Patent Publication Number: US-6334531-B1

Title: Plastic bottle carrier

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a plastic bottle carrier which is provided with bottle neck retainers shaped for suspending engagement with the necks of plastic bottles so as to allow the plastic bottles to be conveniently carried. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Various carriers have previously been proposed for engagement with the necks of plastic bottles to facilitate carrying of the bottles. 
     For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,413, issued Feb. 23, 1993 to Walter Nathan there is disclosed a unitary plastic bottle carrier assembly which has split collar assemblies for, supporting the bottles by contact with neck rings located below closures on the bottles. The split collar assemblies are connected to a central support member, and a handle is assembled with the support member. The handle comprises a central elongated strip that has end portions in the form of rectangular pads secured at right angles to the ends of the strip. During the assembly of the handle to the support member, the end pads are turned parallel to the strip portion and are moved through openings in the support member, after which they are flattened out so as to underlie the support member and to prevent the handle from being removed when the carrier and associated bottles are lifted. 
     It is, however, a disadvantage of this prior arrangement that the handle cannot be easily assembled with and removed from the support member. 
     Thus, to attach the handles to the support member, it is necessary to deform the handle so as to allow the rectangular pads to fit through the slots. Likewise, to remove the handle from the support member, it is be necessary to again deform the handle so as to enable the rectangular pads to be withdrawn through the slots. Such deformation of the handle and displacement of the support pads through the slots would be difficult or even impossible for an impaired, e.g. arthritic, person. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved plastic bottle carrier which comprises two components which can be very easily assembled an disassembled. 
     According to the present invention, a plastic bottle carrier comprises first and second components of moulded plastic material. The first component comprises a support member formed with bottle neck retainers for suspending engagement with necks of plastic bottles and a slot extending through the support member along an imaginary centerline of the support member. The second component comprises a handle extending upwardly through the slot, the handle having a lower portion projecting beyond the slot beneath the support member to support the support member on the lower portion of the handle. The handle also has an upper portion projecting above the support member from the lower portion, and an opening formed in the upper portion, with a handgrip extending above the opening and defining an upper limit of the opening. The upper portion is dimensioned so as to be slidable through the slot for insertion of the upper portion through the slot and removal of the upper portion from the slot. 
     The handle in the plastic bottle according to the present invention is required to be inserted through only one slot in the support member, and no deformation of the handle for that purpose is required. Consequently, it is a very easy matter, even for a physically impaired person, to simply slide the handle upwardly through the slot in the support member for the purpose of assembling the support member and the handle and, likewise, to simply withdraw or push the handle downwardly through the slot to disassemble the handle from the support member. 
     Furthermore, since no deformation of the handle is required for this purpose, the handle is not required to be flexible and, consequently, can be made relatively thick so that, by providing the underside of the handle with a convexly curved surface, the weight of the entire carrier and any bottles suspended from the carrier can be supported by fingers inserted through the opening without hurting or even cutting or otherwise damaging the fingers. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be more readily understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof given, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a view in perspective of a plastic bottle carrier embodying the present invention in an assembled condition: 
     FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the bottle carrier of FIG.  1 : 
     FIG. 3 shows an exploded view, in perspective, of the bottle carrier of FIGS. 1 and 2; and 
     FIG. 4 shows a view taken in cross-section along the line  4 — 4  of FIG.  2 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The bottle carrier illustrated in the accompanying drawings comprises a first component, indicated generally by reference numeral  10 , which forms a support member, and a second component indicated generally by reference numeral  12 , which forms a rigid handle, both of these components  10  and  12  being moulded of plastic material. 
     The support member  10  is flat and elongate and has opposite ends which are formed as bottle neck retainers indicated generally by reference numerals  14 . The bottle neck retainers each comprise a pair of curved projections  16  at opposite sides of a circularly curved recess  18  which serves, in known manner, to receive the neck of a plastic bottle for suspending the plastic bottle from the support member  10 . 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that the support member  10  is formed with a longitudinally extending slot  20 . More particularly, the slot  20  extends along an imaginary centerline C of the support member  10 , and the bottle neck retainers are each symmetrical about the centerline C. 
     The handle  12  has a lower portion in the form of a peripheral flange  22 , which extends laterally from the handle  12  and which has a flat upper surface  24 . The handle  12  also comprises an upper portion  26 , which is formed in one piece with the lower portion  22  and which extends upwardly at right angles to the surface  24  of the flange  22 . 
     The upper portion  26  has a length and a width which are each slightly less than the length and the width, respectively, of the slot  20 , so that the upper portion  26  can easily be pushed or slid upwardly through the slot  20  from below the support member  10 . When the upper portion  26  is fully inserted through the slot  20 , the surface  24  of the flange  22  projects beneath the support member  10  beyond the opposite sides and the ends of the slot  20 , in surface-to-surface contact with the undersurface of the support member  10 , as illustrated in FIG. 4, so that the support member  10 , and any plastic bottles engaged with the support member  10 , are supported by the handle  12 . 
     The handle  12  is formed with an opening  28 , the upper limit of which is defined by a handgrip  30  which, when the carrier is assembled as shown in FIGS. 1,  2  and  4 , extends above and along the slot  20 . 
     The handgrip  30 , as shown in FIG. 4, has a lower surface  32  which is convexly curved, transversely of the handgrip  30 , so that the underside of the handgrip  30  does not present any edges which might hurt or even damage the fingers of the user. Also, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 3, the underside of the handgrip  30  is corrugated, longitudinally of the handgrip  30 , so as to provide a plurality of downwardly open concave recesses, one of which is indicated in FIG. 1 by reference numeral  34 , to facilitate gripping of the handle  12  by the fingers of the user when these fingers have been inserted through the opening  28 . 
     As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications maybe made in the above-described bottle carrier within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     For example, the bottle neck retainers  14  may be replaced by different bottle neck retainers, which may be similar to those already known in the art, and four of such retainers may be distributed in a symmetrical fashion around the slot  20 . 
     The handle  12  has an intermediate portion, indicated generally by reference numeral  36  in FIGS. 1,  3  and  4 , which may be formed with recessed letters. The intermediate portion  12  extends, as shown, between the opposite end of the slot  20  and projects upwardly from the slot  20 . In the present embodiment of the invention, the letters “T” and “P” are recessed into this intermediate portion  36 . As will be apparent, instead these letters, other lettering, wording or design features may be provided on this intermediate portion, by embossing, printing, labelling or any other suitable means.