Container carrier

Claim 2

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device comprised of a single foldable sheet of heat sealable plastic stock for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, said wall sections in the vicinity of said elongate bottom sections being joined by heat seals, and a sidewall section extending upwardly from the outer longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, said bottom, central and sidewall sections being collapsible into a folded flat structure when no containers are associated therewith, and wherein said sheet comprises heat sealable plastic stock and wherein the upper margins of the sidewall sections are heat sealed at spaced intervals providing an opening therebetween for telescopically accommodating the handle.

Claim 3

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device comprised of a single foldable sheet of heat sealable plastic stock for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, said wall sections in the vicinity of said elongate bottom sections being joined by heat seals, and a sidewall section extending upwardly from the other longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, said bottom, central and sidewall sections being collapsible into a folded flat structure when no containers are associated therewith, and wherein the elongate bottom sections are apertured so as to expose the bottom margins of the central wall section when the carrier device is in collapsed condition thereby to facilitate heat sealing thereof.

Claim 4

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device comprised of a single foldable sheet of heat sealable plastic stock for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, said wall sections in the vicinity of said elongate bottom sections being joined by heat seals, and a sidewall section extending upwardly from the other longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, said bottom, central and sidewall sections being collapsible into a folded flat structure when no containers are associated therewith, and wherein the elongate bottom sections are apertured so as to expose the bottom margins of the central wall section when the carrier device is in collapsed condition thereby to facilitate heat sealing thereof.

Claim 5

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device comprised of a single foldable sheet of heat sealable plastic stock for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, said wall sections in the vicinity of said elongate bottom sections being joined by heat seals, and a sidewall section extending upwardly from the outer longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, said bottom, central and sidewall sections being collapsible into a folded flat structure when no containers are associated therewith, and wherein the side marginal edges of said sidewall sections and said bottom sections are provided with strips buckled toward one another to prevent dislodgement of said containers from the sides of said carrier device, one end of each of said strips integrally connected to one of said side marginal edges of said sidewall sections intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof, and the other end of each of said strips integrally connected to one of said side marginal edges of said bottom sections intermediate the inner and outer ends thereof to span the sides of said carrier device.

Claim 6

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device comprised of a single foldable sheet of heat sealable plastic stock for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, said wall sections in the vicinity of said elongate bottom sections being joined by heat seals, and a sidewall section extending upwardly from the outer longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, said bottom, central and sidewall sections being collapsible into a folded flat structure when no containers are associated therewith, and wherein the side marginal edges of said sidewall sections and said bottom sections are provided with strips buckled toward one another to prevent dislodgement of said containers from the sides of said carrier device, one end of each of said strips integrally connected to one of said side marginal edges of said sidewall sections intermediate the upper and lower ends thereof, and the other end of each of said strips integrally connected to one of said side marginal edges of said bottom sections intermediate the inner and outer ends thereof to span the sides of said carrier device.

Claim 7

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device cOmprised of a single foldable sheet for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, a sidewall section extending upwardly from the outer longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, marginal portions of said sidewall sections and said bottom sections being slit to form a pair of strips at each side of said carrier device, and means joining each pair of strips intermediate the ends thereof.

Claim 8

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device cOmprised of a single foldable sheet for accommodating a plurality of containers, said sheet including adjacently positioned, substantially parallel elongate bottom sections for supporting the bottom surfaces of a plurality of containers disposed in adjacent rows, a vertically disposed central wall section extending upwardly from the inner longitudinal margins of said bottom sections and terminating in an upper substantially central handle, a sidewall section extending upwardly from the outer longitudinal margin of each bottom section, the upper portions of said sidewall sections defining an opening for telescopically accommodating said handle, said sidewall sections having a plurality of vertically elongate container receiving openings defined by edges of the sheet stock, said edges being contoured and positioned to engage the container peripheries for securing such containers against lateral displacement, marginal portions of said sidewall sections and said bottom sections being slit to form a pair of strips at each side of said carrier device, and means joining each pair of strips intermediate the ends thereof.

Claim 9

A reusable and readily collapsible type carrier device comprised of a single fold sheet, as set forth in claim 4, wherein said sheet comprises heat sealable plastic stock, and said last mentioned means comprises a heat seal.