The invention relates to a carrier for bottles with necks which are provided with a ring, comprising a lower supporting panel with apertures for the bottle necks, which apertures are larger than the ring and are arranged in one or more rows, and an opposite, upper, parallel carrying panel which over each of the supporting panel's apertures has cut-outs which form two mutually opposite, resiliently yielding flaps which seek to the plane of the carrying panel, and which, when the supporting panel's apertures are passed over the outside of the bottle necks, are forced upwards, slide over the ring and remain in abutment against the underside of the ring.

The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a carrier.

Carriers of this kind are used especially for mineral water and beer bottles, where the carriers are made of cardboard sheets. An example is a so-called "six-pack", where 6 beer bottles are connected by means of the carrier to form a handy sales unit. Here the rings in the bottle necks are formed from the bottom of the bottle caps. The carriers may also be used for PET bottles, and in this case the rings are formed from flanges or collars on the bottle necks.

US patent no. 2 397 716 describes a carrier for bottles with an extended portion on the bottle neck, comprising a lower supporting panel with apertures which are larger than the bottle necks'extension and which are arranged in two rows, and an opposite, upper, parallel carrying panel which over each of the supporting panel's apertures by means of cut-outs in the carrying plate has two mutually opposite, resiliently yielding flaps which normally lie in the plane of the supporting panel, and which, when the supporting panel's apertures are passed over the outside of the bottle necks, are forced upwards, slide over the extended portions and remain in abutment against the underside of the extended portions. The flaps have opposite cut- outs, which, when the flaps are located in the plane of the carrying panel, form apertures which are approximately the same size as the bottle neck immediately below the extended portion, with the result that, after they have been passed over the ring, the flaps can be moved towards the plane of the carrying panel, where they hold the bottle neck. The carrying panel has a

longitudinal slit, and panel portions which constitute extensions of the supporting panel can be passed through this slit to form a carrying handle.

US patent no. 3 073 644 describes a carrier of a similar type, but where instead of two flaps for each aperture in the supporting panel the carrying panel has a flap on only one side. These one-sided flaps are common to three apertures in a row in the supporting panel. Here the carrying handle is composed of extensions of the carrying panel.

US patent no. 5 590 776 describes a carrier which comprises an upper carrying panel with apertures for bottle necks, an underlying supporting panel with corresponding apertures and star-shaped cut-outs which form flaps in the supporting panel. When the carrier is passed over the outside of the bottle necks the flaps remain standing slantingly upwards, in towards the bottom of the bottle cap.

Carriers are also known which are folded into a channel or box shape.

Carriers of the above-mentioned type are manufactured from sheets of cardboard in cardboard factories, and then transported to a bottling plant for mineral water or beer. For reasons of rational transport the carriers are transported as flat packages.

The carriers which are described in US 2 397 716 and US 3 073 644, and carriers in the form of a channel or a box, have a complicated shape and require to be folded before being applied to the bottles. US 5 590 776 describes a carrier with a slightly simpler construction, but this carrier too requires to be folded before being applied to the bottles. Rational production requires mechanical application of the carriers, and the packing machines which perform the application of the carriers must therefore fold them first, thus making the procedure more complicated and expensive. Different types of bottles require different carriers, with the result that when changing over from packing of one bottle type to another, the packing machine has to be readjusted, which adds to the expense.

Another problem with known carriers is that the bottles sometimes come loose during transport. A further problem is that the bottles are difficult to remove from the carrier, and it is often necessary to tear the carrier to pieces.

Both of these problems irritate the consumers.

The object of the invention is to provide a carrier for bottles with a ring, which carrier should not be encumbered by the above-mentioned disadvantages. A further object is that the carrier should be able to be transported as a flat package from the producer of the carrier to a bottling plant, where it should be a simple matter to apply it to bottles at high speed.

It is a further object that the carrier should be high strength, thus enabling it to carry many bottles, and that it should be capable of being manufactured with low material consumption. A further object is that by means of the invention it should be possible to design the carrier in many ways, with the possibility of placing the bottles in a greater number of configurations than by means of the known carriers.

A further object is to provide a carrier where the bottles can be removed more quickly than is the case with the known carriers. It is a further object that the carrier according to the invention should be easy to use by the consumers in the shops, thus enabling the consumers to fill the carrier with the bottles they wish to buy. A further object is that the carrier should be able to be used several times, for example for delivering returnable bottles to the shops.

A further object is to propose a rational method of manufacture of such a carrier.

The objects are achieved according to the invention with a carrier of the type mentioned in the introduction and a method for manufacturing the carrier which are characterized by the features which are indicated in the claims.

The invention therefore relates to a carrier for bottles with necks which are provided with a ring, comprising a lower supporting panel with apertures for the bottle necks, which apertures are larger than the ring and are arranged in one or more rows, and an opposite, upper, parallel carrying panel which above each of the supporting panel's apertures has cut-outs which form two mutually opposite, resiliently yielding flaps which normally lie in the plane of the carrying panel, and which, when the supporting panel's apertures are passed over the outside of the bottle necks, are forced upwards, slide over the ring and remain in abutment against the underside of the ring. For each row of the supporting panel's apertures the cut-outs in the carrying panel comprise a cut line which extends over at least two apertures in the direction

of the row of the supporting panel's apertures, forming an interface between two opposite flaps which are common to at least two apertures.

In a preferred embodiment the flaps have cut-outs which are located immediately above the supporting panel's apertures, and which, when the flaps are located in the plane of the carrying panel, form apertures which are smaller than the ring. The supporting panel's apertures are preferably approximately the same size as the bottle necks immediately below the ring, with the result that, after they have been passed over the ring, the flaps can be moved to the plane of the carrying panel, where they hold the bottle necks.

Further preferred embodiments will be illustrated in the detailed part of the description.

Ring should be understood to refer to any kind of protrusion, including flange, collar, brim, edge, ring, projection and thickening which protrudes from the bottle neck. Thus the term ring covers collars on PET bottles, and the bottom of bottle caps and screw caps.

The carrier will typically be made of cardboard, since it is inexpensive and easy to process.

In addition to having apertures for bottle necks according to the invention, with cut lines which extend over at least two apertures, forming an interface between two opposite flaps which are common to at least two apertures, the carrier may also have apertures for bottle necks according to the prior art.

The invention will now be explained in more detail in association with a description of a specific embodiment, and with reference to the drawings, in which: figs. la-e are a top view, cross sectional views and a side view of a carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top view of a second carrier according to the invention.

Figs. 3a and b are a top view and a cross sectional view of yet another carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 4 is a top view of still another carrier according to the invention.

Figs. 5a and b are a top view and an end view of a further carrier according to the invention.

Figs. 6a and b are a top view and an end view of a further carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 7 is a top view of yet another carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 8 is a top view of yet another carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 9 illustrates a stamped-out blank for use in the manufacture of a carrier according to the invention.

Fig. 1 a is a top view of a carrier according to the invention. The carrier is for PET bottles with a neck which is provided with a ring in the form of a collar.

Fig. lb is a cross sectional view of the carrier in fig. la, taken along the cut line Ib-Ib in fig. la. Fig. Ic illustrates the same cross section as fig. lb, the carrier being in the process of being passed downwards and over the outside of the bottles, and fig. I d illustrates the same cross section after the bottles have been secured in the carrier.

The carrier comprises an upper carrying panel 6 and a lower parallel supporting panel 4. The supporting panel 4 has apertures 5 for the bottle necks, and these apertures are larger than the bottles'rings, thus enabling the ring to be passed through the supporting panel, as illustrated in fig. I c. The bottles are indicated by 1, the necks by 2, the rings by 3 and screw caps by 25.

In the invention the supporting panel's apertures 5 are arranged in one or more rows. The carrying panel 6 is provided with cut-outs, which according to the invention for each row of the supporting panel's apertures 5 comprise a cut line 7 which in the direction of the row of apertures extends over at least two apertures 5, forming an interface between two opposite flaps 11 which are common to at least two apertures 5.

Fig. la shows that the illustrated carrier has two cut lines 7, each of which extends over a row of apertures 5. It can be seen that each row of apertures comprises three apertures, and that the cut-outs 7 extend all the way to the carrier's end edges 26.

In the illustrated embodiment the carrying panel 6 is made of cardboard, which is a resilient, foldable material. Fig. la shows that the carrying panel has fold lines 15 which are located on the sides of the rows of apertures 5 and are parallel to the cut lines 7. Due to the cardboard's resilience the fold lines 15 form resilient, yielding hinges for the flaps 11, with the result that two mutually opposite, resiliently yielding flaps 11 are thereby formed for each row of the supporting panel's apertures 5.

The flaps'11 resilient compliance permits them to be forced away from the plane of the carrying panel 6 in the direction away from the supporting panel 4, and to seek to return to the plane of the carrying panel when the pressure ceases. This is illustrated in fig. lb, where the flaps are located in the plane of the carrying panel, and fig. I c, where the supporting panel's apertures 5 are in the process of being passed downwards over the outside of the bottle necks 2, and the flaps 11 are forced upwards, away from the plane of the carrying panel 6. In fig. ld the carrier is passed further down the bottles 1, and the flaps 11 have slid over the rings 3. As the flaps seek to return to the plane of the carrying panel, they remain standing slantingly in towards the bottle necks 2. It can be seen that the flaps 11 can only be folded upwards, since portions of the supporting panel 4 which are located between the apertures 5 prevents folding downwards. After the flaps 11 have been passed over the rings 3 the carrier is passed slightly upwards, and consequently the flaps remain in abutment against the underside of the rings. When the carrier is lifted, the weight of the bottles forces the rings 3 against the flaps 11, thereby achieving a relatively secure engagement of the bottles in the carrier.

For lifting and transporting the carrier it includes two finger holes 19, which are adapted to be held by two fingers of one hand.

Fig. le illustrates the carrier after the bottles have been secured in the carrier, viewed in the direction Ie in fig. 1 a. It can be seen that the flap 11 is common to all the apertures in the row in the supporting panel, so that all the bottles in a row are kept in position by the same two flaps.

With the carrier in figs. la-e bottles can be lifted and transported with far less risk of individual bottles working loose than with the carriers mentioned in the introduction. Furthermore, the bottles are easy to remove from the carrier, since by pushing the carrier slightly downwards and lifting the flaps the consumer can remove all the bottles in a row simultaneously. The bottles

can thereby also be removed more quickly than in the known carriers. The carrier is also easy to fill with bottles, and an appropriate application would therefore be to place empty carriers beside the bottles in the shops, and allow the consumers themselves to fill the carrier with the bottles they wish to buy.

By giving a rebate on the purchase of the number of bottles which can be filled in the carrier, this will be a sales-promoting measure.

The carrier according to the invention retains its shape and functionality even after being used several times, and the carrier can thereby be used several times, for example for delivering returnable bottles to the shops, whereupon the same carrier can be used for the purchase of new bottles.

Fig. 2 is a top view of a second carrier according to the invention. In addition to the carrying panel 6 the carrier comprises an underlying supporting panel 4 with rows of apertures 5 for the bottle necks under the flaps 11. The carrier in fig. 2 differs from the carrier in figs. la-e in that the flaps 11 immediately above the supporting panel's apertures 5 have opposite cut-outs 12 which, when the flaps 11 are located in the plane of the carrying panel 6, i. e. as illustrated in fig. 2, form apertures 13 which are smaller than the bottles' rings 3.

It can also be seen that the carrier in fig. 2, unlike the carrier in fig. la, has bevelled corners 22.

When in use the carrier in fig. 2 will be employed in the same way as the carrier in figs. la-e. The flaps'cut-outs 12, however, will cause the flaps 11 to partially enclose the bottle necks 2, and when the bottles are secured in the carrier the flaps will therefore be slightly closer to one another than is shown in fig. Id. Compared to the carrier in figs. la-d the advantage is achieved that the bottles are slightly more tightly secured in the direction of the row of apertures.

Fig. 3a is a top view of yet another carrier according to the invention. In addition to the carrying panel 6 the carrier comprises an underlying supporting panel 4 with rows of apertures 5 for the bottle necks under the flaps 11. The carrier in fig. 3a differs from the carrier in fig. 2 in that when the flaps 11 are located in the plane of the carrying panel 6, the cut-outs 12 form apertures 13 which are of approximately the same size as the bottle

necks 2 immediately below the ring 3. It can also be seen that the carrier in fig. 3a has no finger holes.

Fig. 3b illustrates a cross section taken along the cut line IIIb-IIIb in fig. 3a, showing the carrier after the flaps 11 have been passed over the rings 3, and the bottles secured in the carrier. It can be seen that the flaps 11 have been returned to the plane of the carrying panel 6, where they hold the bottle necks 2.

Fig. 4 illustrates a carrier without cut-outs or apertures in the carrying panel 6. In addition to the carrying panel 6, the carrier comprises an underlying supporting panel 4 with rows of apertures 5 for the bottle necks. It can be seen that the cut lines 7 and the fold lines 15 are terminated at a distance from the end edges 26 and connected with transverse cut lines 8. The carrying panel 6 is composed of a continuous sheet, and in extension of the flaps 11, between the transverse cut lines 8 and the end edges 26, supporting portions 14 are thereby produced which form a part of the rest of the carrying panel 6 and support it when under strain from the bottles.

Fig. 5a illustrates a carrier which, like the carrier in fig. 4, has supporting portions 14 in extension of the flaps 11. An underlying supporting panel 4 with rows of apertures 5 for the bottle necks is located under the carrying panel 6. As in the above-described carriers, the carrying panel 6 has fold lines 15 on the sides of the rows of apertures 5 which face in towards the middle of the carrying panel. The fold lines on the sides of the rows of apertures 5 which face the carrier's lateral edges 21, however, are designed in a different way.

In the embodiment illustrated in fig. 5a the supporting panel 4 has fold lines 17 which are parallel to the cut lines 7 and are located between a row of apertures 5 and a lateral edge 21 of the carrier. In this embodiment the supporting panel also consists of a resilient, foldable material, such as cardboard, and the fold lines 17 thereby form resilient, yielding hinges for flaps 1 la which are located between the rows of apertures 5 and the carrier's lateral edges 21. Portions 27 of the carrying panel which are located between the fold lines 17 and the carrier's lateral edges 21 are folded downwards when the flaps 1 la are folded upwards. The carrying panel 6 has fold lines 16 parallel to the parts of the supporting panel's fold lines 17 which are located

between the transverse cut lines 8 and the end edges 26, which fold lines 16 define the supporting portions 14.

This embodiment of the invention is more clearly illustrated in fig. 5b, which shows the carrier in fig. 5a with the flaps folded upwards, viewed from the side in the direction Vb in fig. 5a. The flaps 11 and the fold lines 15 are the same as for the previously mentioned embodiments. It can be seen how the supporting panel 4 is folded in the folds 17, and the carrying panel 6 is folded in the folds 16. It can also be seen how the flaps 1 la stick up in extension of the carrying panel's portions 27.

Fig. 6a illustrates a carrier for two bottles without finger holes. An underlying supporting panel 4 with one row with two apertures 5 for the bottle necks is located under the carrying panel 6. The supporting panel 4 has fold lines 17 which are parallel to the cut lines 7 and located between the row of apertures 5 and the carrier's lateral edges 21. As in the embodiment in figs.

5a-b the supporting panel here also consists of a resilient, foldable material, such as cardboard, and the fold lines 17 thereby form resilient, yielding hinges for flaps 1 la which are located between the rows of apertures 5 and the carrier's lateral edges 21. Portions 27 of the carrying panel which are located between the fold lines 17 and the carrier's lateral edges 21 are folded downwards when the flaps 11 a are folded upwards.

Fig. 6b illustrates the carrier in fig. 6a with the flaps 11 a folded upwards, viewed from the side in the direction VIb in fig. 6a. It can be seen how the supporting panel 4 is folded in the fold 17, so that the flaps 1 la are pointing slantingly upwards. In this embodiment of the carrier, as opposed to the embodiment illustrated in figs. 5a-b, the carrying panel 6 has no supporting portions in extension of the flaps, and fig. 6b therefore illustrates the flaps 1 la in direct extension of the carrying panel's portions 27.

Fig. 7 is a top view of a carrier comprising a symmetry line 18. The carrier also comprises an underlying, non-illustrated supporting panel with apertures for the bottle necks. An aperture 13a for a bottle neck 2 is located in the symmetry line 18, in the middle of the carrier. This is a type of aperture which is known in the prior art, of the type where there are separate flaps for each aperture. Three rows, each with two apertures 13, are placed at regular intervals along the outer edges of the carrier. A finger hole 19 for carrying

the carrier is located on each side of the symmetry line 18. In addition, a finger hole 19 is located in the symmetry line 18. It can be seen that some of the fold lines 15 cross the circumference of the finger holes 19.

Fig. 8 illustrates a carrier which is identical to the carrier in fig. 7 with regard to external shape and the number and location of the apertures 13. However, the design of the flaps 11, i. e. how the rows of apertures are located, is different. The carrier in fig. 8 also comprises a symmetry line 18. A row with two apertures 13 for bottle necks is located on each side of the symmetry line 18. In addition, a row with three apertures 13 is located in the symmetry line 18. A finger hole 19 is located on each side of the symmetry line.

In order to avoid overloading figs. 7 and 8 with broken lines, the hidden apertures in the supporting panel are not illustrated. It should be noted, however, that the inventive concept is associated with the rows of apertures in the supporting panel, and that the carrying panel could have been designed without apertures.

The embodiments in figs. 7 and 8 are examples of advantageous embodiments of the bottle carrier which could not have been implemented by means of the carriers which are described in the initially mentioned publications US 2 397 716 and US 3 073 644, since these have a carrying handle which prevents apertures for bottles being placed along a symmetry line. The possibility of placing bottles in a central symmetry line permits the carrier for carrying bottles to be designed in three parallel rows, which would not have been possible with the carriers which are described in the said publications. By means of the invention, therefore, it is possible to design the carrier in several ways, with the possibility of placing the bottles in a greater number of configurations than in the known carriers. This means that with the invention it is possible to design the carrier for carrying more bottles, which is a sales promotion measure, and a major advantage of the invention.

In the illustrated embodiments of the invention, both the carrying panel and the supporting panel are composed of continuous sheets, thus giving the carrier great strength and rigidity. This is another difference compared to US 2 397 716 and US 3 073 644, and this difference enables the carrier according to the invention to be designed to carry more and heavier bottles but otherwise with similar dimensions. It has been found that the carriers

according to the invention provide a more rigid and secure engagement of the bottles than known bottle carriers consisting of cardboard sheets with similar dimensions.

It can further be seen that a relatively small amount of cardboard is employed in the carrier according to the invention and consequently the carrier can be manufactured with a low material consumption. The carrying panel and the supporting panel may be stapled or glued together or connected in another fashion.

The carriers according to the invention can be transported as flat packages from the producer, usually a cardboard factory, to a bottling plant. Here the carriers can be applied to the bottles without any prior folding. This permits the use of simple and inexpensive machines for applying the carriers, and the carriers can be applied to the bottles at high speed.

The invention also relates to a method for manufacture of the carrier according to the invention. In this method blanks of foldable sheet material, usually cardboard, and a stamping machine are employed. In addition a folding machine is employed. These machines preferably form part of an automated production line.

Fig. 9 illustrates a stamped-out blank for use in manufacturing the carrier in fig. 8 according to the invention. In the method for manufacture of the carrier according to the invention, the foldable sheet is placed in the stamping machine, and edge lines for the carrying panel 6 and the supporting panel 4, apertures 5, possibly apertures 13 and 19 and cut-out 7, and possibly 8, for flaps 11 are stamped out of the same blank in such a manner that the carrying panel 6 and the supporting panel 4 are connected along a common fold line 20, and that the carrying panel's 6 and the supporting panel's 4 external contours are inverted about the same fold line 20, as illustrated in fig. 9. The foldable sheet is then folded about the fold line 20 so that the carrying panel's flaps 11 and the supporting panel's apertures 5 correspond. The carrying panel 6 and the supporting panel 4 are then glued together at least in an edge portion 24 which is located opposite the fold line 20, and which is illustrated by cross-hatching.

It is preferred that the carrying panel 6 should be glued to the supporting panel 4 along all external portions 23, illustrated by hatching in fig. 9, and

further preferred that the carrying panel 6 should be glued to the supporting panel in those portions which are not composed of flaps 11.

It will be possible to vary the method according to the invention in different ways, depending on which machines are available for stamping out the blanks and folding and gluing the carriers. An example of such a variation is that several carriers can be produced in connected sheets where each carrier is separated from the other carriers by dotted, weakened lines which can be broken or torn apart by the consumers in the shops.