Carrier for containers

A carrier for holding a plurality of containers, the carrier comprising:

• a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carrier, the panels comprising at least one bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and at least two side panels;
• a first central panel;
• a second central panel, the first and second central panels dividing the interior of the carrier into a front portion and a back portion;
• a first divider flap foldably attached to the first central panel and extending to the front panel to divide the front portion into at least two front container-receiving spaces, wherein the first central panel comprises a first serpentine edge formed from a first top cut between the first central panel and the first divider flap prior to forming the carrier;
• and
• a second divider flap foldably attached to the second central panel and extending to the back panel to divide the back portion into at least two back container-receiving spaces, wherein the second central panel comprises a second serpentine edge formed from a second top cut between the second central panel and the second divider flap prior to forming the carrier;
• wherein the first central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the second divider flap relative to the second central panel, and the second central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the first divider flap relative to the first central panel;
• wherein each of the first and second serpentine edges comprises a plurality of generally straight portions, a plurality of concave portions, and a plurality of convex portions;
• and
• wherein portions of the first serpentine edge overlap with portions of the second serpentine edge, and portions of the second central panel protrude from the first serpentine edge between at least a portion of each concave portion of the first serpentine edge and at least a portion of a respectively adjacent convex portion of the second serpentine edge.

A blank for forming a carrier, the blank comprising:

• a plurality of panels comprising at least one bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and at least two side panels;
• a first central panel;
• a second central panel, the first and second central panels being for dividing an interior of the carrier formed from the blank into a front portion and a back portion;
• a first divider flap foldably attached to the first central panel, wherein the first central panel comprises a first serpentine edge formed from a first top cut between the first central panel and the first divider flap;
• and
• a second divider flap foldably attached to the second central panel, wherein the second central panel comprises a second serpentine edge formed from a second top cut between the second central panel and the second divider flap;
• wherein the first central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the second divider flap relative to the second central panel, and the second central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the first divider flap relative to the first central panel;
• and
• wherein the first and second serpentine edges comprise complementary serpentine shapes, at least a portion of the first and second serpentine edges overlap, and a portion of the second central panel protrudes from the first serpentine edge when the carrier is formed from the blank with the first central panel at least partially in face-to-face contact with the second central panel.

A blank for forming a carrier, the blank comprising:

• a plurality of panels comprising at least one bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and at least two side panels;
• a first central panel;
• a second central panel, the first and second central panels being for dividing an interior of the carrier formed from the blank into a front portion and a back portion;
• a first divider flap foldably attached to the first central panel, wherein the first central panel comprises a first serpentine edge formed from a first top cut between the first central panel and the first divider flap;
• and
• a second divider flap foldably attached to the second central panel, wherein the second central panel comprises a second serpentine edge formed from a second top cut between the second central panel and the second divider flap;
• wherein the first central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the second divider flap relative to the second central panel, and the second central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the first divider flap relative to the first central panel;
• wherein each of the first and second serpentine edges comprises a plurality of generally straight portions, a plurality of concave portions, and a plurality of convex portions;
• and
• wherein when the carrier is formed from the blank with the first central panel at least partially in face-to-face contact with the second central panel, portions of the first serpentine edge overlap with portions of the second serpentine edge, and portions of the second central panel protrude from the first serpentine edge between at least a portion of each concave portion of the first serpentine edge and at least a portion of a respectively adjacent convex portion of the second serpentine edge.

A method of forming a carrier from a blank, the method comprising:

• obtaining a blank comprising a plurality of panels comprising at least one bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and at least two side panels, a first central panel, a second central panel, a first divider flap foldably attached to the first central panel, a second divider flap foldably attached to the second central panel, wherein the first central panel comprises a first top cut between the first central panel and the first divider flap, and the second central panel comprises a second top cut between the second central panel and the second divider flap, and wherein the first central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the second divider flap relative to the second central panel, and the second central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the first divider flap relative to the first central panel;
• folding the first and second central panels to be at least partially in face-to-face contact with at least a portion of the respective front and back panels;
• folding the blank along a longitudinal centerline so that the first central panel is at least partially in face-to-face contact with the second central panel;
• forming an interior of the carrier by extending the at least two side panels away from the respective first and second central panels so that the interior of the carrier is divided into a front portion and a back portion by the first and second central panels;
• and
• pivoting each of the first and second divider flaps away from the respective first and second central panels so that each of the first and second divider flaps extends to a respective one of the front and back panels, the pivoting the first divider flap forming a first serpentine edge at the first top cut, and the pivoting the second divider flap forming a second serpentine edge at the second top cut;
• wherein the first and second serpentine edges comprise complementary serpentine shapes, at least a portion of the first and second serpentine edges overlap after the folding the blank along the longitudinal centerline, and a portion of the second central panel protrudes from the first serpentine edge after the pivoting each of the first and second divider flaps.

A method of forming a carrier from a blank, the method comprising:

• obtaining a blank comprising a plurality of panels comprising at least one bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, and at least two side panels, a first central panel, a second central panel, a first divider flap foldably attached to the first central panel, a second divider flap foldably attached to the second central panel, wherein the first central panel comprises a first top cut between the first central panel and the first divider flap, and the second central panel comprises a second top cut between the second central panel and the second divider flap, and wherein the first central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the second divider flap relative to the second central panel, and the second central panel has features for facilitating positioning of the first divider flap relative to the first central panel;
• folding the first and second central panels to be at least partially in face-to-face contact with at least a portion of the respective front and back panels;
• folding the blank along a longitudinal centerline so that the first central panel is at least partially in face-to-face contact with the second central panel;
• forming an interior of the carrier by extending the at least two side panels away from the respective first and second central panels so that the interior of the carrier is divided into a front portion and a back portion by the first and second central panels;
• and
• pivoting each of the first and second divider flaps away from the respective first and second central panels so that each of the first and second divider flaps extends to a respective one of the front and back panels, the pivoting the first divider flap forming a first serpentine edge at the first top cut, and the pivoting the second divider flap forming a second serpentine edge at the second top cut;
• wherein each of the first and second serpentine edges comprises a plurality of generally straight portions, a plurality of concave portions, and a plurality of convex portions;
• and
• wherein portions of the first serpentine edge overlap with portions of the second serpentine edge after the folding the blank along the longitudinal centerline, and portions of the second central panel protrude from the first serpentine edge between at least a portion of each concave portion of the first serpentine edge and at least a portion of a respectively adjacent convex portion of the second serpentine edge after the pivoting each of the first and second divider flaps.