US2329656A - Bottle carrier - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 14, 1943. w, SEDGWICK BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 11, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l I I l l l i l 1 I l I I 1 l I l 1943. w. SEDGWICK BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Dec. 11 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOTTLE CARRIER William Sedgwick, Des Moines, Iowa Application December 11, 1940, Serial No. 369,645 3 Claims. (01. 224-48) This invention relates to a bottle carrier which may contain a number of bottles and has a handle for convenience in carrying the container.

One object of the invention is to. provide a bottle carrier which may be inexpensively fabricated from light sheet metal or the like and is adaptable for carrying bottles and also for stacking them in a bottle cooler either of the dry type or one containing chilled water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bottle carrier consisting of two parts,-a, onepiece bottle container and a handle therefor; the handle being detached from the container for shipping purposes and being readily and easily applicable to the container for assembly at the point of use, such assembly involving merely the placing of the handle in position with respect to the container and the bending over of lugs which project through slots of the handle to thereby permanently secure thehandle .to the container.

Still another object is to so associate the handle with the bo'ttle container that the handle may be slid downwardly to an inconspicuous position between two rows of bottles in the container, in which position the handle permits stacking of containers of bottles relative to each other for display or in the cooler, the handle being also movable up to a position where it may be grasped by the hand when it is desirable to transport the bottle carrier from one point to another and for convenience in removing the carrier from the cooler.

A further object is to provide certain embossings on the bottle container which prevent contact of the sides of the containers with each other when they are stacked side by side, thus preventing any rubbing of the finish or marring of an ad or label on the side of the container, such embossing at the same time so strengthening the container that it may be formed of very light sheet metal or the like and still be sufficiently rugged for ordinary service.

Further objects are to provide coacting flanges and overlapped parts of a single piece bottom and wall member which forms the container, so that only two rivets are necessary to hold the strucners to substantially fit the contour of the bottles in the corners of the container and to prevent the corners from catching on clothing worn by the person using the carrier.

With these and other objects in view, my invention with respect to its features which I believe to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. For a better detailed understanding of the invention, and further objects relating to details of economy of my invention, reference is made to the following description and to the accompanying drawings wherein such further objects will definitely appear, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle carrier embodying my invention and showing the handle in raised position;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the bottle carrier, this figure being shown on an enlarged scale with respect to Figure'l;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2 showing the handle in raised position, and by dotted. lines showing it in lowered position, and, a second carrier with bottles supported on the bottles in the carrier shown by solidlines;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, and

, Figure 6 is a plan view of a blank from which the container of my bottle carrier is formed.

On the accompanying drawings I have used the reference character C to indicate a bottle container and H a handle therefor. The container 0 is formed of a single piece of sheet metal or the like, the initial shape of which is illustrated in Figure 6. This piece of sheet metal includes in general a bottom member In and a pair of wall members l2. The members l0 and I2 are integral with each other, being joined by parting lines l3 which form between them a reinforcing bead H, the cross sectional shape of which is best shown in Figure 3.

It will be noted that the wall members I! are bent upwardly at substantially right angles to the plane of the bottom member I0 and that the marginal ends of the wall members, indicated at IS in Figure 6, are curved to follow the contours 16 of the bottom member [0. The marginal ends l5 accordingly constitute corner and end walls,

for the container C, the end walls being referred to by the reference characters I'I.

The marginal ends l5 of the walls I2 are confined in flanges is bent upwardly from the round corners i3 01' the bottom member ID and .somewhat wider flanges l3 bent upwardly from the ends 01 the bottom member III. The marginal To provide for drainage oi. water from the carrier when the carrier is media connection with a water filled or flooded cooler Ijprovide drain openings 34 in the bottom member-ill. My bottle carrier has a number of advantages from a manufacturing standpoint. Many ofthese have atready been mentioned. In additiomit may be metal and the two rivets hold the container in The upper edges of the wall members i2 are reinforced by rolled beads 24 which, in conjunction with the embossings at l4, serve to prevent contact between the side walls and end walls of adjacent containers C when stacked close together. Thus the finish on the walls is not damaged and any advertising material or labels thereon are not scraped against each other.

The handle H is inverted U shape, having a cross-piece 25 and arms 26. The cross-piece and the arms are joined by slanting portions 21. The portions 25 and 21 are channel shaped or concave-convex in cross section to secure strength with the use of relatively light strap metal or the like and to provide a cross-piece which is confortable in the hand of the user.

The arms 26 are provided with longitudinal slots 28 formed in longitudinally extending reinforcing beads 29. For coaction with the beads and slots, I provide intumed terminal flanges 30 on the wall members l2 which are arranged closely adjacent each other when the container is formed up. The flanges 30 terminate in lugs 3|.

When it is desirable to assemble the handle H relative to the container C, the width of the handle is contracted and the handle placed inside the container and then allowed to assume its original shape with the flanges 30 entering the beads 29 of the arms 26 and the lugs 3| entering the slots 28 thereof. The lugs will then be in the dotted position illustrated as 3 la in Figures 4 and 5. Thereafter the lugs may be bent over, as shown by solid lines in Figure 5 and as illustrated in Figure 1, without the necessity of using a tool for this purpose. The handle H is now permanently attached to the container so that the carrier is fully assembled.

It will be noted that the slots 28 are of greater length than the extreme upper and lower edges of the lugs 3| so that the handle has limited vertical sliding movement. The handle may accordingly be pulled up to the solid line position of Figure 3 when it is desirable to use it, or may be pushed down to an inconspicuous and out-ofthe-way position, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 3, when its use is not necessary. In the dotted position the handle permits ready stacking of the carriers when filled with bottles, in an obvious manner.

To facilitate such stacking of the containers of bottles, the bottom member Ill has an upwardly depressed embossment 32 for each bottle, the

. embossments being adapted to rest on the caps 33 of bottles B, illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 3. This prevents the carriers from shifting relative to each other when in stacked position,

either in the cooler or when the merchandise is on display.

mentioned that the overlapping flanges l8 and [9, together with the rivets at 2|, cause the container C to hold its shape while shipping when the handle H is removed. The container is ready to have the handle attached thereto in a minimum of time and in a very simple manner, so that the lugs 3|, after they are bent over, serve to keep the upper parts of the container rigidly assembled in relation to each other. At the same time the handle is held so that it may be slid to either a lowered or raised positionv as desired. When lowered it becomes inconspicuous and lends to the display or the merchandise as it does not detract from the appearance of the bottles, as would be the case if it projected up abovethe tops of the bottles. At the same time the handle when lowered permits ready stacking of a number of containers having bottles therein. one on another, either for display or for conservation 'of space within the cooler. v

Although I have shown the bottle carrier designed for six bottles, it is obvious that it may be readily changed in size to accommodate eight or more bottles or less than six bottles if desired, without departing from the essential features of the invention. A modification of the a character just mentioned may be made, although I have described but one specific embodiment of my invention. I have also described the operation thereof and I desire it to be understood that this form is selected merely for the purpose of facilitating disclosure of the invention rather than for the purpose of limiting the number of forms which it may assume. It is to be further understood that various modifications, adaptations and alterations may be applied to the specific forms disclosed to meet the requirements of practice without in any manner departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention except as set forth in the claims appended hereto.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. A bottle carrier comprising a bottle container formed of a single piece of sheet metal or the like, including a bottom member and a pair of wall members, said bottom member being rectangular shaped with round corners, said wall members being bent upwardly from the sides of said bottom member to form side walls for the container and having marginal ends bent to the contour of said round comers of said bottom member and to i'orma pair or end wall members for each end of the container, the terminal ends of said end walls having intumed lugs arranged adjacent each other, a U-shaped handle having its arms slotted to receive said lugs. said lugs being bent over to retain said handle in position v and to retain said pairs of end wall members from spreading, the slot in said handle being longer than the outermost limits oi. said lugs of said terminal ends of said wall members to permit limited vertical sliding movement of said handle.

2. In a bottle carrier including a container comprising a single piece of sheet material with a bottom portion and a pair of wall portions bent upwardly from the sides of the bottom portion to form side walls and having marginal ends bent to form end walls for said container, the improvement consisting of inturned flanges on the terminal ends oi! said wall portions, terminating in lugs, and a U-shaped handle having a median slot formed longitudinally in each arm,

3. In a bottle carrier including a container comprising a single piece of sheet material with receiving a plurality of said lugs, said lugs being a bent over to retain said handle, and to hold opposite end wall portions together by their common engagement in the slot, said arms being outwardly convex in cross section to receive said flanges, and the slots being longer than the outermost limits of said lugs, permitting limited sliding movement of the handle.

a bottom portion and a pair oi. wall portions bent,

in the slot.

WIILIAM SEDGWICK.

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