US3917059A

US3917059A - Article carrier

Info

Publication number: US3917059A
Application number: US411507A
Authority: US
Inventors: Prentice J Wood
Original assignee: Mead Corp
Current assignee: Mead Corp
Priority date: 1973-10-31
Filing date: 1973-10-31
Publication date: 1975-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1992-11-04
Also published as: DE2418615A1; JPS572582B2; CA1030919A; DE2418615C2; NL186503C; JPS5073781A; NL7404366A; NL186503B

Abstract

A basket style article carrier having full depth medial and transverse partitions is formed from a single blank and is characterized by economy in the use of material, the carrier including a bottom wall, side walls joined to the side edges of the bottom wall, end wall panels joined to the end edges of the side walls, riser panels joined to the inner edges of the end wall panels at one end of the carrier and extending medially inward of the carrier, medial panels joined to the inner edges of the end wall panels at the other end of the carrier and extending medially inward of the carrier, a multiple-ply handle including a pair of inner handle panels and a pair of outer handle panels secured at its ends to the upwardly extending ends of the riser panels and medial panels, a plurality of transverse partitions at least some of which are of a composite construction including a transverse partition tab as a component, a pair of nicks respectively connecting an outer handle panel to a transverse partition tab, a first medial partition panel foldably joined to one medial panel, and a second medial partition panel foldably joined to the same medial panel and secured to both the first medial partition panel and the riser panel at the opposite end of the carrier.

Description

United States Patent [191 Wood [45] Nov. 4, 1975 ARTICLE CARRIER Prentice J. Wood, Jonesboro, Ga.

[73] Assignee: The Mead Corporation, Dayton,

Ohio

[22] Filed: Oct. 31, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 411,507

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl. 206/187; 206/191; 229/D1G. 9 [51] Int. Cl. B65D 75/00 [58] Field of Search 206/173-189;

229/52 BC, DIG. 9

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,084,831 4/1963 Ameson 206/190 3,140,797 7/1964 Ameson 229/52 BC 3,203,585 8/1965 Wood 206/188 3,432,073 3/1969 Forrer 206/188 3,487,975 1/1970 Riddell 206/186 3,572,544 3/1971 Forrer.. 206/187 3,572,545 3/1971 Stout.... 206/188 3,669,306 6/1972 Forrer 206/188 3,672,539 6/1972 Forrer 206/173 3,709,400 1/1973 Arneson... 206/187 3,722,738 3/1973 Wright 206/187 3,754,680 8/1973 Wood 229/52 BC Primary ExaminerWilliam T. Dixson, Jr. Assistant ExaminerStephen Marcus Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Walter M. Rodgers 57 ABSTRACT A basket style article carrier having full depth medial and transverse partitions is formed from a single blank and is characterized by economy in the use of material, the carrier including a bottom wall, side walls joined to the side edges of the bottom wall, end wall panels joined to the end edges of the side walls, riser panels joined to the inner edges of the end wall panels at one end of the carrier and extending medially inward of the carrier, medial panels joined to the inner edges of the end wall panels at the other end of the carrier and extending medially inward of the carrier, a multiple-ply handle including a pair of inner handle panels and a pair of outer handle panels secured at its ends to the upwardly extending ends of the riser panels and medial panels, a plurality of transverse partitions at least some of which are of a composite construction including a transverse partition tab as a component, a pair of nicks respectively connecting an outer handle panel to a transverse partition tab, a first medial partition panel foldably joined to one medial panel, and a second medial partition panel foldably joined to the same medial panel and secured to both the first medial partition panel and the riser panel at the opposite end of the cam'er.

7 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Sheet 1 of 4 US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 2 of4 3,917,059

U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 3 of4 3,917,059

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet4 of4 3,917,059

ARTICLE CARRIER Article carriers are known in which two medial partition panels are utilized to separate the articles on one side of the handle from articles on the other side. This arrangement may not provide the necessary longitudinal strength for the carrier particularly where the carrier is used to package large bottles.

According to one form of this invention, a basket style article carrier having bottom, side and end walls, and a multiple-ply handle together with a medial partition is provided with two medial partition panels foldably joined to one medial panel. The medial partition panels are folded in opposite directions into a connected overlapping relationship with one of the medial partition panels adhered to at least one riser panel. A transverse partition tab joined to the upper part of each side wall by means of an anchoring flap is interconnected by a nick to the outer handle panel on the same side of the carrier.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a set-up carrier formed according to the invention with a portion of the side wall cut away; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the carrier shown in FIG. 1 is formed and wherein dotted lines are utilized to illustrate one nesting arrangement. FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 depict intermediate stages through which the blank of FIG. 2 is manipulated in order to form a complete and collapsed carrier as is depicted in FIG. 9.

In the drawings the numeral 1 represents a side wall of the carrier to the bottom edge of which a glue flap 2 is foldably joined along fold line 3. End wall panel 4 is foldably joined to an end edge of side wall 1 along fold line 5 while end wall panel 6 is foldably joined to the opposite end edge of side wall 1 along the fold line 7. Riser panel 8 is foldably joined to end wall panel 4 along fold line 9 while medial panel 10 is foldably joined to end wall panel 6 along fold line 11. Riser panel 8 and medial panel 10 are formed with

locking notches

8A and 10A respectively. A transverse partition panel 13 is struck from medial panel 10 and is foldably joined thereto along fold line 14. Anchoring flap 13A is foldably joined to transverse partition panel 13 along fold line 19. At the same end of the carrier a transverse partition panel 16 is foldably joined to medial panel 10 along vertically coincidental fold lines and 17. A transverse partition tab 21 is foldably joined along fold line 22 to anchoring flap 23 which is foldably joined to side wall 1 along fold line 23A. Inner handle panel 24 is foldably joined to riser panel 8 along fold line 9 while outer handle panel 25 is foldably joined to medial panel 10 along fold line 11.

Hand gripping apertures

26 and 27 are formed in

handle panels

24 and 25 respectively.

On the other side of the blank, inner handle panel 28 is foldably joined to handle panel 24 along fold lines 29A and 29B which are disposed at the ends of medial slit 29. Outer handle panel 30 is foldably joined to outer handle panel 25 along medial fold line 31.

Hand gripping apertures

32 and 33 are formed in

handle panels

28 and 30 respectively.

The cell structure on the opposite side of the blank is similar to that just described and includes riser panel 34 which is foldably joined to handle panel 28 along fold line 35 and which is provided with locking notch 39A.

Transverse partition panel 36 is struck from medial panel 45 and is foldably joined thereto along fold line 37. Anchoring flap 36A is foldably joined to transverse partition panel 36 along fold line 20. End wall panel 39 is foldably joined to riser panel 34 along fold line 35 and side wall 41 is foldably joined to end wall panel 39 along fold line 42. End wall panel 43 is foldably joined to side wall 41 along fold line 44 and medial panel 45 is foldablyjoined to end wall panel 43 along fold line 46 and to outer handle panel 30 along fold line 46. Transverse partition panel 47 is foldably joined to medial panel 45 along vertically

coincidental fold lines

38 and 48. Medial panel 45 is provided with locking notch 45A and the lower tip of transverse partition panel 36 coincides with the bottom edge 50 of medial panel 45. i

The bottom of the carrier includes a bottom wall 54 which is foldably joined to side wall 41 along fold line 55 and includes a medial fold line 56.

For strengthening the carrier underneath the handle and for providing medial separation between the articles on opposite sides of the handle, medial partition panel 57 is provided and is foldably joined to medial panel 45 along fold line 58. Additionally medial partition panel 59 is foldably joined to media] panel 45 along fold line 50. Transverse partition tab 60 is joined along fold line 61 to anchoring flap 62 which is foldably joined to side wall 41 along fold line 62A.

To facilitate a smooth folding operation. nick 25A provides a connection between transverse partition tab 21 and outer handle panel 25. Similarly nick 30A provides a connection between transverse partition tab 60 and outer handle panel 30.

In order to form the completed carrier from the blank shown in FIG. 2, an application of glue is first made to the anchoring

flaps

23 and 62 and to the adjacent portions of the side walls as shown by stippling in FIG. 2. Thereafter

anchoring flaps

23 and 62 are elevated and folded along their

respective fold lines

23A and 62A into positions of flat face contacting relation with the inner surfaces of

side walls

1 and 41 respectively. This folding operation of course causes the

transverse partition tabs

21 and 60 to fold into generally flat face contacting relation with their associated

side walls

1 and 41. Upon completion of this folding operation these parts occupy the positions depicted in FIG. 3 which is a fragmentary view of the center portion of the blank of FIG. 2.

Thereafter an application of glue is made to the

riser panels

8 and 34 and to all the

handle panels

24, 25, 28 and 30 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 2. Following this application of glue, the end wall panels 4 andv 39 are elevated and folded toward the right along

fold lines

5 and 42. Simultaneously handle

panels

24 and 28 are folded along fold lines 9 and 35 and when this folding operation is completed the blank appears as shown in FIG. 4 with the

handle panels

24 and 28 adhered to the inner surfaces of

outer handle panels

25 and 30 and with the

riser panels

8 and 34 secured to the inner surfaces of

inner handle panels

24 and 28 respectively.

With the parts in the positions shown in FIG. 4, an application of glue is made to the inner surfaces of

handle panels

24, 25, 28 and 30,

transverse partition tabs

21 and 60,

transverse partition panels

16 and 47,

medial panels

10 and 45 as well as to side walls I and 41 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 4. Thereafter

medial panels

10 and 45 are elevated and folded toward the left along

fold lines

11 and 46 respectively and when this folding operation is completed the parts appear as 3 shown in FIG. 5. The medial panels and 45 are thus secured to the

handle panels

24, 25, 28 and 30. Also anchoring

flaps

13A and 36A are adhered to

side walls

1 and 41 respectively and the transverse partition panels l6 and 47 are adhered to

transverse partition tabs

21 and 60 respectively.

With the parts in the positions depicted in FIG. 5, medial partition panel 57 is elevated and folded along fold line 58 into the position depicted in FIG. 6. Glue is then applied to

medial partition panels

57 and 59 and riser panel 34 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 6 and, following this, medial partition panel 59 is elevated and folded along fold line 50 thereby becoming secured to medial partition panel 57 as well as to riser panel 34 as seen in FIG. 7.

Thereafter the bottom panel 54 is folded along its medial fold line 56 to occupy the position depicted in the fragmentary view designated as FIG. 8. Following this folding operation an application of glue is made to the blank as shown in FIG. 7 by stippling. More specifically glue is applied to the glue flap 2, the

riser panels

8 and 34, the

inner handle panels

24 and 28,

medial panels

10 and 45 and

medial partition panels

57 and 59. Thereafter the portions of the blank which are disposed above the slit 29 and the fold line 31 as viewed for example in FIG. 7 are elevated and folded into the position depicted in FIG. 9 which represents the completed carrier in collapsed condition.

In order to set the carrier up from its collapsed condition shown in FIG. 9 into the setup condition shown in FIG. I, it is simply necessary to secure the

side walls

1 and 41 against movement toward the left and to apply a force toward the left to the medial edges of

end wall panels

6 and 43. This expands the carrier and moves the side walls apart. Simultaneously the bottom wall 54 folds into a flat plane. The carrier is maintained in setup condition by cooperation between the locking notches made up of

notches

8A, 39A, 10A and 45A and the ends of bottom wall 54. The carrier then appears as shown in FIG. 1.

As is apparent from FIG. 2, a plurality of blanks can be arranged in a nested fashion thereby providing economy of material. More specifically a pair of blanks may be arranged in side by side relation whereby the converging edges of medial panel 10 and medial partition panel 57 are recessed inwardly in order to accommodate the nesting of the outwardly extending lateral protrusion of riser panel 8 of an adjoining blank. Likewise the converging edges of medial panel 45 and medial partition panel 57 are recessed inwardly to nest with the outwardly extending lateral protrusion of riser panel 34 of the same adjoining blank. In addition bottom wall 54 is spaced apart from medial partition panel 59 by a distance equal to the length of bottom wall 54. Therefore this space provides for the nesting of bottom wall 54 of an adjoining blank.

While the invention is shown applied to a six cell carrier having telescoping handles. it is not limited to such structure and may be applied to carriers having a different number of cells and having a different handle structure.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An article carrier comprising a bottom wall. side walls foldably joined to the side edges of said bottom wall, end wall panels foldably joined to the end edges of said side walls and extending inwardly therefrom. a

multiple-ply handle comprising at least one pair of handle panels, medial partition structure including a pair of medial panels foldably joined respectively to said end wall panels at one end of the carrier along the edges thereof remote from said side walls and extending medially inward of the carrier, riser panels foldably joined respectively to said end wall panels at the other end of the carrier along the edges thereof remote from said side walls and extending medially inward of the carrier, a first medial partition panel struck from said medial partition structure and foldably joined to only, one of said medial panels and folded into flat face contacting relation therewith, a second medial partition panel foldably joined to said one of said medial panels and affixed in flat face contacting relation to said first medial partition panel and one of said medial partition panels being secured to at least one of said riser panels.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein said second medial partition panel is secured to at least one of said riser panels.

3. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein one medial partition panel is foldably joined to the upper edge of said one of said medial panels and the other medial partition panel is foldably joined to the lower edge of said one of said medial panels.

4. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein said first medial partition panel is foldably joined to the upper edge of said one of said medial panels and said second medial partition panel is foldably joined to the lower edge of said one of said medial panels.

5. A carrier according to claim I wherein one medial partition panel is folded into flat face contacting relation to at least one medial panel and the other medial partition panel is folded in an opposite direction and secured to said one medial partition panel.

6. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein an anchoring flap is joined to the upper part of a side wall, and wherein a transverse partition tab is joined in said anchoring flap, and wherein a nick interconnects said transverse partition tab and said handle panel on each side of the carrier.

7. An article carrier blank comprising a bottom wall. a first side wall foldably joined to a side edge of said bottom wall, a first pair of end wall panels foldably joined respectively to the end edges of said first side wall, a first riser panel foldably joined to one of said first pair of end wall panels along a first edge remote from said first side wall, a first handle panel foldably joined to said first edge, a first medial panel foldably joined to the other of said first pair of end wall panels along a second edge remote from said first side wall, a second handle panel foldably joined to said second edge, a third handle panel foldably joined to said first handle panel along the top edge thereof, a second riser panel foldably joined to said third handle panel along a third edge, one of a second pair of end wall panelsfoldably joined to said second riser panel along said third edge, a second side wall foldably joined to said one of a second pair of end wall panels remote from said third edge, the other of a second pair of end wall panels foldably joined to said second side wall remote from said one of a second pair of end wall panels, a secondmedial panel foldably joined to said other of a second pair of end wall panels along a fourth edge remote from said second side wall, a fourth handle panel foldably joined to said second handle panel along the top edge thereof and to said second medial panel along said fourth edge, a first medial partition panel foldably joined to said first LII 6 and second medial panels being respectively conver gent with different parts of the outer edge of said first medial partition panel to form two recessions which are of complementary configuration to said protrusions and which accommodate said protrusions of said first riser panel and of said second riser panel of an adjoining blank in a nested arrangement, l l l

Claims

1. An article carrier comprising a bottom wall, side walls foldably joined to the side edges of said bottom wall, end wall panels foldably joined to the end edges of said side walls and extending inwardly therefrom, a multiple-ply handle comprising at least one pair of handle panels, medial partition structure including a pair of medial panels foldably joined respectively to said end wall panels at one end of the carrier along the edges thereof remote from said side walls and extending medially inward of the carrier, riser panels foldably joined respectively to said end wall panels at the other end of the carrier along the edges thereof remote from said side walls and extending medially inward of the carrier, a first medial partition panel struck from said medial partition structure and foldably joined to only one of said medial panels and folded into flat face contacting relation therewith, a second medial partition panel foldably joined to said one of said medial panels and affixed in flat face contacting relation to said first medial partition panel and one of said medial partition panels being secured to at least one of said riser panels.

5. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein one medial partition panel is folded into flat face contacting relation to at least one medial panel and the other medial partition panel is folded in an opposite direction and secured to said one medial partition panel.

7. An article carrier blank comprising a bottom wall, a first side wall foldably joined to a side edge of said bottom wall, a first pair of end wall panels foldably joined respectively to the end edges of said first side wall, a first riser panel foldably joined to one of said first pair of end wall panels along a first edge remote from said first side wall, a first handle panel foldably joined to said first edge, a first medial panel foldably joined to the other of said first pair of end wall panels along a second edge remote from said first side wall, a second handle panel foldably joined to said second edge, a third handle panel foldably joined to said first handle panel along the top edge thereof, a second riser panel foldably joined to said third handle panel along a third edge, one of a second pair of end wall panels foldably joined to said second riser panel along said third edge, a second side wall foldably joined to said one of a second pair of end wall panels remote from said third edge, the other of a second pair of end wall panels foldably joined to said second side wall remote from said one of a second pair of end wall panels, a second medial paNel foldably joined to said other of a second pair of end wall panels along a fourth edge remote from said second side wall, a fourth handle panel foldably joined to said second handle panel along the top edge thereof and to said second medial panel along said fourth edge, a first medial partition panel foldably joined to said first medial panel, a second medial partition panel foldably joined to said first medial panel remote from said first medial partition panel, said bottom wall and said second medial partition panel being spaced apart a distance equal to the length of said bottom wall to form a recession which accommodates the nesting of the bottom wall of an adjoining blank, and a pair of outwardly extending lateral protrusions formed on said riser panels respectively, parts of the outer edges of said first and second medial panels being respectively convergent with different parts of the outer edge of said first medial partition panel to form two recessions which are of complementary configuration to said protrusions and which accommodate said protrusions of said first riser panel and of said second riser panel of an adjoining blank in a nested arrangement.