprises atop panel 12 and a peripheral skirt 1 3which extends downwardly and slightly outwardlyfrom and along the periphery of the top panel 12.The upper portion ofthe peripheral skirt, which extends downwardlyforsubstantially less than one-half of the overall downward extent of the peripheral skirt, comprises plural outwardly convex arcuate first wall portions 15 and plural outwardly concave second wall portions 16, each of which is disposed between adjacentfirstwall portions 15.Carrier 11 also comprises a plurality of ledges 17 that extend outwardly from the second wall portionsto merge into the juncture of the remaining portion ofthe peripheral skirt 1 3, which extends belowthe level ofthe ledges 17.A lip 19 extends outwardly from the lower edge of peripheral skirt 13.

By virtue of the construction of peripheral skirt 13, as heretofore described, large flat surface areas 18 are provided on the front and rear surfaces ofthe peripheral skirt 13, below the elevation of ledges 17 and above the elevation of lip 19 and between the rounded corners of the carrier, and these surface areas 18 may be provided with visually prominent decorative material 20 in the form of printing on the surfaces or a paper orfoil label affixed thereto, and containing, forexample, product identifying information and/or the trademark ortrademarks of the bottling company or its franchisor. This decorative material 20, in addition to the possible functional advantage which can result from the product identification information which can be incorporated therein, can also be used to enhance the visual characteristics of the carrier and the packagewhich includes the carrierandthefilled and capped bottles carried thereby by the selective use of attractive colors and print sizes and styles, as is now done with paperboard and other types of bottle carriers. Similarly, decorative material can also be placed on one or both of the ends ofthe carrier, as is shown in the end illustrated in Figure 3.

The top panel 12 of carrier 11 is provided with a plurality of irregularly-shaped but generally circular bottle neck receiving apertures 21. The inside diameter 21 a of each aperture is sized to provide an interference fit with the bottom of the closure on the neck of the bottle which isto be inserted through the aperture, or the transfer bead on such bottle, to support the bottle in the aperture from the bottom of the closure or the underside ofthetransfer bead, as the case may be. The outside diameter 21 b ofthe aperture 21, on the other hand, is largerthan the closure and the transfer bead to permit the carrier to be inserted over the top of the bottle with the closure already in place thereon.Part of the space between the outside diameter 21 band the inside diameter 21 a of aperture 21 is occupied by a circular array oftabs 21 c, shown as being four in number, with a space 21 d disposed between adjacent tabs 21 c. As shown, the arcuate extent of each space 21 d is approximately equal to the arcuate extend of each of the adjacent tabs 21 c.The illustratedfour-tab construction with such a dimensional relationship between the tabs 21 c and the spaces 21 d has been extensively and successfully utilized in carriers formed from 22-25 mil high density polyethylene and used in conjunction with four, six and eight packs of single service, viz. up to 16 oz. in capacity, glass bottles with 28mm aluminum roll-on closures, ofthe type depicted, for example, in U.S.Patents 3,601,273 (Kutcher) and 4,007,851 (Walker).

The top panel 12 of the carrier 11 is also provided with a pair of finger receiving apertures 22 to permit the carrier with the bottles carried thereby to be conveniently carried by the consumer or by the various personnel who may handle the carrier as part of their employment duties in the bottling plant orthe retail store.

Figure4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a carrierwhich is indicated generally by reference numeral 111. Carrier 111 differs from carrier 11 oniy with respect to the design of its bottle receiving apertures 121. As is shown in Figure 4, each aperture 121 comprises only three bottle supporting tabs 121c, as opposedto thefourtabs 21c utilized in each aperture 21 ofthe carrier 11, and the space 121d between adjacenttabs 121 c of the carrier of Figure 4 is considerably narrower than the corresponding space 21d in the carrier 11 of Figure 1.As is explained in my co-pending application for an "Improved Carrier For Bottles," Serial No. 663, 651 filed on 1 0-22-84,the use of fewertabs with narrowerspaces therebetween serves to substantially reducethe yieldability of each tab, and this can be used to advantage with molded plastic beverage bottle closures which are somewhat susceptible to the premature breakage of the integral tamper-indicating band that is characteristic of at least some of such plastic closures.

The best mode known to metocarryoutthis invention has been described above in terms sufficiently full, clear, concise and exact asto enable any person skilled in the artto make an usethesame.

It is to be understood, however, that it is within my contemplation that certain modifications ofthe above-described mode of practicing the invention can be made by a skilled artisan without departing from the scope of the invention and it is, therefore, desired to limitthe invention only in accordance with the appended claims.

Claims (8)

1. Asinglepieceplasticcarrierfora pluralityof filed and capped bottles, said carrier comprising, in combination: atop panel; a pluralityofapertures located in said top panel, each aperture being adapted to receive the neck of a bottle and comprising a plurality of spaced-apart tabs which extend radially inwardly from the periphery ofthe aperture in a generally circular array to engage and support the bottle after it has been inserted in the apperture; a skirt extending generally downwardly fromthetop panel to surroundthe upperportions of the bottles carried by the carrier, said skirt having at least one flat surface area which extends for substantially more than one-half of the vertical extent of said skirt, and decorative material on said flat surface area.

2. Acarrieraccordingtoclaim 1 in which said skirt is a four-sided skirt with a flat surface area on at leasttwo of the foursides thereof and with decorative material on each of said flat surface areas.

3. A single piece carrier according to claim 1 in which said skirt extends at a taper downwardly and outwardlyfrom said top panel.

4. A single piece carrier according to claim 2 in which each ofthe four sides extends at a taper downwardly and outwardly from said top panel.

5. A single piece carrier according to claim 1 wherein each of said apertures comprises four of said tabs with the arcuate extent of each ofthetabs being substantially equal, and wherein the arcuate extent ofthe space between adjacent tabs is approximately equal to the arcuate extent of each of such adjacenttabs, said carrier being adapted to be used with bottles which are capped with 28mm aluminum roll-on closures.

6. A single piece carrier according to claim 5 which is adapted to be used with bottles containing not substantially more than 16 oz. in each such bottle, said carrier being manufactured by a process which includes a thermoforming step from a sheet of high density polyethylene of not substantially more than 25 mil sheet thickness.

7. Asinglepiececarrieraccordingtoclaim 1 wherein each of said apertures comprises three of said tabs with the arcuate extent of each of the tabs being substantially equal, and wherein the arcuate extent of the space between adjacent tabs is substantially less than the arcuate extent of each of such adjacent tabs, said carrier being adapted to be used with bottles which are capped with 28mm molded plastic closures with tamper-indicating bands at the bottom edges thereof.

8. A single piece carrier according to claim 7 which is adapted to be used with bottles containing not substantially more than 16 oz. in each such bottle, said carrier being manufactured by a process which includes a thermoforming step from a sheet of high density polyethylene of not substantially more than 25 mil sheet thickness.