US3073644A - Bottle carrier - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 15, 1963 H. BAKER ETAL 4 BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Feb. 2, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS.

Jan. 15, 1963 H. BAKER ETAL 3,073,644

BOTTLE CARRIER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 h-rme eys.

Jan. 15, 1963 BAKER ETAL 3,073,644

' BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Feb. 2, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Arr-beans.

3,073,644 BQTTLE CAREER Harry L. Baker and William 0. Maurer, Cincinnati, @hio; said lvlaurer assiguor to said Baker File-d Feb. 2, 1960, Set. No. 6,253 Claims. (Ci. 294-87.2)

This invention relates to bottle carriers and more particularly to bottle carriers of the type having an apertured panel through which bottle necks pass and pivotal flaps which engage the necks of the bottles to secure them to the panel.

This general type of bottle carrier has been known for many years. None has, however, enjoyed significant commercial success, principally because of the failure of prior designs to meet the several criteria necessary for widespread adoption. To be successful, a bottle carrier must be rugged enough to withstand handling during application to bottles at the bottling plant, distribution to retail outlets and the carrying of bottles from the retail outlet to the consumer and back to the retail outlet.

It is also important that the bottle carrier be susceptible of use in an automatic machine for applying the carrier to bottles in a production line. Thus, the bottle carrier must be capable of being simply and reliably fitted into position with respect to the bottles by automatic packaging machines.

"In addition to those attributes noted above, it is necessary that the bottle carrier be inexpensive to manufacture.

The feature of ruggedness has been the most ditiicult to attain. Prior paperboard designs have been too weak to withstand the rigors of normal usage or have been unnecessarily complex. While complexity might add to the strength of a carrier, it increases the cost of manufacture to the extent that the carrier is priced out of the market. Several prior attempts have been made to design metal carriers. Metal carriers, however, have been too expensive for practical carriers of bottled beverages.

It has been'an objective of the present invention to provide a paperboard carrier constructed from a one piece blank, the carrier having the desired attributes of ruggedness and cost economy.

It has been another objective of the invention to provide a bottle carrier constructed from a one-piece blank which can be cut, folded and glued or stapled by existing package-making machinery so that a completed and glued article can be-shipped flat, ready for application to a bottler. By providing a glued or stapled article the possibility of the carrier coming loose or disarranged in the hands of the bottler, shipper, retailer or consumer is avoided.

It has been another objective of the invention to provide a paperboard carrier from a one-piece blank having integral reinforcing means which greatly adds to the strength of the carrier.

'It has been still another objective of the invention to provide a bottle carrier having an improved bottle neck locking flap which is struck from a one-piece paperboard blank and which is resiliently biased toward a bottle neck engaging position by the resilience of the material from which it is struck.

It has been yet another objective of the invention to provide a bottle carrier constructed from corrugated paperboard in which the direction that the corrugations run is utilized to provide maximum resistance to bending of the carrier under the strain of a load of bottles.

It has been another objective of the invention to provide a bottle carrier having an integral handle connected to the body of the carrier in such a manner as to provide maximum resistance to bending of the carrier under the strain of a load of bottles.

t'ts tent It has been still another objective of the invention to provide a spacer plate having expansible apertures for frictionally gripping the bodies of bottles to space them from each other when the carrier is applied. In use this combination provides a complete package in which the spacer plate serves not only to separate the bottle but to stabilize them thereby preventing their swinging with respect to the carrier.

These and other objectives of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a spacer for bottles to which the carrier is applied;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a one-piece blank in which the carrier is constructed;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first folding operation;

FIG. tion;

- FIG. rier;

FIG. of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the carrier in its carrying position with respect to a bottle;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view taken along lines Iii-4t of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 5 is a perspective view of a second folding opera- 6 is a top plan view of the completed bottle car- 7 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 7-7 11-11 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view in perspective of the neck locking tab of the bottle carrier.

Referring to FIG. 1 a bottle carrier 29 is shown mounted in carrying position with respect to a bottle 21. The bottle carrier has a body portion 22 having a plurality of apertures 23, six apertures being shown in the preferred form of the invention. Slightly overlapping the apertures 23 are locking .flaps 24- which are hinged to the bottom of the body portion 22 along lines 25. A handle 26 is integral with the body portion 22 and projects perpendicularly from the center portion thereof.

The invention also providesa'spacer plate 30 having a plurality of apertures 31 of a size for frictional engagement of the bodies of the bottles carried by the carrier. Functionally, the spacer platefid maintains the bottles spaced from each other so that, as they are being carried, the bottles will not knockagainst one another, and.

the bottles will be stabilized against swinging'with respect to the carrier.

The bottle carrier is formed from a one-piece blank shown in FIG. 3. The blank is preferably formed from waterproof corrugated paperboard in which the inner corrugated ply has its ribs extending longitudinally of the blank. The one-piece blank has a'center section 33 and The center section is formed with the desired apertures '37 which, when combined with the apertures of the end sections, will form the apertures 23 shown in FIG. 1.

Each end section has a locking flap 24 which is out along a transverse line 38 and along two short longitudi nal lines 39 and is integral with the end section but is pivotal with respect to the end section along scoreline 25.

The scoreline 25 and its relationship to the rest of the. blank is shown in greater detail in FIG. 12. It can be seen from FIG. 12 that the scoreline 25 is a depression which cuts through the outer sheet of the corrugated paper leaving very small transversely extending edge portions 40 depressed into the surface of the blank. The depressed portions 40 normally bear against each other when the locking flap is raised and, coupled with the tension on the bottom ply, provide the resilience which will bias the locking flap toward a return to a position substantially in the plane of the carrier, which is the bottle neck gripping position.

It is to be understood that while the preferred form of forming the pivotal joint for the locking fiap has been shown and described above, other forms, such as a simple crease for the joint will function properly. However, considerable experimentation indicates that the scoring shown in FIG. 12 provides the most satisfactory results, from the standpoint of ease of operation and reliability of performing the neck locking function.

The cut line 38 of the locking flap is indented at three positions 41. The indentations 41 are of a smaller radius than the apertures 37 and provide the surfaces which engage a neck of a bottle as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The locking flap must be wide enough (from scoreline 25 to cut 38) to permit the consumer to grip the flap and conveniently flex it upwardly to free the carrier from the bottles. However, the fiap cannot be too wide for when several six packs are stacked, the carrier normally will be forced down on the diverging walls of the bottles and the flap will be forced upwardly. A wide flap will be forced upwardly by a greater angle than a narrow flap. If a flap remains too long at a large vertical angle it will take a permanent set and thereby tend to prevent proper engagement of the flap with the bottle necks when the carrier is lifted. A width of inch has been found to be the most satisfactory.

The use of a single elongated flap on each end section to engage one side of a bottle is preferred to the use of plural elongated fiaps engaging both sides of the bottle or to the use of short individual flaps. While the latter will function, they are not as satisfactory from the standpoint of operability by the consumer.

The blank is also cut to form semicircular openings 42 at three positions adjacent each locking flap, the semicircular openings having a radius equal to the radius of the apertures 37. The semi-circular openings 42 will match the circular aperture 37 of the center section 33 when the end sections are folded over on the center section.

The end portions of each end section are cut along lines 43 to leave reinforcing tabs 44 of about one-half inch width. The end sections are creased as at 45 on both sides of the blank to provide a pivotal joint for two handle members 46. The distance between crease 45 and scoreline 36 is approximately one-half the width of the center section. Each handle member 46 is provided with an elongated opening 47 of sufficient size to accommodate the fingers of a person carrying the bottles.

The manner in which the blank is folded to form the carrier is best illustrated by reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. The first operation is the folding over of a right hand end section 35 as shown in FIG. 4 so that it lies fiat on the center section 33, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The handle member 46 is raised as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, except for the tabs 44, the end section 35 covers approximately one-half the center section 33 which permits the left hand end section 34 to be folded over onto the center section 33 with the crease lines 45 of the handle members 46 being adjacent each other and forming the longitudinal center line of the carrier. The reinforcing tabs 44 of the end section 34 overlie the reinforcing tabs of end sec tion 35. The overlying of the reinforcing tabs is best illustrated in FIG. 10. The end section 35, except for 4 the handle member 46 and locking flap 24, is glued to center section 33. End section 34, except for handle member 46, tabs 44 and locking flap 24, is glued to center section 33. Tabs 44 overlie and are glued to end section 35.

The handle member 46 of end section 34 has a central tab 48 projecting into the opening 47. (A similar tab may project from end section 35 and lie under end sec tion 34 after folding.) As the end section 44 is folded into position on the center section 33, the central tab 48 projects through the opening 47 of the handle of end sec tion 35 and is adhesively secured to the end section 35 as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

It is to be understood that gluing is preferred in order to permit the production of the carrier on existing package-making machinery. However, stapling will provide a functionally satisfactory carrier.

In use, the handle members 46 project vertically as illustrated. However, when the carrier is in storage, for example in the hopper of a positioning machine, the handle members 46 are each folded onto their respective end sections so that the complete unit lies fiat for economy of storage.

When applied to a six-pack of bottled beverages, the handles are raised to their vertical position in part by the natural resilience of the paperboard. The carrier is forced down over the tops of the bottles which project through the apertures 23. The engagement of the tops of the bottles with the partially overlying locking flaps 24 causes the locking flaps to be raised as illustrated in FIG. 7. When in the position of FIG. 7, the depressed edges 40 (FIG. 12) are in compressed engagement and bias the locking flaps toward their flat position with respect to the center section 33. As the carrier passes over the bulge 50 in the bottle neck, the flaps 24 are free to return to their substantially flat position. A slight upward movement of the bottle carrier with respect to the bottles brings the identations 41 into engagement with the bulge in the neck of the bottles and forces the locking fiaps into tight locking engagement with respect to the bottle necks.

In addition to the features of the bottle carrier already discussed, several other features should be noted.

When the carrier is completed, with the end sections secured by waterproof glue or staples to the center section 33, the carrier is substantially two thicknesses of paperboard. The handle design demands that the carrier be no more than substantially two thicknesses, for otherwise it would be impossible to provide for two handle members 46 to abut each other at the center of the carrier. However, by cutting the blank so as to leave the four reinforcing tabs 44, each end of the carrier is formed of three thicknesses of paperboard adhesively secured to gether, each of the reinforcing tabs being approximately one-half inch in width.

The overlying center tab 48 which is adhesively secured to the end section 35 also provides three plies of paperboard at the center of the carrier. Thus, at the ends and center of the carrier, three plies of paperboard are provided which materially increases the overall strength of the carrier to provide substantial resistance to transverse bowing or bending when the carrier supports the weight of six full bottles. For example, by the use of the overlapping tabs 44 and the center tab 48, a 200 lb. test paper will have imparted to it the strength of a 600 lb. test paper thereby substantially avoiding any transverse flexing when the carrier is used to support six full bottles.

Another important aspect of the reinforcing tabs 44 and center tab 48 is that without the tabs, the and sections would be pasted to the center section and, under stress of the bottles, the outer ply of the paperboard would tend to peel away by the upward pull of the handles on late the stripping force into a tension force on the rein- It should also be noted that the tabs 44 and the center I tab 48 are all provided without requiring any increase in the overall size of the blank from which the carrier is formed. This feature is best demonstrated by reference to FIG. 3.

The direction in which the corrugations of the corrugated paper run are important. The greatest resistance to transverse bending is provided by the use of corrugations which extend longitudinally With respect to the one-piece blank.

Another feature to be noted is the spacing of the scoreline 25 of the locking flaps from the handle crease 45. If the handle crease 45 and the scoreline 25 were coincident, the locking flaps 24 would have a tendency to rise when the handles are lifted to their vertical position illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. It is, however, important to the operability of the carrier to have the locking flaps normally urged to a fiat position on the center section 33.

Because of the opening in 47 in the handle members 46, there is a tendency for a carrier to fiex longitudinally under the strain of filled bottles. By use of fillets 51 in the formation of the opening 47 the longitudinal resistance to bending is materially increased. Without the fillets, each handle member would engage the carrier along a line, the length of which is illustrated by bracket 52. By the addition of the fillet, the length of the line engagement of handle member 46 is increased to the length indicated by the bracket 53.

The spacer plate is illustrated in FIG. 2. It is formed of a one-piece blank which is cut at six locations just a few degrees short of a full circle as at 60 so as to leave a small tab 61 at the uncut portion. A larger concentric circle is scored as at 62.

A ring 63 is formed by circle 60 and scoreline 62 is cut at the several positions 64 around its periphery. The circle 60 leaves a paper-disk 65 which is connected to the blank only by the tab 61. The disks 65 could be removed from the spacer plate or they can remain on the spacer plate and contain advertising material. The disks 65, if remaining attached to the spacer plate, can be useful as coasters for the beverages being served.

A ring 63 provides a resilient frictional grip sufiicient to maintain the spacer in proper position with respect to the bottles on which it is mounted. By forming the ring into segments, the spacer will accommodate bottles of diameter ranging from the diameter of circle 60 to the diameter of circle 62. This accommodation is particularly desirable for use with small and king-size bottles of a single bottler.

In operation, bottles moving down the production line of an average bottling establishment would be assembled in a six-pack and the spacer 30 would be dropped over the top of a six-pack fitted into proper position by automatic machinery. Thereafter the carrier 20 would be fitted over the bottle tops. During this operation the handle members 46, which were lying flat in storage, would be forced to the vertical position and the locking of flaps 24 would flex slightly upwardly to permit the carrier to pass over the bottles. When the carrier has passed over the beads 50 in the bottles, the resilience of the locking flap pivotal joint will tend to cause the locking flap to return to the flat position as illustrated in FIG. 8. When in this position, any upward pull on the handles 26 will cause the locking flaps 24 to form a tight frictional engagement of the carrier with the bottle necks. Thus, the bottles are ready to be carried to the ultimate consumer destination.

Six-packs with carrier and spacer engaged can be stacked one on top of the other. The handle 26 will not be in the way for two reasons. If the carrier is in its uppermost position with respect to the bottles, the handle will project up between two adjacent rows of bottles stacked on top of the lower six-pack. Misalignment will not preti vent stacking, for if the handle 26 is engagedby the bottoms of bottles stacked above, the carrier will merely slide down on the necks of the bottles.

No difiiculty whatsoever attends the release of the bottles from the carrier. Release is effected merely by pushing the carrier downwardly until the lockingfiaps are spaced from the beads 50 in the necks of the bottles. Thereafter the locking flaps are pivoted upwardly by gripping them in one hand and the carrier is lifted off the bottles.

Having described our invention, we claim:

1. A bottle carrier constructed from an elongated onepiece bl-ank having a center section and two end sections comprising, a bottom panel formed from the center section of said blank, a first half of a top panel formed by a first end section folded over on said center section, a second half of a top panel formed by a second end section folded over on said center section, handle portions integral with each end section and projecting upwardly therefrom, a strip integral with and extending longitudinally along each side of and beyond each end section, the strips of the first end section underlying the second end section and being secured to the center section and the second end section, the strips of the second end section overlying said first section and bein'g'secured thereto to reinforce said carrier, a tab projecting from the central portion of one end section and projecting across and glued to the other end section to reinforce the center portion of said carrier, said panels having plural apertures extending therethrough, and bottleneck gripping flaps pivoted to said carrier and partially overlying said apertures.

2. A bottle carrier constructed from an elongated onepiece blank having a center section and two end sections comprising, a bottom panel formed from the center section of said blank, a first half of a top panel formed by a first end section folded over on said center section, a second half of a top panel formed by a second end section folded over on said center section, handle portions integral with each end section and projecting upwardly therefrom, a strip integral with and extending longitudinally along each side of and beyond each end section, the strips of the first end section underlying the second end section and being secured to the center section and the second end section, the strips of the second end section overlying said first end section and being secured thereto to reinforce said carrier, said panels having plural apertures extending therethrough, and bottleneck gripping flaps pivoted to said carrier and partially overlying said apertures.

3. A bottle carrier constructed from an elongated onepiece blank having a center section and two end sections comprising, a bottom panel formed from the center section of said blank, a first half of a top panel formed by a first end section folded over on said center section, a second half of a top panel formed by a second end section folded over on said center section, handle portions integral with each end section and projecting upwardly therefrom, reinforcing strips bridging said two end sections and secured to each end section and said center section, said panels having plural apertures extending therethrough, and bottleneck gripping flaps pivoted to said carrier and partially overlying said apertures.

4. A bottle carrier constructed from an elongated onepiece blank having a center section and two end sections comprising, a bottom panel formed from the center section of said blank, a first half of a top panel formed by a first end section folded over on said center section, a second half of a top panel formed by a second end section folded over on said center section, handle portions integral with each end section and projecting upwardly therefrom, reinforcing strips integral with one end section extending across to and adhesively secured to each side of the center section, reinforcing strips integral with the adjacent end section extending across to and adhesively secured to each side of said one end section, said panels having plural apertures extending therethrough, and bottleneck grip- U ping flaps pivoted to said carrier and partially overlying said apertures.

5. A bottle carrier constructed from an elongated onepiece blank having a center section and two end sections comprising, a bottom panel formed from the center section of said blank, a first half of a top panel formed by a first end section folded over on said center section, a second half of a top panel formed by a second end section folded over on said center section, means securing said end sections to said center section, handle portions integral with each end section and projecting upwardly therefrom at the center of said panels, said handle portions having matching openings therethrough to receive the fingers of a hand, and fillets formed in the corners of said openings to increase the resistance of said carrier to flexing, reinforcing strips integral with said first end section extending across to and adhesively secured to each side of the center section, reinforcing strips integral with said second end section extending across to and adhesively secured to each side of said first end section, said panels havingplural apertures extending therethrough, bottle neck gripping flaps pivoted to said carrier and partially overlying said apertures.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,320,440 Kruea et a1 June 1, 1943 2,385,997 Leggett et a1 Oct. 2, 1945 2,397,716 Wendler Apr. 2, 1946 2,603,923 Chidsey July 22, 1952 2,841,279 Forrer July 1, 1958 2,849,112 Forrer Aug. 26, 1958

Claims (1)

1. A BOTTLE CARRIER CONSTRUCTED FROM AN ELONGATED ONEPIECE BLANK HAVING A CENTER SECTION AND TWO END SECTIONS COMPRISING, A BOTTOM PANEL FORMED FROM THE CENTER SECTION OF SAID BLANK, A FIRST HALF OF A TOP PANEL FORMED BY A FIRST END SECTION FOLDED OVER ON SAID CENTER SECTION, A SECOND HALF OF A TOP PANEL FORMED BY A SECOND END SECTION FOLDED OVER ON SAID CENTER SECTION, HANDLE PORTIONS INTEGRAL WITH EACH END SECTION AND PROJECTING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, A STRIP INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG EACH SIDE OF AND BEYOND EACH END SECTION, THE STRIPS OF THE FIRST END SECTION UNDERLYING THE SECOND END SECTION AND BEING SECURED TO THE CENTER SECTION AND THE SECOND END

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