Special receptacle or package – Portable segregating carrier for plural cylindrical... – Pendent from handle
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-01
2001-06-19
Fidei, David T. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Portable segregating carrier for plural cylindrical...
Pendent from handle
C206S187000, C206S188000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06247585
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to paperboard carriers for use in packaging articles such as beverage bottles, and more particularly to a basket-style carrier in which the articles are arranged in two or more rows and which has partitioning tabs between the center cells.
One traditional paperboard carrier for beverage bottles is the basket-style carrier. An example of such a carrier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,698. The carrier include side, end and bottom walls, and is typically used with bottles grouped in two rows. Located between the two rows is a medial partitioning structure which interconnects the end walls and which is formed of two or more overlapping longitudinal partition panels. The medial partitioning structure is connected at its upper end to an upright handle structure by which the basket carrier may be carried. The carrier also includes transverse partition panels extending between each side wall and the medial partitioning structure to define individual cells into which bottles may be placed.
The transverse partition panels, typically, are cut or struck from the longitudinal partition panels, whereupon an opening may be defined in the medial partitioning structure at a location, for example, between the center cells of a six-cell carrier. The opening in the medial partitioning structure is often so large that the structure fails to maintain enough material for providing a substantial partition between the two rows of bottles. This could cause the bottles in the two rows to collide each other while they are drop-loaded into the carrier. Bottle collision could result in bottle breakage when the bottles are made of glass. For this reason, it is advantageous to close the opening, if possible, to prevent bottles from colliding each other.
One way in which the opening in the medial partitioning structure can be at least partially closed is to cut tabs out of the transverse partition panels and to retain the tabs unfolded with respect to the medial partitioning structure. An example of such an approach can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,702,144. One disadvantage of this approach, however, is a relatively large opening area that would remain unoccupied if the partitioning tabs were used in the carrier of the type such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,698 where each longitudinal partition panel provides two or more transverse partition panels. In the arrangement where two or more transverse partition panels are cut from each longitudinal partition panel, it is likely that only one of the transverse partition panels can afford a partitioning tab. It is unlikely that such a tab is adequate to effectively prevent bottle collision.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved basket-style carrier that protects glass articles from breakage during the article loading process. Such a carrier should have partitioning means that can considerably reduce the substantial size of the opening in the medial partitioning structure while requiring a minimum amount of material for forming the carrier.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In meeting the foregoing needs, the present invention provides a carrier for a plurality of articles arranged in at least two rows. The carrier includes substantially parallel first and second side walls, substantially parallel first and second end walls interconnecting the side walls, and a medial partitioning structure extending between and connected to the first and second end walls. The medial partitioning structure is disposed between and substantially parallel to the first and second side walls and includes first and second longitudinal partition panels disposed at least in part in face-to-face contacting relationship. The carrier further includes first and second transverse partition panels formed from the first and second longitudinal partition panels respectively. The first transverse partition panel is foldably connected to the first longitudinal partition panel and extends to the first side wall. The second transverse partition panel is foldably connected to the second longitudinal partition panel and extends to the second side wall. The medial partitioning structure further includes first and second partition tabs formed respectively from the first and second transverse partition panels and remaining unfolded to lie in a plane of the medial partitioning structure. The first and second tabs are configured and positioned such that the outline of the first tab is offset at least in part from the outline of the second tab.
An opening is defined in the medial partitioning structure as a result of forming the transverse partition panels from the longitudinal partition panels. The partitioning tabs reduce the substantial size of the opening which would otherwise be too large for the medial partitioning structure to prevent glass articles on the opposite sides thereof from colliding each other. The tabs of offset outlines, at least in part, cover or occupy different areas of the opening so that the tab material is efficiently utilized to minimize the substantial size or unoccupied area of the opening. The tabs of offset outlines are also useful to minimize the size of the aperture that is defined in each transverse partition panel by forming the tabs out of the transverse partition panels. This is because the tabs of offset outlines allow each tab to be small enough to cover only a part of the entire covered/occupied area of the opening.
The tabs may be disposed in overlapping relationship to cooperate with each other to form a composite partitioning means having an adequate thickness to serve as a cushion between two glass articles. In this case, the overlapping portions of the tabs, of course, cover the same area of the opening and only respective non-overlapping portions of the tabs occupy different areas of the opening.
In a preferred embodiment, the outlines of the tabs may be different from each other. For example, each tab may have a serrated free end edge defining a plurality of teeth such that the teeth of the first tab are arranged in staggered relationship with the teeth of the second tab.
In an alternative embodiment, each tab may be non-symmetrical in shape, and the tabs may be disposed in different orientations such as in opposite orientations. The non-symmetrical shape may be such that the dimension of the respective tab along the length of the medial partitioning structure is greater at one of its upper and lower portions than at the other. Alternatively, the symmetrical shape may be such that the free end edge of the first tab opposed to its base can be inclined to that of the second tab. The opposite orientation may be such that the first tab is disposed in a certain orientation while the second tab is in a different orientation that could be taken by the first tab if the first tab were rotated 180 degrees about a certain axis that lies in the plain of the first tab.
In another preferred embodiment, each longitudinal partition panel provides two or more transverse partition panels formed therefrom, and each tab is formed from one of the transverse partition panels formed from the respective longitudinal partition panel.
Other advantages and objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2702144 (1955-02-01), Forrer
patent: 3194478 (1965-07-01), Weiss
patent: 3669306 (1972-06-01), Forrer
patent: 4000813 (1977-01-01), Stout
patent: 4153158 (1979-05-01), Graser et al.
patent: 4319682 (1982-03-01), Wright et al.
patent: 4450956 (1984-05-01), Wood
patent: 4770294 (1988-09-01), Graser
patent: 5029698 (1991-07-01), Stout
patent: 5884756 (1999-03-01), Holley, Jr. et al.
patent: 2573726 (1986-05-01), None
Fidei David T.
Suzuki Tsugihiko
The Mead Corporation
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