Keel and lock for wraparound article carrier

Claim 1

In an article carrier of the wraparound type formed from a blank of generally rectangular configuration and having lap panels at its ends which are overlapped and secured together in flat face contacting relation to form a tubular structure, an improved keel comprising a separating tab struck from the inner one of said lap panels to define an aperture therein and folded inwardly along a medial fold line into a position of substantially normal relation with said inner lap panel, a shouldered locking tab formed on the outer one of said lap panels and foldably joined thereto along a transverse fold line and disposed in substantially normal relation thereto and protruding through said aperture defined in said inner lap panel by said separating tab and in flat face contacting relation with said separating tab to form a two ply keel between adjacent articles in different rows, a retaining tab struck from the inner one of said lap panels to define a locking aperture therein and foldably joined to said inner lap panel along a fold line offset from and generally parallel with the fold line of said separating tab, and a punch lock having a base portion and a pair of shoulders and being struck from the outer one of said lap panels and protruding through said locking aperture with its base portion in engagement with the edge of said locking aperture remote from the fold line of said retaining tab and with its shoulders adjacent the inner surface of said lap panel, the end edge of said retaining tab being in engagement with said punch lock so as to hold said punch lock in propped angular relation to said lap panels.