Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02514990 2005-07-29
-1-
Improved Containers' Carrier
The present invention refers to a containers' carrier, that is, a device that
can be used to carry a group of cups, soda cans, food containers, etc...
that with a folding laminated structure, and with a disposable nature,
s allows it to be used as a carrying tray for both liquid and solid containers
and with its large outer area, as an advertising medium.
In many occasions a single individual needs to carry so many containers,
with such quantity of liquid and solid contents in them, that it is very
difficult not to drop some of the contents during the journey. This usually
o happens in unexpected situations in which we lack a tray or bag to make
this trip safer; being the user limited to perform balancing acts with
his/her hands.
The problem worsens when we need to carry hot drinks along with sugar
bags, infusion bags or spoons, ice creams, hamburgers, fries or pop
~s corn.
Sometimes a transportation medium for these containers is improvised
with carton trays assembled from paper containers, or even cigarette
cardboard boxes. The latter is most often observed in urban business
areas, where it can be seen how a customer carries for his fellow
Zo employees several cups of coffee in a cigarette cardboard box.
There are some foldable and disposable bag models in the industry
conceived for the transportation of food containers, but they lack
important qualities that make the model, object of this memorandum,
truly useful and necessary.
as The device for the transportation of containers that the present
CA 02514990 2005-07-29
-2-
memorandum proposes has been conceived to improve the joint
transportation of cold and/or hot drinks as well as food and cans,
presenting an outer surface from such characteristics that, if used as an
advertising medium it would allow the production costs to be reduced so
s much that the device could be given free of charge to fast-food
restaurants, cafes, sport arenas and sporting events. This way the
customers can carry the items they purchase outside the venue to any
place they wish, in a safe and comfortable manner, and at the same time
displaying direct advertising. In many fast-food restaurants, cups with
~o liquids are introduced in bags that are not ready for such a purpose.
Therefore during the journey the cups tend to shake and in many
situations its content is dropped, not only staining the bag but any
surface where the bag is standing on.
The model that is described in the present memorandum is composed of
~s a semi-rigid laminated element, die-cut accordingly so, and by a simple,
suitable folding process, it can be configured into a rectangular prismatic
unit with circular holes in its upper surface that act as moulds for the
various-diameter cups needed to be carried and, attached to this
surface, two vertical ends with orifices in their ends which act as handles
Zo and, on the outer side walls of the unit two big flaps use to close the
sides of the model with a hooking system and inner vertical flaps formed
by slots and small flaps, these ones being able to be used to hold
additional containers with side slots, such as pop-corn cups. The unit
also includes two pairs of side hooks to improve the locking of the unit.
is In the center portion of the model pairs of cups may be placed, as well as
CA 02514990 2005-07-29
-3-
other containers or small trays in its interior, and they all get placed in a
unit assembled from the die-cut base sheet, doing the necessary folding
process of the flattened surface to achieve the final three-dimensional
structure.
s To support the description above, and with the purpose of better
understanding the characteristics of the invention, it is attached to the
present descriptive memorandum, as an integral part of it, a series of
drawings with an illustrative and non limiting-purpose, in which the
following has been represented:
o Figure 1.- Shows the development plan of the base sheet for the creation
of the model and
Figure 2.- Shows the frontal views of the model of the previous figure,
properly assembled which includes a pop-corn container attached to the
small hooking flap and
~s Figure 3.- Shows in angle view, the same model with an extended small
outer flap with containers inside the model.
Taking a look at these figures, it can be observed that the drink carrier is
formed by a laminated body in which five differentiated sectors are
defined, where the central sector (a) constitutes the base of the model,
ao two rectangular sectors (b) are intended to form the holders to carry cups
of different-sized diameters (c) for the containers and also have the small
flaps that will form in its ends the model handles (e) and (f), and two
additional curved flaps (d), attaching system (g) that is ready to hook
pop-corn cups that have their corresponding slots, as well outer
Zs advertising panels that the surface provides (h), hooking slots (i), lapels
CA 02514990 2005-07-29
-4-
with hooks (j) and pop-corn cup with hooking slot (k).
The attaching system (g) of the outer flaps may be formed by die-cut
lapels that have to be introduced in slots (i) of the curved flaps (d) to form
the attachment and to ensure the locking of the model. The attachment is
s formed by two pairs of lapels (j) located on the sides of the curved flaps
(d).
Obviously, the outer surface of the model will be imprinted with graphics,
or informative or advertising messages.
The inner surface of the model may even have imprinted information of
o any kind, such as advertising, restaurant recipes, etc...
The assembling system is very simple, by beginning with a laminated
structure that may be observed in figure 1, by folding the different die-cut
areas and performing the attachments (i), (j) of the outer flaps (b), the
drink or food containers can be placed in the different available surfaces
~s or openings, as it can be seen in the figures 2 and 3.
Before securing one of the side attachments (i) it is possible to introduce
in the lower space, on top of the surface (a), food containers, as well as
additional items such as sugar bags, spoons, restaurant bill, etc, which
can be seen in figure 3.
Zo Last, the hooking flaps (g) of the attachment system of the outer flaps
may be used as a support for additional containers, such as pop-corn
cups, that may include a small vertical slot (k) on outer surface.
Within the essence of the invention, it is possible the variation of details,
protected as well, and so the amount of openings for the cups could
as change, as could the shape of the hooking system or attachment of the
CA 02514990 2005-07-29
-5-
structural joints and, of course, whatever the dimensions and materials
used to produce it are.
