FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a basket-style carrier for carrying articles, such as beverage bottles. More particularly, the invention relates to a basket-style carrier with structure for preventing premature removal of the bottles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One of the types of carriers commonly employed to package beverage bottles, in particular long-necked 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 separate handle. They are easily lifted and carried, have excellent strength, and the cell partitions protect the bottles against contact with one another. If the bottles are not of the disposable type, they can be returned for recycling in the original carrier since the carrier is not destroyed by removal of the bottles.

One drawback of the basket-style carriers is the ease with which individual bottles can be removed prior to sale. The carriers are normally on display in retail outlets and there is little to prevent individual bottles from being taken from a package prematurely. Thus, it would be desirable to be able to prevent this from happening without detracting from the beneficial features of basket-style carriers, including the ability to use the carrier to return empty bottles.

Another type of carrier commonly employed to package beverage bottles is the so- called "wrap-style" carrier. This type of carrier is substantially different from the basket- style carrier. For example, the wrap-style carrier creates an enclosed container for carrying the bottles (or cans), thereby preventing the bottles from being easily removed while on display at a retail site. In fact, to remove the bottles, one must ordinarily destroy the wrap- style carrier. Once the carrier has been opened and one or more of the bottles removed, the ability of the carrier to retain the other bottles is seriously compromised. Also, wrap-style carriers typically do not include internal partitions, thereby allowing unwanted bottle-to-bottle contact.

Accordingly, it can be see that a need yet remains for a carrier which avoids bottle-to- bottle contact, which prevents easy removal of bottles from the carrier prior to sale, which

has a general basket-style construction for carrying empty bottles, and which still has a good ability to retain the other remaining bottles after the removal of one or more bottles. It is to the provision of such a carrier that the present invention is primarily directed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly described, in a first preferred form the present invention comprises a pilfer- resistant basket-style carrier. The basket-style carrier includes a bottom, first and second side panels opposite each other and connected to the bottom, and first and second end panels opposite each other and connected to the first and second side panels. A removable roof is connected to and extends from the first side panel to the second side panel. The removable roof includes grip means for carrying the carrier with the removable roof still connected to the first and second side panels. A handle panel with a handle opening is positioned beneath the removable roof. The handle panel extends between and is connected to the first and second end panels. Partitions extend between the handle panel and the first and second side panels to define cells for containing articles (e.g., bottles) received therein.

Preferably, the removable roof comprises a central portion which is substantially parallel to the bottom. Also preferably, openings are formed in the side panels and/or the end panels for viewing articles contained in the carrier. Also, the finger grip means preferably comprises first and second easily severed means for creating finger holes. Preferably, at least one of the side panels or the bottom includes gripper openings for use with a gripping mechanism of an automatic high-speed machine for pulling the carrier down onto a plurality of articles moving along a high-speed line to fill the carrier with articles. Also preferably, the carrier is sized to create cells in which the articles fit tightly with a slight interference fit. In one embodiment the removable roof extends completely over the articles contained in the cells. In another embodiment, the removable roof includes neck openings through which the necks of the bottles extend partl .

This construction has numerous advantages. Firstly, the bottles are made more difficult to remove from the carrier inconspicuously prior to purchase. In fact, in order to remove the bottles, one would have to remove or destroy the removable roof. This minimizes pilfering and switching of bottles. Furthermore, after the package of products is purchased by the consumer and the removable roof is removed, a basket-style carrier

remains, with all of the attendant advantages normally found in basket carriers, such as no glass-to-glass contact, good function even after removing one or more of the products, utility for returning the empty return bottles, etc. Moreover, the slight interference fit of the bottles in the cells results in a very stable, stackable configuration. Also, the provision of the gripper openings allows the carrier to be pulled down over articles moving along a high¬ speed line in a continuous process, thereby greatly increasing the speed with which the product can be packaged.

These and other objects, features, and advantages ofthe 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 view of a pilfer-resistant basket-style carrier according to a first preferred form of the invention, shown with bottles contained therein. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blank for fabricating the carrier of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the carrier blank of Fig. 2 after an initial folding step.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the carrier blank of Fig. 2 after a second folding step.

Fig. 5 is a is a plan view of the carrier blank of Fig. 2 after a third folding step.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the carrier of Fig. 1, with bottles being inserted therein.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a pilfer-resistant basket-style carrier according to a second preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a blank for fabricating the carrier of Fig. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts throughout the several views, Fig. 1 shows a basket-style carrier 10 according to a first preferred form of the invention. The basket-style carrier 10 depicted in Fig. 1 is adapted for carrying six bottles, such as bottles 11-16. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the basket-style carrier can be configured for carrying fewer or greater numbers of bottles as desired.

The basket-style carrier 10 generally includes side panels, end panels, a central

handle, a removable roof, and a bottom. For example, in Fig. 1 one of the end panels 18 can be seen, with the other end panel being opposite to end panel 18, and being visible in subsequent figures. Likewise, the basket-style carrier 10 includes first and second side panels opposite each other, such as side panel 21 seen in Fig. 1. The side panels extend between and are connected to the end panels. For example, side panel 21 is connected to the first and second end panels at foldlines 23 and 24, respectively. The side panels and the end panels include cutouts, such as cutouts 26, 27, and 28 for viewing the bottles contained within the carrier. As can be seen in Fig. 1, these cutouts carry over or wrap around from the side panels to adjacent end panels. Each of the end panels, such as end panel 18, comprises half-panels adhered to one another, such as half-panels 18a and 18b.

A central upstanding handle 31 extends between the triplet of bottles 11-13 and the other triplet of bottles 14-16. The central handle extends completely from the first end panel 18 to the second end panel 19 (not shown in Fig. 1). Moreover, the central upstanding handle extends upwardly from the carrier bottom (unshown in Fig. 1) and is secured thereto by adhesive. The central upstanding handle 31 includes first and second handle openings, such as handle opening 32 (see Fig. 7). Those skilled in the art will recognize that while two handle openings are described, only one handle opening could be provided or more than two handle openings could be provided, as desired.

The basket-style carrier 10 also includes partitions which extend from the central handle 31 to the first and second side panels and which define six cells for receiving bottles. The partitions cannot be seen in Fig. 1, but will be described in connection with subsequent figures.

The basket-style carrier 10 also includes a removable roof indicated generally at 40.

The removable roof is generally of a two-ply construction and includes an upper central panel 41 extending over the bottles, but receiving the necks of the bottles therethrough. For example, as depicted in Fig. 1, the necks and closures ofthe bottles extend through the upper central panel 41 of the removable roof 40. The upper central panel 41 is substantially parallel to the bottom of the basket-style carrier 10. The upper central panel 41 includes grip means for allowing someone to grip or grasp the carrier to pick it up and carry it. In the illustrative embodiment shown and described, the grip means comprises two finger grip holes formed by scoring the upper central panel 41 to provide easily severable means for creating the finger grip holes. Such is depicted as finger grip openings or holes 42 and 43.

The removable roof 40 also includes vertical portions 44 and 45 connected to the side panels at the top of the side panels. At the interface between the side panels and the vertical portions 44 and 45 of the removable roof, scorelines 46 and 47 are provided to allow the roof to be torn off and removed from the remainder of the basket-style carrier. Attention is now directed to Figs. 2-5 which depict the manufacturing of the carrier

10 and which will aid the reader in better understanding the details of the carrier 10. Fig.

2 shows a carrier blank 50 from which the carrier 10 is fabricated. The carrier blank 50 is precision cut and scored to allow the blank to be folded, glued, and ultimately assembled into the finished carrier as depicted in Figs. 1 and 7. The blank 50 is formed from paperboard of the type and caliber conventionally used in the carrier industry. The blank 50 depicted in Fig. 2 is shown with some glue or adhesive placed thereon preparatory to an initial folding step.

Referring specifically to Fig. 2, the carrier blank 50 includes a first handle panel or handle ply 31a and a corresponding second handle panel or handle ply 31b. The first and second handle panels 31a, 31b include partitions 51-54 (mentioned briefly earlier) which divide the carrier into six compartments or cells. The first handle panel 31a includes first and second handle openings 32a and 33a. Likewise, the second handle panel 31b includes handle openings 32b and 33b. First handle panel 31a also includes four medial bottom flaps 56-59 connected to the first handle panel 31a at a foldline E. The first handle panel 31a is connected to a first half-panel 18a along a foldline B, while second handle panel 31b is connected to a second half-panel 18b along foldline B'. Half-panels 18a and 18b form the end panel 18. The first half-panel 18a is connected to the first side panel 21 along foldline A. Likewise, half-panel 18b is connected to second side panel 22 along the same foldline A. A narrow bottom flap 61 is connected to side panel 21 along a foldline F. The narrow bottom flap 61 includes four gripper openings 62-65 positioned along foldline F. A large bottom flap 67 is connected to the second side panel 22 along a foldline G. A large bottom flap 67 includes four gripper openings 71-74 positioned along foldline G.

A half-panel 19a is connected to the first side panel 21 along a foldline C, while another half-panel 19b is connected to the second side panel 22 along a foldline C.

Collectively, the half-panels 19a and 19b make up the second end panel. The half-panels 19a and 19b each include vertical flaps 76 and 77 connected thereto along a foldline. Vertical

flap 76 also includes a small bottom flap 78.

Cutouts 26-29 are provided in the half-panels 18a, 18b, 19a, 19b and the side panels 21 and 22. As can be seen, each of the cutouts is made in both a portion of a half-panel and a portion of the adjacent side panel. The carrier blank 50 also includes a first ply or underply 81 forming part of the removable roof. The underply 81 is shown in Fig. 2 as having glue 82 applied thereto preparatory to an initial folding step. The underply 81 includes bottle openings or cutouts 83-88. The underply 81 also includes a small cutout 89 to ease folding in a subsequent operation. The underply 81 further includes a pair of shovel-shaped cutouts 91 and 92. The underply 81 is connected to an outerply 94 along foldline A. The outerply or outer panel 94 of the removable roof is connected to the side panels 21 and 22 along scorelines 46 and 47. The outer ply 94 includes four sub-panels or portions 94a-94d. Finger flaps 98 and 99 are provided along the central axis or foldline D of the outer ply 94. Six bottle openings 101-106 are formed in the outer ply 94. Having now described the various parts of the carrier blank 50, consideration is given to the manufacturing steps which turn the carrier blank into a carrier. Referring still to Fig.

2, the first step is the application of the glue or adhesive 82 to the underply 81 to result in the configuration shown in Fig. 2. Next, the underply 81 is folded about foldline A onto the outer ply 94 to achieve the general configuration shown in Fig. 3. Next, adhesive is applied in regions 51a-54a of the partitions 51-54, resulting in the exact configuration shown in Fig.

3. The first and second handle panels 31a and 31b are then folded about foldlines B, B' agauist the half-panels 18a and 18b and the side panels 21 and 22. In this way, the ends of the partitions 51-54 are adhered to the side panels 21 and 22. This results in the general configuration shown in Fig. 4. Adhesive is then applied to most of the first handle panel 31a and to part of the second handle panel 31b as depicted in Fig. 4. Next, the half-panels 19a and 19b (with their corresponding vertical flaps) are folded about foldlines C, C against the first and second handle panels 31a and 31b. In this way, the vertical flaps 76 and 77 are adhered to the first and second handle panels 31a and 31b, thereby connecting the handle panels with the half- panels 19a and 19b. This results in the general configuration shown in Fig. 5. Next, adhesive is applied to vertical flap 76 (as depicted in Fig. 5), whereby the exact configuration of Fig. 5 is achieved.

Next, a first half 108 of the carrier 50 is folded about foldline D against lower half 109 to adhere these two halves to each other to form the pre-formed carrier depicted in Fig. 6. In this way, the two handle panels 31a and 31b are adhered to each other, as well as are the vertical flaps 76 and 77. The resulting pre-formed carrier of Fig. 6 is used with high-speed, automatic machines to fill the carrier with bottles from the bottom. In particular, the high-speed machinery is provided with gripper fingers which are inserted into the gripper openings, such as gripper openings 62-65 (as seen in Figs. 6 and 7) to pull the empty carrier down onto a moving stream of bottles running in side-by-side fashion. In this way, the carrier can be filled in a very high-speed, automated fashion. Once the bottles are inserted into the carrier (or more precisely, the carrier is slipped over the moving bottles), the medial bottom flaps 56-59 are then folded one way or another, as is the small bottom flap 78. The narrow bottom flap 61 and the large bottom flap 67 are then folded about foldlines F and G and adhered to one another to finish the packaging of the bottles. This results in the carrier with bottles contained therein shown in Fig. 1.

In use, when a purchaser would purchase the carrier with bottles, he or she would insert a finger and a thumb into the openings 42 and 43 by pushing through the finger flaps 98 and 99. This men prepares me earner for carrying the package home. To remove bottles from the carrier, the removable roof 40 is torn off along scorelines 46 and 47. Bottles can then be easily removed. After removing the removable roof, the basket-style carrier still includes the central handle 31 with handle openings for carrying the carrier, such as for rettirning the empty bottles for recycling.

The reader will note that in Fig. 7 the sides and ends are shown as entirely planar or flat prior to the insertion of the bottles, with a slight interference fit. This results in the carrier being snugly fitted about the bottles, making the entire package much sturdier. This allows the package to be more stable when many of these packages are stacked on top of one another. Thus, the stack is less likely to wobble about and be tipped over. In some cases, the ends of the carrier may be beveled or rounded with a more pronounced interference fit. In this case, the bottles will cause a slight bulging in the end panels and side panels of the carrier.

Fig. 8 shows a basket-style carrier 210 according to a second preferred form of the invention. In this second form, the basket-style carrier 210 includes a removable roof 240

which extends completely over the tops of the bottles, rather than allowing the necks of the bottles to extend partially through the removable roof. Otherwise, the construction of the basket-style carrier 210 is very similar to that of the basket-style carrier 10 of the first form of the invention. Fig. 9 shows a carrier blank 250 from which the carrier 210 is fabricated. The carrier blank 250 includes a first handle panel or handle ply 231a and a corresponding second handle panel or handle ply 231b. The first and second handle panels 231a, 231b include partitions 251-254 which divide the carrier into six compartments or cells. The first handle panel 231a includes a single handle opening 232a. Likewise, the second handle panel 231b includes a handle opening 232b. First handle panel 231a also includes four medial bottom flaps 256-259 connected to the first handle panel 231a at a foldline E.

The first handle panel 231a is connected to a first half-panel 218a along a foldline B, while second handle panel 231b is connected to a second half-panel 218b along foldline B' .

Half-panels 218a and 218b form the end panel 218. The first half-panel 218a is connected to the first side panel 221 along foldline A. Likewise, half-panel 218b is connected to second side panel 222 along the same foldline A.

A narrow bottom flap 261 is connected to side panel 221 along a foldline F. The nanow bottom flap 261 includes four gripper openings 262-265 positioned along foldline F.

A large bottom flap 267 is connected to the second side panel 222 along a foldline G. The large bottom flap 267 includes four gripper openings 271-274 positioned along foldline G.

A half-panel 219a is connected to the first side panel 221 along a foldline C, while another half-panel 219b is connected to the second side panel 222 along a foldline C.

Collectively, the half-panels 219a and 219b make up the second end panel. The half-panels

219a and 219b each include vertical flaps 276 and 277 connected thereto along a foldline. Vertical flap 276 also includes a small bottom flap 278.

Cutouts 226-229 are provided in the half-panels 218a, 218b, 219a, 219b and the side panels 221 and 222. As can be seen, each of the cutouts is made in both a portion of a half- panel and a portion of the adjacent side panel. Each of the half-panels 218a, 218b, 219a, and 219b includes a radius corner 238a, 238b, 239a, and 239b to allow some portions of the bottles in the corners of the carrier 210 to be exposed for view. See Fig. 8.

The carrier blank 250 also includes a first ply or underply 281 forming part of the removable roof. The underply 281 includes a small circular cutout 289 to ease folding in

a subsequent operation. The underply 281 includes a pair of elongated cutouts 291 and 292. The underply also includes four narrow cut-outs 283-286 to ease bending or folding.

The underply 281 is connected to an outerply 294 along foldline A. The outerply or outer panel 294 of the removable roof is connected to the side panels 221 and 222 along scorelines 246 and 247. The outer ply 294 includes four sub-panels or portions 294a-294d.

Finger flaps 298 and 299 are provided along the central axis or foldline D of the outer ply

294.

The carrier blank of Fig. 9 is turned into the carrier of Fig. 8 by a similar series of gluing and folding steps as described in connection with the embodiment of Figs. 1-7. Those skilled in the art will recognize the similarities between the two carrier blanks and will be able to understand how to use the description of the first carrier blank from the first carrier to guide them in rning the second carrier blank (of Fig. 9) into the carrier of Fig. 8.

While the invention has been disclosed in preferred forms, it will be apparent to those skilled in me art that many modifications, additions, and deletions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.