Carrier and method
A carrier is provided with vertical support panels, each with a receptacle extending outwardly from its lower region. Each receptacle has a top shelf with at least one opening to receive and provide extra support for beverage cups or other items such as ice cream cones, confection cups, etc. The top shelf panel is held in position either by tabs which fit into slots, or by vertical support panels, or by other structures. The carrier is easily convertible to one having only one top shelf, or none, as needed.
1. A carrier having a vertical support panel structure, at least one foldable receptacle with vertical side wall panels foldably secured to said vertical support panel structure, said side wall panels being foldable and unfoldable along vertical fold lines,
a bottom structure having bottom panels foldably extending from the lower edges of said vertical side panels and interconnected with one another to form a horizontal support structure when said receptacle is unfolded,
a foldable top shelf structure for said receptacle, said top shelf structure comprising a shelf panel extending from the upper edge of one of said vertical side panels and dimensioned to fit into said receptacle and having an engagement structure for engaging one or more panels of said carrier to hold said shelf panel at an upper position spaced vertically upwardly from said bottom structure, in which said vertical support panel structure includes a pair of vertical support panels secured together, each panel having an upper portion and a lower portion,
said foldable receptacle being secured in said lower portion to one of said vertical support panels,
a second receptacle with the same structural features as the first-named receptacle and secured to said lower potion of the other of said vertical support panels.
2. A carrier as in claim 1 in which said top shelf panel has at least one opening dimensioned to receive a container, or a frozen confection cone or another tapered object therein.
3. A carrier as having a vertical support panel structure, at least one foldable receptacle with vertical side wall panels foldably secured to said vertical support panel structure, said side wall panels being foldable and unfoldable along vertical fold lines,
a bottom structure having bottom panels foldably extending from the lower edges of said vertical side panels and interconnected with one another to form a horizontal support structure when said receptacle is unfolded,
a foldable top shelf structure for said receptacle, said top shelf structure comprising a shelf panel extending from the upper edge of one of said vertical side panels and dimensioned to fit into said receptacle and having an engagement structure for engaging one or more panels of said carrier to hold said shelf panel at an upper position spaced vertically upwardly from said bottom structure, in which said engagement structure comprises a foldable extension from one end of said shelf panel, said extension being dimensioned to extend down to said bottom structure of said receptacle and support said foldable top shelf panel in a horizontal position when said top shelf panel is folded over and said extension is inserted downwardly into said receptacle.
4. A carrier having a vertical support panel structure, at least one foldable receptacle with vertical side wall panels foldably secured to said vertical support panel structure, said side wall panels being foldable and unfoldable along vertical fold lines,
a bottom structure having bottom panels foldably extending from the lower edges of said vertical side panels and interconnected with one another to form a horizontal support structure when said receptacle is unfolded,
a foldable top shelf structure for said receptacle, said top shelf structure comprising a shelf panel extending from the upper edge of one of said vertical side panels and dimensioned to fit into said receptacle and having an engagement structure for engaging one or more panels of said carrier to hold said shelf panel at an upper position spaced vertically upwardly from said bottom structure, in which said engagement structure comprises at least one tab extending from an edge of said top shelf panel, and a slot in at least one of said side wall panels and positioned to receive said tab and hold said top shelf panel in said upper position.
5. A Carrier as in claim 1 in which said upper portion of each of said vertical support panels has a hand hole, said hand holes being aligned with one another,
said upper portions extending above said top shelf panel and extending through a slot in the bottom of a slotted container for containing items to be carried.
6. A carrier as in claim 1 in which said bottom structure is solid to support the bottom of a container or other object extending through said opening and is formed by flanges each hinged to the bottom edge of each of one of said vertical side walls and said vertical support panel structure, said flanges being interconnected together to unfold to form said bottom structure.
7. A carrier as in claim 6 in which said receptacle has four of said side walls, one of said side walls being one surface of said vertical support panel structure, and there are four of said flanges, each of said flanges being secured to an adjacent flange with a diagonal fold line to facilitate unfolding of said flanges and the forming of said bottom structure.
8. A carrier having a vertical support panel structure, at least one foldable receptacle with vertical side wall panels foldably secured to said vertical support panel structure, said side wall panels being foldable and unfoldable along vertical fold lines,
a bottom structure having bottom panels foldably extending from the lower edges of said vertical side panels and interconnected with one another to form a horizontal support structure when said receptacle is unfolded,
a foldable top shelf structure for said receptacle, said top shelf structure comprising a shelf panel extending from the upper edge of one of said vertical side panels and dimensioned to fit into said receptacle and having an engagement structure for engaging one or more panels of said carrier to hold said shelf panel at an upper position spaced vertically upwardly from said bottom structure, in which said engagement structure includes at least one tab extending from one edge of said top shelf panel, and at least one slot in said vertical support panel structure to receive said tab, said top shelf panel having edges which overlap and rest on the top edges of said side walls panels.
9. A carrier unfoldable from a flattened form to erect it to form a carrier, said carrier comprising
a vertical support panel structure,
a receptacle comprising
a receptacle side wall structure comprising a plurality of side wall panels foldably secured to one another and to said vertical support panel structure, and forming an enclosure extending outwardly from said vertical support panel structure when said carrier is unfolded,
a foldable bottom structure unfoldable to form a bottom surface for said enclosure, and
a foldable top shelf structure unfold able to form a top shelf in said enclosure spaced upwardly from said bottom surface,
said top shelf having at least one opening for receiving and holding an object in said carrier, in which said top shelf structure includes a top shelf panel foldably attached to the top edge of one of said side wall panels and a foldable extension from one edge of said top shelf panel, said extension being dimensioned to extend down to said bottom structure to support said top shelf panel.
10. A carrier as in claim 9 in which each of said vertical support panels has a plurality of edges and is hinged to the other of said vertical support panels along one of said edges whereby said panels can be pivoted to separate them to give access to the respective back surfaces of said vertical support panels.
11. A carrier unfoldable from a flattened form to erect it to form a carrier, said carrier comprising
a vertical support panel structure,
a receptacle comprising
a receptacle side wall structure comprising a plurality of side wall panels foldably secured to one another and to said vertical support panel structure, and forming an enclosure extending outwardly from said vertical support panel structure when said carrier is unfolded,
a foldable bottom structure unfoldable to form a bottom surface for said enclosure, and
a foldable top shelf structure unfold able to form a top shelf in said enclosure spaced upwardly from said bottom surface,
said top shelf having at least one opening for receiving and holding an object in said carrier, in which said top shelf structure includes a top shelf panel foldably attached to an upper edge of one of said side wall panels and having an engagement structure for holding said shelf panel horizontal, in which said top shelf panel has at least one tab and said vertical support panel structure has a mating slot, said slot being positioned to receive said tab to hold said shelf panel up.
12. A carrier unfoldable from a flattened form to erect it to form a carrier, said carrier comprising
a vertical support panel structure,
a receptacle comprising
a receptacle side wall structure comprising a plurality of side wall panels foldably secured to one another and to said vertical support panel structure, and forming an enclosure extending outwardly from said vertical support panel structure when said carrier is unfolded,
a foldable bottom structure unfoldable to form a bottom surface for said enclosure, and
a foldable top shelf structure unfold able to form a top shelf in said enclosure spaced upwardly from said bottom surface,
said top shelf having at least one opening for receiving and holding an object in said carrier, in which each of said side wall panels and said vertical support panel structure has an upper edge and a lower edge, and said bottom structure and said shelf are formed by at least three panels foldably secured together and extending from said lower edge of said vertical support panel structure, the first of said three panels being foldable to form said bottom structure, the second forming said shelf, and the third linking said first and second panels together, and fastening means for holding said three panels into said side wall panels.
13. A convertible carrier, comprising a vertical support panel structure, a pair of receptacles extending outwardly from said vertical support panel structure when said carrier is unfolded,
a bottom structure forming a solid bottom for each of said receptacles,
said receptacles having vertical side walls including one generally parallel to said vertical support panel structure,
a top shelf panel hinged and extending from the upper edge of said one vertical wall panel in each receptacle,
a securing structure in each receptacle for holding said top shelf panel horizontal above the bottom structure of said receptacle, each of said top shelf panels being movable to a substantially vertical position in said receptacle to convert said receptacle from one having a top shelf to one having none in which said securing structure includes at least one tab extending out from one edge of said top shelf panel and at least one slot in said vertical support panel structure to receive said tab, said tab being sufficiently flexible to bend easily under hand pressure to by pass said slot to free said top shelf panel to move to said vertical position.
14. A convertible carrier, comprising a vertical support panel structure, a pair of receptacles extending outwardly from said vertical support panel structure when said carrier is unfolded,
a bottom structure forming a solid bottom for each of said receptacles,
said receptacles having vertical side walls including one generally parallel to said vertical support panel structure,
a top shelf panel hinged and extending from the upper edge of said one vertical wall panel in each receptacle,
a securing structure in each receptacle for holding said top shelf panel horizontal above the bottom structure of said receptacle, each of said top shelf panels being movable to a substantially vertical position in said receptacle to convert said receptacle from one having a top shelf to one having none, in which said securing structure comprises an extension from said top shelf panel which is foldable downwardly to engage said bottom structure to prop said top shelf panel up, and is foldable upwardly to allow said top shelf and said extension to be folded into said receptacle with said extension on said bottom structure and said top shelf against the inside surface of one of said vertical side walls.