Container carrier

A carrier for unitizing a plurality of containers within corresponding container receiving apertures, the carrier comprising:

• an array of container receiving apertures formed in longitudinal rows and transverse ranks wherein each container receiving aperture includes an outer band and a pair of oblique inner bands, each outer band having an inner edge and an outer edge, the inner edge forming an engagement surface with a corresponding container and the outer edge including a pair of outwardly extending protrusions wherein each outer band includes five changes of concavity along its length, wherein a distance between each container receiving aperture in a transverse pair is less than a height of each container receiving aperture;
• a small radius of approximately 0.1″ formed between the pair of inner bands at an inner corner of each container receiving aperture thereby forming a generally triangular shaped container receiving aperture, wherein the small radius is smaller than a radius formed between each of the pair of inner bands and the outer band, and a base of each triangular shaped container receiving aperture is convex and two sides forming the inner corner of each triangular shaped container receiving aperture are concave;
• and
• a separation aperture formed between each transverse rank of container receiving apertures whereby a width of the separation aperture is equal to a width between each separation aperture.

A carrier for unitizing a plurality of containers within corresponding container receiving apertures, the carrier comprising:

• an array of container receiving apertures formed in longitudinal rows and transverse ranks wherein each container receiving aperture includes an outer band and a pair of oblique inner bands that together form a generally triangular perimeter, each outer band having an inner edge and an outer edge, the inner edge forming an engagement surface with a corresponding container, and the outer edge including a pair of outwardly extending protrusions wherein each outer band includes five changes of concavity along its length, wherein a distance between each container receiving aperture in a transverse pair is less than a height of each container receiving aperture;
• a small radius formed between the pair of inner bands at an inner corner of each container receiving aperture thereby forming a generally triangular shaped container receiving aperture, wherein the small radius is smaller than a radius formed between each of the pair of inner bands and the outer band, and a base of each triangular shaped container receiving aperture is convex and two sides forming the inner corner of each triangular shaped container receiving aperture are concave;
• a slit positioned within each inner band generally parallel to the an edge of the inner band, wherein the slit does not form an opening in the carrier;
• a separation aperture formed between each transverse rank of container receiving apertures, the separation aperture comprises two opposing changes in concavity each between a respective transverse rank of container receiving apertures and whereby a width of the separation aperture between the two opposing changes of concavity is equal to a width between each separation aperture.