Abstract:
A folding wine bottle carrier consisting of a body blank and a lid blank is disclosed. The body blank includes a plurality of body sides being hinged along a plurality of body side fold lines, aw well as an auto-locking bottom having a plurality of bottom flaps, each corresponding to one of the body sides. As disclosed, the body blank is capable of being folded into a substantially flat form, and of being erected into a body form by applying a force to opposing sides. The disclosed body blank maintains an assembled form while carrying a wine bottle, and otherwise returns to a substantially flat form. The lid blank similarly includes a plurality of lid sides. The disclosed lid blank is capable of being substantially flat, and of being erected into a lid form and enclosing the lid by folding the lid sides inward.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates generally to bottle carriers. More specifically, the invention pertains to a semi-rigid bottle carrier blank that can be quickly erected into a carrier body and a semi-rigid blank that can be quickly erected into a carrier lid, both processes requiring minimal steps and low complexity. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A bottle carrier is essential to packaging a bottle by a manufacturer, a retailer, a shipping company, and, ultimately, a customer. This is particularly true in the wine industry, in which manufacturers, retailers, and customers need to quickly and efficiently assemble bottle carriers for shipping or packaging wine bottles. The need for quick assembly is particularly true when large quantities of bottles need to be packaged into carriers. Frequently, wine bottles are given as gifts, so it is desirable to quickly and efficiently adorn the bottle carrier with ornamentation, such as a bow. 
         [0003]    Conventional bottle carriers suffer from excessive cost and complexity. Some conventional bottle carriers are assembled by hand, guided by complicated instructions, and relying on scissors, glue, tape, and/or scissors. Some conventional bottle carrier blanks include a large number of flaps, tabs, and side sections that need to be folded in a particular order along large number of fold lines. Such conventional carriers frequently require application of tape or glue to enclose the carrier. Such a conventional assembly process is time-consuming insofar as it requires lots of steps to erect the carrier, it is expensive insofar as it requires glue or tape to enclose the carrier, and it is complicated insofar as it requires a particular sequence of folds. 
         [0004]    Thus, what is needed is a solution for providing a quick-assembling bottle carrier that does not suffer from the shortcomings of conventional solutions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0005]    Various embodiments or examples are disclosed in the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings: 
           [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary blank for folding into a wine bottle carrier body; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary folded wine bottle carrier body; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary blank for folding into a wine bottle carrier lid; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary folded wine bottle carrier lid; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary process of erecting a wine bottle carrier from an exemplary wine bottle carrier body blank; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary process of erecting a wine bottle carrier lid from an exemplary wine bottle carrier lid blank; 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary erected wine bottle carrier; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier body and lid. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier body capable of being with a tall lid to create a space inside the carrier body to accommodate an aesthetic adornment or functional accessory in addition to the wine bottle. 
           [0015]      FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier tall enough to accommodate a wine bottle as well as an aesthetic adornment or functional accessory. 
           [0016]      FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier fitted with an extender and tall enough to accommodate a wine bottle as well as an aesthetic adornment or functional accessory. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    Various embodiments or examples may be implemented in numerous ways, including as a system, a process, or an apparatus. In general, operations of disclosed processes may be performed in an arbitrary order. 
         [0018]    A detailed description of one or more examples is provided below along with accompanying figures. The detailed description is provided in connection with such examples, but is not limited to any particular example. The scope is limited only by the claims and numerous alternatives, modifications, and equivalents are encompassed. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding. These details are provided for the purpose of example and the described techniques may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details, For clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the examples has not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description. 
         [0019]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary blank for folding into a wine bottle carrier body. Here, carrier body blank  100  includes carrier body back side  102 , carrier body left side  104 , carrier body front side  106 , carrier body right side  108 , tab  110  for attaching back side to right side, adhesive  111 , back bottom tab  112 , front bottom tab  114 , left bottom tab  116 , adhesive  117 , right bottom tab  118 , adhesive  119 , back-tab folding line  120 , back-left folding line  122 , left-front folding line  124 , front-right folding line  126 , bottom edge folding line  128 , back bottom tab folding line  130 , front bottom tab folding line  132 , hole for handle  134 , hole for handle  136 , and flexible handle  138 . 
         [0020]      FIG. 1  shows wine bottle  150  as a guide to the required sizing of carrier body back side  102 , carrier body left side  104 , carrier body front side  106 , and carrier body right side  108 , which, together, need to be large enough to accommodate wine bottle  150  when the carrier body is in final form. in some examples, carrier body back side  102 , carrier body left side  104 , carrier body front side  106 , and carrier body right side  108  may have substantially equal widths, such that, when folded, wine bottle carrier body will have a substantially square cross section. Wine bottle  150  can be any one of a standard 740 ml bottle, a half bottle (375 ml), a split bottle (187 ml), a magnum bottle (1.5 L), a Marie-Jeanne bottle (2.25 L), a double-magnum bottle (3.0 L), a Jeroboam bottle (5.0 L), an imperial bottle (6.0 L), a Salmanazar bottle (9.04 a Balthazar bottle (12.0 L), a 
         [0021]    Nebuchadnezzar bottle (15.0 L), or a Melchior bottle (18.0 L), without limitation. 
         [0022]    Carrier body blank  100  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, blank  100  and the elements contained in blank  100 , including sides  102 ,  104 ,  106 , and  108 , and tabs  112 ,  114 ,  116 , and  118  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. 
         [0023]    In operation, adhesive  111  can be used to substantially fixedly attach carrier body back side  102  to carrier body right side  108 . With body back side and body right side so attached, an end user will not need to apply any glue or tape when erecting the carrier. After being manufactured, blank  100  is capable of being folded into a flat form, with body back side  102  touching body right side  108 , and body left side  104  touching body front side  106 . 
         [0024]    Likewise, in some examples, adhesive  117  can fixedly attach back bottom tab  112  to left bottom tab  116 , and adhesive  119  can fixedly attach front bottom tab  114  to right bottom tab  118 . As farther described below with respect to  FIG. 5 , bottom flaps  112 ,  114 ,  116 , and  118 , so attached, define an at king bottom in which the bottom flaps can automatically interlock to enclose the bottom of the bottle carrier when a force is applied to the sides of the flat blank  100 . 
         [0025]    Carrier body blank  100  may optionally be fitted with elements relate to and improve the functionality of the wine carrier. For example, a cushioning material may be affixed to any one or more of body back side  102 , body left side  104 , body front side  106 , and body right side  108  to protect a wine bottle housed in the wine bottle carrier. As a further example, a rubber-like material may be affixed to any one or more of body back side  102 , body left side  104 , body front side  106 , and body right side  108  to prevent excessive sliding of a wine bottle housed in the wine bottle carrier. As a further example, a pouch, an envelope, or other small housing may be affixed on the interior or exterior of any one or more of body back side  102 , body left side  104 , body front side  106 , and body right side  108  to allow wine accessories to be housed inside or outside the wine bottle carrier. Such wine accessories may include, for example, a wine glass, a foil cutter, a corkscrew, and a cork, without limitation. 
         [0026]      FIG. 2  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary folded wine bottle carrier body. Folded carrier body  200  includes carrier back side  202 , carrier left side  204 , carrier front side  206 , carrier right side  208 , back-left fold line  220 , left-front fold line  222 , front-right fold line  224 , right-back fold line  226 , hole  234 , hole  236 , and flexible handle  238 . 
         [0027]    Wine bottle carrier body  200  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, carrier back side  202 , carrier left side  204 , carrier front side  206 , carrier right side  208  may have substantially equal widths, such that folded carrier body  200  will have a substantially square cross section. In some examples, bottle carrier body  200  and the elements contained in it, including sides  202 ,  204 ,  206 , and  208  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary blank for folding into a wine bottle carrier lid. Here, wine bottle carrier lid blank  300  includes carrier lid left side  302 , carrier lid back side  304 , carrier lid right side  306 , carrier lid front side  308 , carrier lid glue tab  310 , adhesive  311 , carrier lid left tab  312 , carrier lid right tab  314 , carrier lid back tab  316 , carrier lid insertion tab  318 , carrier lid insertion tab fold line  320 , carrier lid tab fold line  322 , carrier lid left-back fold line  324 , carrier lid back-right fold line  326 , carrier lid right-front fold line  328 , carrier lid glue tab fold line  330 , and ornament  340 . 
         [0029]    Blank  300  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, carrier lid left side  302 , carrier lid back side  304 , carrier lid right side  306 , carrier lid front side  308  may have substantially equal widths. In some examples, blank  300  and the elements contained in blank  300 , including sides  302 ,  304 ,  306 , and  308 , and tabs  312 ,  314 ,  316 , and  318  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary erected wine bottle carrier lid. Here, exemplary erected wine bottle carrier lid  400  consists of carrier lid left side  402 , carrier lid back side  404 , carrier lid right side  406 , carrier lid front side  408 , carrier lid glue tab  410 , carrier lid left tab  412 , carrier lid right tab  414 , carrier lid back tab  416 , carrier lid insert tab  418 , carrier lid left-back fold line  424 , carrier lid back-right fold line  426 , carrier lid right-front fold tine  428 , carrier lid glue tab fold line  430 , and ornament  440 . 
         [0031]    Exemplary erected wine bottle carrier lid  400  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, carrier lid left side  402 , carrier lid back side  404 , carrier lid right side  406 , carrier lid front side  408  may have substantially equal widths, such that wine bottle carrier lid  400  will have a substantially square cross section. In some examples, exemplary erected wine bottle carrier lid  400  and the elements contained in it, including sides  402 ,  404 ,  406 , and  408 , and tabs  412 ,  414 ,  416 , and  418  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary process of erecting a wine bottle carrier body from an exemplary wine bottle carrier body blank. Here, wine bottle carrier body blank  500  is shown, carrier body back side  502 ., carrier body left side  504 , and auto-locking bottom  530 , which is identified in sequential positions as  530 A,  530 B, and  530 C. The process of erecting the carrier begins with wine bottle carrier body blank  500  in a substantially flat form  500 A. Next, hands  591  and  592 , for example, exert a force on each side of the flat body blank, thereby unfolding the body blank to assume the intermediate form  500 B, with the auto-locking bottom assuming intermediate position  540 B, in which the bottom flaps  512 ,  514 ,  516 , and  518  are about to slide over each other to interlock. Human hands are not the only means by which to apply a force to the sides of the blank; and the disclosed embodiments are not so limited. Finally, upon further application of force to its sides, carrier body blank  500  assumes its final form  500 C. In this final form, the auto-locking bottom, designated as  540 C, encloses the bottom of the wine bottle carrier. 
         [0033]    In operation, upon placing a wine bottle inside a wine carrier body in its erected form  500 C, the weight of the wine bottle on the bottom of the wine carrier may serve to keep the auto-locking bottom substantially locked in a substantially horizontal form. In some examples, upon removing the wine bottle from the wine carrier, elastic qualities of the body sides will tend to urge the auto-locking bottom back into substantially horizontal form. Optionally, in order to promote a quicker return to flat form, a spring component can be built between opposing sides of the wine carrier blank, and serving to urge the bottom flaps into a substantially horizontal form if the wine bottle is removed from the wine carrier. 
         [0034]    Exemplary wine bottle carrier body blank  500  and exemplary erected wine bottle carrier body  501  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, exemplary wine bottle carrier body blank  500 , exemplary erected wine bottle carrier body  501 , and the elements contained in them, including sides  502 ,  504 ,  506 , and  508  (not shown), and tabs  512 ,  514 ,  516 , and  518  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. 
         [0035]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary process of erecting a wine bottle carrier lid from an exemplary wine bottle carrier lid blank. Here, the process begins with the wine bottle carrier lid blank in a substantially flat form  600 . Next, hands  651  and  652  exert a force on each side of the flat carrier lid blank  600 , which causes the wine bottle carrier lid to assume an unfolded format  601 . Unfolded format wine bottle carrier lid  601  includes carrier lid left side  602 , carrier lid back side  604 , carrier lid right side  606 , carrier lid front side  608 , carrier lid glue tab  610 , carrier lid left tab  612 , carrier lid right tab  614 , carrier lid back tab  616 , carrier lid insert tab  618 , carrier lid left-back fold line  624 , carrier lid back-right fold line  626 , carrier lid right-front fold line  628 , carrier lid glue tab fold line  630 , and ornament  640 . 
         [0036]    Exemplary wine bottle carrier lid blank  600  and exemplary erected wine bottle carrier lid  601  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, exemplary wine bottle carrier lid blank  600 , exemplary erected wine bottle carrier lid  601 , and the elements contained in them, including sides  602 ,  604 ,  606 , and  608 , and tabs  612 ,  614 ,  616 , and  618  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation, 
         [0037]      FIG. 7  illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary erected wine bottle carrier body. Here, erected wine bottle carrier  700  body consists of carrier body left tab  712 , carrier body right tab  714 , carrier body back tab  716 , and carrier body front tab  718 . 
         [0038]    Exemplary wine bottle carrier body  700  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, exemplary wine bottle carrier body  700  and the elements contained in it, including tabs  712 ,  714 ,  716 , and  718  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation, 
         [0039]      FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier body and lid. Here, assembled wine bottle carrier  800  includes carrier body left side  802 , carrier body back side  804 , flexible handle  838 , and ornament  840 . 
         [0040]    Exemplary wine bottle carrier body  800  may be made of any of a variety of common semi-rigid materials. In some examples, exemplary wine bottle carrier body and lid  800  and the elements contained in it, including sides  802  and  804 , sides  806  (not shown) and  808  (not shown), and tabs (not shown)  812 ,  814 ,  816 , and  818  may be made of commonly used materials such as wood including plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. 
         [0041]      FIG. 9  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier body capable of being with a tall lid to create a space inside the carrier body to accommodate an aesthetic adornment or functional accessory in addition to the wine bottle. Here, wine bottle carrier  900  includes carrier body  901 , carrier lid  951 , and extender  970 . 
         [0042]    Here, wine bottle carrier body  901  is similar to wine bottle carrier body  200  ( FIG. 2 ) and includes carrier body back side  902 , carrier body left side  904 , carrier body right side  906 , carrier body front side  908 , and flexible handle  938 . As illustrated, the height  980  of carrier body  901  is equal to or larger than the height  982  required to accommodate wine bottle  950 . In other words, height  982  is greater than or equal to height  948 , and height  980  is greater than or equal to height  982 . 
         [0043]    Wine bottle carrier body  901  may be made of commonly used materials, including wood, plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. Wine bottle carrier body  901  may also be illustrated or textured or otherwise ornamented. 
         [0044]    Here, extender  970  includes extender back side  972 ., extender left side  974 , extender front side  976 , and extender right side  978 . Extender  970  in this example is sized to fit inside wine carrier body  901  and wine carrier lid  951 . Extender  970  may be made of commonly used materials, including wood, plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. Extender  970  may also be painted, illustrated, textured, or otherwise decoratively ornamented, 
         [0045]    In some examples, extender  970  can be fixedly coupled to wine bottle carrier body  901  using an adhesive or tape. Extender  970  may also be fixedly coupled to wine bottle carrier body  901  by connecting extender  970  to flexible carrier  938 . 
         [0046]    As shown, extender  970 , having height  984 , when fitted within wine bottle carrier body  901 , can serve to extend the height of the interior of the wine bottle carrier  900 . In some examples, the additional height created by extender  970  may allow the wine bottle carrier  900  to accommodate a larger wine bottle. For example, fitting extender  970  within wine bottle carrier body  901  may allow the wine bottle carrier to accommodate a standard 740 ml bottle, whereas without extender  970 , only a half-bottle (375 ml) could be accommodated. Wine bottle carrier body  901  may be fitted a wide selection of extenders so as to accommodate a wide selection of wine bottle sizes. 
         [0047]    In some examples, the additional height created by extender  970  may create a substantially empty space above the wine bottle. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold aesthetic ornamental material, such as colored tissue paper or ribbons or bows or flowers, without limitation. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold functional material, such as padding, an ice pack, or insulating material, without limitation. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold wine accessories, including, for example, a wine glass, a foil cutter, .a corkscrew, and a cork, without 
         [0048]    Here, wine bottle carrier lid  951  is similar to wine bottle carrier lid  400  ( FIG. 4 ) and includes carrier lid left side  952 , carrier lid back side  954 , carrier lid right side  956 , carrier lid front side  958 , carrier lid left tab  962 , carrier lid right tab  964 , carrier lid back tab  966 , carrier lid insert tab  968 , and ornament  940 .. As illustrated, height  986  of wine bottle carrier lid  951  is less than or equal to height  984  of extender  970 , such that, when wine bottle carrier  900  is assembled, the bottom of wine bottle carrier lid  951  is substantially flush with the top of wine bottle carrier body  901 , In other examples, height  986  of wine bottle carrier lid  951  may be shorter. 
         [0049]    Extender  970 , wine bottle carrier body  901  and wine bottle carrier lid  951  may be made of commonly used materials, including wood, plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. Extender  970 , wine bottle carrier body  901  and wine bottle carrier lid  951  may also be illustrated or textured or otherwise ornamented 
         [0050]      FIG. 10  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier tall enough to accommodate a wine bottle as well as an aesthetic adornment or functional accessory. Here, wine bottle carrier  1000  is tall enough to accommodate wine bottle  1050 , and includes wine bottle carrier body  1001  and wine bottle carrier lid  1051 . Here, wine bottle carrier body  1001  is similar to wine bottle carrier body  200  ( FIG. 2 ) and includes carrier body back side  1002 , carrier body left side  1004 , carrier body right side  1006 , carrier body front side  1008 , and flexible handle  1038 . Here, wine bottle carrier lid  1051  is similar to wine bottle carrier lid  400  ( FIG. 4 ) and includes carrier lid left side  1052 , carrier lid back side  1054 , carrier lid right side  1056 , carrier lid front side  1058 , and ornament  1040 . As illustrated, the height  1080  of carrier body  1001  is large enough to accommodate wine bottle  1050  of height  1048  while leaving a substantially empty space above wine bottle  1050 . The empty space in some examples can be used to hold aesthetic ornamental material, such as colored tissue paper or ribbons or bows or flowers, without limitation. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold functional material, such as padding, an ice pack, or insulating material, without limitation. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold wine accessories, including, for example, a wine glass, a foil cutter, a corkscrew, and a cork, without limitation. 
         [0051]    Wine bottle carrier body  1001  and wine bottle carrier lid  1051  may be made of commonly used materials, including wood, plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. Extender  1070 , wine bottle carrier body  1001  and wine bottle carrier lid  1051  may also be colored, painted, illustrated, textured, or otherwise ornamented. 
         [0052]      FIG. 11  illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary wine bottle carrier fitted with an extender and tall enough to accommodate a wine bottle as well as an aesthetic adornment or functional accessory. Here, wine bottle carrier  1100  includes wine bottle carrier body  1101 , wine bottle carrier lid  1151 , and extender  1170 . Here, wine bottle carrier body  1101  is similar to wine bottle carrier body  200  ( FIG. 2 ) and includes carrier body back side  1102 , carrier body left side  1104 , carrier body right side  1106 , carrier body front side  1108 , and flexible handle  1138 . As illustrated, extender  1170  is fitted inside wine bottle carrier body  1101  and inside wine bottle carrier lid  1151 . In some examples, when the wine bottle carrier is assembled, wine bottle carrier lid  1151  rests atop extender  1170 . If the wine bottle carrier lid  1151  is taller than extender  1170 , the assembled wine bottle carrier will have a gap between the lid  1151  and the body  1101 . As illustrated the height of the gap is identified as  1184 . The height of the gap will depend on the relative heights of the wine bottle carrier lid  1151  and the extender  1170 . In some examples, extender  1170  may be fixedly coupled to wine bottle carrier body  1101  using tape, staples, glue, or any adhesive material. The height of the interior space of the wine bottle carrier  1100  will roughly equal the sum of the heights of the  1180 ,  1184 , and  1186 , the heights of the lid  1151 , the body  1101 , and the gap  1184 , In some examples, the height of the interior space of the wine bottle carrier  1100 , when assembled and holding wine bottle  1150 , is larger than height  1149  of wine bottle  1150 , allowing some interior empty space above bottle  1150 . The empty space in some examples can be used to hold aesthetic ornamental material, such as colored tissue paper or ribbons or bows or flowers, without limitation. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold functional material, such as padding, an ice pack, or insulating material, without limitation. The empty space in some examples can be used to hold wine accessories, including, for example, a wine glass, a foil cutter, a corkscrew, and a cork, without limitation. In other examples, the height of the interior space of wine bottle carrier  1100  does not create an empty space above bottle  1150 . 
         [0053]    Extender  1170 , wine bottle carrier body  1101  and wine bottle carrier lid  1151  may be made of commonly used materials, including wood, plywood, cardboard including corrugated cardboard, expanded polystyrene, polyurethane, glass, and rigid and semi-rigid plastics including corrugated plastic board and the like, without limitation. Extender  1170 , wine bottle carrier body  1101 , and wine bottle carrier lid  1151  may also be colored, painted, illustrated, textured, or otherwise ornamented.