Carrier and method
View Patent ↗The food carrier has a central vertical support panel with a handle and a pair of trays with beverage cup holders attached to the central support panel. A folded side-wall structure can be unfolded to start the formation of the trays, and a folded bottom panel or two-panel structure unfolds into the side-wall outline to stabilize the side-wall and hold the carrier erect while it is resting on a flat surface thus to make unfolding and loading the carrier quicker and easier. An auxiliary tray can be slipped into the central vertical support to hold solid foods, and both beverages and solid foods can be carried. Advantageously, the auxiliary tray can have substantially the same structure as the first carrier unit, except it has no beverage-receiving holes. It can be mounted to ride “piggyback” on the first carrier, or it can be used alone.
1. A carrier, said carrier comprising
a pair of central support panels, each having an upper edge,
a pair of foldable side-wall structures, each of said side-wall structures being secured to one of said support panels and extending outwardly from said support panel when said side-wall structure is unfolded, each of said side-wall structures having an upper edge spaced downwardly from said upper edge of said one support panel by a substantial distance,
each of said side-wall structures forming, together with the support panel to which it is secured, the walls of a receptacle,
a pair of automatically-opening bottom structures, one for each of said side-wall structures, each of said bottom structures being folded flat when said carrier is folded, but unfolding automatically and forming a bottom structure for each of said receptacles when said carrier is unfolded, and
a pair of auxiliary vertical support panels, and a pair of auxiliary receptacles, each secured to one of said auxiliary panels, said auxiliary vertical support panels having upper edges and being joined together adjacent said upper edges to form a fold, said auxiliary panels extending downwardly on opposite sides of said central support panels with said auxiliary receptacles being supported above the first-named receptacles by said fold resting on said upper edges of said central support panels.
2. A carrier as in claim 1 in which each of said auxiliary receptacles has a side-wall structure and a bottom-wall structure, and each of said bottom wall structures of said auxiliary receptacles being imperforate.
3. A carrier as in claim 1 in which each of said panels has a hand-hole adjacent its upper edge, the hand-holes in said auxiliary panels being located so as to align with the hand in said central support panels when said auxiliary and said central support panels are assembled together.
4. A method of distributing food comprising:
(a) providing a first carrier with a first pair of central support panels each with an upper edge and a lower edge and a first handle structure near said-upper edge, and a first pair of receptacles extending outwardly from each of said first central support panels adjacent said lower edge thereof,
(b) providing a second carrier with a second pair of central support panels, each having a height substantially less than the height of said first central panels, each having an upper and a lower edge and a second pair of receptacles, each receptacle extending from adjacent said lower edge of one of said second central support panels, and a second handle structure adjacent said upper edge of each of said second central support panels and being positioned to align said first and second handle structures with one another, said second central support panels being joined at said upper edges to form a fold to rest upon said upper edges of said first central support panels to support said second carrier on said first carrier with said first and second handle structures grippable by one hand to carry both carriers simultaneously,
(c) and selecting, to use in carrying a load, either said first carrier or said second carrier or a combination of said second carrier with said first carrier with said fold resting on said upper edges of said first central support panels, depending upon the nature of the load to be carried.
5. A carrier, said carrier comprising
a pair of central support panels, each having an upper edge,
a pair of foldable side-wall structures, each of said side-wall structures being secured to one of said support panels and extending outwardly from said support panel when said side-wall structure is unfolded, each of said sidewall structures having an upper edge spaced downwardly from said upper edge of said one support panel by a substantial distance,
each of said side-wall structures forming, together with the support panel to which it is secured, the walls of a receptacle,
a pair of automatically-opening bottom structures, one for each of said side-wall structures, each of said bottom structures being folded flat when said carrier is folded, but unfolding automatically and forming a bottom structure for each of said receptacles when said carrier is unfolded, and
in which each of said bottom structures includes four flaps, each secured along a fold line to the bottom edge of one of said sidewall panels and the support panel to which the side panels are secured,
in which each of said side-wall structures includes three side-wall panels secured to one another in series along fold lines, the series being connected at its ends to one of said support panels along fold lines,
said flaps being secured to one another in a pattern so that said flaps are folded upwardly into the space between said side-wall panels and the support panel to which said side-wall panels are secured when said carrier is folded up, and pull upon one another when said carrier is unfolded to automatically form a bottom structure for each of said receptacles.
6. A carrier as in claim 5
in which each of said bottom structures includes four flaps, each secured along a fold line to the bottom edge of one of the side-wall panels and the support panel to which said side panels are secured,
in which each of said side-wall structures includes three side-wall panels secured to one another in series along fold lines, the series being connected at its ends to one of said support panels along fold lines, and
in which said flaps include, in each of said sidewall structures, a selected one of said flaps which is shaped and sized to engage one of said side-walls and hold said receptacle open to receive objects therein when said carrier is at least partially open.
7. A carrier as in claim 5 in which each of said side-wall structures includes three side-wall panels secured to one another in series along fold lines, the series being connected at its ends to one of said support panels along fold lines, in which each of said support panels has a top edge, an opposed bottom edge, and two opposed side edges, said ends of said series of panels being secured to one of said support panels adjacent said opposed side edges, said sidewall panels being foldable solely along said fold lines to fold said side-wall structures flat against said support panels, and to unfold them.
8. A carrier as in claim 5 in which one of said flaps in each of said bottom structures extends substantially all the way across the top of said bottom structure to engage the one of said side-walls of said bottom structure which is opposite to the wall to which said one flap is secured.
9. A carrier as in claim 5 in which said support panels are secured together, and including a handhold structure in said support panels.
10. A carrier as in claim 9 including a third receptacle having side-walls and a bottom wall with a slot in it, and said support panels extending upwardly through said slot with said hand-hold structure exposed to be gripped.
11. A carrier as in claim 5 in which each of two opposed side flaps of each bottom structure has a tab extending from said flap and delineated from the remainder of said flap by a diagonal fold line, and each of said tabs is secured to one of said four flaps adjacent to said tab, with said tabs being located on opposite corners of said bottom structures.
12. A foldable carrier comprising a pair of upwardly-extending central support panels, each of said pairs having an upper edge and a lower portion,
a pair of foldable receptacles, each secured to and extending outwardly from said lower portion of one of said support panels when said carrier is unfolded, each of said receptacles having an upper edge substantially below said upper edge of the central support panel from which it extends,
each of said side-wall structures comprising three vertical side-walls hinged together along vertical lines,
each of said bottom structures being comprised of four flanges, each extending from and being hinged to the lower edge of one of said side-walls and to the lower edge of one of said central support panels,
in each of said bottom structures at least two of said flanges, at opposite corners of the bottom of said receptacle, which are secured to an adjacent one of the other of said flanges and being foldable diagonally to cause said flanges to fold inwardly into said receptacle when said side-walls are folded, and to unfold to form a bottom structure when unfolded,
one of said flanges in each of said bottom structures extending completely across said bottom structure between one of said support panels and the opposite one of said vertical side-walls.
13. A carrier as in claim 12 in which said one flange is sized and shaped to engage with one of said sidewalls so as to hold said receptacle open when said carrier is partially unfolded.