US2871055A - Bottle carrier - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 27, 1959 GLAZER 2,871,055

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Jan. 16 195 INVENTOR ,3, /4 5 Fig 3 Irving 0. Glazer ATTORNEYS United States Patent BOTTLE CARRIER Irving D. Glazer, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Dura Pak Corporation, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application January 16, 1956, Serial No. 559,293

6 Claims. (Cl. 29487.2)

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in bottle carriers.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle carrier which is adapted to suspend bottles by their neck portions and which is of durable, relatively-inexpensive construction capable of being loaded and unloaded automatically or manually and reused many times.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle carrier having a relatively flat body with sockets at its margins for gripping bottles by their neck portions to support the same in spaced relation, each socket having means coacting with the neck portion of a bottle engaged therein for maintaining the bottle in upright position and in parallel relation to adjacent bottles.

A particular object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle carrier, of the character described, wherein each socket has spaced jaws of resilient material projecting from the body of the carrier with the end portions of the jaws being relieved to facilitate relative swinging movement of the bottles upon manual insertion and removal thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved bottle carrier, of the character described, which may be economically constructed of plastic, rubber or other material having suflicient rigidity and resiliency and which may have a skeleton body or frame for increasing the flexibility of the jaws of the sockets and reducing the quantity of the material.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein examples of the invention are shown and wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a bottle carrier constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the carrier,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the carrier with an underlying carrier being shown in broken lines,

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the carrier,

Fig. 5 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3, showing a pair of stacked carriers, and

Fig. 6 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view of one of the sockets of the carrier with an engaged bottle being shown in broken lines.

In the drawing, the numeral 10 designates the relatively flat, substantially rectangular body of a bottle carrier of the type shown in my copending application, Serial No. 509,595, filed May 19, 1955, and is adapted to be formed of plastic, rubber or other suitable elastic or resilient material having sufficient rigidity and durability. The body is of ribbed, light-weight construction and includes a relatively-thin, substantially flat top member or plate 11 having circular openings or sockets 12 at its longitudinal margins in opposed, parallel, spaced relation. Substantially annular collars or flanges 13 depend from the top plate 11 to form the sockets 12 and are connected by reinforcing flanges or ribs 14 depending from the perimeter or margins of said plate and forming the sides or edge portions of the body (Fig. 2). In order to increase the rigidity of the body, a pair of parallel, spaced ribs 15 extend longitudinally between the collars 13 for connecting one end flange 14 to the other and cross ribs 16 extend transversely between said collars and ribs. An elongated opening or slot 17 is formed in the medial portion of the plate 11 between the ribs 15 and has an armate, strap-type handle 18, which is made integral with said plate, projecting upwardly from its ends. It is noted that the collars depend below the flanges and ribs and that the slot 17 permits nesting or stacking of two or more carriers by accommodating the handle 18 of an un derlying carrier (Figs. 3 and 5).

Each socket 12 is of a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the neck portion N of the bottle B to be engaged in and supported by the socket and has an appreciable portion of its collar 13 projecting laterally beyond the longitudinal side of the body. A pair of spaced, flexible, coacting elements or jaws 19 are provided at the outer portion of each socket by interrupting or cutting v away the medial outer portion of its collar. In order to tudinal edge bevelled or chamferrcd as shown at 20 (Figs,

1-3). Automatic loading of the carrier is facilitated by providing an internal bevel or chamfer 21 at the lower end of each collar (Figs. 1 and 5). For maintaining the bottles in upright, parallel relation, a small radial projection or shoulder 22 is formed within the lower end of each socket 12 and extends inwardly of its wall from the bevel 22 of the collar opposite its cut away portion. As shown in Fig. 6, the neck portion N of the bottle is of varying diameter and said bottle is prevented from canting or swinging inwardly into non-parallel relationship by the shoulder 22 urging the lower portion of the bottle outwardly.

The bottles B are adapted to be suspended from the carrier body 10 by engagement of the neck portion of each bottle with one of the sockets 12, whereby the bulbous head H of each bottle projects above its socket and rests upon the top plate 11 and the upperend of the collar 13. Due to the flexibility of the jaws 19, the

bottles may be inserted and removed by relative longitudinal movement between the body and bottles so as to permit machine loading and unloading of the carrier. The bevel 21 of each collar facilitates longitudinal insertion of the bottle head H and its cap C. The flexibility of the jaws 19 permits insertion and removal of the bottles by pivotal or swinging movement of each bottle relative to one of the sockets and the jaws thereof, whereby said jaws are spread or flex outwardly to accommodate the neck portion of the bottle and its engagement with and disengagement from said socket. It is noted that the collars 13 are of suflicient depth or length to positively grip the neck portions of the bottles and stabilize said bottles against displacement or relative movement.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory thereof and various changes in the size, shape and materials, as well as in the details of the illustrated construction, may be made, within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A carrier for bottles having reduced neck portions including a substantially flat rectangular body, socket means at the margins of the body for supporting a pluralityofibottles by their reduced neck portions, the socket means being formed of elastic material for gripping the neck portions of the bottlest-and permitting insertion and removal thereof by relative longitudinal movement between the bottles. andbody', each socket means having spaced end portions projecting. outwardly from. the marbins of the body and forming coacting flexible jaws to permit insertionand removal oh the neckv portion of a bottle therebetweem by swinging movement. of the bottle relative to said body, and radially projecting means in each socket means opposite therjaws for engaging the neck portion of the bottle. to maintain the bottle in. parallel relation to adjacent bottlesr 2. A bottle carrier asset forth. in. claim 1. wherein the body includes a; substantially flat; member, each socket means and its jaws including a substantially annular en.- eircling collar depending from the member, and reinforcing ribs on the underside of said member at its margins and therebetween: for connecting the. collar and margins.

3*. A carrier for bottlc'shaving" reduced neck portions including a substantially rectangular body, substantially annular collars of elastic material at; opposed margins of the-body for en'gagement'by thevreduced neckportions of bottles, said body having means. for supporting the collars in parallel, spaced relation, each collar having spaced end portions projecting outwardly from the body andits supporting means and forming coacting jaws, the jaws of each collar gripping the neck portion of a bottle and flexing. topermit insertion and removal of the bottle therebetween by swinging movement of the bottle relative to said body, and. aradial projection. inthe lower. portion of each collar opposite the jaws for engaging the neck portion of the bottle to maintain the bottle in parallel relation to adjacent bottles.

4. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 3 wherein the lower end of each collar is bevelled internally to facilitate insertion of a bottle by relative. longitudinal movement between the bottle and body the jaws having their extremities relieved to facilitate engagement and disengagement of a bottle. byrelative'swi-nging movement.

5. A bottle carrien as set. forth inv claim 3 wherein the supporting means includes a substantially fiat member having flanges depending from its-margins and connected to the collars for reinforcing; the same.

6. A bottle carrier as set forth in claim 3 including reinforcing ribs on the underside of the member and connecting the collars.

ReienencesCited in-thc. file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,161,855- C'o'peil June 13,1939 2,301,594! V'oigtritter a Nov. 10, 1942 2,420,191 Ransom i May 6, 1947 2,446,670 Shikles et al Aug. 10, 1948 2,518,823 Schneider Aug. 15, 1950 2,637,475 -Gial"anel1a May 5, 1953 2,731,665 Zebarth Ian. 24, 1956 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATION OF CORRECTION Patent No,a 2,871,055 January 27, 1959 Irving D. Glazer It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

In the grant, lines 1, 2, and 3, for assignor to Dura Pak Corporation, of Dallas, Texas, a corporation of Texas," read assignor to Dura Pak Corporation, of Kansas a corporation of Delaware, in the lines 3 and 4, for

City, Missouri,

a corporation heading to the printed specification,

"assignor to Dura Pak Corporation, Dallas, Tex. of Texas read assignor to Dura Pak Corporation, Kansas City, Mo. a corporation of Delaware Signed and sealed this 25th day of April 1961.

(SEA L) Attest:

DAVID L. LADD ERNEST W,= SWIDER Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents

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