Beverage bottle carrier

Claim 2

In a collapsible carrier of the type having cells for segregating bottles and similar articles from one another, the carrier having a bottom, a pair of side walls and a pair of end walls rising from the bottom, and a longitudinal partition rising from the bottom of the carrier and extending medially of the carrier between said end walls, the improvement comprising at least one pair of foldable cross straps with one strap being connected between said longitudinal partition and one side wall and the other strap being connected betweEn said longitudinal partition and the other side wall, said straps lying in a common plane and extending transversely from said longitudinal partition when the carrier is in the fully erected attitude, and at least one one-piece transverse separator defined by fold and severance lines in said longitudinal partition, said transverse separator having one section secured to one strap of said pair on one side of said longitudinal partition, and having another section which cooperates with and to swings free relative to the other strap of said pair on the other side of said longitudinal partition, the two sections of said separator lying in the plane of said longitudinal partition when the carrier is collapsed and lying in the plane of said pair of straps when the carrier is erected, and the two sections of said separator being non-foldable relative one to the other, the interconnection of said separator''s one section with said one strap causing said separator''s other section to move between the plane of said longitudinal partition and the plane of said other strap as the carrier is moved between fully collapsed and fully erected attitudes so as to subdivide the carrier into individual bottle segregating cells on opposite sides of the longitudinal partition.

Claim 3

The improvement for a collapsible carrier as set forth in claim 1 wherein said separator''s sections pivot about a fold line that is vertically oriented in said longitudinal partition relative to said bottom when the carrier is moved toward the fully erected attitude from the fully collapsed attitude.

Claim 4

The improvement for a collapsible carrier as set forth in claim 1 wherein the other section of said transverse separator includes an upper edge that angles downwardly toward its associated side wall from said longitudinal partition, said edge cooperating with the bottom portion of a bottle inserted into the erected carrier to cam that other section to a right angular position relative to said longitudinal partition if said other section has not been established in the plane of said other strap upon erection of the carrier.

Claim 5

The improvement in a collapsible carrier as set forth in claim 1 wherein said end walls comprise panels foldably joined to said side walls, said end wall panels having glue flaps foldably connected to the end wall panels adjacent the free edges thereof, and said glue flaps of the end wall panels secured to said longitudinal partition, and including a handle portion rising above and connected with said longitudinal partition, said handle portion being of at least two-ply construction and embracing the opposite sides of said longitudinal partition, and said end wall glue flaps being disposed between the handle portion''s plys and secured thereto, such allowing the carrier''s weight load to be supported by the handle portion and transmitted thereto by said end wall panels'' glue flaps so as to relieve said cross straps of the carrier''s weight load.

Claim 6

The improvement in a collapsible carrier as set forth in claim 4 in which said cross straps are defined by severance lines and fold lines formed in the plys of said handle portion and side walls.

Claim 7

The improvement in a collapsible carrier as set forth in claim 4 wherein said improvement is embodied in a sheet blank from which the carrier is adapted to be constructed.

Claim 8

A one-piece sheet blank adapted to form a collapsible carrier of the type having cells for segregating bottles and similar articles from one another, said blank comprising a bottom panel hingedly connected to the blank by fold lines, a pair of side wall panels hingedly connected to the bottom panels by fold lines, two pair of end wall panels hingedly connected to the vertical carrier corner edges of said side wall panels by fold lines, one of each pair being connected to each vertical carrier corner edge of said side wall panels, a longitudinal partition panel hingedly connected by fold lines to an edge of each of two of said end wall panels, said two longitudinal partition panels being attached to those end wall panels that are diagonally opposite one from the other on the blank, a plurality of cross straps hingedly connected at one end to said side wall panels by fold lines and adapted to be hingedly connected at the other end to said longitudinal partition panels by gluing, said straps being arranged so that when the blank is fully erected into carrier configuration said straps will be paired with one of each pair extending transversely from one side of said longitudinal partition panels and the other of each pair extending from the other side of said longitudinal partition panels in a common plane, and at least one one-piece transverse separator defined within each longitudinal partition panel, each transverse separator being delineated by lines of cutting and folding and being hingedly connected to its longitudinal partition panel by said fold lines which are formed substantially medially of the transverse separator, and each transverse separator providing a first and second section located on opposite sides of and extended transversely relative to said longitudinal partition when the blank is fully erected into carrier configuration.

Claim 9

A one-piece sheet blank adapted to form a collapsible carrier of the type having cells for segregating bottles and similar articles from one another, said blank comprising a bottom panel hingedly connected to the blank by fold lines, a pair of side wall panels hingedly connected to the bottom panels by fold lines, two pair of end wall panels hingedly connected to the vertical carrier corner edges of said side wall panels by fold lines, one of each pair being connected to each vertical carrier corner edge of said side wall panels, a longitudinal partition panel hingedly connected by fold lines to an edge of each of two of said end wall panels, said two longitudinal partition panels being attached to those end wall panels that are diagonally opposite one from the other on the blank, a plurality of cross straps hingedly connected at one end to said side wall panels by fold lines and adapted to be hingedly connected at the other end to said longitudinal partition panels by gluing, said straps being arranged so that when the blank is fully erected into carrier configuration said straps will be paired with one of each pair extending transversely from one side of said longitudinal partition panels and the other of each pair extending from the other side of said longitudinal partition panels in a common plane, and at least one one-piece transverse separator defined within each longitudinal partition panel, each transverse separator being delineated by lines of cutting and folding and being hingedly connected to its longitudinal partition panel by said fold lines which are formed substantially medially of the transverse separator, and each transverse separator providing a first and second section located on opposite sides of and extended transversely relative to said longitudinal partition when the blank is fully erected into carrier configuration.

Claim 10

A sheet blank as set forth in claim 7 in which each separator''s first section only is adapted for gluing to one cross strap of an associated pair, and each separator''s second section is interconnected only with said longitudinal partition panels and is adapted for free swinging movement about said separator''s fold line into a common plane with the other cross strap of that associated pair as the blank is erected into carrier configuration.

Claim 11

A sheet blank as set forth in claim 8 in which the second section of each transverse separator includes an inclined upper edge adapted to cooperate with the bottom portion of a bottle inserted into a fully erected carrier formed from the blank so as to force said second section to a right angular position relative to said longitudinal partition.

Claim 12

A sheet blank as set forth in claim 8 including handle panels interconnected by fold lines with said longitudinal partition panels, said handle panels being adapted to embrace said longitudinal partition panels therebetween when the blank is glued into carrier configuration.

Claim 13

A sheet blank as set forth in claim 7 including two pair of said cross straps, thereby providing three cells on each side of said longitudinal partition when the sheet blank is erected into carrier configuration.

Claim 14

A sheet blank, as set forth in claim 7, folded and glued into carrier configuration.