Article carrier

Claim 1

A PAPERBOARD CARRIER FOR BOTTLES OR SIMILAR ARTICLES, SAID CARRIER COMPRISING A BOTTOM WALL, OPPOSED SIDE WALLS JOINED TO SAID BOTTOM WALL ALONG OPPOSITE SIDE EDGES THEREOF, END WALL PANELS JOINED AT THE ENDS OF SAID SIDE WALLS AND EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY INWARD THEREFROM, RISER PANELS JOINED AT THE INWARDLY EXTENDING EDGES OF SAID END WALL PANELS AND EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE CARRIER, SAID RISER PANELS ALSO EXTENDING ABOVE SAID END WALL PANELS AND HAVING RESPECTIVELY JOINED THERETO IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE JOINED EDGES OF SAID END WALL PANELS AT ONE END OF THE CARRIER A PAIR OF OUTER HANDLE PANELS AND AT THE OTHER END OF THE CARRIER A PAIR OF INNER HANDLE PANELS, SAID PAIR OF INNER HANDLE PANELS BEING IN FACE CONTACTING RELATION AND SAID PAIR OF OUTER HANDLE PANELS BEING DISPOSED ABOUT SAID INNER HANDLE PANELS TO FORM A COMPOSITE HANDLE FOR THE CARRIER, A PLURALITY OF PARTITION STRIPS DISPOSED IN SPACED RELATION INTERMEDIATE SAID END WALL PANELS ON EACH SIDE OF SAID HANDLE AND FOLDABLY JOINED TO SAID HANDLE AND TO SAID SIDE WALLS TO FORM A ROW OF ARTICLE RECEIVING CELLS BETWEEN SAID HANDLE AND EACH SIDE WALL, THE END CELLS IN EACH ROW BEING SMALLER THAN THE INNER CELLS AND ONE RISER PANEL AT EACH END OF THE CARRIER EXTENDING INWARDLY FROM THE END WALL PANELS A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THE ADJACENT RISER PANEL AND BEYOND THE CENTERS OF THE END CELLS TO FORM A PROTECTIVE PARTITION BETWEEN THE END ARTICLES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE HANDLE, SAID END CELLS BEING DEFORMABLE INTO GENERAL CONFORMITY WITH THE ARTICLES TO BE PLACED THEREIN, AND A CUSHIONING PARTITION STRUCTURE INTERPOSED BETWEEN ADJACENT PARTITION STRIPS ON EACH SIDE OF AND GENERALLY BELOW SAID HANDLE, THE STRUCTURE ON EACH SIDE OF SAID HANDLE HAVING A CUSHIONING PANEL IN ABUTTING FACE CONTACTING RELATION WITH A COMPLEMENTARY STRUCTURE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HANDLE, MEANS SECURING SAID CUSHIONING PANELS TO EACH OTHER, SAID CUSHIONING PANELS BEING FOLDABLY JOINED WITH A PAIR OF CUSHIONING PARTITION PANELS IN FACE CONTACTING RELATION WITH ADJACENT ONES OF SAID PARTITION STRIPS, THE FOLD LINES BETWEEN SAID ABUTTING FACE CONTACTING PANELS AND SAID PAIRS OF PANELS BEING GENERALLY COINCIDENT WITH THE ADJACENT FOLD LINES BETWEEN THE ASSOCIATED STRIPS AND HANDLE RESPECTIVELY, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID CUSHIONING PARTITION PANELS WITH THEIR ASSOCIATED PARTITION STRIPS.