Food and beverage carrier and method

An open-top carrier formed by folding a single sheet of material, the carrier comprising:

• a flat bottom panel having a plurality of edges;
• a plurality of side panels, each side panel having an upper edge, a lower edge and two opposite side edges, the lower edge of each side panel being connected to and extending upwardly from one of said bottom panel edges, each side panel being connected to each adjacent side panel along their respective side edges to form a corner of the carrier, and the upper edges defining the open top of the carrier;
• and
• at least one carrier tab extending upwardly from the upper edges of two of the side panels at a corner of the carrier where the two side panels are connected along their respective side edges,
• wherein the carrier tab has at least two apertures, each aperture generally coplanar with the said two side panels, respectively, and each aperture being configured and sized to receive an inserted thumb or finger of a user.

A blank for forming an open-top carrier, the blank comprising:

• a plurality of side wall forming panels foldably and serially joined to each other along respective side edges thereof,
• each side wall forming panel having an upper edge and a lower edge,
• said side wall forming panels being of the same vertical extent,
• said lower edges of said side wall forming panels being joined to carrier bottom forming panels, and
• the upper edge of two of the side wall forming panels having a tab extending therefrom where the two side wall forming panels are connected along a common side edge,
• wherein the tab comprises two apertures, each aperture generally coplanar with one of the said two side wall forming panels, respectively, and each aperture being configured and sized to receive an inserted thumb or finger of a user.

A carrier comprising:

• a plurality of side walls, each side wall having an upper edge, the upper edges defining an open top of the carrier, and each side wall adjoining an adjacent side wall at a corner of the carrier;
• a bottom closure;
• and
• a carrier tab extending upwardly from the upper edges of two of the side walls at a corner where the said two side walls are adjacent,
• wherein the carrier tab comprises a first tab portion extending upwardly from the upper edge of one of the two side walls at the corner, a second tab portion extending upwardly from the upper edge of the other of the two side walls at the corner, the two tab portions being joined at an angle along a common side edge at the corner, and each tab portion having a tab opening therein, each tab opening being configured and sized to receive an inserted thumb or finger of a user.