Patent Publication Number: US-7913837-B2

Title: Carrier and method

Description:
This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/215,938 filed Aug. 9, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,758; Ser. No. 10/662,265, filed Sep. 15, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,243,785; Ser. No. 10/737,612 filed on Dec. 16, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,267,224; Ser. No. 10/939,264 filed on Sep. 10, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,115, Ser. No. 11/012,440 filed on Dec. 15, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,383,949, Ser. No. 11/012,789, filed Dec. 15, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,370,755, Ser. No. 11/301,913, filed Dec. 13, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,772, Ser. No. 11/301,407, filed Dec. 13, 2005 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,181, Ser. No. 11/345,898, filed Feb. 2, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,753,195, and Ser. No. 11/443,962, filed May 30, 2006 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,502. The disclosures of those patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     This invention relates to carriers for beverages, food, liquids in containers and other objects, and to methods of making and using such carriers. 
     Although the carriers of the foregoing patent applications are excellent for most purposes, it is desired to provide modified versions of those carriers which are able to carry and protect objects of diverse sizes and shapes and to form covers over the receptacles containing the objects to be carried. It also is an object of the invention to provide simplified and more economical carriers having the desired characteristics. 
     In accordance with the invention, a carrier is provided in which outside walls are used to form handles and simultaneously cover all or a portion of the tops of the receptacles containing objects to be carried. 
     The covers can be provided with holes or slots through which the necks of bottles such as wine or beer bottles can protrude. This can provide valuable lateral support for tall objects to be carried, while partially covering upper surface portions of those objects. 
     Extra strength can be added to the handle structure by extending the central vertical panel structure upwardly and joining it with the extended outside walls to form a reinforced multi-ply handle structure. 
     Throughout most of its variations, the invention maintains the use of a pair of vertical support panels, a foldable receptacle extending outwardly from each panel, with the vertical support panels being secured together back-to-back, with each forming one side wall of one of the receptacles. 
     The preferred rectangular bottom structure for each receptacle is formed of four flanges, one extending downwardly from each of the four side walls of the receptacle. Each of two flanges is secured to an adjacent flange and the combination is folded diagonally at opposed corners of the rectangular structure. This bottom structure is strong and unfolds easily and automatically when the carrier is unfolded. 
     The bottom structure preferably has a wide flange and, optionally, a tab-and-slot detent structure to hold a partially-unfolded carrier open for filling. 
     As a result, carriers of the invention provide an economical covered or partially-covered carrier which is strong and relatively easy to fill, and is able to support beverage containers of a variety of sizes and shapes, especially tall necked containers. 
     The invention also provides an improved method for packaging items for carry-out from an alcoholic beverage store, grocery or convenience store, restaurant, sports arena concession stand, etc. Carriers of the invention of a single size, or of a small number of different sizes, can be used to better and more safely carry beverage containers of a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Thus, tall necked wine or beer bottles can be given good lateral support by the covers provided over the receptacles, with holes available to give lateral support for the necks of bottles to be carried. 
     Pre-packaged beverages in cans or bottles can be protected from dust and accidental spillage by means of the invention. The covers over the tops of the receptacles hold the beverage containers in the receptacles until the carrier cover is torn open. In the typical automatic carton filling equipment, the carrier is simply unfolded, filled with beverage containers, and the two outside walls are brought together and secured to one another. The carriers are selected so that the containers substantially fill the compartments in the carrier, and the outside walls are secured together so as to hold the containers together in a tight package. 
     In one particularly simplified embodiment of the invention, a single receptacle of the above-described construction is provided with a handle and used for holding and carrying objects such as beverage cans, cups, or bottles, or the like. 
     Preferably, the latter embodiment has two opposed lateral side walls which extend to a height well above two end side walls, and there is a handle structure near the uppermost edge of each lateral side wall. The two handle structures can be grasped simultaneously with one hand, and/or a latch can be used to hold the handle structures together. 
     The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from or set forth in the following description and drawings. 
    
    
     
       IN THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the carrier of the invention; 
         FIGS. 2 and 3  are broken-away plan views of alternative embodiments of the carrier of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the carrier of  FIG. 1  in an erected but unfilled state; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of a blank used to make the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8  are, respectively, end elevation, side elevation and top plan views of another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  are, respectively, end and side elevation views of another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a side elevation view of another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIGS. 12 and 13  are, respectively, perspective and end elevation views of another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 14  is a top plan view of a blank for another embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 15  is an end elevation view of a further embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 16  is a top plan view of the carrier shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
         FIG. 17  is an enlarged, broken-away view of a component of the carrier of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a further embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional partially broken-away view taken along line  19 - 19  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 20  is an end elevation view of the carrier of  FIGS. 18 and 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a bottom plan view of the carrier of  FIGS. 18-21 , with the carrier partially unfolded; 
         FIG. 22  is a top plan view of a blank used to make the carrier of  FIGS. 18-21 ; and 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the carrier of  FIG. 18  after the handle structures have been latched together, and with a modification thereof. 
     
    
    
     GENERAL DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a carrier  20  constructed in accordance with the present invention. The carrier includes a vertical support panel structure  22  and, when unfolded, as shown in  FIG. 1 , includes two receptacles  24  and  26  which extend outwardly from opposite sides of the vertical support panel structure  22 . 
     The first receptacle  24  includes a rear end wall  28 , an outside wall  30 , and a front end wall  32 . One panel  64  forming the central vertical support panel structure  22  forms the fourth side wall of the receptacle  24 . 
     Similarly, receptacle  26  includes a rear end wall  38 , an outside wall  36 , and a front end wall  34 , as well as another panel  66  of the vertical support structure  22  (also see  FIG. 5 ). 
     Each of the receptacles has a bottom structure  40  or  42  which is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 5  and will be described below, and which has been described in some or all of the above-identified pending patent applications. 
     Each of the outside walls  30  and  36  is elongated so as to extend well above the upper edge of the two end walls  28  and  32  or  38  and  34 . 
     The outside wall  30  has a section  44  foldable over along a fold line  43 , and an upper edge section  46  formed by folding along another fold line  45 . 
     Similarly, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the outside wall  36  has a section  48  defined by fold lines  47  and  49 , and an upper edge section  50 . 
     Each of the upper edge sections  46  and  50 , as well as the upper edge sections of the panels making up the vertical panel structure  22  has a hand hole  52  with a hand guard  54 . The hand holes  52  are aligned with one another and the upper edge sections are secured together so as to form a combined handle structure by means of which the carrier can be lifted and carried. 
     In accordance with one of the optional features of the invention, each of the panels  44  and  48  has a hole  56  or  60  positioned to receive the neck of a bottle  58  or  62  therethrough. This provides lateral support for the bottles near their upper ends so as to stabilize them and prevent them from falling from the receptacles in which they are carried. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , each of the bottles  58  or  62  has a diameter substantially smaller than the inside dimensions of the receptacle  24  or  26  in which it is located. This can come about when a carrier  20  of a standard size is used to package products which vary widely in size, as might be done in a carry-out retail store. By restraining the necks of the bottles by means of the panels  44  and  46  and the holes  56  and  60 , etc., the carrier  20  can be used to carry a wide variety of bottles which might be too small to fit snugly in the carrier, or are tall with a tendency to tip, etc. 
     The carrier  20  has four locking structures  55 ,  57 ,  59 , and  61  which are used to lock all of the parts of the handle structure together after the items to be carried have been loaded into the carrier. 
       FIG. 17  shows one of the four locking structures  57  in detail. 
     A rectangular hole  63  is die cut in all layers of the handle structure except one, in which an arrow-head shaped tab  69  is die-cut. The tab has two barbs  73  and  75  which project from the sides to a width somewhat wider than the width of the hole  63 . The other three lock structures  55 ,  59 , and  61  are of similar construction, except that the lock structures  59  and  61  are smaller than the structures  55  and  57 . Material  71  only partially die cut is pushed outwardly when tab  69  is pushed through the hole  63 . 
     In locking the handle layers together, the layers are brought together with the holes  63 , etc., aligned with one another and the tabs  69 , etc., aligned with the holes, and the tabs are pushed through the holes until the barbs  73 ,  75 , etc., catch on the side edges of the holes to lock the panels together. The tabs can be pushed through the holes by hand, or by the movement of rods, if the carriers are filled by automatic bottling equipment. 
     The handle layers can be pulled apart by hand fairly easily, when the customer wishes to open the carrier to remove a beverage container. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 5  is a plan view of the blank used to make the carrier  20 , except that an alternative handle lock structure is used Although a variety of different blanks can be used, the one shown in  FIG. 5  is particularly well designed for fabrication using an automatic in-line gluing machine. 
     The blank includes a pair of panels  68  and  70  which are secured to the side walls  32  and  34 , respectively, along weak perforated lines  51  and  53 . During the gluing and folding process using automated equipment, the panels  68  and  70  are broken loose from the panels  32  and  34  and are folded over on the panels  64  and  66 , respectively, and glued thereto in order to form a multi-ply handle structure. 
     Tabs  65  and  67  extend from the left and right edges of the blank and are glued and, when the panels are folded over, are attached, respectively, to the panels  38  and  28  to form the side walls of the receptacles  24  and  26 . 
     The bottom structure  40  includes a first flange  72  which extends downwardly from panel  64 , and a triangular flange  74 , with a tab  78  and a diagonal fold line  76 , extends downwardly from the panel  32 . A broad panel  80  extends downwardly from the panel  30 , and another triangular flange  82  with a tab  86  and diagonal fold line  84  extends downwardly from the panel  28 . 
     Similarly, the bottom structure  42  for the receptacle  26  includes flanges  94  and  102 , and triangular flanges  88 ,  96  with tabs  92 ,  100  and fold lines  90 ,  98  which are the mirror images of the corresponding flanges of the bottom structure  40 . 
     Each of the broad flanges  80  and  94  has a tab  122  or  130  extending from one side and an end tab  104  or  108 . The tab  122  or  130  cooperates with each of three slots  120 ,  118  and  116  or  124 ,  126 , and  182 , (also see  FIG. 1 ) as the carrier is being unfolded to hold the receptacles open until objects have been placed in them. The placement of the objects in the receptacles presses the panels  80  and  94  downwardly until the tab  122  extends through the slot  116  and the tab  130  extends through the slot  128  to help hold the panel in a downward position. This feature of the invention is described in greater detail in some of the foregoing patent applications. 
     Glue is applied to the tabs  78 ,  86 ,  92 ,  100 ,  67 , and  65 , as well as to the surfaces of panels  68  and  70 , and the panels are folded over upon one another to form the carrier structure which is folded and ready for shipment to a retail store, bottling facility or other place where it is loaded with items to be carried. 
     Still referring to  FIG. 5 , as well as  FIG. 4 , the locking structure includes a wide barbed male locking member or tab  112  extending from the upper edge of the panel  30 . The tab  112  has two barbs  115 ,  117  extending to a width greater than that of the handle hole  52 . 
     To lock the layers of the handle together, the panels are brought together with the holes  52  in alignment, and the tab  112  is folded over the upper edges of the panels, in the direction indicated by the arrow  114  in  FIG. 4 , and pushed through the holes  52  until the barbs  115 ,  117  are caught on the edges of the panel  46  to lock the panels together. This locking is easy to perform by hand, without any tools. 
     Other known locking structures can be used instead of those shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  4 ,  5  and  17 , if desired. 
     Alternative Bottle Neck Hole Shapes 
       FIGS. 2 and 3  are broken away views of the panels  43  and  46  with alternative hole shapes which can be used to accommodate the necks of bottles of varying sizes. 
     The embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  provides a circular hole  132  with radial perforations  134  extending outwardly from the edges of the hole. When a bottle neck of a diameter larger than the diameter of the hole  132  is thrust through the hole  132 , the perforations  134  break and enlarge the hole to accommodate the larger bottle neck. 
       FIG. 3  is an elongated opening  136  with a generally wasp-like shape. It has an enlarged upper portion  138 , a neck portion  140  and an enlarged lower portion  142 . The elongated hole extends past the fold line  43  and downwardly into the panel  30 . It is provided so that the panels  30  and  44  will be bendable to fit the contours of a larger bottle and give it added support. Openings of the shape shown in  FIG. 3  are illustrated in some of the embodiments set forth hereinbelow. 
       FIG. 4  shows the unfolded carrier  20 , with the alternative handle lock, in the position which the carrier takes prior to being loaded with objects to be carried. As it can be seen, the outside walls  30  and  36  with the extensions  44  and  46  and  48  and  50  make the panels extend well above the upper edge of the vertical support panel structure  22 . 
     It should be understood that the dimensions of the various panels  44 ,  46  and  30  can be varied in order to accommodate different products to be carried. For example, the panels  44  and  48  are horizontal as shown in  FIG. 1 , and yet they need not be. Instead, they can be positioned at an angle as desired and needed. Also, holes of other shapes can be used to accommodate the bottle necks. The holes can be oval, rectilinear, or of any shape desired and suited to the purpose. 
     FURTHER ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 6 ,  7  and  8  show the carrier of  FIG. 1  in use as a six-pack carrier for beverage cans  142  and  144 . The panels  44  and  48 , in this case, have no holes in them so that they completely cover the tops of the cans in the carrier. 
     As it is shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , dividers  146  and  148  are provided to divide the carrier into different compartments in which the cans are located. In the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 6-8 , there are four such compartments and a beverage can is located in each, as it is shown in  FIG. 8 , in which cans  150  and  152  are shown in addition to the cans  142  and  144 . Of course, the carrier can be made to carry  6 ,  12  or other numbers of cans, as needed. 
     The carrier  160  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10  is especially desirable for packaging tall bottles such as wine bottles with long necks. 
     As it is shown in  FIG. 10 , the opening accommodating each of the bottle necks is of the type shown in  FIG. 3  with an enlarged upper portion  138  and a lower portion  142 . This is beneficial in gripping the bottle better and, also, in showing at least a portion of a label  163  of the bottle. 
     The carrier  164  shown in  FIG. 11  is essentially the same as the carrier  160  shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , except that it is adapted to hold six tall wine bottles instead of only two. 
     Two dividers  166  are provided in each of the receptacles to provide six compartments, one for each of the wine bottles  162 . 
       FIGS. 12 and 13  show another carrier  168  made in accordance with the invention. The carrier  168  is used to hold six small, short bottles of beer, sometimes called “nips”. The carrier includes outside walls  174  and  176 , end walls  170  and  172 , horizontal cover portions  184  and  182 , and vertical handle portions  186  and  188 . Rear end walls are not visible in  FIG. 12 . 
     The vertical panels forming the two receptacles of the carrier are joined together as indicated at  180 . 
     Locking structures  190  and  192  are provided in order to lock the various portions of the handle structure together after the bottles have been placed in the carrier. 
     As with the embodiments shown in  FIGS. 9-11 , the elongated hole structures shown in  FIG. 3  are used. This allows the panels  182  and  184  to be drawn tightly towards the center of the structure so that the edges of the carrier tend to be rounded and the bottles are held tightly. 
     If desired, the panels  186  and  188  can be glued together during the packaging process rather than using the tabs  190  and  192 . 
     Slot groups  194  and  196  are provided to aid in holding the receptacles open until loaded with bottles during the bottling procedure, as described above with respect to  FIGS. 1 and 4 . 
       FIG. 13  is an end view showing the carrier  168  as it looks immediately prior to loading the bottles into the receptacles. 
     All of the embodiments in  FIGS. 6 through 13  have in common the feature that the vertical panel structure  22  or  180 , etc., does not extend upwardly to be joined with the upper portions of the outside panels  30 ,  36 ,  174  and  176  to form a compound handle. This is because those carriers are designed to hold bottles or cans which are to be primarily prepackaged and delivered as six-packs, two-packs, four-packs, twelve-packs, etc., to grocery stores, alcoholic beverage stores, convenience stores, etc., for retail sale. 
     The compartments for the beverage containers are dimensioned so as to be only slightly larger than the containers they receive, so that the package can be made as tight as possible and so as to minimize the usage of materials. Moreover, the tight structure allows the further minimization of materials by shortening the central vertical panel structure and using only the upper extensions of the outside walls as handles. 
     It should be understood, of course, that the vertical central panel structure can be extended upwardly to join with the upper portions of the outside wall panels to give added strength, where needed. 
       FIG. 14  is a blank used to make a carrier which is almost the same as the carrier  168  shown in  FIG. 12  except that it has six circular holes  198 ,  200  instead of the elongated holes shown in the  FIG. 12  structure. 
     As with the  FIG. 5  blank, the blank shown in  FIG. 14  is designed for use with an in-line gluer. 
     The wall panels  170 ,  172 ,  174  and  176  are shown, as well as rear end panels  175  and  177  which are not visible in  FIG. 12 . 
     Vertical support panels  202  and  204  are shown, with flanges  206  and  208  extending from the left and right edges of the blank, as shown. 
     Four dividers  210 ,  212 ,  214  and  216  are shown. Each has a tab  211 ,  213 ,  217  or  219 , respectively, which is glued to the opposing outside wall  174  or  176  in order to form the dividers, as described in greater detail in several of the above-identified patent applications. 
     Wide flanges  220  and  226  extend, respectively, from the lower edges of panels  202  and  204 . Each wide flange has two tabs  222  or  228  which mate with slots  224  or  230  when the carrier is unfolded, so as to hold the flanges in place. 
     Side tabs  232  and  234  extend from the flanges  220  and  226 . These cooperate with the locking slots  194 ,  196  to hold the receptacles open while they are being loaded with products. Narrower flanges  238  and  244  extend downwardly from the panels  174  and  176 . Triangular panels of the type described above and shown in  FIG. 5  are provided at  236 ,  240 ,  242  and  246 . They function the same as those shown in the  FIG. 5  structure to form automatically unfolding bottom structures when the carrier is unfolded. 
     The locking tabs  190  and  192  shown in  FIG. 12  are shown in greater detail in  FIG. 14 . Each is a projection with two barbs extending outwardly at the sides. Each tab  190 ,  192  extends from the end of the panel  186 . 
     Slots  191  and  193  are provided in the upper edge of the panel  188  in a position to receive the tabs  190 ,  192 . When the panels  186  and  188  are brought together in order to fasten them to one another, tabs  190  and  192  are bent over and they are inserted through the slots  191  and  193  until the barbs catch. Thus, the tabs  190  operate to secure the two panels  186  and  188  together. Lock structures like the structures  55 ,  57  in  FIG. 1  can be used instead, if desired. 
       FIGS. 15 and 16  show a further embodiment of the invention in which the carrier  220  has a flat top and a central slot  228  ( FIG. 16 ) in the flat top to be used as a handle instead of an upstanding handle such as in the embodiments shown in the previous figures of the drawings. Again, stubby bottles of beer  224  are shown packaged in the carrier  220 . The portions  182 ,  186 ,  184  and  188  are folded over to embrace the bottle tops, as in the  FIGS. 12 and 13  embodiment, but, the upper portions  186  and  188  are not bent upwardly. Instead, they are overlapped and glued together along a seam  226  (see  FIG. 16 ). This seam is formed after the bottles  224  have been loaded into the carrier. The panels  186  and  188  are pulled tightly towards one another and overlapped and glued together. 
     As it is shown in  FIG. 16 , the structure is used to form a twelve-pack. It also can be used to make a six-pack or a twenty-four-pack carrier, as needed and desired. 
     It should be understood that, in the blanks shown in  FIGS. 5 and 14 , areas to be glued are marked “GLUE” or “G”, and fold lines are marked “FOLD”. 
     Single-Bottom Carrier 
       FIG. 18  is a perspective view of a single-bottom carrier using the principles of the present invention. 
     The carrier  300  uses a single receptacle  302  of the same type as the two receptacles  24 ,  25  used in  FIG. 1  and in other embodiments of the invention described above. 
     The carrier includes four side walls  304 ,  306 ,  308 , and  310 , side walls  310  and  306  being called “end walls”, and side walls  304  and  308  being called “lateral side walls”. In the particular embodiment shown in  FIG. 18 , the lateral walls are substantially longer in the horizontal direction. However, the relative lengths of those walls can be different, depending on the requirements of the carrying task at hand. 
     Each of the lateral walls has an upper edge  318  or  320 , and each of the end walls has an upper edge  314  or  316 . The lateral walls are substantially taller than the end walls. This gives substantial material above the edges  314  and  316  in order to form a cover and handle structure for the carrier. 
     The receptacle  302  has a bottom wall structure  312  which is the same as the bottom wall structures for the receptacles shown in the embodiments described above. 
     Each of the lateral side walls has, near its upper edge  318  or  320 , a handle hole  324  or  322 . Those handle holes have the same size and elongated oval shape. 
     Extending from the upper edge  320  of the lateral wall  308  is a projection or flap  326  with barbs  328  and  330  on opposite sides. The projection  326  is dimensioned so as to be capable of being wrapped around the upper edge  318  of the opposite lateral wall and forced through the openings  322  and  324  to lock the upper areas of the lateral side walls together and form a unified hand hole structure for carrying the carrier. In this respect, this embodiment is similar to the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4  and described above. 
     Alternatively, other latching mechanisms such as those shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  7 ,  12 , etc., can be used instead. 
     A divider structure  332  is provided. It is formed by material cut out from one side wall  304 . This leaves an opening  336 . The divider is secured between the two lateral side walls  304  and  308  with the use of a tab  334  at one end which is glued to the inside surface of the lateral side wall  308 . 
     The four walls of the carrier are secured together by means of a flange  348  which is glued to the inner surface of the far edge of the end wall  306 . 
     Each lateral side wall  304  and  308  has a horizontal fold line  362  or  364 , which is optional, to facilitate bending of the top portions of the lateral side walls to form a cover over the carrier. 
       FIG. 20  is an end elevation view of the carrier  300  of  FIG. 18  with a container  366  inside. Although the container can be any of a plurality of different types of containers, the container  366  shown is a cylindrical beverage can of a size predetermined to fit snugly into the carrier. 
     The carrier  300  is closed by bending the upper portions of the lateral side walls  304  and  308 , wrapping the projection  326  around the upper edge of the side wall  304 , and inserting the projection  326  through the openings  322  and  324  where the barbs  328  and  330  catch on the edges of the hand hole  324  and secure the two lateral side walls together at their top edges. A hand hole remains for a person to insert his or her fingers, as indicated at  324  in  FIG. 23 . 
     The bottom wall structure  312  of the carrier is shown in substantial detail in  FIGS. 19 ,  21 , and  22 , as well as  FIG. 18 . 
     The bottom structure  312  is made up of four flanges which extend from the lower edges of the four side walls of the carrier. 
     Referring particularly to  FIG. 22 , a long but relatively narrow flange  360  is secured along a fold line  361  to the bottom edge of the lateral panel  304 . 
     Another relatively long flange  338  is secured to the bottom edge of the panel  308  along a fold lie  63 . The panel  338  is relatively wider than the flange  360  and, in fact, spans entirely across the width of the bottom structure  312 . It locks into the opposite lateral side wall  304  by means of two tabs  342  and  340  which fit into slots  344  and  346 . 
     The flange  338  also has a tab  376  extending from one side edge. This tab fits into one of the slots  368 ,  370 , and  372  in the end wall  306  (see  FIG. 18  as well as  FIG. 22 ) as the flange  338  is rotating downwardly during unfolding of the carrier. This feature, which has been described in greater detail in the above-identified co-pending patent applications, assists in holding the flange  338  in an intermediate position before it is fully open so as to prevent the carrier from relapsing into its folded position due to the resilience of the cardboard used in making the carrier. 
     The bottom structure also includes a flange  354  secured along the bottom edge of end wall  310  along a fold line  365 , and another flange  349  secured along fold line  367  to the bottom edge of end wall  306 . A tab  358  is secured to the flap  354  along a diagonal fold line  356 , and a flap  350  is secured to the flange  349  along a diagonal fold line  352 . 
     The side walls are secured together along vertical fold lines  373 ,  375 , and  379 , and the tab  348  is secured to the left edge of panel  304  along a fold line  381 . 
     As is shown most clearly in  FIG. 21 , the tab  358  is glued to the long flange  360 , and the tab  350  is glued to the wide flange  338 . 
       FIG. 21  shows the bottom structure  312  partially unfolded. As the opposite edges are pressed towards one another, as indicated by arrows  369  and  371 , the connection of the flanges  338  and  360  with the end flanges automatically opens the bottom structure to a horizontal position as shown in  FIG. 18 . During the movement, the right edge of the flange  338  bends as shown at  378  in  FIG. 21 , but eventually straightens out and the tab  376  slips into one of the slots  368  or  370  and props the carrier open. Thus, the carrier can stand on a horizontal surface alone, and both hands of a worker can be used to fill the carrier. 
     Alternatively, in a bottling or packaging line in a beverage plant, the machinery need not hold the carrier open while the machinery automatically inserts containers into the carrier. 
     The bottom structure  312  is notable for its strength. This is due to a number of factors, including the overlay of flanges, one on top of the other in various portions of the bottom wall, thus providing multi-ply strength. 
     Particularly notable is the fact that the top flange  338  extends all the way across the bottom and thus provides extraordinary support not provided by other similar bottom structures. The flange  338  does double duty by serving as a propping member to prop the carrier open while it is being filled. 
     In addition, with the tabs  340  and  342  fitting into slots in the opposing lateral side wall, the broad flange  338  serves the additional function of locking the bottom panels together. This happens either when a worker or a machine presses downwardly on the panel  338 , or simply when objects to be carried in the container are loaded into it and their weight rests upon the flange  338 . The flange  338  further is locked in position when the tab  376  fits into the slot  372 . 
     As it is shown in  FIGS. 20 and 23 , the upper portions of the lateral side walls  304  and  308  come together and are secured to one another or held together by inserting the hand through both hand holes simultaneously, thereby providing a cover over the contents being carried in the carrier. Moreover, the carrier  300  is simple and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. 
     The carrier  300  is very well suited to uses in carrying many objects. However, it is especially advantageous in carrying beverage containers and food items. The carrier, like the carriers provided above, provides a cover so that a variety of food items can be carried in open containers without danger of contamination by falling objects. 
     Open containers of coffee, tea, or other beverages, soup, sandwiches, etc., can be carried with protection form the cover. 
       FIG. 23  shows the use of an insert  374  having downwardly-extending legs resting on the bottom of the carrier. The insert has holes  380  in its top to receive ice cream cones or cups. Even very tall cones containing soft ice cream will fit into the carrier. The cover even matches the shape of the tops of such cones. 
     The above description of the invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes or modifications in the embodiments described may occur to those skilled in the art. These can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.