Bottle carrier
AssigneeRiverwood International Corporation
InventorRobert L. Sutherland
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A bottle carrier of the type which supports bottles by tabs contacting the underside of shoulders on the bottles. An upper support panel and lower support panel flaps containing aligned bottle neck openings are spaced apart at one end by connected side panels and are in contact at their other ends. The edge portions adjacent the side panels function as reinforcing ribs. The tabs are of such shape and size as to accommodate the bowing that takes place when the carrier is lifted. Additional flaps may be provided to form two-ply lower support panel flaps and side panels, and to provide reinforcement strips beneath the upper support panel.
Claims13
A carrier package, comprising:
- two rows of bottles, each bottle having a neck portion extending up from a wider body portion, the neck portion including an outwardly projecting shoulder;
- opposite side panels having upper and lower edges;
- an upper support panel having a width extending between opposite side edges, the upper support panel being connected along fold lines at said opposite side edges to the upper edges of the side panels;
- a lower support panel flap connected along a fold line to the lower edge of each side panel;
- the upper support panel and the lower support panel flaps containing openings through which the necks of the bottles extend, the wider portion of the bottles contacting the edges of the openings in the lower support panel flaps;
- a plurality of support tabs connected to the upper support panel by fold lines extending along portions of the periphery of each bottle opening, the support tabs having edges for engaging the underside of the bottle shoulders;
- and
- the portions of the upper support panel between the openings therein and the side panels being upwardly angled with respect to the portion of the upper support panel between the rows of bottles and the portion of each lower support panel flap between the openings therein and the associated side panel being downwardly angled with respect to the portion of the upper support panel between the rows of bottles, the lower support panel flaps having end portions in contact with the upper support panel between the rows of bottles, whereby the side panels and adjacent portions of the upper panel and the lower support panel flaps function as reinforcing ribs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.