US3003805A - Bottle carrier - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 10, 1961 l, Q GLAZER 3,003,805

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed July 23, 1957 I ggf# fava @Z671 3,003,805 BOTTLE CARRIER Irving D. Glazer, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Dura Pa Corporation, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 23, 1957, Ser. No. 673,698

7 Claims. (Cl. 294-871) This invention relates to bottle carriers. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a Ibottle carrier which can hold a plurality of reduced neck bottles, such as soft drink and beer bottles, and carry them by gripping means about -the neck.

An object of thisinvention is to provide a bottle carrier of novel structure for carrying a plurality of reduced neck bottles gripped about the neck. Y

Another object kof this invention is to provide a bottle carrier of novel structure which can `be made inexpensively from resilient polymeric plastic m-aterial and which utilizes a minimum of material.

A further object of this invention is to provide a bottle carrier which has novel bottle-neck receiving sockets that hold reduced neck bottles rmly and which sockets are so formed as to be significantly flexible and yieldable even when manufactured of material normally stii or rigid, such as polystyrene and materials of similar physical properties.

Still `another object is to provide a bottle carrier for reduced neck bottles which is inexpensively made and which may -be designated as non-returnable by the retailer and disposable by the consumer; in other words, it need only be used once and can then be discarded economically.

The invention will now be described in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of `a representative bottle carrier provided by this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section of FIG. l taken at the line 2 2; and

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the bottle carrier shown in FIG. l.

In each of the views comprising the drawings the same number will designate the same element or part.

The bottle carrier of FIGS. 1 through 3 has a body 10 of substantially rectangular shape comprising a thin at plate 11 reinforced, generally only on the bottom, by marginal depending anges 12 and criss-crossing ribs 13. The marginal flanges may be about 0.25" deep Whereas the ribs need only be about 0.08" deep. With a heavy plate 11 the ribs are not always required. A convenient plate thickness is about 0.0 while the flanges and libs may be about 0.06.

Handle receiving holes 14 are provided in the plate 11 in spaced apart position for receiving the T-shaped yokes 15 at the ends of handle 16. Ribs 17 are provided about the margin of the holes on the bottom side of the plate 11 to reinforce the holes. The handle may be made of any suitable material such -as metal but advisably of a polymeric substance such as polyethylene.

Integrally communicating with the body are one or more vertical sockets displaced about the periphery thereof and extending horizontally therefrom adapted to receive the neck of bottles having reduced neck portions or other objects which have similar cylindrical forms which can be gripped 'by the sockets. The sockets have an outer vertical collar 19 and an inner vertical co1- lar 20 in spaced apart relationship. The collars are generally annularly shaped and concentrically arranged. Outer collar 19 is integrally molded to the body and merges in anges 12. The collars may be about 0.06" thick.

The inner collar 20 of substantially cylindrical shape ICC is generally made considerably longer axially than the "outer collar 119 to provide a greater bottle-neck gripping area.

The inner collar 20 and outer collar 19 are held in -substantially fixed relationship to each other by spacing web 21, which continues down the outside of inner col- Y 'lar'20 vfor reinforcement thereof, and end portions 22 which join the inner and outer collars at .their ends .to -form an outwardly diverging -mouth between two opposing jaw Aportions comprising partof the socket. The

vrmouth so formed is generally that determined by describwhich provide positive bottle-neck gripping areas even thoughvvariations in bottle-necks are present.

The bottom of the innercollar `is advisably flared outwardly 24 to facilitate loading the carrier with bottles by forcing the socket over the top of capped or uncapped bottles and down tothe neck portion thereof. Furthermore, the inner collar 20 of the socket is generally tapered to a slightly smaller diameter at the top than at the bottom to conform more closely with the contour of most `bottle necks.

The actual size of the sockets will be governed by the size of bottle-neck to be gripped therein. However, in any event, the socket is made slightly smaller than the bottle-neck so that the neck Iwill be gripped irmly and 4hold the bottle securely.

The described bottle carrier structure is particularly adapted for manufacture from polymeric substances which normally are substantially rigid and possess low, but some, flexibility, such as polystyrene, methyl methacrylate and the like. The socket structure of spaced apart thin collars permits suticient ilexibility to receive the bottles and permit their removal and, also, eiects high gripping power on the bottle neck to hold it securely during carrying `and handling. For the required ilexibility a major portion of the collars should be left unconnected by webs or flanges to each other and advisably no more than 15% of the collar lengths should be so connected. Horizontal webbing connecting the collars should ordinarily not be included. Removal of the bottles is preferably effected by pivotal or swinging movement of the bottle relative to the socket to spread the jaws outwardly. The bottles may be inserted in the socket in the same way if desired.

Although the drawings show the socket upper surfaces flush with -body plate 11 this is not essential for the sockets may be raised or lowered considerably if desired. Likewise inner collar 20 may be raised or lowered with respect to outer collar 19 so long as the outer collar oontinues to surround at least part of the inner collar.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A substantially rigid molded carrier of resilient nonmet'allic material for bottles having reduced neck portions comprising a horizontal body portion and a plurality of Ibottle-neck receiving vertical sockets extending horizontally outwardly from the periphery of the body portion, said sockets comprising a vertical inner collar and a vertical outer enveloping collar radially spaced from a common axis, the outer collar having a greater diameter than the inner collar, said collars terminating in jaw like portions forming a mouth having a width less than the hole in the socket formed by the inner collar, and end portions connecting the outer and inner collars at the end of the jaws, the outer and inner collars being separated from each other except at their ends.

2. The bottle carrier according to claim 1 in which the body portion comprises a thin horizontal plate reinforced with projecting flanges normal to the plate.

3. A bottle carrier according to claim 1 in which a handle is attached to the top of the body portion between its ends.

4. A substantially rigid molded carrier of resilient non-metallic for bottles having reduced neck portions comprising a horizontal ybody portion anda plurality of bottleneck receiving vertical sockets at the periphery of the body portion extending horizontally therefrom, said sockets comprising a vertical inner collar and a vertical outer enveloping collar radially spaced from a common axis, the outer collar having a greater diameter than the inner collar, said collars terminating in jaw like portions forming a mouth having a width Iless than the hole in the socket formed by the inner collar, end portions connecting the outer and inner collars at the end ofthe jaws, and a vertical web connecting the inner and outer collars for reinforcing the same, said outer collar joining and merging with the body portion, the major portion of the collars ,being left unjoined from each other.

5. A bottle carrier according to claim 4 in which the inner collar has a plurality of spaced apart vertical beads projecting into the bottleneck receiving socket.

6. A bottle carrier according to claim 4 having the inner collar substantially longer vertically than the outer collar.

7. A bottle carrier according to claim 6 in which the inner collar has an outwardly ared portion at the bottorn and in which the remainder of the collar tapers to a greater width at the bottom than at the top.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,301,594 Voigtritter Nov. 10, 1942 2,404,625 Druhot July 23, 1946 2,415,218 Rhodes et al. Feb. 4, 1947 2,637,475 Gialanella May 5, 1953 2,865,669 Linthicum Dec. 23, 1958 2,871,055 Glazer Ian. 27, 1959

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