Article Carrier and Blank Therefor

This invention relates to article carriers of the basket style and is concerned particularly with the provision of structure which is mechanically strong, economical and durable.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,073 issued Mar. 11, 1969 discloses a basket style article carrier which includes a medial strut to which cross partition elements are foldably joined. In this patent, the partition structure is folded downwardly about the upper edge of the medial strut to which the cross partition elements are foldably joined. This patent is devoted to special handle structure and is primarily concerned with affording protection for packaged articles which extends a substantial distance from the bottom parts of the packaged items to the top portions thereof. This patent is not concerned primarily with providing reinforcing medial structure whereby a basket carrier is rendered mechanically strong and substantially rigid from one end to the other particularly along its medial elements.

Also of interest are the following patents:

U.S. Pat. No. 2,687,232

U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,572

U.S. Pat. No. 2,905,359

U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,608

U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,292

U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,058

U.S. Pat. No. 4,311,269

U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,554

843,718 British

74 11 248.4 German filed 3/30/75

According to this invention in one form, a carrier of the basket style is provided and includes a special blank having bottom and side walls together with end wall panels and medial panel structure arranged in substantially conventional fashion together with cross partition structure on each side of the medial panels. To the lower edge of one medial panel a longitudinal reinforcing beam panel is foldably joined and secured at one end thereof to said one medial panel and at the other end to riser panels which form inward extensions of the end panels at the opposite end of the carrier.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank formed according to this invention as viewed from the inside of the blank; FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 following a first folding operation whereby a longitudinal reinforcing beam panel is folded downwardly from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that indicated in FIG. 2; FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 depict sequential folding operations and FIG. 6 shows a completed carrier in collapsed condition while FIG. 7 shows the completed carrier in set up condition ready for loading and FIG. 8 shows several carrier blanks formed according to this invention and arranged in nested relation with each other whereby substantial economy in the use of paperboard are effected according to one feature of this invention.

In the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the bottom wall of the carrier. A medial fold line 2 is formed in bottom wall 1. The bottom wall is foldably joined along fold line 3 to the bottom edge of side wall 4. End panels 5 and 6 are foldably joined respectively to the end edges of side wall 4 along fold lines 7 and 8. A riser panel 9 is foldably joined to end panel 6 along fold line 10. Medial panel 11 is foldably joined to end panel 5 along a fold line 12. A hand gripping aperture 13 is formed in medial panel 11. Handle panel 14 is foldably joined to medial panel 11 along fold line 12 and is provided with hand gripping aperture 15 to an edge of which a hand cushioning flap 16 is foldably joined. A cross partition strap 16 is foldably joined to medial panel 11 along a fold line 17 and is foldably joined to anchoring flap 18 along a fold line 19. A transverse strap 20 is foldably joined to anchoring panel 18 along fold line 21 and to medial panel 11 along fold line 22.

On the other side of the carrier, a medial panel 23 is foldably joined to medial panel 11 along an interrupted fold line 24 and is provided with a hand gripping aperture 25. An anchoring flap 26 is foldably joined to cross partition strap 27 along fold line 28 and cross partition strap 29 is foldably joined to anchoring panel 26 along a fold line 30 and cross partition strap 27 is foldably joined to medial panel 23 along fold line 31.

A longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 is foldably joined to medial panel 23 along fold line 35. End panel 36 is foldably joined to medial panel 23 along fold line 37 which is aligned with fold line 12. End panel 36 is foldably joined to side wall 38 along a fold line 39. Glue flap 40 is foldably joined to side wall 38 along fold line 41 and end panel 42 is foldably joined to side wall 38 along a fold line 43. Riser panel 44 is foldably joined to end panel 42 along a fold line 45 and riser panels 44 and 9 are foldably joined to each other along short fold line 46. Handle panel 47 is foldably joined to medial panel 23 along fold line 37 and is also foldably joined to handle panel 14 along medial fold line 48. Hand gripping aperture 49 and associated hand cushioning panel 50 are of conventional construction.

The blank of FIG. 1 is manipulated initially by simply folding the longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 downwardly and underneath the cross partition structure comprising anchoring flap 26 and straps 29 and 27. The blank then appears as shown in FIG. 2.

An application of glue is then made to the blank as shown in FIG. 2 and as represented by stippling in that figure. Thereafter medial panels 11 and 23 together with anchoring panels 18 and 29 and their associated cross partition straps along with longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 are elevated and folded toward the right along fold lines 12 and 37. This operation causes the anchoring flaps 18 and 26 to become adhered respectively to side walls 4 and 38 and also causes the medial panels 11 and 23 to become adhered to the handle panels 14 and 47. The blank then appears as shown in FIG. 3.

An application of glue is then made to the riser panels 9 and 44 and to the right hand end of longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 3. Thereafter end panels 6 and 42 are elevated and folded to the left along fold lines 8 and 43 and into the positions indicated in FIG. 4. This operation causes the riser panels 44 and 9 to become adhered to the medial panels 23 and 11 and also causes the riser panel 44 to become adhered to the right hand end of longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 and the blank then appears as shown in FIG. 4.

An application of glue is then made to the riser panels 44 and 9, to the medial panels 11 and 23 and to the left hand end of longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 all as indicated by stippling in FIG. 4. Thereafter side wall 38, end panels 36, 42 and glue flap 40 as well as medial panel 23 and longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 are elevated and folded forwardly along the fold lines 24, 46 and 48 forwardly and into the position represented in FIG. 5. This operation causes the riser panels 44 and 9 to become adhered to each other and causes the medial panels 11 and 23 to become adhered to each other and also causes the left hand end of longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 to become adhered to medial panel 11. Thus the longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 is adhered at one end to medial panel 11 and at the other end to riser panel 44 so as to constitute a mechanically strong and rigid beam disposed medially of the carrier underneath the handle. Upon completion of these folding operations, the carrier then appears as shown in FIG. 5.

An application of glue is then made to the edge of bottom wall 1 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 5. The bottom wall 1 is then folded along its medial fold line 2 so as to cause the stippled edge of bottom wall 1 to become adhered to the glue flap 40 and the carrier then appears in collapsed condition, as shown in FIG. 6 and when set up appears as shown in FIG. 7.

One feature of this invention centers around the fact that the carrier blank is well adapted to nesting with adjacent identical carrier blanks cut from a single piece or strip of paperboard material. In this connection, FIG. 8 shows three identical carrier blanks formed according to this invention and designated by the letters A, B and C whereby blank B is disposed in a position which is rotated clockwise 180 degrees with respect to blank A whereas blank C is disposed in the same orientation as blank B but is offset to one side thereof. As a result, bottom walls 1 of blanks A and B extend into the recesses provided in the medial panels 11 of blanks B and A, respectively, while the longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 of blank B is positioned adjacent and engages bottom wall 1 of blank C. The recess provided in the medial panel 11 of each blank is dimensioned and sized so that it corresponds substantially to the width of the bottom wall 1 whereby the exposed end edge of bottom walls 1 of blanks A and B are aligned substantially with the free end edges of the cross partition structures. Also, the exposed end edge of the longitudinal reinforcing beam panel 34 of blank B coincides with the exposed end edge of bottom wall 1 of blank C. The three blank arrangement as shown in FIG. 8 as a whole is also adapted to nest with a like three-blank arrangement in side-by-side relationship. To this end, the notches 44a and 9a of blank A can receive the projecting portions of anchoring flaps 26 and 18 of an adjacent blank A. In like fashion, the notches 9a and 44a of blanks B and C are adapted to receive the projecting portions of anchoring flaps 18 and 26 of adjacent blanks B and C. By this means, substantial economy of material is achieved in accordance with a feature of this invention.