US20130313296A1

US20130313296A1 - Article carrier

Info

Publication number: US20130313296A1
Application number: US13/680,148
Authority: US
Inventors: Noel Stewart
Original assignee: Coca Cola Co
Current assignee: Coca Cola Co
Priority date: 2011-11-22
Filing date: 2012-11-19
Publication date: 2013-11-28

Abstract

An article carrier may include a handle, a collapsible article holder with a pop-down base, and one or more support columns vertically connecting the handle to the base of the collapsible article holder. The collapsible article holder may have a number of openings for accepting articles. Material cut from the carrier to form the openings may form the support columns. Moreover, tabs that are connected to the material from the openings may also be cut from the carrier so as to provide a surface for gluing or otherwise affixing the support columns to the base. For openings on the extreme ends of the article holder, material cut from the carrier to form the openings may be folded towards the ends of the article holder so as to form end flaps. The end flaps facilitate preventing accidental reading of UPC barcodes or other indicia on the articles carried in the article holder.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a non-provisional application claiming priority to provisional application Ser. No. 61/562,513, filed on Nov. 22, 2011. Provisional application Ser. No. 61/562,513 is incorporated herein by reference in full.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a collapsible article carrier. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a collapsible article carrier formed of a single sheet of paperboard with a pop-down base and a support column between the handle and the base.

BACKGROUND

To aid with the transport of multiple small articles, various types of carriers have been proposed. Some carriers may be folded into a flat or collapsed form so as to aid in shipping or transport of the carriers. The carriers may later be manipulated so as to establish a constituted three dimensional form ready for acceptance of articles such as beverage containers, food items, or the like. For some carriers, in the process of manipulating the collapsed carrier so as to carry articles, one or more portions of the folded carrier may cooperatively interfere with one another so as to form a base on which the articles may be placed.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present application provides an article carrier. The article carrier may include a handle and a collapsible article holder. The collapsible article holder may include a base, a surface, and a support column. The surface may include a defined area that is adapted to form an opening to support an article when the collapsible article holder is set up. The support column connects the handle to the base, wherein the support column is formed from material that is removable from the surface.
The present application further provides that the support column further may include a tab, wherein the tab is affixed to the base.
The present application further provides that the tab is integrally formed as part of the support column.
The present application further provides that the base may include a first surface and a second surface foldable with respect to one another along a central fold line such that exterior surfaces of the first and second surfaces touch each other when the collapsible article holder is collapsed.
The present application further provides an end flap formed from material that is removable from a second defined area, wherein the end flap is attached to the surface and rotatable towards the end of the collapsible article holder.
The present application provides a method of making an article carrier, including the steps of cutting a perforation in a single sheet of material for each of a number of pairs of openings, each pair of openings being equidistant from a central fold line in the sheet of material. The perforation for at least one of the number of pairs of openings may include a pair of tabs integral with material within the perforation. The method further may include folding the sheet of material about a first fold line in a z-fold. The method further may include affixing a first of the pair of tabs to the folded sheet of material along the central fold line. The method further may include folding the folded sheet of material in half. The method further may include affixing a second of the pair of tabs to the sheet of material along the central fold line.
These and other features will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the following brief description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and detailed description, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts.

FIG. 1 illustrates perspective view of an exemplary carrier in a collapsed form.

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the carrier in an intermediate form.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the carrier in a constituted form.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the carrier with multiple beverage containers contained therein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the carrier with the handle folded down.

FIG. 6 illustrates a blank that when constructed forms the carrier.

FIG. 6A illustrates the blank after a first gluing and z-fold operation.

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a carrier according to a second aspect of the disclosure in a collapsed form.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of the carrier according to the second aspect of the disclosure in an intermediate form.

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of the carrier according to the second aspect of the disclosure in a constituted form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of one or more embodiments are illustrated below, the disclosed systems and methods may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or in existence. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
Spatially relative terms, such as “left”, “right”, “beneath”, “below”, “bottom”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, “top”, and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features.
Referring to FIGS. 1-9, views of an exemplary article carrier 100 are shown. As described in more detail below, the carrier 100 may be formed from a single piece of paperboard. The paperboard may be folded and glued together into a flat or collapsed form so as to facilitate shipping or transport of the carrier 100. The collapsed carrier 100 may be manipulated so as to form a constituted three dimensional form that is ready for acceptance of articles 126. As described in detail below, the carrier 100 may have a pop-down base that is vertically connected to the handle 102 of the carrier 100 via one or more support columns 110.
Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the carrier 100 is shown in a collapsed form. The carrier 100 includes a handle 102 and a hand hold 104 to facilitate carrying of the carrier 100 when articles 126 are loaded into the carrier 100. When the carrier 100 is set up to accept articles 126 and/or after articles 126 have been loaded into the carrier 100, the handle 102 may be folded down, as best seen in FIG. 5. The hand hold 104 may be perforated so as to enable an end-user to punch out the paperboard in the hand hold 104 and insert their hand, as best seen in FIG. 4. The hand hold 104 may only perforated around three of the four sides so that the paperboard in the hand hold 104 may be folded down upon a user inserting their hand into the hand hold 104. Alternatively, the hand hold 104 may have the fold be at the top of the hand hold 104 so that the perforated portions of the hand hold 104 fold up, rather than folding down. As a further alternative, the hand hold 104 may be perforated around all four sides so that the paperboard in the handle 102 may be removed from the carrier 100.
While the hand hold 104 is shown with the paperboard in the hand hold 104 affixed to the carrier 100, one or more portions of the hand hold 104 may be knocked out during the die cut process. In some embodiments, the hand hold 104 may not have any perforated portions affixed to the carrier, but instead may simply have the desired areas of the hand hold 104 knocked out during the die cut process when manufacturing the carrier 100.
While the hand hold 104 is shown with a rectangular shape, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that any shape may be used. For example, contoured shapes may be used to ergonomically fit the contours of a person's hand and/or fingers.
The carrier 100 also includes a riser 106. When the carrier 100 is loaded with articles 126, such as beverage containers, the riser 106 acts as a spacer so as to reduce interference between a user's hand in the hand hold 104 and the articles 126 carried by the carrier 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the carrier 100 may be loaded with beverage containers, such as beverage cans. The riser 106 may be sized such that the top of the riser 106 corresponds with the top of the beverage cans. For other intended articles 126, the riser 106 may similarly be sized. Accordingly, upon insertion of a user's hand into the hand hold 104 of the handle 102, the user's hand may not interfere or minimally interfere with the articles 126 in the carrier 100. While handle 102 may be foldable at the intersection of the handle 102 and the riser 106, in some embodiments the handle 102 may not be foldable at the intersection of the handle 102 and the riser 106. When the handle 102 is not foldable at the intersection of the handle 102 and the riser 106, the riser 106 may be considered part of the handle 102. In some embodiments, the carrier 100 may not include a riser 106.
As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the carrier 100 may be manipulated so as to form an article holder 107. The article holder 107 is connected to the handle 102 and/or riser 106. The article holder 107 may include a first top surface 108, a second top surface 124, a first side surface 114, a second side surface 116, a first bottom surface 118, and a second bottom surface 120. The bottom surfaces 118, 120 may collectively form a base 121 of the article holder 107. In some embodiments each of the surfaces 108, 124, 114, 116, 118, 120 of the article holder 107 may be equally sized surfaces. Alternatively, one or more of the surfaces 108, 124, 114, 116, 118, 120 of the article holder 107 may be differently sized. For example, the first side surface 114 and second side surface 116 may be smaller or larger than the first top surface 108, second top surface 124, first bottom surface 118, and second bottom surface 120, which in turn may all be about the same size.
In some aspects of the disclosure, the top surfaces 108, 124 and the side surfaces 114, 116 of the article holder 107 may form a contiguous surface. For example, as best seen in FIGS. 7-9, arched surfaces 134 may connect the handle 102 or riser 106 with the bottom surfaces 118, 120 of the article holder 107 and support the articles 126. Similarly, other shapes and contours may be used to form a supporting structure for the articles 126 that connects the handle 102 and/or riser 106 with the bottom surfaces 118, 120 of the article holder 107.
The article holder 107 also includes a number of openings 122 on each of the top surfaces 108,124 that are sized and shaped for holding desired articles 126. For example, as shown in the figures, the openings 122 may be circular openings 122 sized for holding a beverage can. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the shape of the openings 122 may be varied as needed to accept desired articles 126. For example, the openings 122 may be oval, rectangular, or any other shape that would correspond or otherwise support desired articles 126. For example, the openings 122 may have more complex shapes such as stars, sun bursts, waves, or other complex shapes that partially or otherwise sufficiently interface, contact, or frictionally interfere with the articles 126 so as to support the articles 126 in the carrier 100.
For the openings 122 along the interior of the top surfaces 108, 124 (e.g. openings 122 that are not on an extreme end of the top surfaces 108, 124), the paperboard material from the interior of the openings 122 form support columns 110. The support columns 110 vertically connect the handle 102 and/or riser 106 to the base 121 of the article holder 107. The support columns 110 may be connected to the base 121 at the middle of the base 121 along a fold line, as will be described in more detail below. Therefore, when articles 126 are loaded into the article holder 107 and the carrier 100 is lifted by the handle 102, the weight of the articles 126 is supported by the base 121 which is in turn supported by the support columns 110 and the handle 102 and/or riser 106. By connecting the base 121 to the handle 102 via the support columns 110, the base 121 is prevented from substantially deforming when the carrier 100 is lifted by the handle 102. In other words, while the base may deform to a certain extent when the carrier 100 is lifted by the handle 102, the base 121 will largely retain its shape and will not bow or otherwise deform in the middle of the base 121. Therefore, the articles 126 may be supported by the base 121 and may be prevented from moving around in the openings 122 or falling out of the bottom of the openings 122 due to deformation of the base 121.
For the openings 122 at the extreme ends of the top surfaces 108, 124, the paperboard material from the interior of the openings 122 may fold down towards the end of the top surfaces 108, 124 as best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5 and form end flaps 112. Alternatively, the paperboard material from the openings 122 at the extreme ends of the top surfaces 108, 124 may form additional support columns 110.
The end flaps 112 may fully or partially block machine readable codes or indicia that may be printed on the articles 126 so as to prevent reading of the codes or indicia on the articles 126. For example, the articles 126 may have a barcode, a 2-D barcode, or other such machine readable printed indicia that may represent numbers or codes that identify the articles 126. For example, a bar code may represent a universal product code (UPC) that identifies the articles 126 as being a particular product, such as 12 oz. cans of Coca-Cola®.
If the carrier 100 is used in a retail environment, the carrier 100 may include its own UPC barcode or other indicia. The cost for purchasing a single one of the articles 126 will likely be less than the cost for purchasing the group of articles 126 carried in the carrier 100. Therefore, when checking out, it is desired to ensure that the machine readable code or indicia on the carrier 100 is read and the codes or indicia on the articles 126 are not read so that the correct amount may be charged to a customer. The end flaps 112 may facilitate preventing of reading the codes or indicia printed on the articles 126 so that the customer is not undercharged for the articles 126 in the carrier 100.
As noted above, the carrier may initially be in a collapsed or flat form and may be manipulated so as to be in a constituted form ready for acceptance of articles 126. In the flat form, the top surfaces 108, 124 are folded together and have inside surfaces that touch one another. Similarly, the bottom surfaces 118, 120 are folded together and have external surfaces that touch one another. The side surfaces 114, 116 are folded together with the bottom surfaces 118, 120 such that the inside surfaces of the side surfaces 114, 116 touch the inside surfaces of the bottom surfaces 118, 120. In the collapsed form, the handle 102 is in line with the riser 106, which is in turn in line with the folded top surfaces 108, 124, which is in line with the folded side and bottom surfaces 114, 116, 118, 120.
For clarity, an inside surface refers to a surface that is internal to or enclosed by or inside the cross-sectional shape formed by the article holder 107 when it is set up to receive articles 126. In contrast, an external surface refers to a surface that is external to or outside of the cross-sectional shape formed by the article holder 107 when it is set up to receive articles 126.
In the aspect of the disclosure shown in FIG. 7, the carrier 100 does not have side surfaces 114,116. However, a first area of the arched surfaces 134 that correspond to the top surfaces 108, 124 are folded together and have inside surfaces that touch one another. Similarly, a second area of the arched surfaces 134 that correspond to the side surfaces 114, 116 are folded together such that the inside surfaces of the arched surface 134 touch the inside surfaces of the bottom surfaces 118, 120. In some instances, the first area of the arched surfaces 134 may be the area between the connection with the handle 102 and/or riser 106 and the apex of the curve formed by the arched surfaces 134 or otherwise at a halfway point along the arched surfaces 134. As shown in FIG. 9, the first area of the arched surfaces 134 is generally horizontal. Similarly, the second area of the arched surfaces 134 may be the area between the connection with the base 121 and the apex of the curve formed by the arched surfaces 134 or otherwise at a halfway point along the arched surfaces 134. As shown in FIG. 9, the second area of the arched surfaces 134 is generally vertical.
In order to facilitate setting up the article holder 107 of the carrier 100, the base 121 may be formed as a pop-down base or vertically forming base. From the collapsed form shown in FIG. 1, the carrier 100 may be manipulated so as to form the article holder 107 by separating the line of intersection between the first side surface 114 and the first bottom surface 118 from the line of intersection between the second side surface 116 and the second bottom surface 120. In other words, the carrier 100 may be unfolded so as to separate each of the surfaces 108, 124, 114, 116, 118, 120 of the article holder 107 away from each other so that none of the interior or exterior surfaces of the article holder 107 are touching. Note that while the interior or exterior surfaces are no longer touching, each of the surfaces is still joined together at a corner or along a line.
Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective view of the carrier 100 in an intermediate form is shown. When in an intermediate form, the article holder 107 has a concave hexagon cross-sectional shape. In some embodiments, the article holder 107 in the intermediate form has a concave equilateral hexagon cross-sectional shape. The top surfaces 108, 124 and the bottom surfaces 118, 120 parallel each other and are at an acute angle to the plane of the handle 102. Moreover, the side surfaces 114, 116 and the top surfaces 108, 124 are joined together at an obtuse angle, whereas the side surfaces 114, 116 and the bottom surfaces 118, 120 are joined together at an acute angle.
Similarly, in the aspect of the disclosure shown in FIG. 8, the article holder 107 has a roughly concave quadrilateral cross-sectional shape in the intermediate form. However, due to the lack of side surfaces 114, 116 and due to the arched surfaces 134 being longer than the bottom surfaces 118, 120, the cross-sectional shape takes on a curved shape along two of the sides such that the cross-sectional shape in the intermediate form may also be described as an arrow-head shape. More generally, as applied to all of the aspects of the disclosure, the cross-sectional shape of the article holder 107 in the intermediate form may be a concave polygon or other concave closed shape.
Referring to FIGS. 3-5, perspective views of the carrier 100 in a constituted form are shown. In the constituted form, the top surfaces 108, 124 are parallel to each other and parallel to the bottom surfaces 118, 120. The top surfaces 108, 124 may be joined to the handle 102 and/or riser 106 at approximately right angles. The side surfaces 114, 116 are joined together with each of the top and bottom surfaces 108, 124, 118, 120 at approximately right angles. While various surfaces of the article holder 107 in the constituted form are described above as being joined at approximately right angles, there may be small variations in the angles between surfaces of about 5° to 10° or less due to bending or flexing of the paperboard. In other words, the cross-sectional shape of the article holder 107 in the constituted form is rectangular. Similarly, in the aspect of the disclosure shown in FIG. 9, the article holder 107 in the constituted form has a cross-sectional shape of a semi-circle.
Referring to FIG. 6 a blank is shown that, when glued and folded together, forms the carrier 100. As shown in FIG. 6, the carrier 100 may be formed of a single sheet of paperboard or other material and assembled or manufactured with just two gluing operations and two folding operations. Each of the solid lines represents a fold point and each of the dotted lines represents a perforation.
As best seen in FIG. 6, each of the support columns 110 may have a tab 132 cut out from a portion of the side surfaces 114, 116 or the arched surface 134. The tab 132 is integrally formed as part of the paperboard material cut from the openings 122 to form the support columns 110. While not shown, in some embodiments, a corresponding tab may also be cut out and knocked out during the die cut process from the end flaps 112 so as to present a uniform look to the carrier 100. While shown as a generally square shape, the tabs 132 may take any shape, such as a semi-circle, a wave, or the like. As described in more detail below, each of the tabs 132 may be glued or otherwise affixed to the corresponding one of the bottom surfaces 118, 120 about or along the center point fold line 127. Accordingly, the tabs 132 secure the support columns 110 to the base 121.
In some embodiments, the support columns 110 and/or the end flaps 112 may not have a perforation along the dotted line, but instead may be cut free from the blank so as to freely move within the openings 122 and rotate about the solid lines connecting the support columns 110 and the end flaps 112 to the carrier 100.
In some embodiments, one or more portions of the support columns 110 and/or end flaps 112 may be knocked out during the die cut process. For example, various knockout patterns for the support columns 110 and end flaps 112 are shown with dash-dot lines. The portion(s) of the support columns 110 and end flaps 112 separated from the solid lines connecting the support columns 110 and the end flaps 112 to the carrier 100 by the dash-dot lines may be knocked out during the die cut process. For example, the support columns 110 may have knockout patterns such that on one or both sides of the tabs 132 portions of the paperboard material from the openings 122 may be knocked out. Similarly, portions along the bottom edge and/or along one and/or both side edges of the end flaps 112 may be knocked out during the die cut process. While the knockout patterns shown in FIG. 6 are illustrated with straight lines, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the knockout patterns may follow curved or other complex paths or contours. Moreover, while different knockout patterns are shown in FIG. 6 for illustrative purposes for each of the support columns 110, the same knockout pattern may be used for all of the support columns 110 to simplify the die used to form the carrier 100. Similarly, the same knockout patter may be used for all of the end flaps 112.
As noted above, the carrier 100 may be constructed or manufactured from the blank with just two gluing operations and two folding operations, representing a significant cost savings from both the lower complexity and the shorter amount of time required to manufacture the carrier 100. Following the die cut process, a first gluing operation may place glue or other adhesive on the tabs 132 of the support columns 110. After the first gluing operation, a first folding operation may fold the center point fold line 127 about the three-eighths point fold line 128 so as to join the center point fold line 127 and the one-quarter point fold line 130. At the same time the remaining portions of the blank to the right of the center point fold line 127 may be folded back so as to remain parallel to the portions of the blank to the left of the three-eighths point fold line 128. In some embodiments, the first folding operation may be referred to as a z-fold operation.
After the first gluing operation and the z-fold operation, the construction or manufacture of the carrier 100 may be completed in a second gluing and a second folding operation. FIG. 6A illustrates the blank after a first gluing and z-fold operation. In the second gluing operation, glue or other adhesive is applied to the left of the three-eighths fold line 131 on the entire surface of the handle 102, hand hold 104, and riser 106, and the portions of the support columns 110 that were not knocked out during the die cut process. Glue or other adhesive is also applied to the right of the three-eighths fold line 131 on the tabs 132, the portions of the support columns 110 that were not knocked out during the die cut process, and the entire surface of the handle 102, hand hold 104, and riser 106. In some embodiments, the glue or other adhesive may not be applied to the portions of the support columns 110 that were not knocked out during the die cut process, but instead is only applied to the tabs 132. After the second gluing operation, in the second folding operation, the blank is simply folded in half about the three-eighths point fold line 131.
While the carrier 100 is shown in the figures as having openings 122 for carrying four articles 126 on each side of the carrier 100, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the carrier 100 may be modified to carry any number of articles 126 on each side of the carrier 100 and still be considered to be within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. For example, for more than four articles 126 on each side of the carrier 100, additional support columns 110 and corresponding openings 122 may be added to the carrier. As shown in FIGS. 7-9, for three or fewer articles 126 on each side of the carrier 100, there may only be support columns 110 and no end flaps 112. Alternatively, for three articles 126 on each side of the carrier, there may be only one support column 110 and two end flaps 112 on each side of the carrier 100.
While the support columns 110 are described above as being formed from the paperboard material cut out of the openings 122 and the tabs 132, in some embodiments, the support columns 110 may be formed from paperboard material cut out from between the openings 122 or along any other portion or combination of portions of the top and side surfaces 108, 124, 114, 116 or along any other portion of the first and second areas of the arched surfaces 134. In further embodiments, the support columns 110 may be formed of separate pieces of paperboard that are glued or otherwise affixed to the carrier 100 so as to connect the base 121 with the handle 102 and/or riser 106.
While the blank shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the carrier 100 shown in FIGS. 1-5, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the features of the blank described above may equally be applied to blanks to form the aspect of the disclosure shown in FIGS. 7-9. For example, a blank for the aspect of the disclosure shown in FIGS. 7-9 may be similarly formed, but without the one-quarter point fold line 130 on either side of the center point fold line 127.
While the carrier 100 is described herein as being glued together at certain locations on the paperboard, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the carrier may otherwise be adhered or affixed together using any glue, resin, epoxy, clip, fastener, rivet, or other mechanical and/or chemical agent.
Although the carrier 100 is described herein as being formed of paperboard, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the carrier may be formed of any material such as paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, or any other rigid or semi-rigid foldable material. For some rigid materials such as metals, the carrier 100 may be formed of multiple sheets of material affixed together at fold points by one or more hinges or other attachment mechanisms that facilitate rotation relative to two sheets of material.
Although several aspects of the disclosure have been provided above, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. The present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the intention is not to be limited to the details given herein. For example, the various elements or components from one or more of the above described aspects of the disclosure may be combined or integrated together or in another system or certain features may be omitted or not implemented. Similarly, any of the various element or components described in conjunction with one of the above aspects of the disclosure may be combined with or replace corresponding elements or components of any of the other aspects of the disclosure. Other replacement or swapping of components or elements of the various aspects of the disclosure will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art and are fully contemplated by this disclosure.
Also, techniques, systems, subsystems, and methods described and illustrated in the various embodiments as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other systems, modules, techniques, or methods without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Other items shown or discussed as directly coupled or communicating with each other may be indirectly coupled or communicating through some interface, device, or intermediate component, whether electrically, mechanically, or otherwise. Other examples of changes, substitutions, and alterations are ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope disclosed herein.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An article carrier, comprising:

a handle; and

a collapsible article holder comprising:

a base,

a surface comprising a defined area that is adapted to form an opening to support an article when the collapsible article holder is set up, and

a support column connecting the handle to the base, wherein the support column is formed from material that is removable from the surface.

2. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the support column is formed from material that is removable from the surface within the defined area.

3. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the defined area on the surface is defined by a perforated line in the surface.

4. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the support column further comprises a tab, wherein the tab is affixed to the base.

5. The article carrier of claim 4, wherein the tab is integrally formed as part of the support column.

6. The article carrier of claim 4, wherein the surface of the collapsible article is a top surface and the collapsible article further comprises a side wall.

7. The article carrier of claim 6, wherein the tab is formed from material removable from the side wall.

8. The article carrier of claim 4, wherein the surface of the article holder comprises a first area and a second area, wherein the support column is formed from material removable from the first area and the tab is formed from material removable from the second area.

9. The article carrier of claim 8, wherein the surface is a curved surface coupled between the base and the handle, and wherein the first area of the surface is between the handle and the apex of the curved surface and the second area of the surface is between the base and the apex of the curved surface.

10. The article carrier of claim 1, further comprising:

a riser coupled between the handle and the collapsible article holder.

11. The article carrier of claim 4, wherein the base comprises a first surface and a second surface foldable with respect to one another along a central fold line such that exterior surfaces of the first and second surfaces touch each other when the collapsible article holder is collapsed.

12. The article carrier of claim 11, wherein the tab is affixed to the base along the central fold line.

13. The article carrier of claim 1, wherein the surface further comprises a second defined area at an end of the collapsible article holder, the second defined area is adapted to form an opening to support an article when the collapsible article holder is set up.

14. The article carrier of claim 13, wherein the collapsible article holder further comprises:

an end flap formed from material that is removable from the second defined area, wherein the end flap is attached to the surface and rotatable towards the end of the collapsible article holder.

15. A method of making an article carrier, comprising:

cutting a perforation in a single sheet of material for each of a plurality of pairs of openings, each pair of openings being equidistant from a central fold line in the sheet of material;

wherein the perforation for at least one of the plurality of pairs of openings comprises a pair of tabs integral with material within the perforation;

folding the sheet of material about a first fold line in a z-fold;

affixing a first of the pair of tabs to the folded sheet of material along the central fold line;

folding the folded sheet of material in half; and

affixing a second of the pair of tabs to the sheet of material along the central fold line.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

knocking out a portion of the material within one or more of the plurality of pairs of openings.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the perforation for at least one of the plurality of pairs of openings is at an end of the article carrier and is perforated such that material within the perforation folds toward the end of the article carrier when removed from the pair of openings.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

cutting a pair of perforations in the sheet of material for a hand hold on a handle of the article carrier.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the pair of perforations for the hand hold are at a point further from the central fold line than the perforation for each of the plurality of pairs of openings.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the perforation in the sheet of material for each of the plurality of pairs of openings defines an open shape.