US2503544A

US2503544A - Bottle carrier

Info

Publication number: US2503544A
Application number: US52631A
Authority: US
Inventors: John T Clore
Original assignee: L H WITHEY Co
Current assignee: L H WITHEY Co
Priority date: 1948-10-04
Filing date: 1948-10-04
Publication date: 1950-04-11
Anticipated expiration: 1967-04-11

Description

April 1950 J. T. CLORE 2,503,544

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Oct. 4, 1948 QoHNTCLoRE fiwy ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 11, 1950 BOTTLE CARRIER John T. Clore, Ionia, Mich., assignor to L. H. Withey Company, Ionia, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 4, 1948, Serial N0. 52,631

3 Claims. (01. 22445) This invention is directed to a very novel, simple, and practical bottle carrier, used for the holding and carrying of a plurality of the smaller bottles in which soft drinks are contained.

It is an object and purpose of the present invention to provide a bottle carrier which is of a sturdy and durable construction and may be reused many times. It is a further object of the invention to provide a bottle carrier in which the plurality of bottles which it carries are quickly and easily loaded therein, being vertically received in the carrier, the handle which is grasped when the carrier and the bottles therein are moved being turned to a horizontal position, in which position the sides of the carrier spread apart for the ready entrance of the bottles. After the carrier has been loaded, the handle is turned to a vertical position with an automatic inward drawing of the sides of the carrier at their upper edge portions to grip the bottles and hold them snugly. A further object of the invention is to provide a bottle carrier which when the handle is in its vertical position and the bottles are gripped, the handle in an upper position thereof extends above the tops of the bottles so that it may be grasped for carrying, but in another position, in which the handle is moved vertically downward, it is below or at least flush with the tops of the bottles, permitting the loaded carriers and bottles therein to be stacked vertically one upon another. A still further object of the invention is to provide a bottle carrier having the desirable features mentioned which may be manufactured economically and produced and sold at low cost.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of the bottle carrier of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevation with the carrier shown in both its loading and bottle gripping positions.

Like reference characters refer to like parts of different figures of the drawing.

In the construction of the bottle carrier, a plate of thin sheet metal is shaped with a horizontal bottom I of rectangular form and integral sides 2 extending upwardly therefrom. At each end of the body of the carrier thus provided, are wire frames each having a horizontal bottom section, from each end of which vertical sections 3 are bent upwardly a distance slightly greater than the height of the sides 2, each being then formed into beads 8 covering the vertical side sections 3 of the frame nearly to their upper ends. A secure and permanent connection of the endwise frames to the body of the carrier. is made.

The bottle carrier is completed by a handle of thin, fiat, bar sheet metal. The bar of metal is formed into an inverted U-shaped bail, having an upper horizontal hand engaging portion 9 and,

legs 10 at right angles thereto. Each leg Ill,

adjacent its free end, has a longitudinal slot,

l l cut therein. The hooks 6 are inserted through the slots II, as shown in Fig. 1, and the bottle carrier is complete.

In bending the sides 2 upwardly from the bot-,-

tom I, they are bent so as to normally extend at right angles therefrom when free to do so. When the handle is in a vertical position, as in Fig. 1, the two hooks of each of the wire frame ends of the bottle carrier are drawn together by reason of the narrow width of the slots l l and the upper portions of the sides 2 are moved toward each other. On swinging the handle to a horizontal position, in either direction from its vertical position, the hooks B are permitted to move away from each other and move to opposite ends of the slots H which are in horizontal position as shown in dash lines in Fig. 3; and the sides of the body of the bottle carrier spring outwardly to vertical position as shown in dash lines in Fig. 3.

The length of the legs [0 of the handle is such that when the handle is turned to horizontal position, the hand engaging portion 9 of the handle is located outwardly far enough so that at least its inner side is as far out as the outer side of the carrier body side 2 below it. In such position, the carrier may be loaded by bottles introduced from above and moved downwardly therein. The bottle carrier is fully open at the top and there is no interference in load- 'ing.

On turning the handle to vertical position, as in Fig. 1, and as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the upper portion 9 of the handle is sufiiciently above the tops of the bottles in the carrier that it may be engaged by the hand for carrying the bottle carrier and its contents. When the handle is moved bodily downward in a vertical direction, to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, the upper side 9 of the handle is moved downwardly to a position below or at least flush with the upper sides of the tops of the bottles which are loaded in the carrier. In such position, a second carrier loaded with bottles may be stacked thereupon, and the stacking vertically of several of the loaded bottle carriers done in the same manner so that in truck transportation, stacking of the loaded carriers to any desired height is readily done.

The bottle carrier of my invention is economically produced. The hooks 6 are open for quick and ready assembly with the handle, and the bottoms of the hooks preferably will be as nearly at right angles to the sides as may be done for facility in swinging the handle from horizontal to vertical position, or vice versa. The carrier being of metal is of a sturdy and durable structure and may be reused for a long time.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A bottle carrier comprising, a body having a rectangular bottom and generally vertical sides extending upwardly one at each longitudinal edge of the bottom, open end frames secured one at each end of said body and each including at the upper portion thereof, converging upwardly incllned members adapted to meet at their upper ends substantially midway between the sides of said body and thereabove, said sides of the body being drawn inwardly toward each other at their upper edge portions when the upper ends of said end frame sides are brought together and spreading apart at such upper edge portions when the upper ends of said converging sides of the end frames are free to move away from each other, and a U-shaped handle having pivotal and slidable connections at each end thereof with the upper end portions of said converging members of the end frames, having means for drawing the upper ends of said converging sides together in one position of the handle and freeing them for separation in another position thereof.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, said end frames being of wire rod and the converging members thereof at their upper ends each having a return bent hook, and said U-shaped handle having in each leg thereof adjacent its free end, a longitudinal slot, through which slots the hooks of the associated end frame members are connected with the legs of said handle.

3. A bottle carrier comprising, a bottom of rectangular form, and integral upwardly extending sides one at each longitudinal edge of the bottom, said sides normally, when free of restraint, being located substantially at right angles to the bottom, an open frame of wire rod having a bottom and generally vertical members permanently secured at each end of the body to the ends of said bottom and sides of the body each vertical member of each open frame above the upper edge of said sides of the body having upwardly inclined converging extensions, each terminating in a hook, and a handle comprising an elongated bar of U-shaped form having spaced legs each having a longitudinal slot adjacent its free end, said legs of the handle extending between the hooks of said end frames with said hooks passing through the slots, whereby the handle may be turned between vertical and horizontal positions and in vertical position may be bodily raised and lowered between two extreme upper and lower positions.

JOHN T. CLORE.

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