GB2419129A

GB2419129A - Nestable bottle carrier

Info

Publication number: GB2419129A
Application number: GB0422832A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart Terry Jones; Graham David Foster
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-10-14
Filing date: 2004-10-14
Publication date: 2006-04-19
Also published as: GB0422832D0

Abstract

A receptacle carrier, particularly for bottles, comprises at least one but, preferably, a plurality of discrete receptacle receiving stations 1 positioned symmetrically either side of a centrally mounted handle 2, all of which upstand from a common base 3. The sides of the receiving stations are angled from the vertical so that they splay outwardly from the base as their height increases. The floors of the receiving stations are also inclined to the horizontal, such that the receptacles are also retained at a corresponding angle to the vertical. The handle 2 tapers inwardly as its height increases. The combination of these features allow empty carriers to nest inside each other with the nesting height being significantly less than the height of the receptacle receiving stations.

Description

241 9129 - 1 A Carrier for Plural Bottles The present invention relates to

receptacle carrier, particularly to a carrier enabling the carrying of a plurality of bottles conveniently.

It is often the case that the purchasing of a round of drinks from a bar is left to one person in a social group. If more than two drinks are purchased then the purchaser is often left facing a choice between making several trips to the bar to shuttle the drinks to the rest of the group, or carrying more than two drinks in a precarious manner that may result in spillage. This task becomes increasingly difficult as the number of drinks consumed increases.

The problem described above is well known and as a result many carrying devices have been designed to assist people in carrying multiple receptacles such as glasses and bottles. A common feature of many such devices is the ability of the empty devices to be stackable in a way that significantly saves space when not in use. This nestability is of particular importance as space is at a premium in most of the environments where they are used, such as a busy bar, and also because of transportation and storage requirements between manufacturing and the end user. This nestability is normally achieved by making the handle portion of the carrier tapered so that handles of like carriers fit inside each other, and the receptacle receiving stations of the carriers as low as possible and of a shape that allows like receiving stations to rest on top of each other. Thus the limiting factor to the nested height of such devices is the height of the receptacle receiving stations of the carrier. For carriers designed for use with a tapered receptacle the receiving stations can be low in height because all that is required to retain the receptacle is hole that catches the receptacle at some point on its taper. For carriers designed for use with a receptacle that is not tapered (such as a bottle) the receiving station must be larger as it has to offer a base and lateral supports. For it to be convenient and practical in use the lateral support must extend a significant distance up the side of the receptacle. It is therefore the case that carriers designed for use with non tapered receptacles tend to have a greater nested height than those for use with tapered receptacles.

The invention disclosed herein is a carrier capable of carrying non tapered receptacles without the penalty of increased nested height of the empty carriers. More specifically the embodiment of the carrier described herein relates to the accommodation of bottles, however, the invention could be used to transport other types of receptacles.

The present invention comprises of a plurality of receptacle receiving stations each arranged to receive a separate respective receptacle, a handle upstanding from a base level to be gripped by a users hand, said receptacle receiving stations being angled from the vertical so that the receptacles are also retained at angle to the vertical, said angling of the receiving stations permitting like receiving stations of like carriers to fit inside each other when empty therefore allowing the stacking of like carriers in a more closely nested relationship when empty.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be further described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the carrier when empty.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of carrier loaded with bottles Figure 3 is a perspective view of several empty carriers nested together.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of several empty carriers nested together.

The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises of a plurality of discrete receptacle receiving stations 1 positioned symmetrically either side of a centrally mounted handle 2, all of which upstand from a common base 3. The receiving stations are angled from the vertical so that they splay outwardly from the base as their height increases. The handle tapers inwardly as its height increases. In combination these features allow empty carriers to nest inside each other with the nesting height 4 being significantly less than the height of the receiving stations 5.

The receptacles, in this case bottles 6, are retained at an angle corresponding to that of the receiving stations. The angle of the receiving stations and therefore bottles must be less than that at which the bottles will spill. This applies to any other type of receptacle the carrier may be adapted to for.

In any such device the receiving stations must provide enough support to the receptacles to make its use as convenient as possible. In the present invention this is achieved by the receiving stations each comprising a base 7, and a perimeter support 8, which together provide the necessary lateral and vertical support. The base and perimeter support of the receiving receiving stations are perpendicular to each other and in the preferred embodiment material is removed from the perimeter supports 9 to aid nesting. Additionally an elastically deformable tab 10 protrudes into the receiving stations in such a way that any bottle placed into the receiving station is forced to displace the tab resulting in a spring force being applied to it in the direction of the perimeter support. This gives extra security to the bottles and eliminates wobble.

The handle is positioned centrally between two rows of symmetrically arranged receiving stations and is of a height that is beneficially well above the centre of gravity of the bottles being carried. This gives the most stable and convenient arrangement for the user and the operationally rigid nature of the handle combined with the large gripping zone 11 means that the user is easily able to counteract any out of balance forces arising from asymmetrical loading. The outward angling of the receiving stations means that the gripping zone of the handle is afforded extra clearance by the tops of bottles further improving ease of use.

Claims

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Claims 1. A receptacle carrier comprising of a handle upstanding from a base level to be gripped by a users hand, at least one receptacle receiving station, said at least one receiving station arranged to receive at least one receptacle, furthermore said at least one receptacle receiving station being angled from the vertical such that the receptacles are also retained at a corresponding angle to the vertical, said angling of the receiving stations permitting like receiving stations of like carriers to fit inside each other when empty therefore allowing the stacking of like carriers in a closely nested relationship when empty.
2. A carrier according to claim 1, comprising of a plurality of discrete receptacle receiving stations each arranged to engage a separate respective receptacle in a manner that does not require abutment of like receptacles against each other for effective operation.
3. A carrier according to claim 1 or 2, comprising of two rows of receiving stations each side of central handle in a substantially symmetrical arrangement.
4. A carrier according to any preceding claim, where the height of a carrier when nested is substantially less than the height of a receptacle receiving station.
5. A carrier substantially as herein described with reference to figures 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings.