Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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W095/34486 PCT~S95/02497
BASKET-STYLE CARRIER WITH RETAINER TABS
Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a basket-style carrier for
carrying articles such as beverage bottles. More
particularly, it relates to a basket-style carrier
incorporating means for maintA;n;ng the carrier in open
condition when loading articles into it.
Backqround of the Invention
Basket-style carriers are commonly employed to package
beverage bottles. They include a separate cell for each
bottle, from which the bottles can be readily removed, and
a center handle partition for easily carrying the package.
The carriers are fabricated from a blank which is folded
and glued into coll ~pC~A carrier form, after which the
collapsed carrier is erected and the bottles inserted. In
one design the bottom panel is integrally formed so that
when the collapsed carrier is erected the bottles are
inserted down onto the bottom panel through the open cells.
In another design the bottom panel is formed by connecting
bottom panel flaps after the bottles have been inserted
into the cells. To insert the bottles into the cells in
this latter design the coll ~pceA carrier must not only be
opened, but must be maintained open until the bottles are
inserted far ~nollgh into the carrier to hold the carrier
open. Normally, packaging machine elements are made to
initially maintain the carrier in open condition until the
bottles are inserted to this point. This complicates the
design of the packaging machine, however, and can be a
limitation on the speed of the machine.
It would be highly desirable to be able to maintain
the erected carrier in open condition by means other than
packaging machine elements without complicating the carrier
design or making it more expensive.
Brief Summary of the Invention
The invention applies to any basket-style article
carrier required to be held open during loading of articles
until the articles enter the carrier cells a sufficient
distance to themselves be able to hold the carrier open.
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At least one of the end panels of such a carrier is
comprised of two adjacent end panel sections, each being
connected to an associated side panel and to an inwardly
extending vertical support member. A retainer tab
connected along a fold line to a substantially horizontal
edge of each end panel section extends inwardly from the
end panel section. The tab extends in a transverse
direction, engaging the vertical support member to hold the
carrier open during loading, and is folded against the
interior face of the associated end panel section after the
carrier has been loaded.
In a carrier where the cells are defined by straps
extending from a handle panel, the vertical support member
is a riser panel which is foldably connected to the end
panel sections. In a carrier where the cells are defined
by dividers extending from a combined center support panel
and handle panel, the vertical support member is the
combined panel. The tabs may be connected to either the
upper or lower edge of the end panel sections and may be
provided at either or both ends of the carrier.
These and other features and aspects of the invention
will be readily ascertained from the detailed description
of the preferred embodiments described below.
Brief Description of the Drawing
FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a basket-style carrier
incorporating the invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank for fabricating the
carrier;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the carrier blank after an
initial folding step;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the carrier blank after a
second series of folding steps;
FIG. 5 is a plan view of a collapsed carrier resulting
from a final folding step;
FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of an erected carrier prior
to forming the bottom panel, a portion of the carrier being
removed to reveal a retainer tab in activated position;
FIG. 7 is a pictorial view of an erected carrier
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during the process of loading bottles into it;
FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken on
line 8-8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 iS a pictorial view of a modified arrangement
in which the retainer tabs are located at the upper edges
of the end panel sections; and
FIG. 10 is a pictorial view similar to that of FIG.
6, but showing a different type of basket-style carrier.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
Referring to FIG. 1, the basket-style carrier 10 of
the invention includes a central handle panel 12 connected
to riser panels 14 which in turn are connected to end
panels 16. The end panels are connected to side panels 18,
and the side panels are connected to a bottom panel, not
visible in this view. Individual cells for receiving
bottles or other articles are formed by straps 20 which
extend from the side panels 18 to the handle panel 12. The
handle panel includes a handle opening 22 and the carrier
includes retainer tabs, not shown in this view, which
function to hold the carrier open during loading in a
manner described in detail below.
Referring to FIG. 2, wherein like reference numerals
to those used in FIG. 1 denote like elements, a blank 30
for forming the carrier is shown as being of generally
rectangular shape. Preferably, the blank is formed from
paperboard of the type conventionally used in the carrier
industry. Centrally located at the right side of the blank
are two similar outer handle panel sections 12 connected
together by fold line 32. Immediately to the left of the
panel sections 12 are two similar inner handle sections 34,
which are connected to each other by fold line 36 and to
the panel sections 12 by fold line 38. The inner handle
panel sections 34 contain handle openings 40 which are
adapted to underlay the handle openings 22 in a carrier
formed from the blank, and the fold line 36 is an extension
of the fold line 32. Cutouts at the ends of the fold line
36 facilitate folding.
One end of each of the straps 20 is connected to the
woss/34486 i~ 2 1 67206 PCT~Sg5102497
outer handle panel sections 12 by fold line 42 while the
other end is connected to the side panel sections 18 by
fold line 44. One of the side panel sections 18 is
connected along fold line 46 to bottom panel flap 48, and
the other side panel section is connected along fold line
50 to glue flap 52. Preferably, the fold lines 46 and 50
include cutouts to facilitate folding. The side panel
sections 18 are connected by fold lines 56 to end panel
sections 58, which in turn are connected along fold lines
60 to riser panel sections 14 at opposite ends of the
blank. Fold lines 62, which are continuations of the fold
lines 32 and 36, connect the riser panel sections at each
end of the blank and fold lines 64, which are continuations
of the fold lines 60, connect the riser panel section at
the right of the blank to the outer handle panel sections
12. Other than the edges of the handle panel sections
formed by fold lines 38, 42 and 64, the edges of the handle
panel sections are formed by slits, producing free edges
when the blank is formed into a carrier.
The carrier blank described thus far is typical of a
blank for forming a basket-style carrier whose cells are
separated by straps. In accordance with the invention, in
addition to the elements described the blank also includes
retainer tabs or flaps 66 connected to the ends of the end
panel sections 58 at the right side of the blank along fold
lines 68, which are extensions of the fold lines 46 and 50.
To form a carrier from the blank the outer handle
panel sections 12 are coated with adhesive, as shown in
stipple, and the inner handle panel section 34 is pivoted
about fold line 38 onto the outer handle panel section 12.
The blank with the adhered handle panel sections appears
as illustrated in FIG. 3. The next step is to apply
adhesive to the areas of the riser panel sections shown in
stipple in FIG. 3, then fold the left end panel sections
58 about the fold lines 56 and the right riser panel
sections 14 about the fold lines 60. These steps result
in the interim form of blank shown in FIG. 4.
The final sequence of the forming operation is to
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apply adhesive to the stippled areas of the riser panel
sections 14 and the inner handle panel section 34 shown in
FIG. 4 and then fold the blank about the fold lines 62, 36
and 32. This produces the collapsed carrier illustrated
in FIG. 5, in which the end panels formed from the end
panel sections 58 at the right of the blank extend out from
the side panels 18 in folded condition and the end panels
formed from the end panel sections at the left of the blank
are inwardly folded between the side panels. The tabs 66
and the bottom panel flap 18 are still in unfolded
condition at this point.
To form a loaded carrier from the collapsed carrier
of FIG. 5, the collapsed carrier is squared up by pressing
the outer ends of the outwardly extending end panel
sections toward the opposite end, as is well known in the
industry. At this point the tabs 66 are folded up about
their fold lines 68 so as to extend in toward the interior
of the carrier, as illustrated in FIG. 6. For purpose of
clarity only one tab has been shown in this view, although
it will be understood that both tabs will have been folded
in the same manner. The side edges of the tabs in this
position contact the adjacent riser panel 14. When the
squaring-up force is withdrawn the carrier tends to fold
back to its collapsed condition but is prevented from doing
so by the engagement between the retaining tabs and the
riser panel. The tabs thus retain the carrier in erected
condition with the cells open to receive bottles during
loading.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the open carrier is then
lowered onto the bottles B, with the bottom panel flap 48
and the glue flap 52 still unfolded. When the inwardly
folded retainer tabs 66 contact the bottles during the
carrier lowering step the tabs are caused to fold up out
of the way against the inner face of the end panels, as
shown in FIG. 8. The retainer tabs thus maintain the
carrier in erected condition during the critical time prior
to entry of the bottles into the cells, but do not
interfere with relative movement between the bottles and
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the carrier after the bottles have gained entry to the
cells. After the opened carrier has been pushed down over
the bottles to its final position, the bottom panel flap
48 and the glue flap 52 are folded in and glued together
in overlapped condition as the last step in forming the
finished carrier.
Although retainer tabs may be provided at the lower
end of both end panels if desired, this is not normally
necessary, as retainer tabs at only one end will normally
adequately maintain the carrier in erected condition.
The invention is not limited to the provision of
retainer tabs at the bottom edge of the end panel sections.
It will be understood that they would be provided at the
top instead if the loading procedure requires relative
upward movement of the carrier with respect to the bottles.
FIG. 9 is illustrative of such an arrangement, wherein the
retainer tabs 70 are connected to the upper edges of the
end panel sections 58 instead of the lower edges. The tabs
70 would function in the same manner as described in
connection with the first embodiment.
It should be understood that the invention is not
limited to the carriers shown in FIGS. 1-9. For example,
the retainer tabs shown in FIG. 10 function in the same
manner as the retainer tabs in FIGS. 1-9 even though the
carrier is of a somewhat different design. In the carrier
72 of FIG. 10 there are no separate riser panels connected
to an upper handle panel. Instead, the carrier includes
a combined handle panel and center support panel 74 which
extends substantially down to the bottom panel, and the
dividers 76 extend out to the side panels 78 from the
support panel 74. The retainer tabs 80, which are
connected to the lower edge of the end panel sections 82,
contact the support panel 74 to hold the carrier open in
the same manner as in the embodiments of FIGS. 1-8.
Basically, any basket-style carrier which needs to be held
open for a period of time during the loading process until
the bottles enter the cells to a sufficient extent to hold
the carrier open can be provided with retaining tabs.
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It should now be appreciated that the use of retainer
tabs overcomes a longstanding problem in a simple,
economical, yet highly efficient manner. It will be
apparent that although the invention has been described in
connection with a carrier designed for holding bottles, it
applies equally as well to carriers designed to hold other
types of articles instead. It is contemplated that the
invention need not necessarily be limited to all the
specific details described in connection with the preferred
embodiments, but that changes to certain features of the
preferred embodiments which do not alter the overall basic
f~mction and concept of the invention may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention
defined in the appended claims.
