US2513715A - Bottle carrier - Google Patents

Description

July 4, 1950 w. DEERWESTER BOTTLE CARRIER Filed March 9, 1949 INVENTOR. Lester MDeerzz/esZ'er ATTORNEYS Patented July 4, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CARRIER Lester W. Dcerwester, Canton, Ohio Application March 9, 1949,Serial No.'80,395

6 Claims.

The invention relates generally to cartons or containers for supporting a plurality of beverage bottles, and more particularly to a holder for quickly picking up and conveniently carrying a plurality of such bottles. Prior carriers for beverage bottles have included sheet metal or paper cartons with handles at the top, and have required placing the bottles in the carton'one at a time andremoving them the same way, which operations consume a considerable amount of time. Moreover, such cartons require a substantial amount of material which increases the cost of the carton. especiallywhere it is made of sheet metal. Another disadvantage of such cartons is that when filled with bottles they cannot be stacked very easily or securely, and when empty they cannot be nested satisfactorily so as to occupy a minimum amount of space during shipment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved bottle carrier which is adapted for quickly picking up a plurality of bottles simultaneously out of a case, for carrying the bottles about from placeto place.

Another object is to provide a novel carrier consisting of two complementary parts, normally detachably hinged together and easily disengageable and nested for shipment.

Another object is to provide a novel carrier consisting of two complementary parts which are quickly assembled operating position without tools or fastening means.

A further object is to provide a novel carrier which is adapted when filled with bottles to be easily and securely stacked with a plurality of like carriers.

Another object is to'provide a novel carrier consisting of two hinged parts adapted when opened to engage a plurality of bottle necks, .and

when lifted to close around the necks and lift the bottles.

A further object is to provide a novel bottle carrier which is adapted to .pick up and carry different numbers of bottles and which can be released with the fingers of the hand grasping the carrier.

.A still further object is to provide a novel bottle carrier which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which requires a, minimum amount of material.

These and other objects are accomplished by the parts, constructions and arrangements which comprises the presentinvention, the nature of which is set tort-h in the following general statement, and a preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and. which is particularly and distinctly pointed out in the appended claims forming part hereof.

In general terms, the bottle carrier comprising the present invention includes two com lementary L-shaped halves or portions formedof sheet metal normally in back-to-back =position with their vertical legs in abutment and hinged to,- gether at the top, the complementary pontions' having downwardly spaced inturncd bottom flanges with opposed notches in their inner edge portions for engaging a plurality of bottle neck-S. there being registering hand holes in the abutting legs for grasping and lifting the carrier, and the weight of the bottles acting :to hold the complementary portions together with their vertical legs in abutment as the bottles are lifted.

Referring to the drawing forming part hereof.

in which a preferred embodiment of the in? vention in shown by way of example;

Figure. 1- is an end elevational view of the novel carrier in partly open position for engage ingaround the, necks of a plurality of bottles;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the carrier in closed position for lifting the bottles;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through the interfitting hinged portions in the closed position of Fig. 2;

- Fig. a detached bottom plan view of the carrier in closed position;

Fig. 5 is a detached .side elevation of one of the complementary carrier portions. looking toward the inside thereof; .and

Fig. -6 is an end .elevational view on a reduce scale, showing the method of stacking the novel carriers filled with bottles one upon the other.

The novel bottle carrier consists of two com?- lementary halves .or portions preferably of sheet metal hinged loack-tmhack and indicated generally at l0. and H. The two portions .Ill and U are identical except for the hinged portions at the top which are slightly difierent as best shown in Fig. 3. The hinge of the complementary portion Ii is curled on a smaller radius to form a smaller sleeve [2 which fit slidably'withln the sleeve IQ of the portion I0; and within the hand hole M of the portion Hi, the sleeve 13 terminates in a flap I5 which extends through the registering hand holes I4 and i6 and overlaps the opposite .edge of the hinge sleeve 13, thus providing a smooth handle surface :on the underside of the hinge. The hinge sleeve 512 can be slidably engaged with or disengaged from the sleeve l3 by swinging the portions 5"] and. 1-1

minate in spaced-apart relation when the carrier is in closed position, as shown in Fig. 2.

The bottom flanges 20 are provided with a plurality of opposed U-shaped notches 22 open at their inner edges, as best shown" in Fig. 4, and

nested for shipping by reversing the position of one part.

As shown in Fig. 6, when the novel carrier is filled with bottles and the bottles resting on the floor or other support, other like carriers filled with bottles can be easily and securely stacked on the top thereof. Obviously, the construction of the novel carrier represents a substantial saving in material as compared with a carrier having walls, extending 'under the bottles for supporting them from the bottom.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be imsix of such notches may be providedfor lifting varied as desired to carry various numbers of bottles, as for example, four, eight, or twelve.

1 As indicated in the drawing, the notches 22- are of such dimensions as to engage around the neck of a standard beverage bottle just below the usual bulge 23 formed at the top portion of the neck of the bottle. The upwardly inclined edge portions 2| of the bottomflanges serve to tightly engage and grip the bulged portions 23 of the bottle necks, as the notches 22 are moved inwardly around the bottle necks when the carrier is lifted by grasping the hinge portions at the hand holes. I

Moreover, when the carrier is forced downwardly over apluralityof the bottles B standing in a case or shipping carton, the engagement of the inclined portions 2l with the bottle tops serves to spread the complementary portions I0 and H, as indicated in Fig. 1, so that the open inner ends of the notches 22 slip downwardly; below the bulged-portions 23 of the bottles in readiness to engage under the same. When the carrier is then lifted, the weight of the bottlesbearing on the :inclined portions 2| at the edges of the notches will pull the complementary portions llland l I together to the position of Fig. 2, thus engaging the notches securely around and under thebulges' 23 of the bottle necks.-- a

As shown in the drawing, the-ends of the bottom flanges 20 are preferably bent upwardly to form end flanges 25 for reinforcing the narrow strips of the bottom wall adjacent the end notches. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the-inner corners 26 of the notches are bent slightly upwardly and rounded to facilitate engaging the notches around the bottle necks. The novel bottle carrier is adapted for quickly picking up and carrying a plurality of beverage bottles out of a case, merely by forcing the carrier held in one hand downwardly over the bottles to engage the notches around the necks and then lifting the carrier "upwardly. Moreover, when it isdesired to release the bottles, this can be done by'placing the bottles on a supporting surface, lowering the carrier and spreading the complementary portions thereof with the fingers of the supporting hand, to disengage the notches from the pottle necks. v g i :The two complementary parts of the novel car.- rier are quickly assembled and disassembled without the use of tools or fastening means merely by sliding the hinge sleeve of one part longitudinally into or out of the hinge sleeve of the ,other.. When disassembled the two parts can be plied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes. herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated and described herein is by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction. c

Having now described the. invention, the construction, the operation and use of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new. and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in; the art, are set forth in the appendedclaims.-

1. Aibottle carrier...including two complementary L-shaped. portions formed of sheet material with their verticallegs hinged together at'their top edges and normally abutting each other in closed position, said legs having-registering hand holes therein, the horizontal legs having annular flanges extending downwardly and inwardly from their outer edges, said inturned -bottom flanges having opposed notches: at. their inner edges for engaging around the necks of a plurality of bottles for lifting the same.

2. -A bottle carrier includin two complementary L-shape'd portions formed of sheet material with their vertical legs hinged together at their top edges and normally abutting each other in closed position, said legs having registering hand holes therein, the horizontal legs having angular flanges extendingdownwardly and inwardly from their outer edges, said inturned bottom flanges havingopposed notches'in their inner edges for being engaged around the necks of a plurality of bottles when said L-shaped portions are in open-position,said bottom flanges closing around said bottle necks to lift-"the same when the carrier is lifted by grasping the hinged top edges l I,

3. A bottle carrier including two complementary L-shaped portions formed of sheet material with their-vertical legs hinged together at their top edges and normally abutting each other in closed position, saidlegshaving registerin hand holes therein, the horizontal legs having angular flanges extending downwardly and inwardly from their outer edges, said inturned flanges having upwardly inclined inner edge portions provided with opposed notches for engaging around the necks of a plurality of bottles'for lifting the same. I

4. A bottle carrier including two complementary L-shaped portions'formed of sheet material and positioned back-to-lback, the vertical legs of said portions having 'interfitting longitudinally disen'gageable hingediportions at their top edges for permitting swinging the complementary 'por tions apart, said legs having registering hand holes therein, the horizontal legs having angular flanges extending downwardly and inwardly from their outer edges, said inturned bottom flanges having opposed notches at their inner edges for engaging around the necks of a plurality of bottles for lifting the same.

5. A bottle carrier including two complementary L-sha'ped portions formed of sheet material and positioned back-to-back, the vertical legs of said portions having interfitting longitudinally disengageable hinged portions at their top edges for permitting swinging the complementary portions apart, said legs having registering hand holes therein, the horizontal legs having angular flanges extending downwardly and inwardly from their outer edges, said inturned bottom flanges having opposed notches in their inner edges for being engaged around the necks of a plurality of bottles when said L-shaped portions are in open position, said bottom flanges closing around said bottle necks to lift the same when the carrier is lifted by grasping the hinged top edges.

6. A bottle carrier including two complemenhaving upwardly inclined inner edge portions provided with opposed notches for engaging around the necks of a plurality of bottles for lifting the same.

LESTER W. DEERWESTER.

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

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,067,124 Hoffman Jan. 5, 1937 2,348,187 Beskin May 9, 1944 25 2,408,249 Cohn Sept. 24, 1946

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