Abstract:
An integrally molded carrier for carrying three containers by their necks includes a substantially planar web having three nodes and defining three annular support rings. Annular neck-engaging flanges integral with the web are arranged around the inside of the support rings for releasably engaging the necks of containers. The centers of the support rings are situated in the web such that they correspond to the three corners of a triangle.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Multiple bottle carriers for holding and carrying bottles or jugs by their necks are well known. A common type of commercially available carrier is fabricated from thin gauge sheets of plastic. The thin planar sheet is die-cut to provide holes for engaging the necks of the containers and holes for grasping the carrier, and is thermo-formed into a three-dimensional shape to provide structural integrity to the carrier. There are several problems with this carrier. First, the thermo-formed plastic sheet shrouds the container, obscuring visibility of the product and product labels. Second, the thin gauge of the plastic material makes the carrier uncomfortable to carry.  
           [0002]    An integrally molded carrier for carrying multiple containers by their necks is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,397. The carrier disclosed therein is designed to carry six large bottles, typically one-gallon plastic jugs containing a liquid such as milk, fruit juice or water. While such products are sold in bulk in packs of six, it is advantageous from a pricing standpoint for retailers to sell 64 ounce or half-gallon bottles three to a package.  
           [0003]    Carrying handles for three bottles, however, are awkward and difficult to use. An example of such a carrier is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,295, which discloses an in-line design bottle carrier capable of carrying three bottles by their necks by means of three uniformly spaced split collars mounted within a frame interconnected by a single row of longitudinally extending rigid bars. The carrier features two loops on the outside of the necks of the bottles which must be pulled up and grasped by the user. These handles tend to stick up above the necks of the bottles, making the bottle/carrier combination difficult to ship. The 295 carrier is also difficult to apply to groups of three bottles with automated equipment. In addition the inline design of the 295 carrier makes the lifting of three half-gallon bottles awkward.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention provides an integrally molded carrier for carrying multiple containers by their necks and includes a substantially planar web having three nodes defining three annular supports. A flexible annular neck-engaging flange integral with the web is arranged within each annular support for releasably engaging the necks of containers. The centers of the annular supports correspond to the three corners of a triangle, preferably a right triangle.  
           [0005]    In one embodiment, the web has three branches including a medial branch and a pair of lateral branches extending from each side of the medial branch so as to form a substantially T-shaped web structure. The web may include scalloped edges adjacent the medial branch for providing a comfortable gripping handle for the carrier.  
           [0006]    In a second embodiment, the web is substantially triangular in shape with the sides of the triangle being inwardly radiused, and includes an arcuate opening which, together with the web, forms a handle.  
           [0007]    The geometry of both web designs provides a balanced bottle carrier that enables three bottles to be lifted by hand and easily carried. With the web&#39;s triangle geometry, the three bottles are balanced relative to the gripping handle so that their weight is distributed evenly. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a perspective top view of one exemplary embodiment of the invention.  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a plan view of the carrier of FIG. 1.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the carrier of FIG. 1.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second exemplary embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0012]    Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals generally refer to the same elements, there is shown in FIGS.  1 - 3  a bottle carrier  10  for carrying three bottles that includes a substantially planar web  12  having three nodes preferably formed from a flexible material such as plastic. Web  12  has three branches: a shorter medial branch  14  and a pair of laterally extending longer branches  16  and  18  which join medial branch  14  so as to form a T-shaped structure. Branches  16  and  18  are preferably canted slightly at an angle from medial branch  14 . Web  12  includes an inner portion  20  which is continuous and flat. Support ridges  22 ,  24  and  26  are formed on the peripheral edges of the three branches to provide structural rigidity. Support ridges  22  and  24  are radiused so as to create scalloped portions  22   a  and  24   a  along medial web branch  14 .  
         [0013]    Each of the branches  14 ,  16  and  18  terminate in nodes having identical flexible annular neck-engaging structures  28 ,  30  and  32  that are integral with web  12 . Because the neck-engaging structures are identical, for simplicity, details of their structure will be limited to a single such structure, i.e., neck-engaging structure  30 .  
         [0014]    Neck-engaging structure  30  is provided with a circumferential ridge  30   a  to provide structural rigidity and with annular flange  30   b . Annular flange  30   b  is flexible for ease in placing over and removing the same from a bottle neck, and is joined to circumferential ridge  30   a  by radial ribs  30   c . Annular flange  30   b  is frusto-conically shaped so as to flex in an upward direction when the bottle carrier is pushed in a downward direction over the necks of the bottles and then to bear at an upward angle against the weight of the bottles when the carrier is lifted. Annular flange  30   b  also has inner edge portions  30   d  that are substantially flat. The flat portions of annular flanges  30   b  make it easier to engage a bottle neck with the annular flange and also make it easier to disengage the carrier when pry tab  30   h  is lifted. Annular flange  30   b  is also provided with sets of reinforcing ribs  30   e  that extend in a generally radial direction and sets of relief slots  30   f  also extend radially, permitting the annular flanges to flex when the necks of bottles are either engaged or disengaged.  
         [0015]    Annular neck-engaging structures  28 ,  30  and  32  are preferably arranged so that their centers, when joined by imaginary lines, form the corners of a triangle, preferably substantially a right triangle. This geometry provides balance for the three bottles held by the carrier. When balanced against each other in this fashion, even heavy half-gallon bottles are easy to carry when using the web  12  as a handle.  
         [0016]    Pry tab  30   h  is useful for disengaging the annular neck-engaging structure from the necks of the bottles. Adjacent pry tab  30   h  on the inside of support ridge  30   a  is an open space  30   g . In other words, annular flanges  30   b  do not complete a full circle inside the support ribs but instead a space is left to further facilitate their removal from the necks of the bottles held by the carrier. The flanges still have the structural rigidity necessary to support the weight of the bottles because the flanges are shaped frusto-conically extending in an upward direction and are structurally reinforced by the radial support ridges  30   e.    
         [0017]    Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a second embodiment of the invention comprising a bottle carrier  10 ′ having three nodes that includes a web  12 ′, the central portion of which is generally triangular in shape with inwardly radiused sides  40 ,  42  and  44 . Each of the radiused sides are provided with support ridges  22 ,  24  and  26 . An arcuate opening  46  in web  12 ′ is provided adjacent one of the three nodes to provide, in cooperation with the web  12 ′, a handle for the carrier  10 ′. Arcuate opening  46  is also provided with a support ridge  48  around its periphery.  
         [0018]    The three nodes of carrier  10 ′ are each provided with identical annular neck-engaging structures  28 ′,  30 ′ and  32 ′ having similar but not identical construction to the neck-engaging structures  28 ,  30  and  32  of carrier  10 . Each neck-engaging structure is provided with a circumferential ridge  30   a , an annular flange  30   b  and slots  30   f ; however, the reinforcing ribs  30   e  are provided only on the inner portion of annular flange  30   b , there is no open space  30   g  nor are there any radial ribs  30   c.    
         [0019]    Although the carrier web is preferably arranged in the shape of a right triangle, it does not have to be shaped in a right triangle to function properly. Any triangular shape will provide the benefits of the invention as long as the bottles held by the laterally disposed flanges are substantially evenly balanced relative to the medial branch of the web. Thus triangular shapes other than right triangles may be employed. Other types of neck-engaging flanges may work as well. For example, flat flanges, not conically shaped, may have enough structural rigidity to grasp and hold the necks of bottles. Nor is it necessary for the embodiment shown in FIGS.  1 - 3  that the flanges be set apart from the annular supporting ribs by radial ribs; the web and the flanges may be integral as shown for the embodiment in FIG. 4 if the web material is strong enough. A preferred material of construction is flexible polyolefin, more preferably high density polyethylene and most preferably recyclable high density polyetheylene.  
         [0020]    The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.