Carrier for Containers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190461-A1
Application number	US-201715399283-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2017
Priority date	Jan 5, 2016
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A carrier includes a front portion with a first plurality of panels and a back portion with a second plurality of panels. The first plurality of panels at least partially surrounds a front interior space for receiving at least one container and includes a front panel, a front central panel, and at least one front side panel. The second plurality of panels at least partially surrounds a back interior space for receiving at least one container and includes a back panel, a back central panel, and at least one back side panel. The front central panel and the back central panel are separably connected at a line of weakening and are at least partially in face-to-face contact in a first configuration of the carrier, the carrier is positionable to a second configuration wherein the front portion and the back portion are at least partially separated at the line of weakening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A carrier for holding a plurality of containers, the carrier comprising:
a front portion that comprises a first plurality of panels at least partially surrounding a front interior space for receiving at least one container of the plurality of containers, the first plurality of panels comprising a front panel, a front central panel, and at least one front side panel; and a back portion that comprises a second plurality of panels at least partially surrounding a back interior space for receiving at least one container of the plurality of containers, the second plurality of panels comprising a back panel, a back central panel, and at least one back side panel, the front central panel and the back central panel are separably connected at a line of weakening and are at least partially in face-to-face contact in a first configuration of the carrier, the carrier is positionable to a second configuration wherein the front portion and the back portion are at least partially separated at the line of weakening.

2 . The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the line of weakening comprises a tear line.

3 . The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the line of weakening comprises a tear strip at an upper portion of the carrier.

4 . The carrier of claim 3 , wherein the tear strip comprises an upper portion of each of the front central panel and the back central panel.

5 . The carrier of claim 4 , wherein the tear strip includes a central fold line on a centerline of the carrier.

6 . The carrier of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the front portion and the back portion comprises a removable patch being adhesively secured to the other of the at least one of the front portion and the back portion.

7 . The carrier of claim 6 , wherein the removable patch is at least partially defined by a line of weakening.

8 . The carrier of claim 7 , wherein the front portion comprises a first removable patch and the back portion comprises a second removable patch, the first removable patch for being aligned with and in face-to-face contact with the second removable patch in the first configuration of the carrier.

9 . The carrier of claim 8 , wherein the first removable patch is adhesively connected to the second removable patch and the second removable patch is separated from the back portion in the second configuration of the carrier.

10 . The carrier of claim 9 , wherein the back portion comprises an opening in the second configuration defined by the line of weakening defining the second removable patch.

11 . The carrier of claim 1 , further comprising a handle comprising a front handle portion extending from the front central panel and a back handle portion extending from the back central panel.

12 . The carrier of claim 11 , wherein the handle comprises a front handle reinforcement flap and a back handle reinforcement flap respectively overlapped with a respective front handle portion and back handle portion.

13 . The carrier of claim 12 , wherein the front handle reinforcement flap and back handle reinforcement flap are foldably separably connected at a portion of the line of weakening.

14 . The carrier of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the front portion and the back portion comprises an attachment flap foldably connected to a respective one of the front central panel and the back central panel, the attachment flap being adhesively attached to the other of the front central panel and the back central panel, in the second configuration of the carrier, the front portion and the back portion remain foldably connected at the attachment flap.

15 . The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the front portion comprises at least one front divider flap foldably connected to at least one panel of the first plurality of panels, the front divider flap divides the front interior space into at least two front container-receiving spaces.

16 . The carrier of claim 15 , wherein the back portion comprises at least one back divider flap foldably connected to at least one panel of the second plurality of panels, the back divider flap divides the back interior space into at least two back container-receiving spaces.

17 . The carrier of claim 16 , wherein the at least one front divider flap is foldably connected to the front central panel and the at least one back divider flap is foldably connected to the back central panel.

18 . The carrier of claim 17 , wherein the at least one front divider flap comprises a first portion foldably connected to the front panel and a second portion foldably connected to the first portion and the front central panel, the front divider flap forms a window in the front portion.

19 . The carrier of claim 15 , wherein the at least one front divider flap comprises a first front divider flap foldably connected to the front central panel and a second front divider flap foldably connected to the front panel, the first front divider flap being adhesively connected to the second front divider flap.

20 . The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the first plurality of panels comprises a first front bottom panel foldably connected to the front panel and a second front bottom panel foldably connected to the front central panel.

21 . The carrier of claim 20 , wherein the second plurality of panels comprises a first back bottom panel foldably connected to the back central panel and a second back bottom panel foldably connected to the back panel.

22 . The carrier of claim 21 , wherein the first front bottom panel and the second front bottom panel cooperate to at least partially define the front interior space and the first back bottom panel and the second back bottom panel cooperate to at least partially define the back interior space.

23 . A blank for forming a carrier for holding a plurality of containers, the blank comprising:
a front portion of the blank that comprises a first plurality of panels for at least partially surrounding a front interior space of a front portion of the carrier when the carrier is formed from the blank, the front interior space for receiving at least one container of the plurality of containers, the first plurality of panels comprising a front panel, a front central panel, and at least one front side panel; and a back portion of the blank that comprises a second plurality of panels for at least partially surrounding a back interior space of a back portion of the carrier when the carrier is formed from the blank, the back interior space for receiving at least one container of the plurality of containers, the second plurality of panels comprising a back panel, a back central panel, and at least one back side panel, the front central panel and the back central panel are separably connected at a line of weakening and are for being in at least partial face-to face contact in a first configuration of the carrier when the carrier is formed from the blank, the front portion of the carrier and the back portion of the carrier are positionable to a second configuration wherein the front portion of the blank and the back portion of the blank are at least partially separated at the line of weakening when the carrier is formed from the blank.

24 . The blank of claim 23 , wherein the line of weakening comprises a tear line.

25 . The blank of claim 23 , wherein the line of weakening comprises a tear strip positioned at an upper portion of the carrier when the carrier is formed from the blank.

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Inc

Inventors

• Spivey Sr Raymond R
• Ford Colin P
• Holley Jr John Murdick
• Gonzalez Ana
• Thompson Jon
• Smalley Brian

Classifications

• B65D5/4275

  by bonding, adhesive, hook and loop-type fastener or the like · CPC title

• B65D5/4266

  Folding lines, score lines, crease lines · CPC title

• B65D5/4608

  Handgrip holes · CPC title

• B65D2571/0066

  formed from one single sheet · CPC title

• B65D5/5495 Primary

  for separating interconnected containers · CPC title