I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to beverage carriers, and more specifically to beverage carriers comprising detachable insulating sleeves and the method of making said beverage carriers.
II. Description of Related Art
Beverage carriers are used, generally, to hold and transport one or more beverage containers. Commonly, beverage carriers are used to hold six individual glass bottles (i.e., a six-pack) so that they can be stored and transported easily. These six-pack carriers are typically made from a single, continuous piece of cardboard or paperboard and are assembled using automated systems capable of cutting, folding, and gluing the beverage carriers. Automated systems typically utilize generally flat cardboard or paperboard templates and fold the flat templates to form a three-dimensional beverage carrier. Commonly used beverage carriers often have six individual slots for holding a beverage container such as a glass bottle. When a user desires to open and drink the beverages contained within the carrier, the user generally lifts each of the beverages out of its respective slot in the carrier. The user subsequently discards the carrier once all individual beverages are removed.
While drinking a beverage, the user may desire to keep his or her beverage insulated from external heat sources, such as heat from the environment or heat from the user's hand, during consumption by inserting the beverage into an insulating device (for example, a Koozie®, huggie, can coolers, etc.). However, the user may often find himself or herself without a can cooler and thus unable to easily insulate his or her beverage.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a beverage carrier comprising six or more insulating sleeves that can each be individually detached from the carrier while retaining its structure such that the sleeve can surround a beverage container as a user is drinking the beverage, thereby insulating the beverage from external heat sources such as heat from the environment or heat from the user's hand during consumption. However, production of such a beverage carrier having individually detachable sleeves may cause problems for automated manufacturing systems. Because the beverage carrier must comprise individual sleeves that can be detached while retaining their structure and not just slots for holding beverage containers, the template used to make the beverage carrier must also comprise material for forming each individual sleeve. However, because automated systems will cut each template from a larger piece of cardboard or paperboard, the material used to form each individual sleeve also cannot overlap. Particularly with respect to carriers holding six or more beverages, as is common in the industry, this creates a problem because known templates having standard, commonly used shapes cannot be used to make a six-pack carrier having individually detachable sleeves.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a beverage carrier template made from a single, continuous piece of material configured for manufacturing a beverage carrier having six or more individually detachable sleeves that each retains its structure after detachment. Furthermore, a need exists in the art for a method of manufacturing a beverage carrier using such a template.
One aspect of the present invention provides for a beverage carrier for carrying six or more individual beverage containers. The beverage carrier comprises a handle and six or more individual sleeves wherein each of the sleeves is configured such that each sleeve can be individually detached from the handle and remain structurally intact. When carrying beverages in the carrier, each sleeve surrounds one beverage container. Thus, a user of the device can detach a sleeve containing a beverage container, such as a bottle or can filled with a beverage, and drink the beverage with the sleeve surrounding the beverage container. The sleeve insulates the beverage from external heat sources, such as heat from the environment or heat from the user's hand. Conversely, the sleeve also protects the user's hand from becoming too cold when holding a cold beverage container. Additionally, although the device is typically used to insulate cold beverages, it may also be used in the same manner to insulate hot beverages and to protect a user's hand from the heat of the beverage.
Another aspect of the present invention provides for a beverage carrier comprising a handle and six or more sleeves arranged in a first row on one side of the handle and a second row on the opposite side of the handle. Thus, each row has two end sleeves and at least one middle sleeve. Each of the sleeves is attached to the handle along a perforated attachment surface such that each sleeve can then be detached from the handle simply by tearing the sleeve away from the handle along the perforated attachment surface. Each perforated attachment surface is preferably configured in a generally vertical position such that the perforations extend vertically along the exterior surface of each respective sleeve when the assembled beverage carrier is in an upright position. Thus, each sleeve is attached to the handle along a generally straight and generally vertical perforated attachment surface rather than a curved attachment surface extending around the circular perimeter of the sleeve. This configuration provides a strong and effective attachment along the perforated attachment surface while allowing the straight edge of the handle to remain straight and providing a sleeve that fits snugly around the entire circular perimeter of a beverage container, which provides effective insulation.
Another aspect of the present invention provides for a beverage carrier template made from a single, continuous, and generally flat piece of material configured for manufacturing a beverage carrier having six or more individually detachable sleeves that each retains its structure after detachment. In a preferred embodiment, the template produces a six-pack beverage carrier having a row of three separate sleeves for holding beverages on each side of a handle. Thus, the generally flat template comprises a pre-formed handle and three pre-formed sleeves attached to each side of the pre-formed handle such that each side of the pre-formed handle has two pre-formed end sleeves and one pre-formed middle sleeve. In order to cut the template from a single piece of material without overlapping the material used to form the sleeves, the material for each of the middle sleeves is connected to the rest of the template by a hinge. The hinges allow this material to be formed into the middle sleeves and then folded into place between the end sleeves. Once the middle sleeves are in place, they are glued or otherwise attached to the handle and the hinges can then be removed. The hinges allow the template to be cut from a single piece of material such as cardboard or paperboard so that a high volume of beverage carriers can be manufactured quickly using automated systems.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a beverage carrier from such a template. Each of the four pre-formed end sleeves (two on each side of the handle) is attached directly to the pre-formed handle along an attachment surface. The pre-formed middle sleeves are attached indirectly to the pre-formed handle via each of the hinges. Perforations are then made along each of the attachment surfaces such that each of the end sleeves can be individually detached from the carrier. Next, a section of continuous perforations is made on each side of the pre-formed handle to form a perforated attachment panel on each side the pre-formed handle. Each of the pre-formed sleeves composing the template is a generally flat piece of material having two opposing ends. Three-dimensional sleeves are then formed by attaching the opposing ends of each of the pre-formed sleeves to each other. The middle sleeves are then folded into place between the end sleeves, and the exterior surface of each middle sleeve is attached to a corresponding perforated attachment panel. Next, the pre-formed handle is folded in half to form a handle having three sleeves attached to each side of the handle. Thus, the assembled beverage carrier is generally symmetrical and has six sleeves arranged in two rows of three sleeves on each side of the handle.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Detailed descriptions of one or more preferred embodiments are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in any appropriate manner.
Where reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more other steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).
The present invention provides for a carrier for holding six or more containers wherein said containers are each separately enclosed by a sleeve, and each sleeve can be individually detached from the remainder of the carrier. When each sleeve is detached from the remainder of the carrier, each sleeve remains structurally intact. In a preferred use of the present invention, the carrier holds a six-pack of bottled or canned beverages, such as beer or soda. Another feature of the present invention is that each of the sleeves serves to insulate the beverage contained therein, both while the sleeves are attached to the carrier and after they have been removed from the remainder of the carrier. Because of the detachable insulated sleeves, the user does not have to use an additional insulating device, wherein said insulating devices are also referred to as koozies, huggies, can coolers, etc. The carrier of the present invention is preferably made of cardboard or paperboard, but can be made from other types of materials, including, but not limited to, posterboard, corrugated cardboard, corrugated plastic, plastic sheeting, and other similar materials known in the art.
As described in greater detail below, the beverage carrier 1 of the present invention is manufactured from a generally flat cut-out template 43, preferably made of paperboard.
As can be seen in
As shown, for example, in
For example, and as shown in
In addition, the pre-formed sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29 may first be creased so as to create a series of sleeve panels 7, 11, 17, 21, 25, 31 in each of the sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29. Before each sleeve is formed into a generally cylindrical shape, each pre-formed sleeve 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29 may be creased, or folded to create creases, at intervals along one or more latitudinal lines to create two or more sleeve panels 7, 11, 17, 21, 25, 31 for each sleeve 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29. The locations of exemplary creases in the sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29 are shown in
As illustrated in
The sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29 shown in
As can be seen in
In an alternative embodiment, the lower sleeve circumference and the upper sleeve circumference may be approximately the same, and each beverage container may be supported by a support segment found on each sleeve. In this embodiment (not shown), a support cut is made in each of the sleeves. The cuts are configured in a horizontal position when the sleeves are upright. Preferably, each cut is approximately 1.5 inches long and approximately 0.5 inches from the bottom of the sleeve, though these dimensions may be altered according to manufacturer or customer preferences. The support cuts each create a support segment, which is the material of each sleeve located below a support cut. Making each support cut allows each of the support segments to be pushed inwards towards the center of each of the generally cylindrical sleeves during assembly. Thus, in this design, the inwardly pushed support segment supports the bottom of the beverage container and prevents the container from sliding all the way through the sleeve. In addition, the support cut and support segment can be utilized either in lieu of, or in addition to, the previously described tapered design of the sleeves.
As shown in
Each pre-formed sleeve 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29 is attached to the pre-formed handle 2 along a respective perforated attachment surface 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, as illustrated in
However, as can also be seen in
As shown in
When the beverage carrier 1 is assembled and in an upright position, each perforated attachment surface 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65 is configured in a generally vertical position along the exterior surface of each respective three-dimensional sleeve 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29, as shown in
The beverage carrier templates 43 can be cut and assembled by manual or by automated means already known in the art. The following describes one method of creating a beverage carrier 1 using automated means. In the following description, the blank is referred to as having a top side and a bottom side wherein the top side faces upwards and the bottom side faces downwards during assembly. Referring to
After the cuts and perforations are made by the die cutter, the beverage carrier template 43 is assembled by a folder-gluer line (such as a BOBST® Folder Gluer). The folder-gluer line, using the schematic that is uploaded to the folder-gluer line (where
Next, the folder-gluer line attaches the bottom side of the first sleeve attachment flap 6 to the top side of the first sleeve attachment panel 8 by bending the attachment flap 6 upward and curving the flap 6 until it touches the attachment panel 8. This step forms the generally cylindrical first sleeve 5. Similarly, the folder-gluer line next attaches the bottom side of the sixth sleeve attachment flap 30 to the top side of the sixth sleeve attachment panel 32 in the same manner to form the generally cylindrical sixth sleeve 29. Then, the folder-gluer line attaches the bottom side of the third sleeve attachment flap 16 to the top side of the third sleeve attachment panel 18 to form the generally cylindrical third sleeve 15, and also attaches the bottom side of the fourth sleeve attachment flap 20 to the top side of the fourth sleeve attachment panel 22 to form the generally cylindrical fourth sleeve 19.
In a preferred embodiment, the folder-gluer line then attaches the bottom side of the second sleeve attachment flap 10 to the top side of the second sleeve attachment panel 12 by bending both the flap 10 and the panel 12 upward until the flap 10 touches the panel 12. This step forms the generally cylindrical second sleeve 9. Similarly, the folder-gluer line next attaches the bottom side of the fifth sleeve attachment flap 24 to the top side of the fifth sleeve attachment panel 26 to form the generally cylindrical fifth sleeve 23.
The folder-gluer line then folds the second sleeve 9 and the fifth sleeve 23 upward by bending each hinge 42 along the crease in each hinge 42, thereby creating the fold. The middle sleeves 9, 23 are folded such that the bottom side of the second sleeve inner attachment panel 13 becomes glued to the top side of the perforated first handle attachment panel 14, and the bottom side of the fifth sleeve inner attachment panel 27 becomes glued to the top side of the perforated second handle attachment panel 28. Thus, the exterior surface of each of the three-dimensional middle sleeves 9, 23 is attached to each perforated handle attachment panel 14, 28, respectively, and is thus attached to each side of the handle 2, respectively. After attachment of the second and fifth sleeves 9, 23 to the handle 2, each of the hinges 42 are removed from the assembly by tearing the hinges 42 along the perforations on each side of each hinge 42. Removal of the hinges 42 from the assembly will allow the second and fifth sleeves 9, 23 to expand so that each sleeve may be used to hold a beverage container.
The inner portion 4 of the pre-formed handle 2 is then folded downward under the outer portion 3, and the pre-formed handle 2 is folded in half along the creases (shown by the dotted lines in
In an alternative embodiment, the second sleeve 9 and the fifth sleeve 23 may be attached to the perforated handle attachment panels, 14 and 28, respectively, by gluing the bottom side of the second and fifth sleeve attachment panels 12, 26 to the handle attachment panels, 14 and 28, respectively. In fact, it should be understood by one skilled in the art that any of the sleeve panels 11, 25 illustrated in
In another alternative embodiment, the second sleeve 9 and the fifth sleeve 23 can be formed by bending the respective sleeve attachment panels 12, 26 and sleeve attachment flaps 10, 24 downward (as opposed to upward as in the previously discussed embodiments) until each of the flaps 10, 24 touches the corresponding panels 12, 26. In this embodiment, the second and fifth sleeves 9, 23 are then folded upward by folding the crease in each hinge 42 so that the top side of each center attachment panel 50, 51 is attached to the top side of its corresponding perforated handle attachment panel 14, 28. Thus, in this embodiment, the attachment panels 12, 26 and the attachment flaps 10, 24, which overlap and are glued together, are positioned on the outside of the sleeves 9, 23 when viewing the assembled carrier 1. However, it is preferred that the outside portions of the middle sleeves 9, 23 have a smooth continuous surface for the purpose of printing on the sleeves and generally for aesthetic purposes. Thus, this embodiment is not the most preferred.
Another alternative embodiment of the present invention utilizes the template illustrated in
Another alternative embodiment of the present invention utilizes the template illustrated in
Although the methods described above produce a beverage carrier 1 designed to carry six beverage containers, the method may be adapted to produce a beverage carrier 1 designed to carry more than six beverage containers, and particularly a carrier for carrying eight beverage containers. For instance, to produce a carrier having eight individual sleeves, the template shown in
After assembly, beverage containers can be placed into the sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29 either manually or by automated means.
Alternatively, if the bottles are going to be placed into an ice chest or a location where it is undesirable to have the containers in sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29, the user can remove the beverage containers from the sleeves 5, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29. Advantageously, as shown in
In alternative embodiments, the handle may be made of a different material from that used to form the individual sleeves. For example, the handle may be made of cardboard, while the individual sleeves are made of a different material, such as, but not limited to, foam rubber or neoprene. In another exemplary embodiment, the handle and sleeves can be formed from separate pieces of material assembled together to form a single carrier with multiple sleeves during the manufacturing process (as opposed to being cut from a single sheet of material as described above). In another exemplary embodiment, we speculate that the various contacts between the various portions of the carrier can be fixed via methods other than glue, including interlocking tabs, structured board (i.e., one-way insertion methods), hinges, tacks, staples, zippers, hook and loop tape (e.g., “Velcro”), sewn thread, springs, clips, buckles, hooks, magnets, nails, screws, suction or any similar attachment means know in the art.
It is understood that versions of the invention may come in different forms and embodiments. Additionally, it is understood that one of skill in the art would appreciate these various forms and embodiments as falling within the scope of the invention as disclosed herein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/921,404, filed on Dec. 27, 2013, and U.S. application Ser. No. 14/583,387, filed on Dec. 26, 2014, which applications are incorporated herein by reference.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170050790 A1 | Feb 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61921404 | Dec 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14583387 | Dec 2014 | US |
Child | 14831135 | US |