US2685401A - Cover for bottle carriers - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 3, 1954 R. GUYER COVER FORBOTTLE CARRIERS Filed Sept. 22, 1951 INVEI'QTOR Fez maids Gal er ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 3, 1954 COVER FOR BOTTLE CARRIERS Reynolds Guyer, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Waldorf Paper Products Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application September 22, 1951, Serial No. 247,848

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a cover for bottle carriers designed to overlie the upper portions of the bottles contained therein.

Beverages are often sold in carriers accommodating a plurality of bottles most commonly six in number. Certain such carriers comprise rectangularly arranged side walls having a bottom closure, an open top, and a central partition unit. The central partition unit is ordinarily provided with a hand hole therethrough by means of which the carrier may be engaged and carried. When such carriers are used for malt liquors, such as beer, some producers claim that the bottles containing the liquid must be protected from direct light. The present invention is provided to serve as a cover for carriers of the type described and serve to prevent direct light from entering the carrier.

An object of the present invention lies in the provision of a bottle carrier cover preferably formed of fibrous material such as molded pulp or the like. As the bottle carriers often do not extend the full height of the bottles, the cover is provided with upwardly directed pockets for accommodating the upper ends of the bottles contained. These pockets hold the upper ends of the bottles in properly spaced relation and accordingly assist in protecting the bottles from contacting one another within the carrier during transportation.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a bottle carrier cover having a hinged flap thereupon which may be hinged out of its normal plane to accommodate the hand of a person carrying the carrier. The flap is preferably arranged on one side of the center of the cover so that the hand may extend on one side of the central partition to extend through the hand hole therein.

A feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a cover for a bottle carrier having a series of upwardly directed pockets for containing the upper extremities of a series of bottles and in elongating the pockets designed to contain the upper ends of the center bottles so that these center bottles may be tilted away from each other to some extent. In carriers of the type in question the bottles on either side of the central partition are spaced only by this partition and it is accordingly difficult to extend the hand between the bottles without tilting them outwardly to some extent. By elongating the central pockets in a direction at right angles to the plane of the central partition it is possible for the center bottles to either stand erect or to between the side walls I0 and H.

2 tilt outwardly one from the other so as to permit the hand to readily grasp the bottles.

An added feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a cover for a bottle carrier formed of soft flexible material which will flex somewhat under pressure to better accommodate a human hand between certain of the pockets. One of the central pockets adjoining the opening for the hand is so arranged that it may readily flex inwardly if necessary to accommodate the hand.

A further feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a cover for a bottle carrier which will protect the hand from injury due to contact with the caps of the bottles. Bottle caps of the type commonly employed have a fluted 'or corrugated skirt which tends to scrape against the hand of a person carrying an'uncovered bottle carrier. By enclosing the upper ends of the bottles in pockets, the caps cannot contact the hand of the person carrying the bottles.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle carrier showing the cover in place thereupon.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the carrier, the position of the section being indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view showing the construction thereof.

As the particular type of bottle carrier A which is employed is not of great importance in the present arrangement, it will not be described in any great detail. It is believed sufiicient to note that the carrier in question is shown as having side walls In and H and end walls l2 and I3 connecting these side walls. A bottom 14 is provided at the lower end of the side walls and is preferably integral with certain thereof. A central partition member id is also illustrated This partition member [5 is connected in some manner to the remaining structure so that an upward force thereupon will be transmitted to others of the walls. A hand hole It is provided through the central partition member [5 near the upper extremity thereof by means of which the carrier may be lifted.

In the preferred form of construction the center partition wall I5 is slightly below the level of the side and end walls so that a cover may rest upon the top of the partition wall and may be confined within the side and end walls. Alternatively, a flange may be provided on the cover B encircling the periphery of the body and extending down into the carrier.

The cover B is preferably made of molded pulp or some similar material which is low in cost and which is flexible to some degree. This cover includes a cover panel I9 of proper shape to fit within the side and end walls of the carrier A. This cover panel 19 is provided with four upwardly projecting inverted pockets of a generally irusto-conical shape. These pockets are arranged in two pairs, the pockets 20 and 2| being arranged on opposite sides of the center partition panel and being substantially one-sixth of the distance between the end walls 12 and I3 from the ends of the cover panel l9. Obviously when the carrier is designed to carry six bottles equally spaced the pockets must be arranged in the manner illustrated to accommodate the upwardly projecting necks 22 of the bottle C. A second pair of upwardly directed pockets are illustrated at 23 and 24, these pockets also being equally spaced on opposite sides of the center partition and centrally between the center partition and the side Walls and H. The pockets are also located substantially one-sixth of the length of the cover panel I!) from the end of the cover panel most closely adjacent the end wall [3.

A third pair of upwardly directed pockets are disclosed at 25 and 26 and are intermediate be tween the end pairs of pockets. Thus the pocket 25 is mid-way between the pockets and 23 while the pocket 26 is midway between the pockets 2| and 25. As indicated in Figure 2 of the draw ings, the pockets and 26 are transversely elongated rather than frusto-conical in shape and are designed to come close to the caps 21 of the bottles C to prevent these caps from moving in a direction toward either end wall 12 or 13. The ends of the elongated pockets 25 and 26 closest to the center of the body [9 is longitudinally aligned with the end pockets. Thus when all of the bottles C are standing erect in the manner shown in full lines in Figure 3 of the drawings, the caps 21 of the bottles will be positioned at the inner or closest ends of the pockets. However, the pockets 25 and 26 extend laterally more closely adjacent the side walls In and II of the carrier than the frusto-conical pockets first described. As a result the center bottles C on opposite sides of the central partition [5 may tilt outwardly at their upper ends as indicated in dotted outline in Figure 3 of the drawings so that the hand of a person carrying the carrier may extend between these center bottles C.

A hand hole 29 is formed in the body l9. This hand hole is preferably provided with a flap 38 hinged thereto along the fold line 3! which is arranged substantially centrally of the body 19. This flap is normally in the plane of the body 19 during storage. However, when it is desired to use the carrier, the flap 30 is pushed downwardly in a right angular relation with the body 30, this flap then extending alongside of the partition wall I 5. The hand may then be inserted through the hand hole 29, the fingers engaging the center bottles C and spreading them apart somewhat at their upper ends to provide room for the hand. This action is possible because of the elongated shape of the pockets 25 and 26.

It will be noted that the edge of the hand hole opposite the edge to which the flap 30 is hinged may be cut at 32 to extend around the lower end of the rounded pocket 26. As a result this pocket 26 may extend slightly into the aperture Or hand hole 29 when the flap 30 is folded downwardly. The relatively soft material of which the cover is formed may be bent outwardly at this point without injury or without harming the hand so as to provide the necessary room for the hand to enter.

It will be noted that the cover B effectively covers the bottles and protects them from direct light. At the same time the cover provides a minimum of interference when it becomes desirable to lift the carrier by engaging the hand hole I6 of the center partition 15.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my cover for bottle carriers, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A bottle carrier cover including a flat sheet of molded pulp having two parallel rows of upwardly directed pockets, each row including three pockets, the pockets of each row being opposite the pockets of the other row, the two opposed pockets at each end of the rows being shaped to closely encircle the top of a bottle and to prevent tilting thereof, the center opposed pockets being elongated in a direction away from one another to permit the bottle tops engaged therein to tilt away from each other, and a hand hole between the center opposed pockets.

2. A bottle carrier cover including a flat sheet of molded pulp having two parallel rows of upwardly directed pockets, each row including at least one intermediate pocket and end pockets, the pockets of each row being opposite the pockets of the other row, the end pockets of each row being shaped to closely encircle the top of a bottle and to prevent tilting thereof, the intermediate pockets being elongated in' a direction away from one another to permit the bottle tops engaged therein to tilt away from each other, and a hard hole between the intermediate pockets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,193,128 Doll Aug. 1, 1916 1,913,650 White June 13, 1933 2,077,047 Kendolf Apr. 13, 1937 2,176,275 Pierce Oct. 17, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 452,143 Great Britain 1936

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