Bottle carrier with handle and pull tab

Abstract

A carrier for a plurality of beverage containers has a carrier body, means for hand carrying the carrier, and pull tabs. The carrier body has an outer periphery and defines a plurality of container openings with one container opening for each beverage container of the plurality of beverage containers. There is a plurality of pull tabs with one pull tab for each container opening of the plurality of container openings. Each pull tab extends from the outer periphery to an associated container opening and is connected to the associated opening by perforations extending from the associated opening to the outer periphery so that pulling the pull tab separates the body at the associated opening creating a path for container removal.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a division of application Ser. No. 10 / 925,588 filed Aug. 25, 2004.TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates to a carrier for a plurality of beverage containers, particularly bottles. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Beverage container carriers have been used for years to group six containers together. Typically, the carrier has two holes for the fingers to fit through to facilitate carrying the containers. Most notably, carriers are used for six standard sized beverage container; that is, six twelve-ounce containers. With the growth in popularity of bottled beverages, particularly water and non-carbonated drinks, the containers have grown in size to twenty ounces or more. The added weight makes finger holes painful to use. One solution is to group only four containers together to reduce weight; however, four twenty-ounce containers still weigh more than a twelve-ounce six-pack. Accordingly, it ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006] The carrier can be used with a four-pack of bottles and the handhold provides a large gripping area to prevent hurt or harm to the fingers. The pull tabs allow easy access to the bottles so that bottles can be removed one at a time without promoting fizzing or spurting of the contents of the bottle.

[0007] According to another aspect of the invention, a carrier for a plurality of beverage containers comprises a piece of flexible material having a bifurcated first end portion, a bifurcated second end portion and a middle portion connecting the first and second end portions. The bifurcated first end portion defines first and second straps with the first strap having a first container opening and the second strap having a second container opening. The bifurcated second end portion defines third and fourth straps with the third strap having a third container opening and the fourth strap having a fourth. The bifurcated second end portion is adapted to fit through the bifurcated first end portion and form a handhold loop in the middle portion. The handhold loop spreads the weight over all the fingers or the hand so that the fingers are not hurt or harmed during use.

[0008] The middle can be folded into a handhold loop for comfortably carrying the heavy bottles with minimal spacing between the upright bottles. The symmetric design of the carrier simplifies orienting and loading the carrier. The pull tabs facilitate easy removal of one bottle at a time.

[0010] The end portion defines a handhold opening. The handhold spreads the weight over all the fingers or the hand so that the fingers are not hurt or harmed during use. The pull tabs facilitate easy, non-gitating removal of one bottle at a time.

Problems solved by technology

The added weight makes finger holes painful to use.

Another problem with container carriers is removing a container.

The twisting and pulling often stretches the plastic loops undesirably causing more than one can to dislodge.

The twisting and pulling can also agitate the contents of the container causing uncontrolled fizzing and spurting of the contents when the container is opened.

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