US2979226A - Container carrier - Google Patents

Description

April 11, 1961 .1. VESAK 2,979,226

CONTAINER CARRIER Filed Aug. 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ilma nvw-wrok c/O SEPH VESHK April 11, 1961 vEsAK 2,979,226

CONTAINER CARRIER Filed Aug. 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEA/T'O R dOSEPH VE'SHK April 11, 1961 J. VESAK CONTAINER CARRIER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 12, 1957 INVEM DR JOSEPH VESHK 977'ORNE April 11, 1961 J, VESA 2,979,226

CONTAINER CARRIER Filed Aug. 12, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR JOSEPH L A-539k United States Patent CONTAINER CARRIER Joseph Vesak, Vancouver, British; Columbia, Canada, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Unipak Cartons Ltd., Vancouver, British. Columbia, Canada Filed s- 1 7, Ser. No. 677,560

4 'Claims. Cl. 220-405 This invention relates to a carrier-for containers; such as bottles, cans and the like;

Many carriers have been designed in the past for bottles and the like, and having handle arrangements by means. of which the carriers may be carried while inclosed or sealed condition. However, withmost of the prior carriers,.the carrying handle becomes inoperative once the carrier or carton is opened. Some attempt has beenmade to carry. such carton-s through the transverse partitions thereof when the carrier is open. As the side walls of the carton are comparatively long, this'results in said walls-tending to bow inwardly. This action is not desirable, andit leads to a tendency of the glue connecting the transverse partitions to the side walls giving way..

The presentcarrier has a handle arrangementincluding a handle which may be utilized'to carry the carrier when the latter is either closed" or open. The above-noted defects areeliminated by a longitudinalipartition within the carton which is securedat'its ends to. the. .end Walls ofthe carrier casing. As these walls arevery'short in the directiontransversely of the carrier, there is little likelihood of them bowing inwardly; Inaddition to this, the longi-. tudinal partition is connected to the end walls at thetop ofthe casing so that when the latter is sealed. closed, the top thereof braces theend walls to eliminate any possibility of said walls bowing inwardly. The weightof the carrier and its load is taken through the endgwalls of the casing, the longitudinal partition, and the handle since said parti: tion includes means forlimiting the upward movementof said handle when it is moved to its outerposition. Furthermore, the, upper edge of the longitudinal partition is pref erably immediately below and in engagement with the easing top when the latter is closed so that said top tends to take some of the weight at this time. Asthe carton is usually closed when it iscarried from thestore to, its destination, that is the time it has its full load. and; when, it is. necessary. to reduce the possibility of. the handle. pulling out to an absolute minimum. Once the carrier, is opened, the .reinfOrci-ng action of the casing top. is lost, but the. load is usually less at this, time, and the carrier is not usually carried any distance. 01; for any length. of. time, and is not subject to the, same. abuse. thatit might, be; on the street.

The cell forming unitofthe; present carrier is suchthat when in the casing,.the latter. and saidunitmay be folded or collapsed into a flatbundle for shippingandstoring. In order to,.erect the. carrier, it is. only necessary to. swing the carrier. casingfrom its fiat to its openposition, alljWlllGl'I time. it is in the. form of a rectangular casing. The-bottom is formed by folding end and-side flaps over in the usual manner, asis the casing top. The transverse dividersof the cell forming unit and the longitudinal partitionlthereof are such that the, dividershelp to retain the-partitionin its central longitudinal position relative to the carrier casing throughout the length thereof. Suitable means; is, provided for connecting. the; ends of. the longitudinalpartition t9 the adjacent end walls of thecasing sothat theaload at 2 all timesi's taken throughsaid end walls regardless of whether the casing is open or closed.

A container carrier according to the present invention comprises a casing having side and end walls, a bottom and a top, a verticalpartition extending longitudinally of thecasing centrally thereof, means connecting the ends of the longitudinal partition to the adjacent end walls of the casingfirmly to retain said partition in position, spaced verticallateral dividers extending from the partition to the side walls forming therewith a plurality of container-receiving-cell's, a handle connected to the longitudinal partition and movable vertically relative thereto, and means onthepartiitionfor limiting the upward movement of the handle, saidhandl'ebeingmovable from an inner position completely withinthe casing to an outer position projecting above thezcasingtopwhere it may be grasped for carrying purposes,v said upward; movement of the handle being stoppedby the 'limitingmeans onthe partition.

\ An examplerofthis invention is illustrated in the accompanying, drawings, in which, Eigure. Lisa perspectiveview, of. the carrier in closed or. sealed. position, with -the.handle completely therein,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of; the top of the closed carrier.withthe-handle-projecting from the top thereof in the, carryingposition,

FigureJ ,isaflatlay-out ofthe material forming the longitudinal partition and-transverse dividers. of the carrier 7,

. Figure; 4 is. aperspeotive view of .one formof longitu: dinalpartition and transverse divider arrangement in the erected, position but withthe carrier casing omitted, said arrangementalso including the handle, in its. upper posi! tion,

gure 5' is acrloss. section taken on'the. line 5-5 of Figure 1,. showing, the carrier in its erected position,

Figure 6' is.a view. similar to Figure 5, but showing thecarrier: part way between itsfiat and erected position,

Figure 7 is a vertical section taken on the line 7-7 ofFigure 2,, with, the handle in its upper or carrying positibn,

Figured? is a cross section taken through the. carrier taken substantially onthe line. 8 8 of Figure, 7,

1 Figure-9 is a. fragmentary sectional view similar to Figure 8,. but with the handle in its lower position within the carrier,

Figure 10 is afragmentary perspective view-similar to Figure 4with the handlein thelower position thereof, and

Figure 11, is a perspective view similar to- Figure 4 of an. alternative form of. longitudinaland'transverse divider, arrang ement-,xbut, with the handle in its lower position.

Referring to the. drawings, 10 is a container carrier comprising acasing, 11 having a-bottom 12, end walls 14 and 1.6, sidewalls-18 and 19, and a top 21. This top includes side flaps 23 and 24' hingedly connected to side walls 1 8 and 19, respectively. It also includes end flaps 26 and Z'Zintegrall'y connected respectively withthe end walls 15'and'16. When the topis closed, as shown in Figure 1, side flaps 23 and-24 are folded inwardly over inwardly-folded end flaps 26and 27 in the usual manner. These flaps are secured together by suitable fastening means, such as glue or staples. The casing bottom 12 comprisesa similar side and end'flaparrangement to that of top 21, as is customary with casings or cartons of this type. The side and end. walls, and bottom and topflaps areformed from a single piece of material, such as card- 1 board; corrugated cardboard and the like.

in order to form limited access to the interior of the carrier without opening the top thereof.

A longitudinal partition 42 is located within casing 11 A and extends longitudinally and centrally thereof, as clearly shown in Figures and 6. 'This partition is preferably formed of a single piece of material folded over at 43 to form an upper edge and sides 45 and 46 for the partition. A slot 47 is formed in the folded-over edge 43 centrally thereof.

Suitable means is provided for connecting the end of the longitudinal partition to the adjacent end walls 15 and 16 of the casing. It is preferable to provide at least one flap at each end of the partition for this purpose. In this example, flaps 48 and49 are connected to the sides 45 and 46 at one end of the partition, and flaps 51 and 52 are respectively connected to said sides at the opposite ends of the partition. These flaps are connected to the casing end walls in any convenient manner, such as by means of glue or staples. It is, however, preferable, to use glue. In this case, it will be noted that either flap 48 or flap 49 is narrower than the other, and in this example, the former is narrower than the latter, see Figure 4, so that glue applied to the outer faces of said flaps can secure both of them directly to end wall 15. Flaps 51 and 52 are made in the same manner. This flap arrangement securely fixes the ends of partition 42 to the casing end walls.

By referring to Figures 7 and 8, it will be noted that the upper edge 43 of the longitudinal partition is immediately below casing top 21 when the latter is closed. It is preferable to have the partition edge bearing against the closed top at this time in order that said top acts as a reinforcement for the partition. Furthermore, the lower edge 50 of the partition is preferably spaced above the casing bottom 12, see Figure 8, although this is not absolutely necessary.

A plurality of spaced dividers 53 and 54 are located on opposite sides of partition 42 and extend between the latter and the side walls 18 and 19 of the casing. These transverse dividers may be connected only to the casing walls or only to the partition, but it is preferable to connect them to both, as shown.

Each transverse divider 53 has a neck 55 at the upper end of its inner edge 56. This neck is connected to partition side 45. The main portion 58 of this divider extends downwardly from-said neck to a lower edge 59. This edge may be at the casing bottom 12, but it may be spaced a little above said bottom, as clearly shown in Figure 8. Each divider 53 has a flap 61 on its outer end bent relative thereto, said flap being connected to the adjacent side wall 18 by glue or the like.

Each divider 54 has a neck 64 at the upper end of its inner edge 65 which is connected to the side 46 of partition 42. The main body 66 of this divider extends downwardly from the neck to a lower edge 67 spaced a little above casing bottom 12. Each divider 54 has a flap .69 on its outer end bent over and secured to casing wall '19 by glue or other means. With this arrangement, the transverse dividers extend upwardly from near the bottom of the casing to the bottom of the longitudinal partition which is substantially midway up the casing.

As the transverse dividers are connected to the side walls of the casing and to the sides of the longitudinal partition, they tend to brace said partition against lateral movement. They combine with said partition and the casing walls to form a plurality of cells 72 for receiving containers, such as bottles. The transverse dividers keep the bottles separated from each other throughout a substantial portion of the height thereof. As the bottles usually taper inwardly towards the tops thereof, they cannot come into contact with each other while in the casing.

By referring to Figure 4, it will be seen that the flaps 69 of dividers 54 are interconnected by a connecting strip 74. This strip keeps the outer ends of the dividersin their proper spaced relationship, and it is also connected to the side wall 19 of the casing by glue or other means so that it helps to make a secure connection between the dividers and the wall. Flaps 61 of dividers 53 are interconnected by a connecting piece 75.

A handle 78 is slidably mounted relative to longitudinal partition 42 in any desired manner. In this example, the handle has a main body portion 79 slidably fitting between the sides 45 and 46 of the partition and extending longitudinally of the carton. A projection 80 extends upwardly from the body portion and through slot 47 in the upper edge of the partition. This projection is integrally connected to the body portion and is formed by folding the material forming same over at 82 so that said projection is made up of a double thickness of material, as clearly indicated at 83 in Figure 8. A hand hole 86 is formed in projection 80, said hand hole extending through both thicknesses of the projection. Flaps 88 cut out to form the hand hole may be left attached to the projection at the upper edges 89 thereof for strengthening purposes.

It is desirable to provide the handle projection 80 with tabs 92 and 93 at opposite ends of the top thereof and projecting from its opposite faces. These tabs project ing downwardly as well as outwardly so that they do not interfere with the upward movement of handle 78, but they do prevent the upper end of the handle from dropping down inside the longitudinal partition 42 by engaging the upper edge of said partition, see Figures 9 and 10.

Projection 80 of handle 78 is long enough to extend through partition slot 47 when the handle body portion 79 is down to the casing bottom 12. At this time, the handle body portion constitutes a wall of the cells 72. Furthermore, the handle projection is completely within the casing so that the latter may be closed and sealed, as in Figure 1. The handle may be drawn upwardly by means of projection 80 until the upper edge of the body portion thereof engages the folded over edge 43 of the longitudinal partition. This limits the upper or outer movement of the handle. As seen in Figures 7 and 8, the projection 80 extends above the carton top at this time so that the hand hole 86 is fully exposed.

Figure 3 illustrates how the longitudinal partition 42 and transverse dividers 53 and 54 may be formed from a single piece of material. This piece of material or blank 95 is folded longitudinally centrally thereof at 96 to form the folded over edge 43 of the partition. Slot 47 is cut out along this edge. It will be noted that this slot is comparatively wide so that its edges are below partition edge 43, see Figure 4, which permits the upper part of projection 80 to be grasped when the handle is in its inner or lower position. Flaps 48, 49, 51 and 52 are formed at the ends of partition sides 45 and 46. A plurality of diagonal slits 99 are cut in side 45 in order to form dividers 53. Similarly, a plurality of diagonal slits 100 are cut in side 46 to form dividers 54. Connecting pieces 75 and 74 are formed along the outer (lower) edges of dividers 53 and 54, respectively.

When the carrier casing and cell-forming unit are erected, as shown in Figures 4 to 6, end flaps 69 of dividers 54 extend in one direction while end flaps 61 of dividers 53 extend in the opposite direction. In addition to this, flaps 48-49 and 5152 extend transversely of the carrier casing in opposite directions from the longitudinal partition 42. This makes it possible to collapse the container into a flat bundle, said carrier being shown partly collapsed in Figure 6.

When the carrier 10 is to be used, the containers or bottles are inserted in cells 72 with handle 78 in its inner or lower position. The top flaps 23-24, 26-27 are foldedinwardly and secured in the usual manner. At this time, there are no projections from the carton to get in the way during storage or shipping.

When it is desired to carry the carrier, flaps 37 and 3 8 are folded upwardly, at which time it is possible to insert the thumb and finger into the casing 11 to grip theupper portion of handle projection 80 at slot 47 in the longitudinal partition 42. The handle may now be drawn upwardly until the hand hole 86 is completely out of the casing. At this time, the handle body 79 engages the upper folded-over edge 43 of the partition to limit the outward movement. of the handle. As the partition is secured to the end wall Hand 16 of the casing, said partition prevents further outward movement of the handle. As previously stated, it is preferable to have the partition edge in engagement with. the. closed top 21 of the casing so that said top tends to brace the partition when the carrier is under full load and at times when it is. most. likely. tobe subjec to ome abu After the. cover flaps are. raised, to. Open the casing, thev latter may stillvbe. carried y me s f the andl since the weight is transferred. thro s carton end walls to the; partition, flaps. and to he partiti h nc itis: transferredtothe handle. through the folded over edge 43 of; the. partition which. con i me ns. fo limiting the outward movement of the handle. As previously stated, the transverse dividers may be connected only to the longitudinal partition, or the side walls of the casing. In this case, they would not brace the partition against lateral movement, but they would merely act as spacers between the bottles in the casing.

Figure 11 illustrates an alternative form of partition and divider arrangement 105 that is quite similar to that illustrated in Figure 4. The arrangement 105 includes a longitudinal partition 42a with transverse dividers 53a and 54a. The longitudinal partition includes foldedover sides 45a and 46a. End flaps 108 and 109 are connected to the ends of side walls 45a and 46a, respectively. It will be noted that flap 108 is bent over in the same direction and is located beneath flap 109. These flaps are secured to an end wall of casing 11 of the carrier by means of glue, staples, or the like. Similarly, flaps 112 and 113 are connected to the opposite ends of side walls 45a and 46a, respectively. These flaps extend outwardly from the longitudinal partition in a direction opposite to that of flaps 108 and 109. Flaps 112 and 113 are to be secured to an end wall of the carrier casing by glue, staples, or other means.

The arrangement of fiaps 108109 and 112113 in Figure 11 provide a very firm fastening for the longitudinal partition 42a to the end walls of the carrier casing. They also help to stabilize said longitudinal partition. In other words, these flaps reinforce the longitudinal partition, and in addition to this, they tend to reinforce the entire carrier.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A container carrier comprising a casing having side and end walls formed of a single strip of material formed into a rectangle, a bottom and an operable top connected to edges of said strip of material, said top when closed having a longitudinal slot therein centrally thereof, a vertical partition fitted in the casing extending longitudinally and centrally from end to end thereof, said partition having an upper edge located immediately below and bearing against the casing top when the latter is closed, stop means on the partition along the upper edge thereof, flaps connected to the ends of said partition and having portions extending parallel to an adjacent end wall of the casing, said flap portions being connected to said end walls by suitable securing means, spaced vertical lateral dividers extending from the partition to the side walls forming therewith a plurality of containerreceiving cells, a unitary handle at and movable vertically relative to the longitudinal partition and aligned with the casing top slot, said handle being completely within the casing when the top thereof is closed and in line with and near the casing top slot and being of such size as to be able to move through said top slot, and means on the handle for engaging the partition stop means to limit upward movement of the handle, said handle hammer able from within the casing through the top slot to an outer position projecting above the casing topwhere it may be grasped for carrying purposes, said upward movement of the handle being stopped by the partition stop means and the closed casing top bracing the longitudinal partition under load when the casing is being carried by the handle, said partition taking the full load when the casing top is open.

2; A container carrier having a casing comprising side and end walls and a bottom; an interior assembly fixed to said casing defining adjacent rows of article receiving compartments; said interior assembly including a unitary member constituted by a pair of integral complementary primary panel portions connected together along a common upper edge and extending along the entire longitudinal axis of the carton to form a longitudinal partition; a plurality of lateral dividers partitioning each of said adjacent rows into a plurality of adjacent article receiving compartments; each of said lateral dividers being integrally connected, at the inner end thereof, with said longitudinal partition; the upper edge of each of said lateral dividers extending outwardly and downwardly from the longitudinal partition, a portion of, the, lower edge of each of saidlateral. dividers extending outwardly and downwardly from the longitudinal partition and the remaining portion of said lower edge being adjacent to and extending parallel with said bottom so as to afford protection to the lower portions of articles in adjacent compartments of the same row, said portions of the lower edge of each of said lateral dividers being integrally connected by a vertical edge spaced from and parallel to said longitudinal partition; and means for securing the outer end of each of said lateral dividers to an adjacent side wall of the carton.

3. A one-piece blank adapted toform a unitary member constituting an interior assembly defining adjacent longitudinal rows of article receiving compartments within a container carrier having a casing comprising side and end walls and a bottom; said blank being cut and scored to provide a pair of complementary primary panels integrally connected together along at least one common score line and adapted, on folding along the latter, to form a longitudinal partition extending along the entire longitudinal axis of the carton; each of said primary panels being cut and scored to provide a plurality of secondary panels, a plurality of auxiliary panels, and an ancillary panel, each of said auxiliary panels spacing apart a pair of said secondary panels; each of said secondary panels being adapted, on folding of the blank, to extend at right angles to said longitudinal partition so as to form a lateral divider, said lateral dividers partitioning each of said adjacent rows into a plurality of adjacent article receiving compartments and each being integrally connected at its inner end to said longitudinal partition; each of said auxiliary panels being adapted, on folding of said blank, to extend at right angles to each of said lateral dividers and to be integral with the latter at the outer end thereof to form a hingeable tab adapted to be secured to an adjacent side wall of the carton; each of said ancillary panels being adapted, on folding of the blank, to extend at right angles to said lateral dividers and to be integral with the lower end of each said hingeable tabs and being adapted to be secured to an adjacent side wall of the carton; each of said primary panels being so cut and scored that, on folding of the blank, the upper edge of each of said lateral dividers extends outwardly and downwardly from the longitudinal partition whilst a portion of the lower edge of each of said lateral dividers extends outwardly and downwardly from the longitudinal partition and the remaining portion of said lower edge is adjacent to and extends parallel with said bottom of the carton so as to afford protection to the lower portions of articles in adjacent compartments of the same row, said portions 7 of the lower edge of each of said lateral dividers being integrally connected by a vertical edge spaced from and parallel to said longitudinal partition.

4. A container carrier comprising, a casing having side and end walls formed of a single strip of material formed into a rectangle; a bottom and an operable top connected to edges of said strip of material, said top when closed having a longitudinal slot therein centrally thereof; a vertical partition fitted in the casing extending longitudinally and centrally from end to end thereof, said partition having an upper edge located immediately below and bearing against the casing top when the latter is closed; stop means on the partition along the upper edge thereof; spaced vertical lateral dividers extending from the partition to the side walls forming therewith a plurality of container-receiving cells; a unitary handle at and movable vertically relative to the longitudinal partition and aligned with the casing top slot, said handle being completely within the casing when the top thereof is closed and in line with and near the casing top slot and being of such size as to be able to move through said top slot; means on the handle for engaging the partition stop means to limit upward movement of the handle; said handle being movable from within the casing through the top slot to an outer position projecting above the casing top where it may be grasped for carrying purposes, said upward movement of the handle being stopped by the partition stop means and the closed casing top bracing the longitudinal partition under load when the casing is being carried by the handle, said partition taking the full load when the casing top is open; and tabs at opposite ends of the top of said handle, said tabs being positioned and adapted to engage the upper edge of said partition whereby the downward movement of said handle, relative to said partition is limited.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,920 Keith June 3, 1952 2,609,137 Toensmeier Sept. 2, 1952 2,687,232 Arneson Aug. 24, 1954 2,704,617 Stieve Mar. 22, 1955 2,742,182 Hickin Apr. 17, 1956 2,765,972 Samsing Oct. 9, 1956 2,850,206 Pasjack Sept. 2, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 462,376 Canada Ian. 10, 1950

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