Bottle Carrier

Abstract

An integrally formed bottle carrier for supporting a plurality of bottles by their necks in which the bottles can be locked into and removed from a plurality of uniformly spaced split bottleneck receiving collars, each mounted within an individual frame interconnected with the other individual frames within the confines of an outer frame.

Description

This invention relates to an integrally formed bottle carrier of novel construction capable of supporting a plurality of bottles by their necks.

Bottle carriers of this type have heretofore been proposed, but they generally have been unsatisfactory either because they have been too expensive for adoption as a single use throwaway device, or because they have been incapable of supporting the bottles securely in the desired spaced-apart relationship. One such bottle carrier which has heretofore been proposed is described in the Glazer U.S. Pat. No. 3,003,805, issued Oct. 10, 1961, and discloses an integrally formed bottle carrier in which a plurality of open-ended bottleneck receiving collars are mounted to and extend laterally from a single support. That bottle carrier must be made excessively rigid to prevent the collars from sagging under the weight of the bottles and becoming accidentally released therefrom.

The bottle carrier of the present invention is of novel construction which can be made inexpensively and still provide a sufficiently rigid structure which securely supports the bottles in uniform spaced relationship.

In the novel construction of the bottle carrier of the present invention the bottles are supported by uniformly spaced split collars, each mounted within an individual frame to which the split ends as well as other portions of the collar are connected. The individual frames are all interconnected within a main frame to provide a relatively rigid structure to which the necks of the bottles can be readily locked and from which the bottles can be easily removed. When the bottles are locked to the bottle carrier they can be readily handled in a neat package without danger that the bottles will be accidentally released from the carrier.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention reference can be made to the detailed description which follows and to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the bottle carrier of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The bottle carrier construction of the present invention includes a continuous outer frame 10 subdivided into a plurality of internal frames 11 each containing a split collar 12 capable of receiving the neck of a bottle to support the bottle from the carrier. The outer frame 10 is shown as having a somewhat sinusoidal shape to conform to the configuration of the wide portions of the bottles. However, the outer frame can be rectangular or any other desired configuration.

In the six-pack embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the outer frame 10 forms a part of each of the internal frames. For example, the corner internal frames are made up of frame elements 11a and 11b extending at right angles to each other, and the remainder of the internal frame is formed by a portion of the outer frame 10. The internal frames intermediate the corners are formed by a frame element 11c connected at one end with the outer frame 10, a spaced-apart parallel frame element 11d, a frame element 11e extending at right angles to the elements 11c and 11d and connecting their inner ends, and the portion of the outer frame 10 which connects the elements 11c and 11d.

The internal frames are also connected by longitudinal connections 13 which are curved to provide finger openings 14 to facilitate handling of the bottle carrier and by transverse connections 15. If desired, the finger openings can be replaced by a handle integrally formed with the body of the carrier.

The split collars 12 are tapered conical sections, larger at the bottom than at the top to facilitate the insertion of the bottles therein from the bottom. Each collar is split to provide an enlarged opening 16, and the split ends are connected to the respective internal frame by a pair of connections 17 and 18 which taper away from each other in the direction from the split ends to the portions of the internal frame to which they are connected. The angular relationship of the connections 17 and 18 permits the split collar to be forced open to increase the size of the opening 16 while at the same time providing support for the split collar to prevent it from sagging under the weight of the bottle and offering resistance to accidental spreading of the split collar when it is supporting a bottle therein.

In the preferred embodiment of the bottle carrier the collar is also split at the opposite end to provide an opening 19 directly opposite the opening 16. This split end is connected by a yoke 20 which serves as a pivot for the two components of the collar, thereby facilitating the spreading of the opposite end of the collar for the insertion and removal of a bottleneck.

The yoke 20 and each of the collar sections are supported within the respective internal frame by a plurality of connections 21.

The bottle carrier is preferably molded in one piece of a relatively inexpensive, rigid, flexible material, such as linear or high-density polyethylene. A relatively small amount of material will produce a relatively rigid construction in which the split collars will not sag under the weight of the bottles. The bottle carrier, therefore, provides an effective, economical and neat package for bottles which can be disposed of after a single use.

The invention has been shown in a single preferred form and by way of example only and many modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention, therefore, is not to be limited to any specified form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forth in the claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. An integrally formed bottle carrier made of relatively rigid flexible material comprising a plurality of uniformly spaced split collars for receiving and supporting therein the necks of bottles, an individual frame around and spacially separated from each split collar and within which the respective split collar is mounted, means interconnecting the individual frames, means connecting each of the split ends of the collar to the individual frame to lend support to the split ends while permitting them to be freely spread apart to receive the neck of a bottle, a plurality of means connecting other portions of the collar to portions of the individual frame, and an outer frame within which confines all of the individual frames are accommodated.

2. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 1 wherein the outer frame forms at least a part of each individual frame and wherein at least one portion of each of the bottleneck receiving collars is connected directly to the outer frame.

3. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 1 in which the means connecting the split ends of each collar to the individual frame includes a pair of connections which are directed away from each other in a direction from the split ends to the portions of the individual frame to which they are connected to prevent sagging of the split ends within the individual frame and to resist separation of the split ends while at the same time permitting such separation.

4. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 1 in which each split collar tapers upwardly so that the bottom is wider than the top to facilitate entry of the bottle into the collar from the bottom of the collar.

5. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 1 including a second split in each collar forming a separation and a yoke connecting said second split with the individual frame and serving as a pivotal connection for the spreading and contraction of the collar sections.

6. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 1 including means integrally formed with the carrier to permit the carrier and the bottles locked therein to be gripped and carried.