Abstract:
A carrier with internal support members for carrying multiple beverage containers. The carrier is formed from foldable material that can quickly and easily be erected and loaded with beverage containers. The internal support structure of the carrier comprises central support tabs extending from the top panels connected to bottom support tabs extending from the bottom panels. The internal support structure gives the carrier the tensile strength needed to support multiple beverage containers. Arcuate support members restrain the top portions of the beverage containers from lateral movement. The bottom support members straddle the beverage containers and restrain the bottom portions of the beverage containers from lateral movement. The elongated central support tabs extend slightly into the beverage container receptacles creating a flexure fit when loading beverage containers into the carrier. External support braces are positionable to hold the carrier open during loading.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to carriers for beverage containers, and more particularly relates to a foldable carrier with internal support members for carrying multiple beverage containers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In recent years, a variety of beverage container carriers have been developed to aid consumers. These carriers are often seen at stadiums and amusement parks when a single customer orders multiple drinks and must transport them to his/her companions. Another common use for these carriers is at the ever popular drive-through window of fast food restaurants. Beverage containers placed in a carrier are less likely to spill and soil the vehicle&#39;s interior. A typical carrier may often include a paperboard box with several receptacles for beverage containers. 
     A paperboard carrier for carrying beverage containers, such as disposable bottles, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,967,003. The carrier is foldable and is constructed from a single blank. The beverage container receptacles restrain the top portion of the bottles from lateral movement. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,565,323 discloses a paperboard carrier for drink cups. The carrier is made from a single blank. Cups placed in the carrier are supported from the bottom and restrained laterally at the top of the receptacles. 
     Another carrier for drink cups is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,906. The carrier is foldable and has multiple drink receptacles. Partition panels extend from the top of the carrier all the way to the bottom in each receptacle. The partition panels are formed of material from an upper panel of the carrier. This limits the size of the upper panel and also the size of the receptacle opening in the upper panel. 
     In the previously described carriers, the beverage containers placed in the carriers are only restrained from movement in a direction parallel to the center line of the carriers at the top of the receptacles. There is no means for restraining movement of the bottom portion of the beverage containers in this direction. Additionally, these carriers do not provide a pressure or flexure fit for the beverage container. This increases the likelihood of the entire carrier tipping over and releasing the contents of the beverage containers. The partition panel which the cups rest on may disturb a cup that is completely full causing a spill. Also, the entire bottom panels of these carriers are solid and the interior support of the carrier extends downward from the upper panels all the way to the bottom of the carriers. 
     There is a need in the art for a carrier for beverage containers, formed from a foldable blank, that can be quickly and efficiently erected and loaded. There is a further need for a carrier that restrains beverage containers from movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal center line of the carrier, both at the top and bottom of the beverage containers. There is still a further need in the art for a carrier that provides a flexure fit for beverage containers placed in the carrier. There is still a further need in the art for a carrier that provides internal support extending upward from the bottom of the carrier, requiring less material for the bottom surface of the carrier. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention seeks to provide a foldable carrier that can be quickly and easily erected and loaded with beverage containers. The present invention also seeks to provide a carrier that restrains beverage containers from movement in a direction parallel to a longitudinal center line of the carrier, both at the top and bottom of the beverage containers. The present invention seeks to provide bottom support legs formed of material from a bottom surface of the carrier extending upward from the bottom of the carrier; this reduces the amount of material needed to construct the carrier. The present invention also seeks to provide central support tabs formed of material from upper panels of the carrier. The present invention also seeks to provide a flexure fit for beverage containers placed in the carrier to further ensure stability of the loaded carrier. The present invention further seeks to provide a single carrier for beverage containers that can easily be split into multiple carriers. 
     The present invention accomplishes these objects by providing a carrier having a plurality of receptacles with internal support members positioned to straddle containers placed in the receptacles. The invention provides arcuate support members that restrain the top portion of the containers from movement in a direction parallel to a longitudinal center line of the carrier and internal support members that restrain the bottom portion of the containers from movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal center line of the carrier. The internal support members may comprise central support tabs formed of material from upper panels of the carrier and bottom support legs formed of material from a bottom surface of the carrier. The central support tabs extend from the upper panels towards side walls of the carrier. By using excess material from the upper panels and bottom surface to provide the internal structure of the carrier, this reduces the amount of material needed for the carrier. The central support tabs extend slightly into the interior of the receptacles creating a flexure fit when containers are loaded in the carrier. A longitudinal cut line allows a user to split the carrier into multiple smaller carriers. 
     Generally described, a first embodiment of the present invention provides a carrier comprising a sleeve having a plurality of upper panels. The upper panels are connected to a plurality of side walls which comprise a plurality of receptacles located in the upper panels on opposite sides of a longitudinal center line of the sleeve. A bottom surface is connected to the side walls. A plurality of internal support members extend from the upper panels to the bottom surface at an angle towards the side panels. The internal support members straddle the containers placed in the carrier. The internal support members may form a generally wishbone shape. 
     The present invention provides a carrier wherein each of the internal support members comprise a central support tab formed of material from the upper panels and bottom support legs formed of material from the bottom surface. The bottom support legs straddle a container placed in the carrier, restraining the container from movement in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of the sleeve. The central support tab forms a tab head which engages the containers placed in the carrier forming a flexure fit and restraining the containers from movement in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal center line of the sleeve. 
     The present invention also provides a carrier with each of the upper panels defining arcuate support members on each side of the receptacles, further restraining the containers from movement in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal center line of the sleeve. The arcuate support members have a first and second end which are wider than other points between the first and second ends to resist torque. 
     The present invention also provides a carrier with a handle panel, including a handle opening, attached to the upper panels. The bottom of the handle opening is curved to prevent engagement with a lid covering the container when loading the carrier. The side panels of the carrier include a plurality of support tabs foldably connected to the side panels. The support tabs engage the bottom panels to provide structural stability to the carrier. A vertical cut line between adjacent beverage container receptacles allows a user to break the carrier along the cut line producing multiple carriers. 
     The present invention also provides a carrier wherein the internal support members provide tensile strength to the carrier. The bottom surface provides compression strength to the carrier. 
     Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier that can be constructed from a blank and that is easy to erect and load. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier that restrains beverage containers placed in the carrier from movement in a direction parallel to a longitudinal center line of the carrier, both at the top and bottom of the beverage containers. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide bottom support legs formed of material from the bottom surface of the carrier, reducing the amount of material needed to construct the carrier. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a flexure fit for beverage containers placed in the carrier further ensuring stability of the loaded carrier. 
     It is still another object of the present invention to provide a carrier with adequate tensile and compression strength to support the beverage containers placed in the carrier. 
     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a single carrier for beverage containers that can easily be split into multiple carriers. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of an erected carrier. 
     FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the interior surface of a blank from which the carrier embodying the present invention can be assembled. 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a partially assembled carrier embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 is top plan view of a partially assembled carrier embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of a carrier embodying the present invention with beverage containers. 
     FIG. 6 is a front view of two carriers formed by splitting the single carrier of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 7 is an end view of a carrier embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 8 is a pictorial view of an alternate embodiment of the present invention showing a fully-erected carrier. 
     FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the interior surface of a blank from which the carrier of FIG. 8 can be assembled. 
     FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a partially assembled carrier of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a partially assembled carrier of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 12 is a pictorial view of a carrier of FIG. 8 with beverage containers. 
     FIG. 13 is an end view of a carrier of FIG.  8 . 
     FIG. 14 is a pictorial view of a carrier embodying the present invention. 
     FIG. 15 is a top plan view of the interior surface of a blank from which a carrier embodying the present invention can be assembled. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a fully-erected carrier  10  of the present invention with handle openings  22  and beverage container receptacles  26 . 
     The carrier  10  is constructed of a blank  10 ′ of foldable sheet material, preferably conventional corrugated board, shown in FIG.  2 . However, the carrier according to the present invention can be formed from any foldable and scorable material, such as solid paperboard. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, the carton blank  10 ′ forms a large rectangle that can be divided into four substantially identical sections  11   a,    11   b,    11   c,    11   d . A vertical cut line  85  is located along the center of the blank  10 ′ and separates section  11   a  from section  11   b  as well as section  11   c  from section  11   d.  A central fold line  34  is perpendicular to the cut line  85  and is located at the center of the blank  10 ′. The central fold line  34  separates blank carrier sections  11   a  from  11   c  and section  11   b  from section  1   d . The carrier blank  10 ′ will be described with particular reference to section  11   a.  One skilled in the art will understand that an appropriate number of identical sections can be properly connected to form a blank corresponding to the number of beverages container receptacles  26  desired in the erected carrier  10 . 
     Section  11   a  includes a handle panel  12   a  defined by a central fold line  34  and a discontinuous fold line  40   a.  The handle panel  12   a  is foldably connected to an upper panel  16   a  along the discontinuous fold line  40   a.  The upper panel is foldably connected to a side panel  20   a  along a fold line  36   a.  The side panel  20   a  is foldably connected to a bottom panel  24   a  along a fold line  30   a.    
     The handle panel  12   a  has a handle opening  22   a  adjacent to the central fold line  34 . The handle opening  22   a  is formed by a cutout section in the handle panel  12   a.  The details of the shape of the handle opening  22   a  will be described in further detail below. As shown in FIG. 15, the handle panel  12   a  may include multiple handle openings  23   a,  located adjacent to one another. 
     The handle panel  12   a  is connected to the upper panel  16   a  along the discontinuous fold line  40   a,  as shown in FIG. 2. A central support tab  54   a  is formed of material from the upper panel  16   a  and extends from the handle panel  12   a.  The central support tab  54   a  forms two portions, a tab neck  66   a  connected to the handle panel  12   a  and a tab head  62   a  foldably connected to the tab neck  66   a  along a tab fold line  58   a.  The tab neck  66   a  extends slightly beyond the discontinuous fold line  40   a  into the handle panel  12   a  in order to prevent the carrier  10  from tearing along the discontinuous fold line  40   a  when constructed. The tab neck  66   a  forms a trapezoid with the narrow end located along the discontinuous fold line  40   a  and the wider end located along the tab fold line  58   a.  The tab head  62   a  is somewhat elongated, having a curved portion  63   a  extending from a first end of the tab fold line  58   a  and a rectilinear portion  64   a  extending from the opposite end of the tab fold line  58   a.    
     The cut out sections surrounding the central support tab  54   a  leave arcuate support members  70   a,    72   a  in the upper panel  16   a,  extending from the handle panel  12   a  to the side panel  20   a,  on either side of the central support tab. The arcuate support members  70   a,    72   a  define an opening through which a beverage container can be inserted when the carrier  10  is constructed and the central support tab  54   a  is folded out of the plane of the upper panel  16   a.  The arcuate support members  70   a,    72   a  have a first end  96   a  and a second end  97   a  which are wider than other points between the first end  96   a  and the second end  97   a.  The thick ends of the arcuate support members  70   a,    72   a  resist torque when the carrier  10  is fully erected and loaded with beverage containers. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIG. 15, the distal end of the tab head  55   a  is curved outwardly, towards the side panel  20   a.  The sides of the tab head  55   a  meet the arcuate support members  70   a,    72   a  along the cut lines  57   a  and  59   a.    
     As shown in FIG. 2, the upper panel  16   a  is connected to the side panel  20   a  along the fold line  36   a.  An extension tab  48   a  extends from the fold line  36   a  into the central support panel between the arcuate support members  70   a,    72   a.  The extension tab  48   a  is curved and extends only slightly into the central support panel  16   a,  leaving a gap between the extension tab  48   a  and the tab head  62   a.    
     The side panel  20   a  is connected to the bottom panel  24   a  along the fold line  30   a.  A support brace  80   a  is located in the center of side panel  20   a  adjacent to the fold line  30   a.  The support brace  80   a,  as shown in FIG. 2, is curved along the sides. Alternatively, the support brace  81 , as shown in FIG. 15 may be trapezoidal. The function of the support brace  80   a  will be more clearly described below. 
     A bottom support tab  50   a  is defined in the center of the bottom panel  24   a  by a pair of longitudinal cutouts  51   a,    52   a  and a transverse cut line  53   a.  The bottom support tab  50   a  is largely rectangular in shape. The bottom support tab  50   a  is surrounded by a U-shaped strut member having a pair of legs  74   a,    76   a  on either side of the tab  50   a,  and a bottom strip  82   a,  which is separated from the tab  50   a  by the cut line  53   a.  A glue tab  78   a  is defined in the tab  50   a  by a tab fold line  75   a.  The glue tab  78   a  is rectangular in shape. 
     It should be understood that the fold lines  30 ,  34 ,  36 ,  40 ,  44  and the tab fold lines  58 ,  75  of the carrier  10  are perforated lines, with alternating small cut sections and solid sections, creating a flexible hinge along each line. The cut line  85  is an elongated perforation with much smaller solid intervals between adjacent cuts as is well known to those skilled in the art. This allows a user to split the carrier  10  apart, creating two smaller carriers, after bending along the score line  85 , as shown in FIG.  6 . 
     Assembly 
     In order to assemble the carrier, it is optional to pre-break the carrier blank  10 ′ while it is flat as shown in FIG. 2. A user pre-breaks the carrier blank  10 ′ by manually folding the carrier blank  10 ′ along the fold lines  30 ,  34 ,  36  and the discontinuous fold lines  40 ,  44  as well as the tab fold lines  58 ,  75  until the carrier blank  10 ′ is flexible along these fold lines. 
     Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the first step in the assembly process is to apply glue to glue areas  86   a, b, c, d.  The carrier blank  10 ′ is folded along the fold lines  30   a, b, c, d  so that the bottom strips  82   a, b, c, d  are adhered to the respective central support tabs  54   a, b, c, d  by contacting the glue areas  86   a, b, c, d.    
     Next, the glue is placed in glue areas  88   a, b, c, d  as well as glue areas  90   a, b, c, d,  as shown in FIG.  3 . The glue areas  90   a, b, c, d  are located on the exposed portions of the glue tabs  78   a, b, c, d.  The carrier blank  10 ′ is then folded along the central fold line  34 . This results in the handle panel  12   a  adhering to the handle panel  12   c  and the handle panel  12   b  adhering to the handle panel  12   d,  as shown in FIG.  4 . Folding the carrier blank  10 ′ along the central fold line  34  also results in the glue tab  78   a  adhering to the glue tab  78   c  and the glue tab  78   b  adhering to the glue tab  78   d.  The resulting flat assembly, shown in FIG. 4, occupies very little space and therefore may be shipped efficiently to another location at which the carrier  10  may be erected and loaded. 
     Those skilled in the art will understand that automatic gluing and folding machinery using known techniques may be constructed to carry out this assembly in a mass production setting, but is not required to make the carrier  10  embodying the present invention. 
     Erecting and Loading the Carrier 
     The carrier  10  of FIG. 1 is constructed from the folded configuration shown in FIG.  4 . The carrier is picked up by the handle opening  22  causing the adjacent bottom surfaces  24   a, b  to separate slightly from the opposing bottom surfaces  24   c, d.  The side panels  20   a, b  are pulled away from the opposite side panels  20   c, d  forcing the upper panels  16   a, b, c, d  outward along the discontinuous fold lines  40   a, b, c, d.  The central support tabs  54   a, b, c, d,  which are attached to the bottom strips  82   a, b, c, d,  are forced into the interior of the carrier  10 . This forms the container receptacles  26  between the arcuate support members  70   a, b, c, d  and  72   a, b, c, d  of the upper panels  16   a, b, c, d.  The receptacles  26  extend downward into the carrier  10  and are further defined by the side panels  20   a  and the connection of the central support tab  54   a  with the U-shaped strut members formed by the legs  74   a, b, c, d,    76   a, b, c, d,  and the bottom strip  82   a, b, c, d.  As the side panels  20   a, b, c, d  are pulled apart, the attachment of the glue tabs  78   a  to  78   c  and  78   b  to  78   d  causes the bottom support tabs  50   a, b, c, d  to move downward forming the bottom of the carrier  10 . 
     The support braces  80  are then pressed inwards, into the interior of the carrier  10 , so that they engage the bottom panel  24 . This holds the unloaded carrier  10  open for easier loading. The carrier is then placed on a flat surface. In this configuration, the carrier  10  is erect and ready for loading. 
     To load the carrier  10 , a beverage container  95  is placed in the receptacle  26 . As the beverage container enters the carrier, the upwardly curved bottom portion of the handle opening  22  prevents a snap-on lid, covering a conventional beverage cup, from engaging the bottom edge of the handle opening  22  and de-lidding. This can also be achieved by configuring the handle opening  22  as an inverted triangle so that the bottom portion of the handle opening  22  is angled downward as shown by dotted line  22 ′ in FIG.  2 . It should be noted that the carrier  10  may be provided with a single centrally located handle opening  22 , such that the handle opening is not vertically aligned with any of the receptacles  26 . This placement of the handle opening  22  would not interfere with the snap on lids of the beverage containers  95 . 
     Preferably, as the beverage container  95  is placed inside the carrier  10 , the tab head  62  of the central support tab  54  engages the side of the beverage container creating a flexure fit. The tab head  62  preferably engages the beverage container  95  at a point below where the extension tab  48 , located on the top of the side panel  20 , engages the beverage container. This prevents the beverage container  95  from leaning out of the carrier  10  when the loaded carrier is lifted. The arcuate support members  70 ,  72  in the upper panel  16 , surrounding the beverage receptacle  26 , restrains the top portion of the beverage container from movement in a direction parallel to a longitudinal center line of the carrier  10 . 
     Once inside the carrier  10 , the beverage container  95  rests on the bottom support tab  50  and the bottom panel  24 , as shown in FIG.  5 . The bottom support legs  74 ,  76  extend towards the central support tab  54 , which is attached to the handle panel  12 . The bottom support legs  74 ,  76  straddle the beverage container  95 , further restraining the beverage container from movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal center line of the carrier  10 . It should be clear that the above described loading process can be repeated until all the beverage receptacles  26  are filled, if the user so chooses. 
     After loading the carrier  10 , the carrier can be lifted off the flat surface using the handle openings  22 . As the carrier supports the beverage containers  95 , tensile forces are translated through the central support tabs  54  which are connected to the transverse support members  82  and the bottom support legs  74 ,  76 . A small portion of the tensile forces may be translated through handle panels  12 , the arcuate support members  70 ,  72  of the upper panels  16  and the side panels  20 . The glue tabs  78  connect the bottom panels  24 , which extend from the side panels  20  to the center of the carrier  10 , preventing inward movement of the side panels. 
     It should be understood that an internal support member  99  may extend at an angle from the upper panel  16  to the bottom surface  24 , as shown in FIG. 14, in a direction towards the side panels  20  of the carrier  10 . The internal support member  99 , in the shape of a fork, straddles the beverage container  95  placed in the carrier  10 . The internal support member  99  provides tensile strength for the carrier when loaded with beverage containers and lifted and also prevents movement of the beverage containers in a direction parallel to the longitudinal center line of the carrier  10 . 
     The carrier  10  is provided with two handle openings  22 . This allows a user holding the carrier by one handle opening  22  to pass the carrier to another user who can grab the carrier by the other handle opening  22 , making the carrier easier to stabilize with one hand. 
     The carrier  10  may be divided into several carriers  10   a,    10   b  as shown in FIG.  6 . Prior to erecting the carrier  10 , the flat assembled carrier can be bent back and forth along the cut line  85 . This causes the carrier  10  to split into multiple carriers  10   a,    10   b  which can then be erected and loaded as previously described. Those skilled in the art will understand that a user can divide the carrier to correspond to the appropriate number of beverage containers  95 . 
     Alternate Embodiment 
     A carrier  100  providing an alternate embodiment of the present invention may be constructed from a blank  100 ′ as shown in FIG.  9 . The blank  100 ′ is similar to the blank  10 ′ of the previous embodiment in that it can be made from conventional corrugated board or any foldable and scorable material such as solid paperboard. The blank  100 ′ shown in FIG. 9, has two substantially identical sections  100   a  and  100   b  in order to form a carrier for two beverage containers  195  as shown in FIG.  8 . Those skilled in the art will understand that a blank with multiple identical sections can be used to form a carrier for a larger number of beverage containers. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, the blank  100 ′ forms two substantially identical sections  110   a,    110   b  divided by a central fold line  112 . The blank  100 ′ will be described with particular reference to section  110   a.    
     Section  110   a,  as shown in FIG. 9, includes a handle panel  114   a  defined by a central fold line  112  and a fold line  130   a.  The handle panel  114   a  is foldably connected to an upper panel  118   a  along the fold line  130   a.  The upper panel is foldably connected to a side panel  120   a  along a discontinuous fold line  136   a.  The side panel  120   a  is foldably connected to a bottom panel  124   a  along a fold line  138   a.    
     The handle panel  114   a  includes a handle opening  128   a  located adjacent to the central fold line  112 . The handle opening  128   a  is formed by a cut-out section in the blank  100 ′. The shape of the handle opening  128   a  is straight across the top and curved upwards along the bottom to prevent a container placed in the carrier from de-lidding as described above. The bottom portion of the handle opening  128   a  can also be angled downward to prevent interference with the beverage container lid. 
     The handle panel  114   a  is connected to the upper panel  118   a  along the fold line  130   a.  Portions of the upper panel  118   a  are cut away to form a central support strip  140   a,  extending longitudinally from the fold line  130   a  to or slightly beyond the fold line  130   a,  into the handle panel  114   a,  to prevent tearing along the fold line  130   a  when the carrier  100  is loaded. The central support tab  140   a  is largely rectangular with two parallel straight edges arranged perpendicular to the fold line  130   a.  However, the distal edge of the central support tab  140   a,  opposite the fold line  130   a,  is slightly curved inwardly to leave projecting material in the opposing side panel  120   a.  The cut out sections flanking the central support tab  140   a  leave arcuate support members  132   a,    133   a  in the upper panel  118   a  on either side of the central support tab, and define an opening through which a beverage container  195  can be inserted after the carrier  100  is erected and the central support tab  140   a  is folded out of the plane of the upper panel. The thick ends of the arcuate support members  132   a,    133   a  resist torque when the carrier  100 ′ is fully erected and loaded with beverage containers. 
     The upper panel  118   a  is connected to the side panel  120   a  along the discontinuous fold line  136   a.  At the center of the fold line  136   a,  a cut line defines a curved extension tab  158   a  which extends from the side panel  120   a  into the upper panel  118   a,  between the arcuate support members  132   a,    133   a,  where the same cut line defines the curved distal edge of the central support tab  140   a.    
     The side panel  120   a  is connected to a bottom panel  124   a  along a discontinuous fold line  138   a.  A trapezoidal cut section  135   a  is located in the side panel  120   a,  extending from the discontinuous fold line  138   a.  An outer support tab  144   a  extends from the bottom panel  124   a  into the trapezoidal cut section  135   a  of the side panel  120   a.    
     A glue tab  146   a  is joined to the bottom panel  124   a  along a tab fold line  150   a.  The glue tab  146   a  is rectangular in shape and located in-between two bottom support tabs  155   a,    156   a.  A tab fold line  148   a  connects the bottom support tabs  155   a,    156   a  to the bottom panel  124   a.  The tab fold line  148   a  is parallel to the tab fold line  150   a  connecting the glue tab  146   a  to the bottom panel  124   a.    
     Assembly of the Alternate Embodiment 
     Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the first step in the assembly process is to apply glue to glue areas  160   a,    160   b.  The carrier blank  100 ′ is folded along the discontinuous fold lines  138   a  and  138   b  so that the glue tab  146   a  is adhered to the central support strip  140   a  and the glue tab  146   b  is adhered to the central support strip  140   b  by contacting the glue areas  160   a,    160   b,  respectively. 
     Next, glue is placed in glue areas  162   a,    162   b  and  165   a,b    166   a,b  as shown in FIG.  10 . The carton blank  100 ′ is then folded along the central fold line  112 . This results in the handle panel  114   a  adhering to the handle panel  114   b  as well as the bottom support tabs  155   a,    156   a  adhering to the opposite bottom support tabs  155   b,    156   b.  The resulting assembly occupies very little space and therefore may be shipped efficiently to another location at which the carton may be erected and loaded. 
     Erecting and Loading the Carrier of the Alternate Embodiment 
     It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the carrier  100  of the alternate embodiment can be erected and loaded, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, in a similar manner as the carrier  10 , described above. 
     While the present invention has been described with particular reference to the preferred and alternate embodiments thereof, it should be understood that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.