Abstract:
A carrier blank ( 40 ) for making a basket-style carrier ( 10 ) for containing and carrying a plurality of articles, with the carrier blank ( 40 ) including an elongate central section ( 41 ) and first and second exterior sections ( 42, 43 ) formed alongside the elongate central section. The elongate central section has formed therein side panels ( 21, 22 ) and end panels ( 18, 19 ). The first exterior section has formed therein a plurality of handle panels ( 26 ) and partitions ( 38, 39 ). The second exterior section has formed therein first and second bottom panels ( 31, 32 ). The bottom panels ( 31, 32 ) are sized, shaped, and spaced to be nestably received in spaces adjacent bottom panels of an adjacent carrier blank. With the exception of the bottom panels (which can be nestably received with adjacent bottom panels of an adjacent carrier blank), the remainder of the carrier blank comprises a substantially rectangular shape to minimize waste.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to a basket-style carrier for carrying articles, such as beverage bottles. In particular, the invention relates to a compact carrier blank for making such a carrier. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     One of the types of carriers commonly employed to package beverage bottles is the so called “basket-style” carrier. These carriers typically include a number of partitions for defining separate cells for the bottles and a handle for carrying. They are easily lifted and carried, most have good strength, and the cell partitions tend to protect the bottles against contact with one another. If the bottles are not of the disposable type, they can be returned in the original carrier for recycling since the carrier is not destroyed by removal of the bottles therefrom. 
     In order to strengthen the handle of the basket-style carrier, it is common in the industry to make the handle of multiple plies or panels. This is the preferred way of strengthening a handle. It is known in the art that one can strengthen a carrier handle by increasing the paperboard thickness (caliber). However, this has the disadvantage of driving up the cost of the carrier, inasmuch as one of the predominate costs in malking a carrier is the cost of the paperboard itself. 
     In the making of basket-style carriers, it is common that the blank used to assemble the carrier has an irregular shape, such as having a large protuberance extending off to one side. Indeed, some carrier blanks for making basket-style carriers are generally L-shaped. Furthermore, some carrier blanks include large open spaces. An example of such is shown in international published patent application WO 98/28200 for an ARTICLE CARRIER AND BLANK THEREFOR, published Jul. 2, 1998. As can be seen in FIG. 1 of WO 98/28200, a large unused region is present in one corner of the blank. This leads to substantial inefficiency and unnecessarily high costs in the manufacture of such a blank and a basket-style carrier assembled therefrom. 
     Accordingly, it can be seen that a need yet remains for a carrier blank for a basket-style carrier which minimizes the amount of paperboard necessary to make such a blank, and therefore keeps manufacturing costs thereof to a minimum. It is to the provision of such a carrier blank that the present invention is primarily directed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly described, in a first preferred form the present invention comprises a compact carrier blank for forming a basket-style carrier for containing and carrying a plurality of articles. The carrier blank includes an elongate central section having an axis of elongation and having formed therein side panels and end panels. The carrier blank also includes a first exterior section formed alongside the elongate central section and having formed therein a plurality of handle panels. The carrier blank also includes a second exterior section formed alongside the elongate central section opposite the first exterior section. The first and second exterior sections flank the elongate central section, with the second exterior section having first and second bottom panels formed therein. 
     Preferably, the first and second bottom panels are sized, shaped, and spaced from one another to create open spaces adjacent the first and second bottom panels to allow bottom panels of an adjacent carrier blank to be nestably received therein. Preferably, the bottom panels are tapered to facilitate the nesting. 
     Also preferably, the plurality of handle panels are hingedly attached to one another about an axis which is transverse to the axis of elongation. In other words, the handle panels fold one against another lengthwise in the direction of the elongation of the carrier blank. 
     Preferably, the first exterior section also includes a divider flap formed therein for dividing an interior of the basket-style carrier when assembled from the carrier blank. Also preferably, one of the handle panels is formed in a full-height divider panel which spans the elongate central section and the first exterior section. Preferably, the full-height divider panel includes a partition for, when the carrier blank is assembled into a finished carrier, extending from the full-height divider panel to one of the side panels. 
     Preferably, the carrier blank has a peripheral edge along the first exterior section which is substantially straight and has a peripheral edge along the second exterior section which is substantially shaped like a series of teeth. Preferably, the carrier blank, with the exception of the bottom panels, has a substantially rectangular overall shape, thereby maximizing the utilization of the paperboard and minimizing waste. 
     Carrier blanks according to the present invention are very advantageous. Firstly, such carrier blanks are more economical. Carrier blanks made in accordance with the invention have been found to use between about 2% and 15% (or more) less paperboard than prior designs. This allows carrier blanks to be made at a lower cost and is a better, more efficient use of limited natural resources. Such carrier blanks are also compatible with older style in-line gluing machinery without modifying the machinery. 
     Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a carrier blank for making a basket-style carrier, which carrier blank is more economical to manufacture. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier blank for making a basket-style carrier, which carrier blank makes more efficient use of paperboard. 
     It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier blank which can be used to make a basket-style carrier, which carrier blank can be used with existing in-line gluing machinery. 
     These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective illustration of a basket-style carrier made in accordance with the principles of the present invention and using a carrier blank according to the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a plan view of a carrier blank for making the basket-style carrier of FIG.  1 . 
     FIG. 3 is an plan view of the carrier blank of FIG. 2 after two initial folding steps. 
     FIG. 4 is a plan view of the carrier blank of FIG. 3 after another folding step. 
     FIG. 5 is a plan view of the carrier blank of FIG. 4 after another folding step. 
     FIG. 6 is a plan view of the carrier blank of FIG. 5 after another folding step. 
     FIG. 7 is a plan view of a “two-up” layout showing the meshing of two carrier blanks of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 8 is a plan view of a carrier blank according to a modified form of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring now in detail to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals depict like parts throughout the several views, FIG. 1 shows a basketstyle carrier  10  made from a compact carrier blank  40  as shown in FIG.  2 . 
     The basket-style carrier  10  according to the invention is configured for carrying six containers, such as beverage bottles or cans. The carrier  10  includes six one-container cells for each holding one container. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the carrier can be configured to hold more or fewer containers. 
     As depicted in FIG. 1, the basket-style carrier  10  includes first and second end panels  18  and  19  positioned opposite each other. First and second side panels  21  and  22  are opposite each other and are connected to and extend between the end panels  18  and  19 . Preferably, the height of the side panels and the end panels is less than the height of the beverage bottles or beverage containers contained therein so that when the carriers are filled and stacked, the weight of the stack above a particular carrier is borne by the bottles or cans, rather than by the end panels and side panels of the carrier. This prevents the end panels and side panels from being crushed when the carriers are filled and stacked. 
     The basket-style carrier  10  also includes a central upstanding handle  26  to allow the carrier  10  to be grasped and carried. The central upstanding handle  26  is of three-ply construction and is connected to the first end panel  18  and the second end panel  19 . The central upstanding handle  26  includes finger openings or grip openings  33   a ,  33   b  to allow the fingers of the user of the carrier  10  to be inserted therethrough for grasping and carrying the basket-style carrier  10 . Those skilled in the art will recognize that while two handle openings are depicted, one or more than two handle openings could be provided, as desired. 
     Still referring to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the central upstanding handle  26  extends the entire length of the basket-style carrier  10  to separate a first triplet of bottles or cans on one side of the handle  26  from a second triplet on the other side. Furthermore, partition straps  36  and  37  extend between the central handle  26  and the side panel  21 . Likewise, partition straps  38  and  39  extend between the central handle  26  and the side panel  22 . The partition straps  36 - 39  divide the carrier  10  into six cells and help to keep the bottles or cans separated from one another to minimize undesirable contact from bottles in other cells. Moreover, some of the weight (load) of the bottles or cans is transferred from the side panels  21  and  22  to the central handle  26  through the partition straps. Bottle-to-bottle contact is substantially eliminated. 
     Advantageously, the handle portion  26  includes a lower portion or skirt  29  which extends below the remainder of the central upstanding handle  26 . The downwardly descending skirt  29  also helps to minimize or prevent bottle-to-bottle contact. 
     The carrier  10  also includes two bottom panels, in particular a bottom panel  31  and a bottom panel  32 . The bottom panel  31  is connected to side panel  21 , while bottom panel  32  is connected to side panel  22 . The bottom panel  31  includes tab openings for receiving locking tabs, as will be described below. If the carrier is to be filled from the bottom, the bottom panels  31  and  32  are glued to each other after filling (or simply are mechanically locked to each other using the tab openings and the locking tabs). Conversely, if the carrier  10  is to be filled from the top, then the bottom panels are secured to one another prior to filling the carrier. 
     Having now described the general construction of the basket-style carrier  10 , attention is directed to FIGS. 2-6 which depict the manufacturing of the carrier  10  from the novel compact carrier blank  40 . FIG. 2 shows a carrier blank  40  from which the carrier  10  is fabricated. The carrier blank  40  is precision cut and scored to allow the blank to be folded, glued and ultimately assembled into the finished carrier as depicted in FIG.  1 . The blank  40  is formed from paperboard of the type and caliber conventionally used in the carrier industry. The carrier blank  40  depicted in FIG. 2 is shown with some glue or adhesive placed thereon preparatory to an initial folding step. 
     As best seen in FIG. 2, the carrier blank  40  can be seen to include three elongate sections. Namely, these are the central elongate section  41 , the first elongate section or strip  42 , and the second elongate section or strip  43 . The first outer or exterior section or strip  42  can be seen to include first ply  26   a  of the handle assembly, second ply  26   b , third ply  26   c , and a divider flap indicated generally at  34 . The divider flap  34  includes partition  38  and partition  39 . 
     The central section  41  includes lower skirt  29  formed in a full height divider panel  28 , half panel  19   a  (which forms part of end panel  19  of FIG.  1 ), side panel  22 , end panel  18 , side panel  21 , and half panel  19   b  (which along with half panel  19   a  forms the end panel  19 ). It should be noted that half panel  19   b  comprises more than one half of the end panel  19  so that when the half panels  19   a  and  19   b  are brought together, there is some overlap so that they can be secured to one another. The central section  41  also includes partitions  36  and  37 . The central section also includes a glue flap indicated generally at  46 , which, when the carrier blank is assembled into a finished carrier, is glued to end panel  18  to secure the full height divider  28  in place. The central section  41 , as well as the exterior sections  42  and  43 , are elongate generally in the direction extending from lower skirt  29  to half panel  19   b , as can be readily determined from the drawing figures. 
     The second exterior section  43  includes bottom panels  32  and  31  which include locking tabs and tab openings. For example, bottom panel  32  includes locking tabs  51  and  52  for engaging and cooperating with tab openings  53  and  54 . The bottom panels  32  and  31  are tapered to facilitate the nesting thereof with adjacent bottom panels of another carrier blank in a “two-up” layout. This is best seen in FIG. 7 in which one can see that the bottom panels  31  and  32  are nestably received with adjacent bottom panels  32  and  31  of an adjacent carrier blank  40  to minimize waste. Referring again to FIG. 2, it is pointed out that bottom panel  31  extends across the full width (at least at one edge thereof) of side panel  21 , while bottom panel  32  nearly extends the full width of side panel  22 . If the bottom panels are to be made rectangular, instead of being tapered as shown, the length of the bottom panels could be made to be shorter than the length of the side panels  21  to provide enough room between the bottom panels to facilitate nesting with an adjacent carrier blank in a “two-up” layout. However, the tapered, substantially full-width bottom panels as depicted in FIG. 2 are preferred because they provide maximum strength for the bottom while still allowing nesting with an adjacent carrier blank. 
     FIG. 2 shows the carrier blank  40  prior to any folding steps. As shown in FIG. 2, glue is applied to second ply  26   b  of the handle assembly. Also, glue is applied in spots on side panel  21  for securing the divider flap  34  in certain select locations. FIG. 3 shows the carrier blank  40  after a pair of initial folding steps. 
     In FIG. 3, the carrier blank of FIG. 2 has been folded about pre-scored foldlines A and B to fold the third handle ply  26   c  on top of second handle ply  26   b  and to glue it thereto. Also, the divider flap  34  has been folded about pre-scored foldlines B and parts thereof are thereby glued to side panel  21 . Glue is then applied to side panel  22  and to the third ply  26   c  of the handle assembly preparatory to folding the full-height divider panel  28  about foldline C (see FIG.  3 ). Full-height divider panel  28  is folded about foldline C to secure the first handle ply  26   a  to the third handle ply  26   c  and to the second handle ply  26   b . Also, the partitions  36  and  37  are secured in places to the side panel  22 . In this way, the configuration of FIG. 4 is achieved. Glue is then applied to some parts of glue flap  46  in the right side (that portion to the right of foldline D) and the carrier blank is folded about foldline D to fold it on top of the left side (that portion to the left of foldine D). In other words, end panel  18 , side panel  21 , and half panel  19   b  are folded about foldline D. Glue is then applied to the edge of half panel  19   a  (that edge along foldline C) and half panel  19   b  is folded about foldline E to achieve the folded up, glued configuration of FIG.  6 . In this configuration, the carrier blank is ready to be erected, the bottom locked and/or glued, and filled with bottles. 
     The carrier blank just described and the carrier assembled therefrom is of the so called “four crease” type. That is to say that the end panels  18  and  19  (see FIG.  1  and FIG. 6) do not have creases in them. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention can also be applied to so called “six crease” type basket-style carriers. Such a “six crease” type basket-style carrier blank is shown in FIG.  8 . In FIG. 8, the carrier blank  140  is made in accordance with the general principles of the invention just described in connection with the four crease basket-style carrier. Note that to assemble a pre-assembled carrier blank from the carrier blank  140  of FIG. 8, the carrier blank is folded according to the folding step sequence A-E. In this way, a handle ply is  141  folded about foldline A on top of a second handle ply  142 . Then a half panel  143 , a side panel  144 , and a glue flap  145  are folded about foldline B. Next, a divider flap  146  is folded about foldline C. Then, half panel  147  and glue flap  148  are folded about foldline D, and then the resulting configuration is folded again at foldline E. 
     While the invention has been disclosed in preferred forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions, and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.