Methods and apparatus for vacuum forming a beverage carrier yoke are described. The yoke comprises a number (e.g., four or six) collars interconnected by a web, and each collar exhibits dimensionsincluding a nominal diameter and a substantially uniform thicknessselected to improve strength and increase comfort. The yoke is produced using a slurry comprising a moisture barrier and a fiber base.

A carrier for holding a plurality of containers includes a plurality of panels forming a front portion, a back portion, and a central portion extending from the front portion to the back portion, the front portion having a front attachment panel for at least partially receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers, the back portion having a back attachment panel for at least partially receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers, the central portion having a central panel, and locking features for maintaining an erected configuration of the carrier, the locking features including at least one male locking feature extending from a respective panel of the plurality of panels and being at least partially received in a respective at least one female locking feature at least partially defined in a respective panel of the plurality of panels.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a package, an article carrier, and a blank (810) for forming the article carrier. An aspect of the invention provides an article carrier comprising a plurality of primary panels (812,814,816) at least partially extending around an interior of the article carrier. The plurality of primary panels comprises a first side panel (812), a top panel (814), a second side pane (816)1 and at least one bottom panel joined together to form a tubular structure having first and second opposed open ends. The article carrier comprises a carrying handle (H) including a handle feature defined in at least the top panel and a foldable handle structure (HS) having opposed connecting panels and a handle strap. The handle strap extends (882) between the connecting panels.

A carrier for holding a plurality of containers includes a plurality of panels extending at least partially around an interior of the carrier, the plurality of panels includes a front panel, a back panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. The carrier also includes a central partition that divides the carrier into a front portion and a back portion, with each of the front portion and the back portion having at least one divider flap to divide the front portion and the back portion into respective compartments for receiving a respective article. The carrier also includes a plurality of reinforcement flaps foldably connected to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, the plurality of reinforcement flaps includes at least one divider reinforcement flap reinforcing the at least one divider flap.

A carrier for holding a plurality of containers includes a front portion having a front attachment panel for at least partially receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers, a back portion having a back attachment panel for at least partially receiving a respective container of the plurality of containers, and a central portion extending from the front portion to the back portion, the central portion having a central panel overlapping a respective portion of each of the front attachment panel and the back attachment panel.

The invention relates to a method, a device and packaging obtained by way of the method, for fitting at least one reinforcement at a given location on a cutout of cardboard sheet or corrugated cardboard suitable for forming the packaging. The blank is removed from a store with the aid of unstacking means comprising a longitudinal structure with a given shape, the blank is transferred horizontally above a template for forming said blank, the blank is compressed between the template and said longitudinal structure, the blank thus configured is transferred with glue being applied to the side edges and the blank thus glued is applied to the cutout at the given location so as to form the reinforcement of said packaging.

A carrier for holding a plurality of containers includes a plurality of panels extending at least partially around an interior of the carrier, the plurality of panels including a plurality of side panels and at least one bottom panel foldably connected to a respective panel of the plurality of panels, locking features in the at least one bottom panel for at least partially maintaining a formed configuration of the carrier, and a plurality of system engagement features for at least partially receiving a portion of an outer container, each system engagement feature having a plurality of lines of weakening defining a plurality of separably connected sections in the at least one bottom panel.

A carton for holding a plurality of containers. The carton can comprise a plurality of panels that extends at least partially around an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels comprises a top panel. An insert can comprise a central panel, an inner end flap foldably connected to the central panel, and at least one crown guard flap foldably connected to the inner end flap adjacent a crown guard opening in the insert. The central panel can comprise a stop edge adjacent the crown guard opening, and the crown guard flap can comprise a first portion foldably connected to the inner end flap and a second portion foldably connected to the first portion. The top panel can at least partially overlap the central panel, and the second portion of the crown guard flap can be disposed adjacent the stop edge of the central panel.

A carrier includes a front portion with a first plurality of panels and a back portion with a second plurality of panels. The first plurality of panels at least partially surrounds a front interior space for receiving at least one container and includes a front panel, a front central panel, and at least one front side panel. The second plurality of panels at least partially surrounds a back interior space for receiving at least one container and includes a back panel, a back central panel, and at least one back side panel. The front central panel and the back central panel are separably connected at a line of weakening and are at least partially in face-to-face contact in a first configuration of the carrier, the carrier is positionable to a second configuration wherein the front portion and the back portion are at least partially separated at the line of weakening.

A machine for folding and adhesively bonding blanks for the production of folding boxes. It includes a transport system which has at least one puller which wraps around deflecting rollers and extends along a processing path, a drive connected to a deflecting roller and drives the deflecting roller. Workpiece carriers are fastened to the puller and are moved along the processing path by the at least one puller. It also includes a magazine for a stack of blanks, a mechanism for removing individual blanks from the stack in the magazine, a feeding mechanism for the removed blanks to the workpiece carriers, active means for retaining blanks on the workpiece carriers, control means, which are connected to the active means to control the retention and release of the blanks, and at least one means arranged on the processing path in a stationary manner for adhesively bonding blanks.