Bottle holder and bottle holding system

A pair of identical thermoformed bottle holders support the bases and top portions of an array of glass bottles in an enclosing carton in a manner which spaces and flexibly cushions all portions of the bottles from the direct transmission of an impact through any carton wall.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention pertains to a holder for use in packaging glass 
bottles and, more particularly, to a packaging system using identical 
thermoformed flexible plastic holders to support the bottles within an 
enclosing carton to space and cushion the bottles from all carton walls. 
The prior art is replete with holders and spacers for multi-bottle packages 
which are intended to hold an array of bottles in a uniformly spaced 
arrangement inside an enclosing container, such as a corrugated paperboard 
carton or the like. The prior use of paperboard separators and fillers has 
largely been replaced with the use of molded plastic separating and 
holding devices. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,982,785 and 3,294,270 are representative 
of packaging systems utilizing paperboard or paper-like bottle holders and 
separators for use inside an enclosing carton. U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,300 
shows a more recent use of bottle holders and separators constructed of 
plastic. In particular, this patent shows the use of separate thermoformed 
trays, each of which is specifically constructed to accommodate either the 
lower base portions of the bottles or the tops of the bottle necks, but 
not both. A problem common to all of the foregoing bottle packaging 
systems is that one or both of the upper and lower ends of the bottles lie 
in direct contact with an upper or lower carton wall or are separated 
therefrom only by a layer of material from which the bottle holder is 
formed. Thus, there is no real cushioning of the bottles so as to protect 
the glass from breakage as a result of a direct impact on the carton wall 
against which an end of the bottle is in contact. U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,068 
shows a packaging system for cylindrical cans which uses sheets of plastic 
bubble material to separate and cushion the can ends from the upper and 
lower walls of the enclosing carton. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a thermoformed plastic bottle holder 
and a packaging system utilizing an identical pair of such holders to 
support an array of frangible bottles in an enclosing carton in a manner 
to cushion and space the bottles from the top and bottom carton walls, as 
well as the carton side walls. 
In accordance with the packaging system of the present invention, a pair of 
identical thin flexible bottle holders each includes a main frame portion 
which has a planar upper surface and an interior array of receptacles for 
the bottles. Each bottle receptacle has an intermediate floor portion 
which is adapted to receive and support the base of a bottle and an 
integral downwardly depending cushion which includes a lower floor 
portion. An opening in the lower floor portion is defined by an annular 
lip and the opening is adapted to receive the neck of a bottle inserted 
therethrough so that the annular lip rests on the tapered transition 
between the neck and the base of the bottle with the top of the bottle 
neck positioned below the planar upper surface of the main frame portion. 
An enclosing carton includes planar top and bottom walls and enclosing 
side walls such that the carton will receive the bottle holders and the 
array of bottles with the lower floor portions of one of the holders 
resting on the carton bottom wall, the bases of the bottles resting on the 
intermediate floor portions of that one holder, the annular lips of the 
other holder resting on the transition surfaces of the bottles, the carton 
top wall resting on the upper surface of the main frame portion, and the 
outer edges of the frame portions engaging the carton side walls. When the 
carton is closed, the bottles are held spaced from all of the carton walls 
and cushioned by the flexible plastic holders from direct impact. 
The holders are preferably thermoformed from a plastic sheet material, such 
as PET. In the preferred embodiment, the main frame portion of each holder 
includes an outer wall which depends downwardly from the planar upper 
surface and terminates in a lower peripheral edge, such that the lower 
floor portions of the bottle receptacles are disposed in a plane below the 
lower peripheral edge. 
In the preferred construction of the bottle holder, the unitary flexible 
plastic frame includes a peripheral outer edge and integral cross members 
extending between opposite frame edges, and a series of receptacles formed 
between the outer edge and cross members. Each of the receptacles has an 
intermediate floor portion which is adapted to receive and support the 
base of the bottle. The intermediate floor portion includes an open center 
part which is defined by a downwardly depending collar that terminates in 
an annular lip. The annular lip defines a lower floor portion with an 
opening therein smaller than and concentric with the open center part, 
which opening is adapted to receive therethrough the neck of a bottle. The 
lower floor portions of the bottle receptacles lie in a common plane 
parallel to and spaced below a plane defining the bottom of the outer edge 
of the frame. The openings in the lower floor portions are sized to allow 
the bottle necks to pass therethrough and the annular lip to rest on the 
transition surface of the bottle between the neck and the base. The holder 
frame includes a planar upper surface which is spaced above and parallel 
to a plane through the tops of the bottle necks when the array of bottles 
is positioned with the annular lips resting on the respective bottle 
transition surfaces. This bottle holder construction allows an identical 
pair of bottle holders to be used as the bottom and top cushioning 
supports when the array of bottles is enclosed in a carton.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of identical bottle holders 10 are 
preferably thermoformed from a sheet of suitable plastic material, such as 
0.040 inch (1.0 mm) PET. The holders 10 are positioned to support an array 
of glass bottles 11 for enclosure in a container, such as a paperboard 
carton 12. 
The thinness of the plastic sheet material from which the holders are 
formed, imparts an inherent flexibility to the holder which includes a 
main outer frame 13 connected by integral cross members 14 extending 
between opposite edges of the frame. The frame and cross members define a 
series of receptacles 15 for the bottles 11, the details of which will be 
described hereinafter. It is to be understood that bottle holders 
utilizing the principal features of the present invention could be formed 
for an array of as few as two bottles, as well as for arrays of a 
substantially larger number of bottles than the 6-bottle array shown in 
the drawings. Obviously, a holder for a 2-bottle array would include only 
a single cross member 14 separating the two receptacles 15. 
Referring also FIG. 3, the outer frame 13 includes a generally planar upper 
surface 16 and a downwardly depending outer wall 17. The outer wall 17 may 
include an intermediate stepped edge 18 and a lower peripheral lip 20 to 
enhance its strength and accommodate nesting, all without detracting from 
the inherent flexibility provided by the frame. The planar upper surface 
16 of the outer frame is generally rectangular in plan view, but is 
rounded at the corners 21, as are the corresponding portions of the outer 
wall 17. The planar upper surface 16 is interrupted by spaced 
semicylindrical depressions 22 to provide some additional rigidity to the 
holder. 
The cross members 14 also include substantially planar upper surfaces 23 
which lie coplanar with the upper surface 16 of the outer frame and, in 
the embodiment shown, are spaced therefrom and from each other by 
semicylindrical depressions 24 which are somewhat wider and deeper than 
the depressions 22 in the surface 16 of the outer frame 13. 
Each bottle receptacle is defined by a side wall 25, formed by portions of 
the outer frame 13 and cross members 14 and an intermediate floor portion 
26 extending horizontally from the bottom of the side wall 25. The side 
wall 25 is formed with a slight angular draft and is interrupted by four 
spaced abutment surfaces 27 which are generally vertically disposed. The 
abutment surfaces 27 engage the outer wall of the base 28 of the bottle 11 
while the bottom surface 30 of the bottle rests on the intermediate floor 
portion 26. 
The intermediate floor portion 26 of each receptacle 15 includes an open 
center part 31 which is defined by a downwardly depending collar 32 which 
collar terminates in a horizontal annular lip 33. The annular lip 33 
defines a lower floor portion 34, and the inner peripheral edge of the lip 
33 defines a circular opening 35 which is smaller than and concentric with 
the open center part 31 of the bottle supporting intermediate floor 
portion 26. The circular opening is normally provided in a separate die 
cutting operation after the holder has been thermoformed. The circular 
opening 35 is large enough to receive the neck 36 of the bottle 11, 
including the cap 37. The downwardly depending collar 32 and lower floor 
portion 34 are provided with four integral circumferentially spaced 
gussets 38 to provide additional stiffening for the lip and lower floor 
portion while still retaining an inherent flexibility. Preferably, the 
lower floor portions 34 of the holder lie in a horizontal plane which is 
spaced below the plane of the lower edge of the outer frame 13, as defined 
by the lower peripheral lip 20. However, the lower edge of the outer frame 
member 13, including the lip 20, could lie coplanar with the lower floor 
portions 34 or even extend below the plane of the floor portions. This 
embodiment will be described in greater detail hereinafter. 
After an array of bottles 11 is inserted in the receptacles 15 of a lower 
holder 10, an identical upper holder is placed over the bottles so that 
the necks 36 pass completely therethrough until the edges of the annular 
lips 33 defining the openings 35 in the lower floor portions come to rest 
on the tapered transition surfaces 40 between the base 28 and neck 36 of 
each bottle. The holders are also appropriately dimensioned so that when 
the upper holder 10 is supported on the top surfaces of the bottles, as 
best shown in FIG. 2, the tops of the bottles defined by the caps 37 are 
spaced a substantial distance below the planar upper surface 16 of the 
frame and the common planar surfaces 23 of the cross members. Similarly, 
the bottom surfaces 30 of the bottles, resting on the intermediate floor 
portions 26, are spaced by a substantial distance above the lower floor 
portions 34. When the assembly of bottles and two holders is enclosed in a 
container, such as a generally rectangular paperboard carton 12, the lower 
floor portions 34 of the bottom holder will rest on the bottom wall 41 of 
the carton, the bases of the bottles will rest on the cushioned support 
provided by the intermediate floor portions 26, the annular lips 33 of the 
upper holder will rest on the bottle transition surfaces 40 and the carton 
top wall 42 is closed to rest on the upper surfaces 16 and 23 of the main 
frame. Finally, the outer edges of the frames 33, as defined by the lower 
peripheral lips 20, engage the carton side walls 43 to hold the entire 
assembly firmly in position with the bases 28 of the bottles spaced 
substantially from the side walls 43. 
A sharp impact blow to any wall of the carton 2 will be absorbed and 
cushioned against direct transmission to a bottle by the unique flexible 
spacing provided as described herein. Specifically, the downwardly 
depending collars 32 and integral lower floor portions 34 cushion the 
bases of the bottle, the annular lips 33 in the upper holder 10 provide a 
flexible cushioning at the upper ends of the bottles, and the frame outer 
walls 17 surrounding and spaced from the receptacle side walls 25 cushion 
against lateral impacts through the side walls 43. Proper sizing of the 
carton 12 provides firm lateral support by carton side walls 43, and firm 
vertical support by capturing the lower floor portions 34 of the lower 
holder and the upper surface 16 of the upper holder between the bottom and 
top carton walls 41 and 42, respectively. The packaging system of the 
present invention thus precludes direct transmission of an impact blow or 
other force on a carton wall to any surface of a bottle. 
In FIG. 4, there is shown an alternate embodiment of the bottle holder as 
utilized in a packaging system similar to that described above and shown 
in FIG. 2. Each of the bottle holders 50 of this embodiment is modified in 
two respects from the holders 10 of the previously described preferred 
embodiment. Each of the holders 50 has an outer wall 57 forming part of 
the outer frame 53 which is elongated in a vertical direction so that the 
lower peripheral lip 60 lies generally coplanar with the lower floor 
portions 74 defining the lowermost surface of the holder receptacles 55. 
Thus, when placed in a carton 12, the lower holder 50 will be supported on 
the carton bottom wall 41 by the peripheral lower lip 60 and the lower 
floor portions 74. 
The other difference in the FIG. 4 embodiment is that each of the openings 
75 in the lower floor portions 74 is defined by an upwardly extending 
cylindrical sleeve 79 which terminates in a top wall 80. The sleeve 79 is 
adapted to receive the neck 76 of a modified bottle 51 with the bottle cap 
77 engaging the top wall 80 of the sleeve. The top wall 80 may be provided 
with a centered dimple 81 to enhance somewhat the cushioning effect 
provided. The lower floor portions 74 in this embodiment do not rest upon 
the transition surface between the neck 77 and the base 68 of the bottle 
as in the previously described embodiment. 
In all other respects, however, the modified bottle holders of the FIG. 4 
embodiment operate in essentially the same manner as the holders 10 of the 
preferred embodiment. However, when the bottles 51 are inserted into the 
receptacles 55 of the lower holder 50, the bottom surfaces 70 of the 
bottles rest upon the upper surfaces of the top walls 80 of the sleeves 79 
as well as on the intermediate floor portions 66 of the receptacles 55. 
The sleeves 79 may, however, be made somewhat shorter in a vertical 
direction such that the top walls 80 lie below the plane of the 
intermediate floor portions 66, in which case, the bases 68 of the bottles 
would rest only on the intermediate floor portions 66. 
Although the bottle holder of the present invention has been described for 
use with an array of two or more glass bottles, it could be adapted as 
well to carry a single bottle in an enclosing carton. Such a holder would 
be of essentially the same construction as described with respect to the 
two foregoing embodiments, except the single bottle holder would not 
require cross members 14 or 54 and would, of course, include only a single 
bottle receptacle 15 or 55. 
Various modes of carrying out the present invention are contemplated as 
being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out 
and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the 
invention.