Carrier for containers
View Patent ↗A carrier for containing a plurality of articles. The carrier comprises a plurality of panels that extend at least partially around the interior of the carrier. The panels comprise a front panel, a back panel positioned opposite to the front panel, at least one side panel foldably connected to at least one of the front and back panels, at least one top panel foldably connected to one of the front panel and the back panel, and a divider flap foldably connected to the at least one side panel.
1. A carrier for containing a plurality of articles, the carrier comprises:
a front panel;
a back panel positioned opposite to the front panel;
at least one side panel foldably connected to at least one of the front and back panels;
at least one top panel foldably connected to one of the front panel and the back panel; and
a divider flap foldably connected to the at least one side panel, the divider flap comprises a reinforcement portion foldably connected to the at least one side panel along a fold line and a divider portion foldably connected to the reinforcement portion, the reinforcement portion being at least partially in face-to-face contact with the at least one side panel.
2. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the fold line is an oblique fold line and the divider portion is foldably connected to the reinforcement portion at a generally vertical fold line.
3. The carrier of claim 2 , wherein the oblique fold line coincides with a top edge of the at least one side panel.
4. The carrier of claim 2 , the at least one side panel comprising a first side panel and a second side panel, wherein the divider flap is foldably connected to the first side panel, a first adhesive flap is foldably connected to the second side panel, and the divider portion comprises an adhesive tab that is adhered to the first adhesive flap.
5. The carrier of claim 4 , wherein the divider portion is generally perpendicular to the first side panel and the first adhesive flap is generally perpendicular to the second side panel.
6. The carrier of claim 4 , the at least one side panel further comprising a third side panel foldably connected to the back panel, wherein the second side panel is foldably connected to the front panel, and a second adhesive panel is foldably connected to the third side panel, the second adhesive panel being adhered to the first adhesive panel and comprising a notch, wherein the adhesive tab is at least partially received in the notch.
7. The carrier of claim 2 , wherein the at least one side panel comprises a first side portion foldably connected to a second side portion and the reinforcement portion of the divider flap is foldably connected to the first side portion, and wherein a reinforcing flap foldably connected to the first side portion at a lower edge of the at least one side panel is in face-to-face contact with the first side portion.
8. The carrier of claim 1 , the at least one top panel comprising a lower portion extending at an oblique angle from the front or back panel and a handle portion foldably connected to the lower portion, wherein the lower portion defines at least one aperture.
9. The carrier of claim 8 , further comprising a reinforcing top flap foldably connected to the handle portion and in face-to-face contact with the handle portion.
10. The carrier of claim 9 , the handle portion defining a first handle opening and the reinforcing top flap defining a second handle opening generally aligned with the first handle opening, wherein the handle portion is foldably connected to a handle flap adjacent to the first handle opening.
11. The carrier of claim 9 , the at least one top panel comprising a first top panel foldably connected to the front panel and a second top panel foldably connected to the back panel, the reinforcing top flap of the first top panel is at least partially in face-to-face contact with the reinforcing top flap of the second top panel.
12. The carrier of claim 11 , the handle portion and the reinforcing top flap of each of the first and second top panels extending generally vertically from the lower portion of the respective first and second top panels.
13. The carrier of claim 11 in combination with a plurality of articles at least partially contained within the carrier, wherein an upper portion of each article of the plurality of articles protrudes through a respective one of the at least one aperture in the first top panel and the at least one aperture in the second top panel.
14. The carrier of claim 1 , further comprising a first bottom flap foldably connected to the front panel and a second bottom flap foldably connected to the back panel, the first and second bottom flaps cooperating to at least partially close the bottom of the carrier.
15. The carrier of claim 1 in combination with a plurality of articles at least partially contained within the carrier, wherein at least a portion of the divider flap forms a divider that extends across the interior of the carrier and divides the interior of the carrier into a front portion and a back portion, and wherein at least one of the articles is contained in the front portion and at least another one of the articles is contained in the back portion.
16. A blank for forming a carrier package, the blank comprising:
a front panel;
a back panel;
at least one side panel foldably connected to at least one of the front and back panels;
at least one top panel foldably connected to one of the front panel and the back panel; and
a divider flap foldably connected to the at least one side panel, the divider flap comprises a reinforcement portion foldably connected to the at least one side panel along a fold line and a divider portion foldably connected to the reinforcement portion, wherein the reinforcement portion is for being disposed at least partially in face-to-face contact with the at least one side panel when the carrier package is formed from the blank.
17. The blank of claim 16 , wherein the fold line is a first oblique fold line and the divider portion is foldably connected to the reinforcement portion at a second oblique fold line.
18. The blank of claim 17 , wherein the first oblique fold line coincides with a top edge of the at least one side panel and the divider portion comprises an adhesive tab on an oblique edge of the divider portion.
19. The blank of claim 17 , the at least one side panel comprising a first side panel and a second side panel, wherein the divider flap is foldably connected to the first side panel, a first adhesive flap is foldably connected to the second side panel, and the divider portion comprises an adhesive tab.
20. The blank of claim 19 , the at least one side panel further comprising a third side panel foldably connected to the back panel, wherein the second side panel is foldably connected to the front panel, and a second adhesive panel is foldably connected to the third side panel, the second adhesive panel comprising a notch, wherein the adhesive tab is sized for being at least partially received in the notch.
21. The blank of claim 17 , wherein the at least one side panel comprises a first side portion foldably connected to a second side portion and the reinforcement portion of the divider flap is foldably connected to the first side portion, and wherein a reinforcing flap is foldably connected to the first side portion at a lower edge of the at least one side panel.
22. The blank of claim 16 , the at least one top panel comprising a lower portion and a handle portion foldably connected to the lower portion, wherein the lower portion defines at least one aperture.
23. The blank of claim 22 , further comprising a reinforcing top flap foldably connected to the handle portion.
24. The blank of claim 23 , the handle portion defining a first handle opening and the reinforcing top flap defining a second handle opening, wherein the handle portion is foldably connected to a handle flap adjacent to the first handle opening.
25. The blank of claim 16 , further comprising a first bottom flap foldably connected to the front panel and a second bottom flap foldably connected to the back panel, the first and second bottom flaps being for at least partially closing the bottom of the carrier formed from the blank.
26. A method of assembling a carrier, the method comprising:
obtaining a blank comprising a front panel, a back panel, at least one side panel foldably connected to at least one of the front and back panels, at least one top panel foldably connected to one of the front panel and the back panel, and a divider flap foldably connected to the at least one side panel, the divider flap comprises a reinforcement portion foldably connected to the at least one side panel along a fold line and a divider portion foldably connected to the reinforcement portion;
positioning the front panel, the back panel, and the at least one side panel to form an interior of the carrier, the forming the interior of the carrier comprising forming a sleeve having at least one open end; and
positioning the divider flap to at least partially divide the interior of the carrier, the positioning the divider flap comprising positioning the reinforcement portion at least partially in face-to-face contact with the at least one side panel.
27. The method of claim 26 , wherein at least a portion of the divider panel is spaced apart from the front and back panels to divide the interior into a front portion and a back portion.
28. The method of claim 26 , wherein the fold line is an oblique fold line and the divider portion is foldably connected to the reinforcement portion at a fold line, the positioning the divider flap comprises folding the divider portion to be generally perpendicular to the reinforcement portion.
29. The method of claim 28 , the at least one side panel comprising a first side panel and a second side panel, wherein the divider flap is foldably connected to the first side panel, a first adhesive flap is foldably connected to the second side panel, and the divider portion comprises an adhesive tab, the positioning the divider flap comprises adhering the adhesive tab to the first adhesive flap.
30. The method of claim 26 , further comprising inserting a plurality of articles into the at least one open end of the carrier, and positioning the at least one top panel to at least partially close the top of the carrier.
31. The method of claim 30 , the at least one top panel comprises a first top panel foldably connected to the front panel and a second top panel foldably connected to the back panel, each of the first and second top panels comprising a plurality of apertures, wherein the inserting the plurality of articles comprises inserting an upper portion of each article into a respective aperture.
32. The method of claim 31 , the positioning the at least one top panel to at least partially close a top of the carrier comprises bringing the first top panel into contact with the second top panel.
33. The method of claim 32 , further comprising forming a handle by adhering a first handle portion of the first top panel to a second handle portion of the second top panel, wherein each of the first and second handle portions comprises a handle opening.
34. The method of claim 30 , wherein the blank comprises at least one bottom panel and the method further comprises positioning the at least one bottom panel to close a bottom of the carrier after the inserting the plurality of articles into the interior of the carrier.
35. The method of claim 30 , wherein the inserting a plurality of articles into the interior of the carrier comprises positioning at least one of the articles in a front portion of the interior of the carrier and positioning at least another one of the articles in a back portion of the interior of the carrier.
36. The carrier of claim 1 , wherein the fold line coincides with a top edge of the at least one side panel.
37. The blank of claim 16 , wherein the fold line coincides with a top edge of the at least one side panel.