Carrier for containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10543969-B2
Application number	US-201815896406-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2018
Priority date	Feb 17, 2017
Publication date	Jan 28, 2020
Grant date	Jan 28, 2020

Abstract

A carrier for holding at least one container includes a plurality of panels extending at least partially around an interior space of the carrier and including a front panel, a back panel, at least one side panel, a first bottom panel, a second bottom panel, and at least one central panel. At least one divider flap extends from the at least one central panel to at least one of the front panel and the back panel. The first bottom panel includes at least one male locking feature and the second bottom panel includes at least one female locking feature for receiving the at least one male locking feature. The at least one male locking feature engages the at least one divider flap to lock the at least one divider flap in a generally perpendicular position relative to the central panel.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A carrier for holding at least one container, the carrier comprising:
a plurality of panels extending at least partially around an interior space of the carrier, the plurality of panels comprises a front panel, a back panel, at least one side panel, a first bottom panel, a second bottom panel, and at least one central panel; and
at least one divider flap extending from the at least one central panel to at least one of the front panel and the back panel,
the first bottom panel includes at least one male locking feature and the second bottom panel includes at least one female locking feature for receiving the at least one male locking feature, the at least one male locking feature engages the at least one divider flap to lock the at least one divider flap in a generally perpendicular position relative to the central panel.

2. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the at least one male locking feature is in a substantially upright position in the interior space of the carrier.

3. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the at least one male locking feature comprises a substantially straight edge for engaging the at least one divider flap.

4. The carrier of claim 3 , wherein the substantially straight edge is a first edge having a first height, and the at least one male locking feature comprises a second edge opposite the first edge and having a second height, the first height is different than the second height.

5. The carrier of claim 4 , wherein the first edge and the second edge are connected by a curved edge.

6. The carrier of claim 3 , wherein the at least one male locking feature is in at least partial face-to-face contact with the at least one central panel.

7. The carrier of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of panels comprises at least one keel positioned generally coplanar to the at least one central panel, and the at least one male locking feature is in at least partial face-to-face contact with the at least one keel.

8. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the at least one divider flap comprises a first divider flap and a second divider flap, and the at least one male locking feature comprises a first male locking feature positioned to engage the first divider flap and a second male locking feature positioned to engage the second divider flap.

9. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the at least one male locking feature is positioned proximate a corner formed by the at least one divider flap and the at least one central panel.

10. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of panels comprises at least one keel positioned generally coplanar to the central panel, and the at least one male locking feature is positioned proximate a corner formed by the at least one divider flap and the at least one keel.

11. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the engagement of the at least one male locking feature and the at least one female locking feature forms a secondary lock of the carrier, and the second bottom panel comprises at least one opening for receiving at least one locking tab projection of the first bottom panel, engagement of the at least one locking tab projection with the at least one opening forms a primary lock of the carrier.

12. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the at least one central panel comprises a front central panel in at least partial face-to-face contact with a back central panel, and the at least one divider flap comprises a first divider flap extending from the front central panel to the front panel and a second divider flap extending from the back central panel to the back panel.

13. The carrier of claim 12 , wherein the at least one divider flap comprises a third divider flap extending from the front central panel to the front panel and a fourth divider flap extending from the back central panel to the back panel.

14. The carrier of claim 13 , wherein the first divider flap and the third divider flap define three front container-receiving spaces in the interior space of the carrier and the second divider flap and the fourth divider flap define three back container-receiving spaces in the interior space of the carrier, wherein the at least one male locking feature is positioned in a central front container-receiving space of the three front container-receiving spaces, the at least one male locking feature engages the first divider flap.

15. The carrier of claim 14 , wherein the at least one male locking feature is a first male locking feature, and the at least one male locking feature comprises a second male locking feature positioned in an outermost front container-receiving space of the three front container-receiving spaces.

16. The carrier of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of panels comprises a front keel and a back keel in at least partial face-to-face contact, and the at least one divider flap comprises a third divider flap extending from the front keel to the front panel and a fourth divider flap extending from the back keel to the back panel.

17. The carrier of claim 16 , wherein the first divider flap and the third divider flap define three front container-receiving spaces in the interior space of the carrier and the second divider flap and the fourth divider flap define three back container-receiving spaces in the interior space of the carrier, wherein the at least one male locking feature is positioned in a central container-receiving space of the three front container-receiving spaces, the at least one male locking feature engages the third divider flap.

18. The carrier of claim 17 , wherein the at least one male locking feature is a first male locking feature, and the at least one male locking feature comprises a second male locking feature positioned in an outermost container-receiving space of the three front container-receiving spaces, the second male locking feature engages the first divider flap.

19. The carrier of claim 16 , wherein the first divider flap and the third divider flap define three front container-receiving spaces in the interior space of the carrier and the second divider flap and the fourth divider flap define three back container-receiving spaces in the interior space of the carrier, wherein the at least one male locking feature is positioned in an outermost front container-receiving space of the three front container-receiving spaces, the at least one male locking feature engages the first divider flap.

20. The carrier of claim 19 , wherein the at least one male locking feature is a first male locking feature, the outermost front container-receiving space is a first outermost front container-receiving space, the at least one male locking feature comprises a second male locking feature positioned in a second outermost container-receiving space of the three front container-receiving spaces, the second male locking feature engages the third divider flap.

21. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein engagement of the at least one male locking feature with the at least one divider flap at least partially inhibits movement of the carrier along an axis extending parallel to the at least one central panel.

22. The carrier of claim 21 , wherein the at least one male locking feature comprises a face positioned for at least partial face-to-face contact with the at least one central panel, and wherein engagement of the at least one male locking feature with the at least one central panel at least partially inhibits movement of the carrier along an axis perpendicular to the axis extending parallel to the at least one central panel.

2

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Llc

Inventors

• Gonzalez Ana
• Ford Colin P

Classifications

• B65D5/4266

  Folding lines, score lines, crease lines · CPC title

• B65D71/0022 Primary

  formed by folding or erecting one blank, and provided with vertical partitions · CPC title

• B65D5/48016

  formed by folding extensions hinged to the upper or lower edges of a tubular body (B65D5/48008 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D5/4612

  formed by extensions of side flaps or by side flaps of a container formed by folding-up portions connected to a central panel from all sides · CPC title

• B65D2571/00802

  Other shapes · CPC title