The present invention relates generally to a new wine box to be used by a retailer to sell a plurality of wine bottles or by a consumer to carry the plurality of wine bottles. The present invention has a much cleaner design and lends itself to higher end graphics. The present invention can also be assembled without tape or any other adhesive.
Traditionally, corrugated box material have been used to make containers with flat surfaces and right angle corners for a plurality of wine bottles. The present invention is a box which stores the plurality of wine bottles in rows and columns. The present invention allows the lateral surface to bend in accordance to the shape of the wine bottles' necks, which creates an aesthetically pleasing look for the present invention. The present invention uses a series of flaps, folds, tabs, slots, and tapeless locks to be assembled from a single piece of corrugated box material. The bottom of the present invention is held together by the tapeless locks. More specifically, the tapeless locks attach the row dividers, which separate the wine bottles into rows, to the column dividers, which separate the wine bottles into columns.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a slender wine bottle carrying box as shown in
The lateral surface 1 wraps around the plurality of wine bottles in order to gather the plurality of wine bottles within the confines of the present invention. The lateral surface 1 comprises a front side 2, a first vertical fold 3, a left side 4, a second vertical fold 6, a right side 7, a third vertical fold 9, a back side 10, a fourth vertical fold 11, a lateral connection tab 12, an adhesive 13, and a plurality of indentation folds 14. The front side 2 allows the lateral surface 1 to enclose the plurality of wine bottles from the front. The left side 4 is connected adjacent to the front side 2 along the first vertical fold 3 and allows the lateral surface 1 to enclose the plurality of wine bottles from the left. The left side 4 is positioned with the first vertical fold 3 to be perpendicular to the front side 2. The right side 7 is connected adjacent to the front side 2 along the second vertical fold 6 and is connected opposite to the left side 4. The right side 7 is positioned with the second vertical fold 6 to be perpendicular to the front side 2 and parallel to the left side 4, which allows the lateral surface 1 to enclose the plurality of wine bottles from the right. The back side 10 connected adjacent to the right side 7 along the third vertical fold 9 and is connected opposite to the front side 2. The back side 10 is positioned with the third vertical fold 9 to be perpendicular to the right side 7 and the left side 4 and to be parallel to the front side 2, which allows the lateral surface 1 to enclose the plurality of wine bottles from the back. In order to completely encircle the plurality of wine bottles, the lateral connection tab 12 is connected adjacent to the back side 10 along the fourth vertical fold 11 and is connected opposite to the right side 7. The lateral connection tab 12 is positioned with the fourth vertical fold 11 to be perpendicular to the back side 10 and parallel to the left side 4. The left side 4 overlays the lateral connection tab 12, which does not disturb the geometric positioning of the front side 2, the left side 4, the right side 7, or the back side 10. The left side 4 is attached to the lateral connection tab 12 with the adhesive 13 so that the lateral surface 1 completely wraps around the plurality of wine bottles. Adhering the lateral connection tab 12 to the left side 4 forms the top hole 15 and the bottom hole 16, which are respectively positioned above and below the lateral surface 1.
In order prevent the plurality of wine bottles from falling out of the bottom hole 16, the bottom side 24 as shown in
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the front flap 26 is positioned adjacent to the front side 2, and the back flap 27 is positioned adjacent to the back side 10. The front flap 26 and the back flap 27 each comprise a row support portion 210, a row divider fold 220, a row divider portion 230, and a pair of column divider locks 240. For both the front flap 26 and the right flap 29, the row support portion 210 is connected to the lateral surface 1 along the bottom perimeter fold 25. The row support portion 210 is positioned with the bottom perimeter fold 25 to be perpendicular to the lateral surface 1 and is used to support each row of wine bottles within the present invention from the bottom. The row divider portion 230 is connected adjacent to the row support portion 210 along the row divider fold 220, which is positioned opposite of that the bottom perimeter fold 25. The row divider portion 230 is positioned with the row divider fold 220 to be perpendicular to row support portion 210 by traversing through the row divider slit 280. The row divider portion 230 creates the separation between each row of wine bottles for the plurality of compartments 38. The pair of column divider locks 240 is positioned on the row divider portion 230 opposite to the row divider fold 220, and each of the pair of column divider locks 240 is positioned adjacent to the column divider portion 270 of either the left flap 28 or the right flap 29. The pair of column divider locks 240 attaches the column divider portion 270 perpendicular to the row divider portion 230 so that the plurality of compartments are properly shaped within the present invention. The pair of column divider locks 240 allows a tapeless means to lock the row divider portion 230 in place with the column divider portion 250. The pair of column divider locks 240 are also known as “no tape locks” and “tapeless locks.” Each of the pair of column divider locks 240 comprises a lock slit 241 and a lock tab 242. The lock slit 241 is a gap that extends into the row divider portion 230 adjacent to either the column divider portion 270 on either the left flap 28 or the right flap 29. The locking end 290 of the column divider portion 270 is engaged by the lock slit 241 as the row divider portion 230 is positioned to be perpendicular to the row support portion 210. The lock tab 242 is located above the lock slit 242 on the row divider portion 230 and holds the locking end 290 in place so that the locking end 290 stays engaged to the lock slit 241. Once the pair of column divider locks 240 are engaged by the locking end 290, the entire arrangement of the left flap 28, the right flap 29, the front flap 26, and the back flap 27 is stabilized. The pair of column divider locks 240 stabilizes without the use of tape or other adhesive.
In another embodiment, the present invention specifically has four compartments and, thus, has two columns of compartments 38 and two rows of compartments 38, which can be seen
As can be seen in
In order to close the present invention with the top flap 17, the front side 2 and the back side 10 need to buttress the necks of the plurality of wine bottles so that the plurality of wine bottles are adequately supported by the present invention. The plurality of indentation folds 14 are located on both the left side 4 and the right side 7 adjacent to the top hole 15. The plurality of indentation folds 14 are used to shape a left indented section 5 in the left side 4 and a right indented section 8 in the right side 7 by pressing the top of the front side 2 and the top of the back side 10 together. When the front side 2 and the back side 10 are pressed together, the front side 2 and the back side 10 bend towards each other. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bends in the front side 2 and the back side 10 are no less than three inches in length from the top of the lateral surface 1 and are folded no more than 80 degrees. The top hole 15 narrows once the left indented section 5 and the right indented section 8 are formed. The lid 18 is shaped to only cover the top hole 15 in its narrowed shape and not in its original shape. Once the lid 18 covers the top hole 15 as shown in
The handle 32 allows the user to hold the present invention. The handle 32 comprises a front hole 33, a back hole 34, and a brace hole 35. The front hole 33 is positioned on the front side 2 adjacent to the top hole 15. The back hole 34 is positioned on the back side 10 adjacent to the top hole 15. The brace hole 35 is positioned on the brace 20. The front hole 33, the back hole 34, and the brace hole 35 are concentric with each other once the closing tab 22 is inserted into the closing slot 36. The front hole 33, the back hole 34, and the brace hole 35 should be appropriately shaped so that any user can place their hand into the handle 32.
Finally, the plurality of viewing holes 37 allows the user to view the labels printed on the plurality of wine bottles. The plurality of viewing holes 37 are positioned on the front side 2 and the back side 10 so that the user can easily see the labels printed on the plurality of wine bottles in each of the plurality of compartments 38. The plurality of viewing holes 37 are horizontally positioned in line with each other. In the preferred embodiment, the front side 2 has three viewing holes 37, and the back side 10 has three viewing holes 37. In the other embodiment, the front side 2 has two viewing holes 37, and the back side 10 has two viewing holes 37. The number of viewing holes 37 is directly proportional to the number of compartments 38.
Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61450783 | Mar 2011 | US |