Pet bottle holder

Abstract

To provide a PET bottle holder which prevents a PET bottle from falling out.SOLUTION: A PET bottle holder 1 is in a hollow square pole shape having a top panel 2, a pair of side panels 3, and a bottom panel 4 formed by sequentially bending a blank plate 1X, and is provided with bottle holding means 10 at a spaced predetermined position on the bottom panel 4 for holding a neck portion 510 of a PET bottle 500 having a flange portion 530 in a lower part of a bottle cap 520, and is capable of connecting a plurality of PET bottles 500. The bottle holding means 10 is formed by the periphery of a through hole 100 that passes through the bottom panel 4 in a vertical direction, and the through hole 100 has: a first region 110 in which the neck portion 510 is clamped and the movement in an axial direction of the flange portion 530 is restricted; and a second region 120 which is connected to the first region 110 and in which the movement in the axial movement of the flange portion 530 is permitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a PET bottle holder that connects and holds multiple PET bottles, etc., for easy transport when distributing and selling beverages. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, bottle holders have been known that connect and hold a plurality of containers such as PET bottles for easy carrying when distributing and selling beverages (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The bottle holder in Patent Document 1 is a rectangular cylindrical bottle holder with open ends formed by sequentially folding a single blank plate and consisting of a top panel, both side panels, and a bottom panel, and at a specified spaced position on the bottom panel is formed a bottleneck holding means capable of connecting multiple bottles and holding the neck portion of a bottle having a flange portion at the bottom of the bottle cap. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-30820 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional PET bottle holders must continually hold the flange portion with the raised locking pieces, and so there is a risk that the locking pieces will become deformed over time or due to impact, causing the PET bottle to fall out.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a plastic bottle holder that prevents plastic bottles from falling out. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The plastic bottle holder of the present invention is a hollow rectangular prism having a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a bottom panel formed by successively bending a single deformable blank plate, and a bottle holding means for holding a neck portion of a plastic bottle having a flange portion at a lower portion of a bottle cap is provided at a predetermined spaced apart position of the bottom panel, and the plastic bottle holder is capable of connecting a plurality of plastic bottles, The bottle holding means is formed by a periphery of a through hole that passes through the bottom panel in the vertical direction, The through hole is characterized by having a first region in which the neck portion is clamped and axial movement of the flange portion is restricted, and a second region connected to the first region in which axial movement of the flange portion is permitted (hereinafter referred to as the "first invention of the PET bottle holder").

[0008] According to the first PET bottle holder of the present invention, the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel is allowed to move in the axial direction of the flange portion in the second region, so that the PET bottle can be inserted into the internal space from the bottle cap side to the flange portion.

[0009] In addition, in the PET bottle holder of the first invention, the second area forming the through hole is connected to the first area, so that the PET bottle can be moved horizontally from the second area toward the first area.

[0010] Since the axial movement of the flange portion is restricted at the first region of the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel, the slid PET bottle does not fall out downward from the internal space of the PET bottle holder.

[0011] Therefore, according to the first plastic bottle holder of the present invention, the plastic bottle can be securely held, making it difficult for the plastic bottle to fall out.

[0012] The plastic bottle holder of the present invention is a hollow rectangular prism having a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a bottom panel formed by successively bending a single deformable blank plate, and a bottle holding means for holding a neck portion of a plastic bottle having a flange portion at a lower portion of a bottle cap is provided at a predetermined spaced apart position of the bottom panel, and the plastic bottle holder is capable of connecting a plurality of plastic bottles, The bottle holding means is formed by a periphery of a through hole that passes through the bottom panel in the vertical direction, The through hole is gourd-shaped, with a first region having a first diameter into which the neck portion can be fitted and a second region having a second diameter larger than the first diameter, and two intersections between the first region and the two intersections being the two ends such that the central angle of the first region exceeds 180°; The periphery of the through hole of the bottom panel is The neck portion is allowed to move horizontally in the portion between the two intersections, The flange portion is allowed to move in the axial direction in the second region, The present invention is characterized in that the axial movement of the flange portion is restricted in the first region (hereinafter referred to as the "PET bottle holder of the second invention").

[0013] According to the second PET bottle holder of the present invention, the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel is allowed to move axially in the flange portion in the second region, so that the PET bottle can be inserted into the internal space from the bottle cap side to the flange portion.

[0014] In the second invention, the through hole has a central angle of over 180° in the first region between the two intersections, and the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel is narrowed between the two intersections, with the distance being smaller than the diameter of the neck. Therefore, the movement of the PET bottle horizontally between the second region and the first region is essentially restricted.

[0015] However, since the second PET bottle holder of the present invention is formed from a deformable blank plate, the portion of the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel that is sandwiched between two intersections deforms slightly when the PET bottle is pulled horizontally from the second area toward the first area, allowing the neck portion to pass through.

[0016] Furthermore, the first region of the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel has a smaller diameter than the second region, restricting the axial movement of the flange portion, so that the slidable PET bottle does not fall downward out of the internal space of the PET bottle holder.

[0017] Therefore, in the second invention of the PET bottle holder, a PET bottle moved horizontally from the second region to the first region is completely held by the periphery (the first region) of the through hole in the bottom panel, and is therefore unlikely to fall out. Also, since the periphery of the through hole in the bottom panel is narrowed at the intersection of the first region and the second region, the PET bottle almost never unintentionally moves back in the opposite direction and falls out downward via the second region.

[0018] Therefore, according to the PET bottle holder of the second aspect of the present invention, the PET bottle can be securely held, making it difficult for the PET bottle to fall out.

[0019] In the first or second PET bottle holder of the present invention, The bottom panel includes a lower bottom panel and an upper bottom panel superimposed on an upper surface of the lower bottom panel, The lower bottom panel is characterized in that a convex locking tongue is connected to the second region of the periphery of the through hole via a tongue fold line toward the inside of the through hole (hereinafter referred to as the ``third invention of the PET bottle holder'').

[0020] In the third PET bottle holder of the present invention, the bottom panel is made up of multiple layers of a lower bottom panel and an upper bottom panel superimposed on the upper surface of the lower bottom panel, making it easy to withstand the weight of a PET bottle.

[0021] However, stacking multiple panels can cause problems when inserting a plastic bottle into the second area from below. Specifically, when pushing a plastic bottle into the lower bottom panel, the upper bottom panel may be accidentally lifted by the bottle cap of the plastic bottle, causing the bottle to fail to be inserted into the second area of ​​the upper bottom panel. In this case, even if two bottom panels are stacked, the plastic bottle will be held by the lower bottom panel alone, and the strength cannot be increased.

[0022] However, in the third PET bottle holder of the present invention, when the bottle cap is pushed into the lower bottom panel, the locking tongue rises along the tongue fold line and is sandwiched between the upper bottom panel and the bottle cap, so that the bottle cap can be reliably guided above the upper bottom panel.

[0023] Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the PET bottle holder can securely hold the PET bottle with multiple overlapping bottom panels, making it difficult for the PET bottle to fall out.

[0024] In the third aspect of the present invention, the PET bottle holder The upper bottom panel is characterized in that it has a notch formed by cutting out the periphery of the through hole and is capable of storing the locking tongue when the locking tongue is raised along the tongue fold line (hereinafter referred to as the "fourth PET bottle holder of the present invention").

[0025] In the third and fourth PET bottle holders of the present invention, the upper and lower bottom panels have through holes of approximately the same shape, so that when the bottle cap is pushed into the lower bottom panel, the locking tongue formed on the lower bottom panel stands up along the tongue fold line, but this standing locking tongue may lift up the periphery of the through hole in the upper bottom panel, which may cause the bottle cap to fail to be inserted into the through hole in the upper bottom panel.

[0026] However, in the fourth PET bottle holder of the present invention, the locking tongue formed on the lower bottom panel is stored in a notch formed in the upper bottom panel when raised, thereby preventing the raised locking tongue from lifting the edge of the through hole in the upper bottom panel.

[0027] Therefore, according to the PET bottle holder of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the PET bottle can be held more securely by the multiple overlapping bottom panels, making it less likely for the PET bottle to fall out.

[0028] In the first or second PET bottle holder of the present invention, The vertical inner dimensions of the PET bottle holder match the distance from the top surface of the bottle cap of the PET bottle to the bottom surface of the flange portion, and the bottle cap and flange portion of the PET bottle are clamped by the edges of the through holes in the top panel and the bottom panel (hereinafter referred to as the "5th PET bottle holder of the present invention").

[0029] In the fifth PET bottle holder of the present invention, the bottle cap and flange portion of the PET bottle are clamped by the edges of the through holes in the top and bottom panels, preventing the PET bottle from tilting diagonally relative to the bottom panel and causing the flange portion to fall out of the through hole.

[0030] Therefore, according to the PET bottle holder of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the PET bottle can be securely held, making it difficult for the PET bottle to fall out. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0031] [Figure 1] 1 is a partially cutaway top perspective view showing the external configuration of one embodiment of a plastic bottle holder according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the blank plate of the plastic bottle holder of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the external shape of a plastic bottle used in the plastic bottle holder of FIG. 1. [Diagram 5] 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing one step of a method of using the plastic bottle holder of FIG. 1. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing one step of a method of using the plastic bottle holder of FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing one step of a method of using the plastic bottle holder of FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 1 is a side view showing the state in which the flange portion and upper portion of a PET bottle to which the present invention is applied are contained in a PET bottle holder. [Figure 9] 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which fingers are inserted into finger holes of the plastic bottle holder shown in FIG. 1; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] One embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as "this embodiment") will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9. FIG.

[0033] [Plastic bottle holder 1 configuration] As shown in the assembled state in Figures 1 and 2, the plastic bottle holder 1 according to the present invention is formed into a hollow rectangular prism shape with a top panel 2, a pair of side panels 3, and a bottom panel 4, which are formed by sequentially bending a single deformable blank plate 1X (see Figure 3; the reference numerals in Figure 3 will be quoted as appropriate in the following description). Note that Figure 1 is a partially cutaway top perspective view showing the exterior configuration of the plastic bottle holder 1 of one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a similar bottom perspective view.

[0034] The bottom panel 4 also has a lower bottom panel 15 and an upper bottom panel 11 superimposed on the upper surface of the lower bottom panel 15. In other words, the lower bottom panel 15 and the upper bottom panel 11 correspond to the "bottom panel 4" of the present invention.

[0035] In addition, multiple bottle holding means 10 are provided at predetermined positions on the bottom panel 4 at spaced intervals to hold the neck portion 510 of a PET bottle 500 (see Figure 4) having a flange portion 530 at the bottom of the bottle cap 520, making it possible to connect multiple PET bottles 500.

[0036] The bottle holding means 10 is formed by the periphery of a through hole 100 that passes through the bottom panel 4 in the vertical direction.

[0037] The through hole 100 has a first region 110 in which the neck portion 510 is clamped and the axial movement of the flange portion 530 is restricted, and a second region 120 connected to the first region 110 and in which the axial movement of the flange portion 530 is permitted.

[0038] In other words, the through hole 100 is gourd-shaped, with a first region 110 having a first diameter Φ1 into which the neck portion 510 can be fitted and a second region 120 having a second diameter Φ2 larger than the first diameter Φ1 overlapping at two intersections 104, 105, and the central angle of the first region 110 between the two intersections 104, 105 at both ends being greater than 180°.

[0039] The neck portion 510 is permitted to move in the horizontal direction (front-to-back direction in FIG. 1) in the portion between the two intersections 104, 105 of the periphery of the through-hole 100 in the bottom panel 4. The flange portion 530 is permitted to move in the axial direction (up-down direction in FIG. 1) in the second region 120, and the flange portion 530 is restricted from moving in the axial direction in the first region 110.

[0040] In addition, the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 is constricted in the portion sandwiched between these two intersections 104, 105, and since the distance therebetween is smaller than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510, resistance is encountered when the neck portion 510 moves horizontally.

[0041] In the lower bottom panel 15 of the bottom panel 4, a convex locking tongue 112 is provided in the second region 120 of the periphery of the through hole 100, connected to the inside of the through hole 100 via a tongue fold line 114.

[0042] In addition, the upper bottom panel 11 is provided with a notch 111 formed by cutting out the periphery of the through hole 100, which can accommodate the locking tongue 112 when the locking tongue 112 is raised along the tongue fold line 114.

[0043] [Blank board 1X configuration] The plastic bottle holder 1 of the present invention is made by folding a blank plate 1X, which is a substantially rectangular paperboard, as shown in Fig. 3. The front side of the blank plate 1X in Fig. 3 becomes the inner side of the plastic bottle holder 1 when assembled into the plastic bottle holder 1 as shown in Fig. 1.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, an upper bottom panel 11 is disposed on the upper portion of the blank plate 1X. A first side panel 12 is connected to the lower edge of the upper bottom panel 11 via a first bottom fold line a1. A top panel 13 is connected to the lower edge of the first side panel 12 via a first top fold line b1. A second side panel 14 is connected to the lower edge of the top panel 13 via a second top fold line b2. A lower bottom panel 15 is connected to the lower edge of the second side panel 14 via a second bottom fold line a2. A third side panel 16 is connected to the lower edge of the lower bottom panel 15 via a third bottom fold line a3.

[0045] Among the above-mentioned first bottom fold line a1, second bottom fold line a2, third bottom fold line a3, first top fold line b1, and second top fold line b2, the first bottom fold line a1 and the third bottom fold line a3 have cut lines formed at equal intervals to facilitate bending (not shown). In addition, the second bottom fold line a2 has cut lines formed at equal intervals in a portion other than the slit cutout 21a described later (not shown).

[0046] On the other hand, since the first top fold line b1 and the second top fold line b2 require strength, they do not form cut lines and are composed of fold lines only.

[0047] The above-mentioned bottom panel 4 is formed by overlapping the upper bottom panel 11 and the lower bottom panel 15. Therefore, the vertical length L2 of the first side panel 12 is designed to be shorter than the vertical length of the second side panel 14 by a length equivalent to the plate thickness t. Similarly, the vertical length of the upper bottom panel 11 is designed to be shorter than the vertical length of the lower bottom panel 15 by a length equivalent to twice the plate thickness t, 2t.

[0048] Next, the detailed configuration of each panel will be described. Upper bottom panel 11 constitutes the upper part of bottom panel 4 in the assembled state shown in FIG.

[0049] In the following description, components such as through hole 100a formed in the upper bottom panel 11 will be referred to with an a suffix to the symbol, and components such as through hole 100b formed in the lower bottom panel 15 will be referred to with an b suffix to the symbol. When a through hole is simply referred to as 100 etc. without an alphabet, this indicates an overlapping state or the same component in both the upper bottom panel 11 and the lower bottom panel 15.

[0050] A plurality of through holes 100a (three in the illustrated example) are formed in the upper bottom panel 11. The through holes 100a are formed in a gourd shape, with a circular first region 110a formed with a first diameter Φ1 and a circular second region 120a formed with a second diameter Φ2, with the circle of the first diameter Φ1 and the circle of the second diameter Φ2 partially overlapping each other.

[0051] In other words, the through hole 100 is gourd-shaped, with a first region 110 having a first diameter Φ1 into which the neck portion 510 can be fitted and a second region 120 having a second diameter Φ2 larger than the first diameter Φ1 overlapping at two intersections 104, 105, and the central angle of the first region 110 between the two intersections 104, 105 at both ends being greater than 180°.

[0052] In addition, the first region 110 and the second region 120 are partitioned by an imaginary line connecting the two intersections 104, 105. The distance L1 between the two intersections 104, 105 is designed to be shorter than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510. Specifically, L10: 26 mm, and L1: 23.87.

[0053] The first diameter Φ1 of the first region 110a is sufficiently shorter than the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530 of the plastic bottle 500 shown in Fig. 4, and is the same as or slightly larger than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510. Specifically, it is designed so that L10: 26 mm, L20: 33 mm, and Φ1: 26 mm. Therefore, the flange portion 530 cannot pass through the first region 110 in the axial direction, and the first region 110 restricts the movement of the flange portion 530 in the axial direction.

[0054] The second diameter Φ2 of the second region 120 is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530 of the plastic bottle 500. Specifically, Φ2: 31 mm, and L20: 33 mm, so that the second diameter Φ2 is 2 mm smaller than the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530. Therefore, resistance is encountered when the flange portion 530 moves in the axial direction.

[0055] The interval between each of the second regions 120 of the through-hole 100 (the distance between the centers of the second regions) is designed to be approximately the same as the diameter of the body 540 of the plastic bottle 500.

[0056] In addition, of the first region 110 and second region 120 of the through hole 100 adjacent to both ends of the PET bottle holder 1, the distance between each center and each end of the first region 110 or second region 120 farthest from both ends is designed to be the same as or shorter than the radius of the body 540 of the PET bottle 500 (in the illustrated example, the distance between the left end of the blank plate 1X and the center of the second region 120 and the distance between the right end of the blank plate 1X and the center of the first region 110).

[0057] A cutout portion 111 cut into an elongated rectangular shape is formed on the periphery of the second region 120a of the upper bottom panel 11. In the illustrated example, the cutout portion 111 is an imaginary point that divides the circle that forms the second region 120 into thirds, and is formed so that its center is located at the remaining two positions assuming that one of the cutout portions is located in the central portion overlapping with the first region 110. This cutout portion 111 becomes a portion that stores the erected locking tongue piece 112 when the locking tongue piece 112 described later is erected.

[0058] The cutout portion 111 is formed by a pair of cut lines 102 parallel to a perpendicular line of the second circular shape of the second region 120a, and a cutting line 103 connecting the ends of the cut lines 102. The length of the cut lines 102 is designed so that the minimum distance between the second diameter Φ2 and the cutting lines 103 is slightly larger than the plate thickness t. The length of the cutting lines 103 is designed to be equal to or slightly longer than the width of the base end side (tongue fold line 114 side) of the locking tongue 112.

[0059] Flat, isosceles trapezoidal locking projections 11a are formed at positions spaced apart from both left and right ends toward the center, and at equal intervals in the center in the left-right direction, on the upper edge of the upper bottom panel 11. The locking projections 11a are inserted into locking slits formed by multiple slit cutouts a21 that are continuous with the third bottom fold line a3, which will be described later.

[0060] First side panel 12 and second side panel 14 connect top panel 13 to upper bottom panel 11 and lower bottom panel 15. Therefore, the vertical length L2 of first side panel 12 defines the inside dimension, which is the height of the inner surface of top panel 2 relative to the inner surface of bottom panel 4, in the assembled form shown in FIG.

[0061] In other words, the height (height in the vertical direction in Fig. 1) of the internal space of PET bottle holder 1 is length L2, and the height of this internal space is designed to be the same as or slightly larger than length L40 from the bottom end surface of flange portion 530 of PET bottle 500 to the top end surface of bottle cap 520 in Fig. 4. Specifically, since L40: 22.5 mm, L2 is 22.5 mm or slightly longer.

[0062] Top panel 13 covers the upper part of PET bottle holder 1 and serves as a handle when transporting PET bottle 500 held in PET bottle holder 1. For this reason, a pair of D-shaped finger hole forming portions 130 are formed by cutout lines 131 which are inverted U-shaped arcs and I-shaped finger hole crease lines 132 at positions from the left-right center of top panel 13 toward both ends and away from the cylindrical radius of PET bottle 500. Moreover, each finger hole forming portion 130 is formed in mirror symmetry so that I-shaped finger hole crease lines 132 are back-to-back and the inverted U-shaped arcs protrude from both ends.

[0063] Furthermore, finger hole forming portion 130 is formed in a position in the left-right direction away from first region 110 at both left and right ends by at least the cylindrical radius of PET bottle 500 so as to avoid the position where bottle cap 520 of contained PET bottle 500 is placed. In other words, notch line 131, which is an inverted U-shaped arc, is formed so that its left-right farthest end is slightly away from the nearest end in the left-right direction on the circle of first region 110 at both left and right ends.

[0064] The lower bottom panel 15 constitutes the lower part of the bottom panel 4 in the assembled form shown in Fig. 1. A through hole 100b is formed in the lower bottom panel 15 so that when the lower bottom panel 15 is superimposed on the upper bottom panel 11, it is in the same position as the through hole 100a formed in the upper bottom panel 11. The through hole 100b has the same size and shape as the through hole 100a, except for a cutout portion 111 and a locking tongue piece 112, which will be described later, and the same components with the same reference numerals are the same as those described for the through hole 100a.

[0065] A locking tongue 112 that protrudes toward the inside of the through hole 100b is formed in the second region 102 of the periphery of the through hole 100b by a generally U-shaped cutting line 113, and is connected to the lower bottom panel 15 via a tongue fold line 114. The locking tongue 112 is formed so as to be in the same position in the circumferential direction as the notch 111 formed in the upper bottom panel 11.

[0066] The size of the locking tongue 112, in terms of the length from the tongue fold line 114 to the farthest end, is designed to be about 1 / 3 to 1 / 2.5 of the second diameter Φ2 of the second region 120. Also, the width thereof in the vicinity of the tongue fold line 114 is designed to be about 1 / 10 to 1 / 9 of the second diameter Φ2.

[0067] At the bottom second fold line a2 of the lower bottom panel 15, three slit notches a21 are formed at positions corresponding to the locking protrusions 11a, which are configured like the sides excluding the base side of a flat isosceles trapezoid that form the locking slit into which the locking protrusions 11a are inserted.

[0068] [Assembly of plastic bottle holder 1] Next, the assembly process of the plastic bottle holder 1 of the present invention will be described.

[0069] First, the first side panel 12 is folded up along the bottom first fold line a1 from the upper bottom panel 11 of the blank board 1X shown in Figure 3. At this time, the top panel 13, the second side panel 14, the lower bottom panel 15 and the third side panel 16 are also on the same plane as the first side panel 12.

[0070] Next, the top panel 13 is valley-folded relative to the first side panel 12 along the first top fold line b1, so that the inner surface of the upper bottom panel 11 faces the inner surface of the top panel 13. Next, the second side panel 14 is valley-folded relative to the top panel 13 along the second bottom fold line a2, so that the inner surfaces of the first side panel 12 and the second side panel 14 face each other.

[0071] Next, the lower bottom panel 15 is folded at the second bottom fold line a2 relative to the second side panel 14, and the inner surface of the lower bottom panel 15 is overlapped with the outer surface of the upper bottom panel 11.

[0072] At this time, the lower side (lower bottom panel 15 side) of the portion where the slit cutout a21 is formed remains on the same plane as the lower bottom panel 15, so that the portion below the slit cutout a21 of the folded second side panel 14 opens in a slit shape. As a result, the locking protrusion 11a formed on the upper bottom panel 11 is inserted into and locked in the slit opened by the slit cutout a21.

[0073] Thereafter, the third side panel 16 is valley folded along the bottom third fold line a3 relative to the lower bottom panel 15, and the inner surface of the third side panel 16 is superimposed on the outer surface of the first side panel 12. At this time, the outer surface of the first side panel 12 and the inner surface of the third side panel 16 are fixed together with an adhesive.

[0074] In the manner described above, the plastic bottle holder 1 having the bottom panel 4 formed by the two panels, the upper bottom panel 11 and the lower bottom panel 15, as shown in FIG. 1, is assembled.

[0075] [How to use the plastic bottle holder 1] Next, a method of using the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 4, for example, PET bottle 500 used in PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment has small-diameter neck portion 510 formed at the upper part of body portion 540 via a conical inclined portion, disk-shaped flange portion 530 formed so as to protrude outward from the upper part of neck portion 510, and a drinking spout (not shown) having a male thread formed on the upper part of flange portion 530, and further, bottle cap 520 having a female thread on its inner surface that screws into the male thread formed on the outer periphery of the drinking spout is placed on flange portion 530 in a state of being screwed onto the drinking spout.

[0077] The overall shape and size of plastic bottle 500 is a typical cylindrical or square tubular bottle with a capacity of about 500 to 600 ml. Neck portion 510 has an outer diameter of L10, flange portion 530 has an outer diameter of L20, bottle cap 520 has an outer diameter of L30, and its height or length is L40.

[0078] A number of such plastic bottles 500 (three in the illustrated example) are aligned in advance, and the plastic bottle holder 1 is placed above them with the bottom panel 4 facing downward so as to cover the plastic bottles 500. At this time, the second region 120 of the through hole 100 and the upper surface of the bottle cap 520 are made to overlap.

[0079] Thereafter, when the side of the plastic bottle holder 1 is pinched and moved downward, the bottle cap 520 enters the inside of the plastic bottle holder 1 through the second region 120 of the through hole 100 since the second diameter Φ2 of the second region is slightly larger than the outer diameter L30 of the bottle cap 520.

[0080] Next, when the upper surface of flange portion 530 abuts against the lower surface of bottom panel 4 of PET bottle holder 1, further force is applied to push PET bottle holder 1 down until flange portion 530 passes through second region 120 of through-hole 100. At this time, second diameter Φ2 of second region is slightly smaller than outer diameter L30 of flange portion 530, but the paperboard around second region 120 is slightly deformed, allowing flange portion 530 to pass through second region 120 and enter the interior of PET bottle holder 1.

[0081] In this way, as shown in FIG. 5, with the PET bottles 500 aligned, the bottle caps 520 and flange portions 530 enter the interior of the PET bottle holder 1 through the second region 120 of the through hole 100, and the neck portion 510 is positioned in the second region 120.

[0082] Furthermore, when the flange portion 530 passes through the second region 120, the upper bottom panel 11 is pushed upward and attempts to roll up, but the locking tongue 112 precedes this by rolling up upward and then attempts to bend toward the outer periphery of the second region 120, thereby preventing this, so that the upper bottom panel 11 is held down and does not roll up.

[0083] Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the plastic bottle holder 1 is moved backward as indicated by the arrow P with respect to each plastic bottle 500.

[0084] At this time, the neck portion 510, which was located in the second region 120, begins to move relatively toward the first region 110, but encounters resistance because the length L1 of the gap between the two intersections 104, 105 is designed to be narrower than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510.

[0085] However, if a stronger moving force is applied in the direction of arrow P, the paperboard near the two intersections 104, 105 deforms, and the neck portion 510 is forced to move into the first region 110, where it is positioned within the first region 110 as shown in Figure 7, and is retained within the first region 110.

[0086] Furthermore, since the first diameter Φ1 of the first region 110 is sufficiently larger than the diameter L20 which is the outer diameter of the flange portion 530, the axial movement of the plastic bottle 500 is restricted, and the plastic bottle 500 will not fall out of the plastic bottle holder 1.

[0087] 8, the vertical length L2 of the internal space of the plastic bottle holder 1 is designed to be the same as or slightly larger than length L40, which is the distance from the lower end surface of flange portion 530 to the upper end surface of bottle cap 520. Therefore, plastic bottle 500 is sandwiched between top panel 2 and bottom panel 4 of plastic bottle holder 1.

[0088] Thereafter, when finger hole forming portion 130 on top panel 2 of PET bottle holder 1 is pressed from above, finger hole forming portion 130 surrounded by cutout line 131 is bent into PET bottle holder 1 via finger hole fold line 132, forming finger hole 130a.

[0089] When two fingers h (e.g., index finger and thumb) are inserted into the pair of finger holes 130a, they can enter the internal space between the bottle caps 520 of the plastic bottle holder 1, and when the finger holes 130a are pinched between the two fingers h, the plastic bottle holder 1 can be held. In this way, multiple plastic bottles 500 are held in a linked state.

[0090] [Effects] Next, the effects of the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0091] In the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 allows axial movement of the flange portion 530 in the second region 120, so that the PET bottle 500 can be inserted into the internal space from the bottle cap 520 side to the flange portion 530.

[0092] In addition, in the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the second region 120 forming the through hole 100 is connected to the first region 110, so that the PET bottle 500 can be moved horizontally from the second region 120 toward the first region 110.

[0093] Furthermore, since the first region 110 of the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 restricts the axial movement of the flange portion 530, the slid PET bottle 500 does not fall downward from the internal space of the PET bottle holder 1.

[0094] As described above, according to this embodiment, the plastic bottle 500 can be securely held, making it difficult for the plastic bottle 500 to fall out.

[0095] Furthermore, in the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 allows axial movement of the flange portion 530 in the second region 120, so that the PET bottle 500 can be inserted into the internal space from the bottle cap 520 side to the flange portion 530.

[0096] In this embodiment, since the central angle of the first region 110 of the through hole 100, which has two intersections 104, 105 at both ends, exceeds 180°, the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 is narrowed in the portion sandwiched between the two intersections 104, 105, and the length L1 of that gap is smaller than the diameter L20 of the neck portion 510.

[0097] Therefore, in principle, the movement of the plastic bottle 500 between the second area 120 and the first area 110 in the horizontal direction is restricted.

[0098] However, since the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment is formed from a deformable blank plate 1X, the portion of the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 that is sandwiched between the two intersections 104, 105 deforms slightly when the PET bottle is pulled horizontally from the second region 120 toward the first region 110, allowing the neck portion 510 to pass through.

[0099] Furthermore, the first region 110 of the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 has a smaller diameter than the second region 120, restricting the axial movement of the flange portion 530, so that the slid PET bottle 500 does not fall downward from the internal space of the PET bottle holder 1.

[0100] Therefore, in the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the plastic bottle 500 that has been moved horizontally from the second region 120 to the first region 110 is not likely to fall out downward because it is completely held by the periphery of the through-hole 100 in the bottom panel 4. In addition, because the periphery of the through-hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 is narrowed at the intersections 104, 105 between the first region 110 and the second region 120, the plastic bottle 500 almost never unintentionally returns in the opposite direction and falls out downward via the second region 120.

[0101] Therefore, according to the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the plastic bottle 500 can be securely held, making it difficult for the plastic bottle 500 to fall out.

[0102] In addition, the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment has a bottom panel 4 that is made up of multiple layers, including a lower bottom panel 15 and an upper bottom panel 11 superimposed on the upper surface of the lower bottom panel 15, so that it can easily withstand the weight of the PET bottle 500.

[0103] However, stacking multiple panels may cause problems when inserting the plastic bottle 500 from below into the second region 120. Specifically, when pushing the plastic bottle 500 into the lower bottom panel 15, the bottle cap 520 of the plastic bottle 500 may accidentally lift the upper bottom panel 11, causing the plastic bottle 500 to fail to be inserted into the second region 120 of the upper bottom panel 11. In this case, even if two bottom panels 4 are stacked, the plastic bottle 500 is held by the lower bottom panel 15 alone, and the strength cannot be increased.

[0104] However, in the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, when the bottle cap 520 is pushed into the lower bottom panel 15, the locking tongue 112 stands up along the tongue fold line 114 and is sandwiched between the upper bottom panel 11 and the bottle cap 520, so that the bottle cap 520 can be reliably guided above the upper bottom panel 11.

[0105] Therefore, according to the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the plastic bottle 500 can be securely held by the multiple overlapping bottom panels 4, making it difficult for the plastic bottle 500 to fall out.

[0106] In the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, through holes 100a, 100b of approximately the same shape are formed in the upper bottom panel 11 and the lower bottom panel 15. Therefore, when the bottle cap 520 is pushed into the lower bottom panel 15, the locking tongue 112 formed on the lower bottom panel 15 stands up along the tongue fold line 114. However, this standing locking tongue 112 lifts up the edge of the through hole 100a in the upper bottom panel 11, which may result in failure to insert it into the through hole 100a in the upper bottom panel 11.

[0107] However, in the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the locking tongue 112 formed on the lower bottom panel 15 is stored in the cutout 111 formed in the upper bottom panel 11 when raised, thereby preventing the raised locking tongue 112 from lifting the peripheral edge of the through hole 100a in the upper bottom panel 11.

[0108] Therefore, according to the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the plastic bottle 500 can be held more securely by the multiple overlapping bottom panels 4, making it difficult for the plastic bottle 500 to fall out.

[0109] In addition, in the PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the bottle cap 520 and flange portion 530 of the PET bottle 500 are clamped by the edges of the through hole 100 in the top panel 2 and the bottom panel 4, preventing the PET bottle 500 from tilting obliquely relative to the bottom panel 4 and causing the flange portion 530 to fall out of the through hole 100.

[0110] Therefore, according to the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the plastic bottle 500 can be securely held, making it difficult for the plastic bottle 500 to fall out.

[0111] In this embodiment of the PET bottle holder 1, the locking protrusion 11a formed on the longitudinal edge of the upper bottom panel 11 is inserted into and locked in a locking slit formed by a plurality of slit notches a21 that are continuous with the bottom third fold line a3 of the longitudinal edge of the lower bottom panel 15.

[0112] As a result, one longitudinal edge of the upper bottom panel 11 and the lower bottom panel 15 are fixed, and the other longitudinal edge is glued to the second side panel 12 and the third side panel 16, so that the lower bottom panel 15 and the upper bottom panel 11 are fixed at both longitudinal edges. Therefore, when inserting a PET bottle 500 into the PET bottle holder 1, even if an upward or downward force is applied to the upper bottom panel 11, the upper bottom panel 11 is less likely to roll up from the lower bottom panel 15.

[0113] According to the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the interval between each second region 120 of the through hole 100 (the distance between the centers of the second regions) is designed to be approximately the same as the diameter of the body 540 of the plastic bottle 500.

[0114] This allows the bottle caps 520 and flanges 530 of the PET bottles 500 aligned in a box or tray to be inserted directly into the second area 120. Then, the PET bottle holder 1 can be attached to multiple PET bottles 500 at once by simply sliding the PET bottle holder 1 laterally.

[0115] Furthermore, of the first region 110 and second region 120 of the through-hole 100 adjacent to both ends of the plastic bottle holder 1, the distance between the center of the first region 110 or the center of the second region 120 on the side farthest from both ends and the end is designed to be the same as or shorter than the radius of the body 540 of the plastic bottle 500. Therefore, when the plastic bottle holder 1 is attached or slid, neither end will hit the side wall of the packaging box containing the plastic bottle 500.

[0116] Moreover, according to the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, the top panel 2 engages the upper surface of the bottle cap 520 of the plastic bottle 500. In other words, the lower surface of the top panel 2 and the peripheral portion of the first region (first circular shape) 110 of the through-hole 100 of the bottom panel 4 sandwich the upper part of the neck portion 510 of the plastic bottle 500.

[0117] Therefore, the plastic bottle 500 held in the plastic bottle holder 1 is less likely to tilt and is held stably without rattling.

[0118] Furthermore, according to PET bottle holder 1 of this embodiment, finger hole forming portion 130 surrounded by cutout line 131 is bent into PET bottle holder 1 along finger hole fold line 132 to form finger hole 130a.

[0119] As a result, top panel 2 has a double structure at bent finger hole forming portion 130, improving the strength of the handle portion. Also, because finger hole forming portion 130 bends along finger hole crease line 132, when holding plastic bottle holder 1, the finger comes into contact with this bent portion, preventing finger cuts.

[0120] Moreover, finger hole forming portion 130 is formed so as to avoid the position where bottle cap 520 of housed PET bottle 500 is placed.

[0121] Therefore, when a finger h is inserted into the finger hole 130a, the cap 52 of the plastic bottle 500 does not get in the way.

[0122] [Variations] Next, a modified example of the plastic bottle holder 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0123] In this embodiment, an example has been shown and described in which the bottom panel 4 is made up of two panels, an upper bottom panel 11 and a lower bottom panel 15, stacked together, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the bottom panel 4 may be a single panel, or three or more panels may be stacked together.

[0124] In this embodiment, an example has been shown and explained in which three bottle holding means 10 are formed in a row in the longitudinal direction of the PET bottle holder 1, but the number of bottle holding means 10 may be two or more, or four or more, or they may be formed in multiple rows.

[0125] In this embodiment, an example has been shown and described in which the third side panel 16 is adhered to the first side panel 12, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the third side panel 16 may simply be stacked on the first side panel 12 without being adhered, or the third side panel 16 may be omitted.

[0126] In this embodiment, an example has been shown and described in which the locking protrusion 11a engages with the slit formed by the slit notch a21, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the locking protrusion 11a and the slit notch a21 may be omitted.

[0127] In this embodiment, the cut lines for facilitating bending are formed at equal intervals on the first bottom fold line a1, the second bottom fold line a2, and the third bottom fold line a3, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the cut lines may be omitted. Alternatively, cut lines may be formed on the first top fold line b1 and the second top fold line b2.

[0128] In this embodiment, the first region 110 and the second region 120 of the through hole 100 are described as a region having a first diameter Φ1 and a region having a second diameter Φ2, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and either or both of the first region 110 and the second region 120 may be formed into a triangle, a rectangle, a polygon having pentagons or more, an oval, or an ellipse. When both the first region 110 and the second region 120 are formed into a rectangle, it is preferable to form them into an inverted T shape.

[0129] In this embodiment, the periphery of the through hole 100 in the bottom panel 4 is described as being narrowed, in which the length L1, which is the distance between the two intersections 104, 105, is shorter than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and the length L1, which is the distance between the two intersections 104, 105, may be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510.

[0130] In this embodiment, an example has been shown and described in which the first diameter Φ1 of the first region 110 of the through hole 100 is slightly smaller than the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and the first diameter Φ1 may be equal to the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530 or somewhat larger (20% or less of the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530).

[0131] In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the second diameter Φ2 of the second region 120 of the through hole 100 is equal to the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and as long as the second diameter Φ2 is shorter than the diameter L20 of the flange portion 530, it may be slightly smaller than the diameter L10 of the neck portion 510 or larger than the diameter L10.

[0132] In this embodiment, an example in which the notch 111 is formed in the through hole 100a of the upper bottom panel 11 has been described, but the notch 111 may be omitted.

[0133] In this embodiment, an example in which the locking tongue 112 is formed in the through hole 100b of the lower bottom panel 15 has been described, but the locking tongue 112 may be omitted. [Explanation of symbols]

[0134] 1. Plastic bottle holder 1X Blank Board 2 Top Panel 3 Side Panel 4 Bottom Panel 10 Bottle Retaining Means 11 Upper Bottom Panel 15 Lower Bottom Panel and 100 Through Holes 100a Through hole 104,105 intersection 111 Notch 112 Locking tongue piece 114 Tongue fold line 110 1st area 120 Second area 500 plastic bottles 510 Neck 520 Bottle Cap 530 Flange part Φ1 First diameter Φ2 Second diameter

Claims

1. A plastic bottle holder having a hollow rectangular prism shape including a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a bottom panel formed by successively bending a single deformable blank plate, the bottom panel being provided with bottle holding means at a predetermined spaced apart position for holding a neck portion of a plastic bottle having a flange portion at a lower portion of a bottle cap, and capable of connecting a plurality of plastic bottles, The bottle holding means is formed by a periphery of a through hole that passes through the bottom panel in the vertical direction, This plastic bottle holder is characterized in that the through hole has a first region in which the neck portion is clamped and axial movement of the flange portion is restricted, and a second region connected to the first region in which axial movement of the flange portion is permitted.

2. A plastic bottle holder having a hollow rectangular prism shape including a top panel, a pair of side panels, and a bottom panel formed by successively bending a single deformable blank plate, the bottom panel being provided with bottle holding means at a predetermined spaced apart position for holding a neck portion of a plastic bottle having a flange portion at a lower portion of a bottle cap, and capable of connecting a plurality of plastic bottles, The bottle holding means is formed by a periphery of a through hole that passes through the bottom panel in the vertical direction, the through hole is gourd-shaped, with a first circular shape having a first diameter into which the neck portion can be fitted and a second circular shape having a second diameter larger than the first diameter, the first circular shape having two intersection points, and the central angle of the first circular shape with the two intersection points as both ends exceeds 180°; The periphery of the through hole of the bottom panel is The neck portion is allowed to move horizontally in a portion between the two intersections, The second circular portion is allowed to move in an axial direction of the flange portion, A plastic bottle holder, characterized in that axial movement of the flange portion is restricted at the first circular portion.

3. The plastic bottle holder according to claim 1 or 2, The bottom panel includes a lower bottom panel and an upper bottom panel superimposed on an upper surface of the lower bottom panel, A PET bottle holder characterized in that a convex tongue is connected to the inside of the through hole via a tongue fold line on the lower bottom panel at the second circular portion of the periphery of the through hole.

4. The plastic bottle holder according to claim 3, This PET bottle holder is characterized in that the upper bottom panel has a notch formed by cutting out the periphery of the through hole, and has a notch capable of storing the locking tongue when the locking tongue is raised along the tongue fold line.

5. The plastic bottle holder according to claim 1 or 2, The PET bottle holder is characterized in that the vertical inner dimensions of the PET bottle holder match the distance from the top surface of the bottle cap of the PET bottle to the bottom surface of the flange portion, and the bottle cap and flange portion of the PET bottle are clamped by the periphery of the through hole in the top panel and the bottom panel.

Images