Merchandising package forming member

Claim 1

A PACKAGE FORMING MEMBER FOR ATTACHMENT TO PLURALITY OF ITEMS OF MERCHANDISE INCLUDING CANS, BOTTLES AND THE LIKE HAVING A PERIPHERAL PROJECTION AT ONE END THEREOF TO FORM A READILY HANDLEABLE MERCHANDISING PACKAGE, SAID PACKAGE FORMING MEMBER BEING FORMED FROM A SINGLE SHEET OF MATERIAL AND BEING TUBULAR FOR READY APPLICATION TO A PLURALITY OF ITEMS OF MERCHANDISE, SAID PACKAGE FORMING MEMBER COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED RELATIVELY WIDE PLANAR WALLS CONNECTED TOGETHER BY A PAIR OF CONNECTING WALLS, ONE OF SAID WIDE WALLS BEING FREE OF FOLD LINES AND DEFINING A BASE, SAID BASE AND SAID CONNECTING WALLS DEFINING AN OUTER TROUGH, THE OTHER OF SAID WIDE WALLS BEING LONGITUDINALLY DIVIDED INTO A WIDE CENTRAL FLOOR PORTION FREE OF FOLD LINES AND OUTER SIDE WALL PORTIONS INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO SAID CONNECTING WALLS FOR FOLDING TO FORM AN INNER TROUGH DISPOSED IN NESTED RELATION TO SAID OUTER TROUGH WHEN SAID OTHER WIDE WALL IS ENGAGED WITH ENDS OF ITEMS OF MERCHANDISE TO BE PACKAGED, SPACED ELONGATED C-SHAPED CUTS IN SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS WITH THE ENDS OF EACH CUT TERMINATING AT THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN A RESPECTIVE SIDE WALL PORTION AND SAID FLOOR PORTION TO DEFINE ELONGATED STRAIGHT NOTCHES IN SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS FOR RECEIVING TRANSVERSELY SPACED PERIPHERAL PROJECTION PORTIONS OF ENDS OF ITEMS OF MERCHANDISE AND COPLANAR EXTENSIONS ON SAID FLOOR PORTION WHEN SAID INNER TROUGH IS FORMED, SAID BASE HAVING ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID CONNECTING WALLS AND THE OTHER LONGITUDINAL EDGE HAVING CONNECTING TONGUES PROJECTING THEREFROM, A FLAP CONNECTED TO THE OTHER OF SAID CONNECTING WALLS AND UNDERLYING SAID BASE ADJACENT SAID OTHER LONGITUDINAL EDGE, AND SLITS ALONG THE LINE OF INTERSECTION BETWEEN SAID OTHER CONNECTING WALL AND SAID FLAP RECEIVING SAID CONNECTING TONGUES.