Special receptacle or package – Portable segregating carrier for plural cylindrical... – Receptacle chime – or closure cap flange – engaging type
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-27
2001-09-25
Luong, Shian (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
Portable segregating carrier for plural cylindrical...
Receptacle chime, or closure cap flange, engaging type
C206S153000, C206S161000, C206S427000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293392
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to beverage container carriers, and in particular to a planar carrier for use in conjunction with heavy and large (i.e., 2- and 3-liter) glass or plastic bottles, such as soda bottles.
Beverage bottlers, such as bottlers of Coke®, Pepsi®, 7-Up® and the like generally deliver beverage bottles to grocery stores in trays. These trays of bottles are then stacked one-on-top of the other, and consumers remove the bottles from the tray for purchase. The bottles are often grouped together in multi-pack carriers, such as four-packs, six-packs and the like.
There are numerous types of multi-pack carriers which fall into three categories: (1) basket-type carriers, (2) box-top or sleeve carriers, and (3) planar carriers. For instances such as noted above, basket-type carriers are not useable. Additionally, they are complex and required complex folding and gluing machinery to covert a blank to a basket carrier. Box-top or sleeve carriers are much easier to fold from a blank and are much less expensive to produce than basket carriers. However, planar carriers use even less material than box-top carriers, and thus are less expensive to manufacture than box-top carriers. It would be desirable to provide a planar carrier which has high planar strength so that it can be used to handle multi-packs of large, heavy bottles.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, a reinforced planar carrier is provided. The carrier as shown in the drawings is a four-pack, but the invention should work equally well for two-packs and six-packs, etc. The reinforcements for the carrier, as described below, allow for a planar carrier to carry, for example, four 2-liter bottles, without significantly bending. Thus, the carrier has a high degree of planar rigidity across both its axes.
The carrier is made from a one piece paperboard blank having a machine direction. It has a center line, a pair of side edges, and a pair of end edges. The carrier includes a top ply and a bottom ply joined together along a hinge line which extends generally perpendicularly to the machine direction of the paperboard and defines one of the carrier's end edges. The top ply and bottom ply each include a plurality of aligned container receiving apertures formed in a 2×n array, such that there are two columns of container receiving apertures. A plurality of slits extending radially from each aperture in at least one of (and preferably in both of) the top and bottom plies define container engaging tabs to support a container in the carrier when the carrier is lifted.
Finger holes are formed on opposite sides of the carrier centerline, approximately midway between the end edges of the carrier. The finger holes are elongate. The bottom ply finger hole is simply an elongate opening formed in the bottom ply. The finger hole in the top ply has a tab sized and shaped to extend down through the bottom ply finger hole when the carrier is lifted. Both the top and bottom ply finger holes have an elongate edge which extends generally parallel to the machine direction of the carrier. Thus, when the carrier is lifted, the finger hole tabs form a supporting rib by extending through the bottom ply finger hole.
The container receiving apertures are outboard of the center line of the carrier. Additionally, the finger holes are positioned such that a line extending from the radially outer ends of the tab defining slits pass through the finger holes. Thus, when the carrier is lifted, the lifting is done at a point close to the load. This will minimize bending of the carrier about the centerline of the carrier when the carrier (with bottles) is lifted.
To additionally reinforce the planar strength of the carrier, the carrier includes side flaps extending along at least a portion of the carrier side edges. The side flaps are hingedly connected to one of the top and bottom plies; and adhered to the other of the top and bottom plies. The side flaps extend generally parallel to the machine direction of the paperboard. There is also an end flap which extends along the end edge of the carrier opposite the hinge line. The end flap is hingedly connected to one of the top and bottom plies and adhered to the other of the top and bottom plies. The end flap extends generally perpendicularly to the machine direction of the paperboard.
In one embodiment of the carrier, the tab defining slits are simply straight slits extending from the apertures in the two plies. In an alternative embodiment, the tab defining slits include a first slit extending radially from the apertures and a second slit extending from an outer end of the first slit. Thus, the tab defining slits are L-shaped or T-shaped.
In another modification to the carrier, the base of the top ply tabs defines a circle greater in diameter than the circle defined by the bottom ply tabs. Thus, when a container is received in the carrier, the top and bottom ply tabs define, in conjunction with the plane of the carrier, a triangle, the strongest geometric shape. The top ply tabs can engage the bottom ply tabs between the base and inner ends of the bottom ply tabs, or substantially at the inner ends of the bottom ply tabs. The top and bottom ply tabs can be of equal lengths, such that the top ply aperture is larger in diameter than the bottom ply aperture.
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Eco-Pak Products, Inc.
Luong Shian
Polstar, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi
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