Container carrier

Abstract

A carrier for a plurality of containers includes an upper web having a plurality of upper web apertures, each for receiving a chime and a neck of one of the containers therethrough. Each upper web aperture has a plurality of tabs formed at an inside edge thereof. Each tab is configured for bending upward when contacting the chime of one of the containers. A lower web has a plurality of lower web apertures, each for receiving a body of one of the containers therethrough. A side web connects the upper web with the lower web, and may be formed together with the upper web and the lower web as a single piece, or into two separate portions that may be adhered or otherwise fastened together.

Claims

1. A carrier for a plurality of containers of the type having a body, a neck, and a lid with a chime, the chimes of the container all aligned in a common horizontal plane, the carrier comprising: an upper web having an upper web top surface, an upper web bottom surface, at least one upper web peripheral edge, and a plurality of upper web aperture each for receiving the chime and neck of one of the containers therethrough, each upper web aperture having a plurality of tabs formed at an inside edge thereof, each tab configured for bending upward when contacting the chime of one of the containers, each tab having a length and a thickness; a lower web having a lower web top surface, a lower web bottom surface, at least one lower web peripheral edge, and a plurality of lower web apertures each for receiving the body of one of the containers therethrough; and a side web connecting the upper web with the lower web, the side web including an outer surface, an inner surface, and at least one side web peripheral edge; wherein: the at least one upper web peripheral edge includes multiple upper linear edge portions, the at least one lower web peripheral edge includes multiple lower linear edge portions, a single one of the multiple upper linear edge portions is connected, via the side web, to a single one of the multiple lower linear edge portions, and the plurality of tabs are formed uniformly about an entirety of the inside edge of the upper web aperture; whereby with the containers aligned with the lower web apertures of the lower web, the lower web is pressed onto the containers uniformly so that one container traverses each lower web aperture, each lower web aperture engaging the body of one of the containers, and then the upper web is pressed onto the containers uniformly, the tabs of each of the upper web apertures of the carrier deforming upwardly substantially simultaneously to pass the chimes of the containers, each tab abutting a lower edge of the chime of one of the containers and engaging the neck of the container, the upper web and the lower web holding each container at the body, neck and chime.

2. The carrier of claim 1 wherein each lower web aperture includes a plurality of notches formed on an inside circumferential edge of the aperture, a plurality of lower web aperture tabs being defined therebetween.

3. The carrier of claim 2 wherein the lower web apertures are sized to snugly fit around the body of the container, with the lower web aperture tabs slightly deforming to receive each container.

4. The carrier of claim 3 wherein each lower web aperture has an even number of notches and lower web aperture tabs, a first diameter between a first pair of opposing lower web aperture tabs being less than a second diameter between a second pair of adjacent opposing lower web aperture tabs.

5. The carrier of claim 1 wherein the side web is comprised of an upper side web fixed with the upper web and a lower side web fixed with the lower web, the upper side web and the lower side web being mutually attachable.

6. The carrier of claim 5 wherein the upper side web and the lower side web being mutually attached with an adhesive.

7. The carrier of claim 5 wherein the upper side web includes at least one connection tab and the lower side web includes at least one cooperative slot, whereby with the lower web and the upper web each fixed about the containers, each connection tab is inserted into one of the at least one slots to mutually fix the upper side web with the lower side web.

8. The carrier of claim 7 wherein the lower side web includes at least one connection tab and the upper side web includes at least one cooperative slot, whereby with the lower web and the upper web each fixed about the containers, each connection tab is inserted into one of the at least one slots to mutually fix the upper side web with the lower side web.

9. A method of packaging a plurality of containers of the type having a body, a neck, and a lid with a chime, the chimes of the container all aligned in a common horizontal plane, the method comprising the steps: providing a carrier for a plurality of containers of the type having a body, a neck, and a lid with a chime, the chimes of the container all aligned in a common horizontal plane, the carrier comprising: an upper web having an upper web top surface, an upper web bottom surface, at least one upper web peripheral edge, and a plurality of upper web aperture each for receiving the chime and neck of one of the containers therethrough, each upper web aperture having a plurality of tabs formed at an inside edge thereof, each tab configured for bending upward when contacting the chime of one of the containers, each tab having a length and a thickness; a lower web having a lower web top surface, a lower web bottom surface, at least one lower web peripheral edge, and a plurality of lower web apertures each for receiving the body of one of the containers therethrough; and a side web connecting the upper web with the lower web, the side web including an outer surface, an inner surface, and at least one side web peripheral edge wherein the at least one upper web peripheral edge includes multiple upper linear edge portions, the at least one lower web peripheral edge includes multiple lower linear edge portions, a single one of the multiple upper linear edge portions is connected, via the side web, to a single one of the multiple lower linear edge portions, and the plurality of tabs are formed uniformly about an entirety of the inside edge of the upper web aperture; aligning the lower web apertures of the lower web with the containers; pressing the lower web onto the containers uniformly so that one container traverses each lower web aperture, each lower web aperture engaging the body of one of the containers; and pressing the upper web onto the containers uniformly, the tabs of each of the upper web apertures of the carrier deforming upwardly substantially simultaneously to pass the chimes of the containers, each tab abutting a lower edge of the chime of one of the containers and engaging the neck of the container.

10. The method of claim 9 further including the step: forming the carrier into a C-shape wherein the upper web is mutually aligned and parallel with the lower web.

11. The method of claim 9 further including the steps: the side web being comprised of an upper side web fixed with the upper web and a lower side web fixed with the lower web; and mutually attaching the upper side web and the lower side web.

12. The method of claim 9 further including the steps: the side web being comprised of an upper side web fixed with the upper web and a lower side web fixed with the lower web; and mutually attaching the upper side web and the lower side web with an adhesive.

13. The method of claim 9 further including the steps: the side web being comprised of an upper side web fixed with the upper web and including at least one connection tab, and a lower side web fixed with the lower web that includes at least one cooperative slot; and inserting at least one connection tab into one of the at least one slots to mutually fix the upper side web with the lower side web.

14. The method of claim 9 further including the steps: the side web being comprised of an upper side web fixed with the upper web and including at least one slot, and a lower side web fixed with the lower web that includes at least one cooperative connection tab; and inserting at least one connection tab into one of the at least one slots to mutually fix the upper side web with the lower side web.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

(2) FIG. 2 is a partial, enlarged perspective view of tabs of an upper web aperture in an upper web deformed around a container neck to hold the container;

(3) FIG. 3 is a partial a front elevational view of the invention;

(4) FIG. 4A is a front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention, illustrated with a plurality of containers having a wide profile;

(5) FIG. 4B is a front perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 4A, but illustrated with a plurality of containers having a slim profile;

(6) FIG. 5 is a rear perspective view thereof;

(7) FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the invention;

(8) FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of another alternate embodiment of the invention;

(9) FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 7, showing an embodiment for holding bottle-type containers;

(10) FIG. 9A is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 7, shown in a flat configuration; and

(11) FIG. 9B is a top plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 for holding can-type containers, illustrated in a flat configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

(12) Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. The following explanation provides specific details for a thorough understanding of and enabling description for these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand that the invention may be practiced without such details. In other instances, well-known structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.

(13) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words comprise, comprising, and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of including, but not limited to. Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively. Additionally, the words herein, above, below and words of similar import, when used in this application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application. When the claims use the word or in reference to a list of two or more items, that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list. When the word each is used to refer to an element that was previously introduced as being at least one in number, the word each does not necessarily imply a plurality of the elements, but can also mean a singular element.

(14) FIGS. 1-4B illustrate a carrier 10 for a plurality of containers 20 of the type having a body 25, a neck 26, and a lid 28 with a chime 27. The chimes 27 of each container 20 are aligned in a common horizontal plane 30. Such containers 20 may be cans, such as aluminum cans, or other containers 20 as is known in the art.

(15) An upper web 40 has an upper web top surface 48, an upper web bottom surface 42, at least one upper web peripheral edge 45, and a plurality of upper web apertures 50, each for receiving the chime 27 and the neck 26 of one of the containers 20 therethrough. Each upper web aperture 50 has a plurality of tabs 52 formed at an inside edge 55 thereof. Each tab 52 is configured for bending upward when contacting the chime 27 of one of the containers 20. Each tab 52 has a length L.sub.T and a thickness T.sub.T (FIG. 3).

(16) A lower web 70 has a lower web top surface 78, a lower web bottom surface 72, at least one lower web peripheral edge 75, and a plurality of lower web apertures 60, each for receiving the body 25 of one of the containers 20 therethrough.

(17) A side web 80 connects the upper web 40 with the lower web 70 between at least one each of the upper web peripheral edges 45 and the lower web peripheral edges 75. The side web 80 includes an outer surface 88, an inner surface 82, and at least one side web peripheral edge 85.

(18) Preferably, the upper web 40, side web 80, and lower web 70 are made with a paper board, cardstock, or other easily recycled material. The upper web 40, lower web 70, and side web 80 may all be formed from a common flat cardstock material (FIGS. 1-5), or may be formed into two portions (FIGS. 6-9A) that are adhered or otherwise mutually attached as discussed below. In some embodiments, either the upper web 40 or the side web 80 include finger hole cuts 140 to allow a pack 130 of the containers 20, held together by the carrier 10, to be easily held manually.

(19) As such, with the containers 20 aligned with the lower web apertures 60 of the lower web 70, the carrier 10 is formed into a C-shape 120 and the lower web 70 is pressed onto the containers 20 uniformly so that one container 20 traverses each lower web aperture 60. Each lower web aperture thereby engages the body 25 of one of the containers 20.

(20) Next, the upper web 40 is pressed onto the containers 20 uniformly, the tabs 52 of each of the upper web apertures 50 of the carrier 10 deforming upwardly substantially simultaneously to pass the chimes 27 of the containers 20. Each tab 52 abuts a lower edge 29 of the chime 27 of one of the containers 20 and engages the neck 26 of the container 20. The upper web 40 and the lower web 70 thereby hold each container 20 at the body 25, the neck 26, and the chime 27 thereof.

(21) In preferred embodiments, each lower aperture 60 includes a plurality of notches 62 formed on an inside circumferential edge 63 of the aperture 60. A plurality of lower web aperture tabs 65 are defined between the notches 62. The lower web apertures 60 are sized to snuggly fit around the body 25 of the container 20, with the lower web aperture tabs 65 being slightly deformed or bent to receive each container 20. In some embodiments, each lower web aperture 60 has an even number of notches 62 and an even number of lower web aperture tabs 65. A first diameter D.sub.1 between a first pair 66 (FIGS. 9A and 9B) of opposing lower web aperture tabs 65 is less than a second diameter D.sub.2 between a second pair 67 of adjacent opposing lower web aperture tabs 65. As such, the first pair 66 of opposing lower web aperture tabs 65 bends or deforms more around the container body 25 than the second pair 67 of adjacent opposing lower web aperture tabs 65. In this manner the carrier 10 can accommodate containers 20 of differing diameters and still maintain a snug hold on the body 25 of the containers at the lower web 70.

(22) In some embodiments the side web 80 is comprised of an upper side web 81 fixed with the upper web 40, and a lower side web 89 fixed with the lower web 70. The upper side web 81 and the lower side web 89 are mutually attachable, such as with adhesive 100 (FIG. 6). Alternately, the upper side web 81 includes at least one connection tab 110 and the lower side web 89 includes at least one cooperative slot 115, such that with the lower web 70 and the upper web 40 each fixed about the containers 20, each connection tab 110 may be inserted into one of the at least one slots 115 to mutually fix the upper side web 81 with the lower side web 89. Alternately, the connection tabs 110 may be fixed with the lower side web 89, and the cooperative slots 115 may be formed in the upper side web 81. Preferably such embodiments include two of the connection tabs 110 and two of the cooperative slots 115.

(23) In such embodiments having the upper side web 81 and the lower side web 89, in use the lower web 70 is pressed onto the containers 20 uniformly so that one container 20 traverses each lower web aperture 60. Each lower web aperture thereby engages the body 25 of one of the containers 20.

(24) Next, the upper web 40 is pressed onto the containers 20 uniformly, the tabs 52 of each of the upper web apertures 50 of the carrier 10 deforming upwardly substantially simultaneously to pass the chimes 27 of the containers 20. Each tab 52 abuts a lower edge 29 of the chime 27 of one of the containers 20 and engages the neck 26 of the container 20.

(25) Next, the upper side web 81 and the lower side web 89 are mutually affixed, either with the adhesive 100, the connection tabs 110 and the slots 115, or with other mechanical fasteners such that the upper web 40 and the lower web 70 hold each container 20 at the body 25, the neck 26, and the chime 27 thereof. In some embodiments the inner surface 82 of the side web 80 is adhered to the body 25 of at least two of the containers 20 to further hold the containers 20 in the stable, coherent pack 130 (FIGS. 4A and 4B).

(26) While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, carriers for 6-packs of the containers 20 are shown in the drawings, but other configurations can be made, such as for two, three, four, eight, ten, or twelve containers, for example. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.

(27) Particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated. In general, the terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification, unless the above Detailed Description section explicitly defines such terms. Accordingly, the actual scope of the invention encompasses not only the disclosed embodiments, but also all equivalent ways of practicing or implementing the invention.

(28) The above detailed description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed above or to the particular field of usage mentioned in this disclosure. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described above for illustrative purposes, various equivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. Also, the teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to other systems, not necessarily the system described above. The elements and acts of the various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments.

(29) All of the above patents and applications and other references, including any that may be listed in accompanying filing papers, are incorporated herein by reference. Aspects of the invention can be modified, if necessary, to employ the systems, functions, and concepts of the various references described above to provide yet further embodiments of the invention.

(30) Changes can be made to the invention in light of the above Detailed Description. While the above description details certain embodiments of the invention and describes the best mode contemplated, no matter how detailed the above appears in text, the invention can be practiced in many ways. Therefore, implementation details may vary considerably while still being encompassed by the invention disclosed herein. As noted above, particular terminology used when describing certain features or aspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being redefined herein to be restricted to any specific characteristics, features, or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated.

(31) While certain aspects of the invention are presented below in certain claim forms, the inventor contemplates the various aspects of the invention in any number of claim forms. Accordingly, the inventor reserves the right to add additional claims after filing the application to pursue such additional claim forms for other aspects of the invention.