Carrier and method

(54) Title: LOADER AND METHOD (30) Unionist Priority: 12/15/2004 us 11 / 012.440,

12/15/2004 US 11 / 012,789 (73) Holder (s): EZ Media, Inc (72) Inventor (s): Angeio Cuomo (74) Attorney (s): Nellie Anne Daniel Shores (86) International Request: pct us2005045324 of 12/15/2005 (87) International Publication: wo 2006/065941 of 6/22/2006 (57) Abstract: CHARGER AND METHOD. A loader 20 is provided with vertical support panels 24, 26, each with a receptacle 27, 29 extending outside its lower region. The loader is constructed from blanks 136, 138, 288, 290, 382, ​​in which folding panels are arranged in linear arrangements. In the blank, the vertical support panels can be folded and connected to each other back to back. This facilitates the exact fit of the blanks together on a sheet of fiber board material in order to maximize the number of supports that can be made from a given area of ​​sheet material. A specific embodiment 410, 531 of the magazine has beverage cup holding receptacles 435, 437 on opposite sides of a vertical support panel, and a much larger third receptacle 439 formed from the same blank. The charger is stored flat and is opened for use at a job location such as a cinema concession point, where it can be used to load glasses of drink into the smaller receptacles and a bucket of popcorn or a quantity of loose or popcorn. similar bulky foods in the large receptacle.

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CHARGER Ε METHOD

CROSS REFERENCE INFORMATION

This application claims benefit for US patent application 11 / 12,440, filed on December 15, 2004, 5 and US patent application 11 / 12,789, filed on December 15, 2004 and their priority, each of which is incorporated into its entirety through this reference.

This invention relates to chargers for drinks, food, liquids in containers and other objects, and to methods of construction and use of such chargers.

In the previous patent applications identified above several different general purpose chargers are disclosed, and other chargers which are highly advantageous for use in the transportation of drinks, for example, in packages of six of bottles containing soft drinks, beer, etc.

Other porters are specially adapted for use in transporting both drinking glasses and solid food in sports competition arenas, fast food restaurants, etc. The revelations of these porters are embodied in this document by means of this reference.

Although these carriers are highly advantageous, improvements are desired in order to reduce their manufacturing costs .

Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide a construction and loader blank and a method of construction of a loader such as this in which the manufacturing cost is significantly reduced.

It is another object of the invention to provide a charger like this that is relatively robust and spacious and relatively easy to open.

It is another goal to provide a charger like this that remains upright and open when being loaded, provides substantial areas in which advertising can be located, and that can be used with relative safety and reliability to carry difficult-to-handle objects with a minimum of spill.

In many of the so-called fast-food stores, cinemas, etc. food and drinks are sold, which are relatively moderate in size, along with much larger containers such as so-called buckets containing popcorn, or fried chicken, or fried fish or shrimp, etc.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier and delivery method in which both relatively small items, such as beverage containers, and relatively large containers, such as buckets or comparable amounts of loose foodstuffs, can be loaded. in a single charger.

It is another objective to provide a charger like this in which smaller types of solid food, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, bars and candy packages, etc., can also be loaded, preferably separately from other types.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a loader like this that is sturdy, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble by food distribution personnel and / or customers and relatively easy to transport, preferably with one hand. In accordance with the present invention, the objectives described above are satisfied by providing a loader with vertical support panels, each with a receptacle extending outside its lower region. 0 loader is constructed from blanks in which folding panels are arranged in linear arrangements. In the blanks, the vertical support panels can be folded and connected to each other back to back.

This facilitates the relatively exact fit of blanks on a sheet of material and thus reduces the amount of sheet material occupied by each blanks and helps to reduce manufacturing costs.

Preferably, the side wall panels and the vertical support panels are foldable with respect to each other along lines. Perpendicular to the longitudinal geometric axis of the arrangement, and the smaller flaps that form the bottom structures of the receptacles are foldable along lines parallel to the longitudinal geometric axis.

This facilitates both snapping and automatic folding to form the finished folded loaders.

It is also preferable that all fold lines parallel to the geometry axes are located along an edge of the blank to facilitate folding by using automatic folding equipment.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, a loader blank is provided comprising a sheet of material shaped to form a linear arrangement of parts, said parts comprising first and second vertical support panels, a first group of interconnected side wall panels foldable and capable of being folded to form a sidewall structure for a first receptacle to be attached to one of said vertical support panels, a second group of side wall panels foldably interconnected and capable of being folded to form a side wall structure for a second receptacle to be attached to the other of said vertical support panels, and flaps extending from said side walls and said vertical support panels and being foldable to form back wall structures for said receptacles, said vertical support panels being foldable to be attached together coast to coast.

In other respects, the invention comprises the additional features of the various different carriers disclosed in the previously identified pending patent applications, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in this patent application.

In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing described objectives are satisfied by the provision of a loader and method in which a vertical central support structure is provided with a pair of folding receptacles extending from opposite sides of the central support structure, when the charger is open, and a side extension that provides a third receptacle to carry both a container with a much larger diameter than those that can be loaded in the first two mentioned containers, in order to hold buckets of popcorn, fried chicken, etc., as a complete container of such food without the bucket.

When supplying a loader like this, it is preferred that the basic loader construction described in the previous patent applications is used, with modifications, to provide the loader structure.

An open tray with a slot in the bottom, or a closed box with slots in both the top and bottom cover can be used by sliding the tray or box over the vertical center support / handling structure to load additional solid items such as hot dogs, hamburgers, boxes, bags or candy bars or fruit bars, etc.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, retaining panels with one or two drink receiving holes are provided to fit over the tops of the smaller carrier receptacles in order to stabilize and retain the beverage containers and prevent them from sliding or tilting from side to side in the receptacles.

The objectives set out above and other objectives and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the drawings or set out in them.

DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a charger constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view with a detached part taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevation view, also with a detached part, of the loader of Figure 1 with a food carrying tray mounted on it;

Figure 4 is a front elevation view, also with part detached, of a structure shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a top plan view, also with part detached, of the structure shown in Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of a part of the magazine shown in Figures 1-5 in a partially folded condition;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps in a typical manufacturing process used to manufacture the chargers shown in Figures 1-6 and elsewhere in this document;

Figure 8 is a top plan view of a pair of embedded blanks used to construct the loader of Figures 1-6;

Figures 9-11 are seen from one of the blanks shown in Figure 8 at various stages in the loader manufacturing process;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of an alternative food-carrying tray that can be used instead of the tray shown in Figures 3-5;

Figure 13 is a perspective view with a part detached from a 6-pack loader constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 14 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view taken along line 14-14 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a bottom plan view of a part of the magazine shown in Figure 13, with the part partially folded;

Figure 16 is a top plan view of a pair of embedded blanks used to build the magazine shown in Figures 13-15;

Figure 17 is a perspective view of another charger constructed in accordance with the present invention, this charger being adapted to have two transport compartments instead of the four-compartments of the charger shown in Figure 1;

Figure 18 is a blank used to manufacture the magazine shown in Figure 17;

Figure 19 is a top plan view of a pair of alternatively fitted blanks used to build a loader like the loader in Figure 17;

Figure 20 is a bottom plan view of part of the magazine shown in Figure 17, with the magazine partially folded;

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shown in Figure 23, with the magazine partially open;

Figure 26 is a partial schematic elevation side view of the loader of Figure 23 containing a bucket, beverage containers and a tray, as used in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 27 is a top plan view of a tray used in the embodiment shown in Figure 26;

Figure 28 shows a fiber board blank used to build the loader in Figures 23-26;

Figure 29 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the inventive magazine;

Figure 30 is a schematic cross-sectional view in perspective with partly detached and part taken along line 30-30 of Figure 29; and

Figure 31 is a top plan view of a blank used to build the loader for Figures 29 and 30.

FOUR COMPARTMENT CHARGER

Figures 1, 2, 6 and 8 show a general purpose four compartment magazine 20 with a locking bottom structure. The four compartments or receptacles can hold drinking glasses, cans or bottles and a variety of other types of objects, such as preserved vegetables, cans of motor oil or fuel additive, etc.

Figures 7-11 show a preferred method of manufacturing the charger 20, as well as other chargers described in this document, and Figures 3-5 show a top tray accessory for carrying food or other types above the types in the four compartments of the charger in Figure 1.

loader 20 includes a central support structure 22 including two vertical support panels 23 and 25 glued or otherwise connected together. The central support structure 22 has an upper edge 30 and a hand opening 28 below the upper edge 30, with a foldable hand guard 32.

The upper part of the central support structure has a front surface panel 24 and a rear surface panel 26, which are connected, respectively, to the upper areas of panels 23 and 25, thus forming a four-layer handling structure.

A receptacle structure extends out of each of the two vertical support panels 23 and 25. A receptacle 27 includes a panel folded to form the side walls 34, 36 and 38 and secured at one end to the panel 23 by means of a flap 47 extending from the left edge of panel 23 and attached to panel 34.

Similarly, a second receptacle 29 on the opposite side of the magazine is formed by side walls 40, 43 and 44, with a flap 48 extending from the left edge of panel 25 connected to panel 44.

Each of the two receptacles has a bottom frame 50 or 52 including an articulated locking panel 64 that extends completely throughout the bottom frame (see Figure 2) and has a locking projection 66 or 72 extending from the its outermost edge. Projections 66 and 72 fit into slots 68 or 74 on the bottom of vertical support panel 23 or 25, as shown in more detail in Figure 2.

Referring now to Figure 2, as well as Figure 6, each of the receptacles has a bottom support structure like that of most of the modalities of the invention described in the previously pending patent applications, and other modalities described in this document. .

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view with a detached part taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1. The loader shown in Figure 1 is standing upright on a horizontal surface such as the surface 80 shown in Figure 2. Loader 20 , which is folded and flattened when ex11 ordered, is shown in Figure 1 after being opened by the simple operation to be described below.

Referring to Figure 2, the bottom structure 50 of the left side receptacle 27 shown in Figure 2 is in the position it normally occupies immediately after the magazine has been opened and before any beverage containers or other objects have been placed into the receptacle, or before someone pushed panel 64 down to insert locking projection 66 into slot 68.

The right-hand receptacle 29 is shown in Figure 2 with a filled drink glass 54 in place. The filled cup presses down the panel 70 and presses the locking projection 72 into the slot 74.

The locking or top panels 64 and 70 are rectangular and are almost as large as the distance between the side walls 34 and 38. The rectangular shape of the panels 64 and 70 thus advantageously keeps the receptacles 27 and 29 open, so that the loader 20 will be mounted upright on a horizontal surface with receptacles 27 and 29 open so that the loader can be easily filled with drinking glasses or other objects.

As will become apparent from the following discussion, as loader 22 is opened, bottom panels 64 and 70 are automatically pulled down approximately to an angle such as that shown for panel 64 in Figure 2 by the structure locking background to be described below.

Referring to Figure 6 of the drawings, the bottom structure 52 includes the large locking panel 70 with its projection 72 which. it is hinged at the bottom of the side wall panel 42. Also, a panel 88 that extends approximately half the distance across the entire width of the receptacle 29 is hinged from the bottom edge of the vertical support panel 23.

A first corner structure includes a flap hinged to the bottom edge of the side panel 44 and consisting of a first part 90 and a second part 91, separated from each other by a fold line 93.

A second corner structure is located in the corner of the bottom structure which is opposite to that of the first corner structure. The second corner structure, which is hinged from the bottom edge of the side wall panel 40, consists of a first part 95 and a second part 97 joined to the first part 95 in a fold line 101.

The flap part 91 is connected to the top panel 70, and the flap part 97 is connected to the panel 88.

As the magazine is opened, the two corner flap structures pull panels 70 and 88 down until they reach a position slightly spaced above the bottom of the receptacle. Then, the top panel 70 is pressed down manually or by the weight of an object being placed on it to bite the lock projection into the slot to keep the bottom structure flat.

The corner structures and large overlapping panels together form a very resistant multilayered bottom structure capable of supporting substantial loads.

A first partition 56 with an end flap 58 attached to the inner surface of the wall 36 divides the left-hand receptacle 27 into two compartments. Similarly, a second partition 62 with an end flap 62 attached to the side wall 42 provides a partition for the right side receptacle 29.

In addition, connection plates 51, 53, 47 and 49 are provided at the junctions between the side walls 38, 40, 34 and 44 and the vertical panel structure. These connection plates, as well as dividers, are optional. The connection plates provide additional strength for the loader structure, if necessary.

AUXILIARY TRAY

Figures 3-5 show an auxiliary tray 92 designed for use with the loader 20. The tray is substantially the same as the trays shown in the patent applications identified above;

Tray 92 has a bottom wall 104 and four standing side walls 94, 96, 98 and 99. Side walls 94 and 96 have triangular flaps 124 and 122, respectively, which are glued to the front and rear walls at the corners of the tray. The side walls are folded over one another along fold lines such as lines 118 and 126 in the corners and fold lines 100 and 120, in order to fold the tray to be flat for shipping and storage.

As shown in Figure 5, the bottom wall 104 has an elongated slot. 112 which is wider in the middle than at either end, and two end sections 114 and 116 which are perpendicular to section 112. Thus, an I-shaped slot is formed in the bottom wall 104.

Figure 4 is a side elevation view with part detached showing two glasses of drink 107 and 108 in the magazine 20 and the tray 92 resting on top of the glasses. It can be seen in Figures 4 and 5 that the connection plates 47, .49, 51 and 53 extend upwards through the parts of the slits 114 and 116, while the central support structure 22 of the loader extends upwards through the slit 112.

If connecting plates are not required, then the slot can be simplified to be a single slot without end sections 114 and 116.

Figures 3 and 4 also show that the height of the drinking glasses or other containers that may be present in the magazine 20 vary to a substantial degree. Thus, the tops of cups 107 and 108 shown in Figure 3 extend higher above the top edge 106 of side wall 42 of the magazine than the tops of cups 109 and 110 in Figure 4 extend. However, it is preferred that the tops of the beverage containers are always above the top edge of the side walls of the magazine, so that the containers are easily accessible to grab and remove from the containers, and to minimize the amount of sheet material used. in the charger.

MANUFACTURING METHOD

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the steps typically considered in the manufacture of chargers in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 8 shows two blanks 136 and 138 that are to be folded and glued to form two finished loaders.

Referring first to Figure 7, the fiber board material in the usual manner from a roll 128 is fed first to a printing station 130 where legends, logos, advertising material, etc., are printed in the areas of a wide sheet of fiber board material in the positions where the loaders will be formed. Typically, the sheet material can be relatively wide, for example, 50 inches (127 centimeters) or more, depending on the capacity of the die cutting, folding and printing equipment used.

The printed sheet material below moves to a die cutting and cooling machine 132 that cuts die and streaks the material to form blanks such as blanks 136 and 138.

As will be explained in more detail below, because of the linear arrangement of panels formed by the panels composing the blanks, several blanks can be fitted side by side over the entire width of the sheet material in order to maximize usage material and help minimize the cost of manufacturing the charger.

Figure 8 shows two of the blanks 136 and

138 fit side by side with each other. In reality, three or more of such blanks can be fitted side by side, but the other blanks are not shown in order to save space in the drawings.

At station 132, the sheet material is die cut and striated to form the fold lines.

Finally, each blank is automatically glued and folded to form a fully folded loader, ready for packaging and shipping, as will be described in more detail below.

FOUR COMPARTMENT GROSS PIECE STRUCTURE

Referring now to Figure 8, part numbers have been shown only on one of the blanks, the blank_: 136 in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and crowding of the design.

The blanks 136, 138, etc., form a linear arrangement of panels extending in the direction indicated by arrow 140 which is parallel to the longitudinal geometric axis of the arrangement.

In general, vertical support panels and side wall panels are joined together in series along fold lines perpendicular to the longitudinal geometric axis of the arrangement, and the panels and flaps that form the bottom structures of the receptacles are joined to the vertical support panels and side wall panels along fold lines that are parallel to the geometric axis.

As can be seen, panels 23 and 24 are separated from each other, except that they are joined along a fold line 144. Similarly, panels 25 and 26 are separated, but are fixed along fold line 146.

The dividing arms 56 and 60 are formed as cutouts from the material of panels 23 and 25, respectively, with articulations in the fold lines 147 and 149.

All flaps or flaps that form the bottom structures for the two receptacles 27 and 29 are located along an edge of the linear arrangement. This has the advantage of enabling automatic folding equipment for the bottoms as it is located along only one edge of the blank as the flaps and flaps are folded. This can reduce required equipment and / or speed up the manufacturing process.

FOLDING AND COLLAGE

Figures 9-11 illustrate the folding and gluing processes at various stages of completion.

First, as shown in Figure 9, the adhesive is applied to the upper surfaces of panels 24 and 26, and panel 24 is folded over panel 23 along line 144 and pressed to attach to panel 23. Similarly , panel 26 is folded along line 146 over the top of panel 25 and secured in place.

Also, each of the divider arms 56 and 60 is folded out of its original position, thus leaving an opening 154 or 156 in panel 23 or 25.

Each of panels 84, 64, 70 and 88 is folded up to the position shown in Figure 9.

Each of the corner flaps is folded twice, first along its bottom edge and then the flaps 105, 76, 91, and 95 are folded down along the diagonal fold line of each of the corner structures.

Then, each of the end flaps 46 and 48 is fully folded, flap 46 to the right and flap 48 to the left.

Then, the adhesive is applied to each of the flaps 46 and 48, 58, 105, 76, 91, 95 and 62.

. Referring now to Figure 10 below, the blank is folded along the fold lines 150 and 148 shown in Figure 9 to the shape shown in Figure 10, and the folded parts over the others are pressed over the parts below them so that the adhesive on the surfaces. covered with adhesive layer adhere to each of the surfaces it touches. Thus, flap 7 6 adheres to flap 84, flap 105 adheres to flap 64 and flap 58 adheres to the middle of panel 36.

Referring now to Figure 11 below, the adhesive is applied to the surfaces 23 and 25 shown in Figure 10, and the blank is folded along the centerline 152 and the halves are pressed together to join the two vertical support panels 23 and 25 together coast to coast, thus forming the partially folded loader blank 158.

The use of linear panel arrangements to form the loader structure is highly advantageous not only because it takes into account the closest and most efficient fitting of the blanks, and produces the corresponding material savings, but also because more loaders can be produced per linear foot (centimeter) of sheet material, thereby increasing production for a given sheet material movement speed. Of course, this can further reduce manufacturing costs.

The finished folded loader 160 shown in Figure 11 is ready for packaging and shipping to customers. The folded loader 160 is advantageous because it has a relatively small volume and thus provides savings in shipping containers and transport costs.

CHARGER OPENING

When the folded magazine 160 is removed from the box for use by the customer, the customer simply puts one hand against the edge 152 and the other against the edges 150, 148 of the blank and presses their hands together, applying pressure in the directions 162 and 164, and the folded magazine suddenly opens to the position shown in Figure 1.

The top tray 92, similarly, can be folded and shipped to the customer and can be opened quickly and easily for immediate use.

ALTERNATIVE TRAY STRUCTURE

Figure 12 shows an alternative tray structure for mounting on the loader handling structure shown in Figures 1-11.

Tray structure 166 comprises a closable box having side walls 168, a bottom wall 188 and a top wall 170 which is hinged at an edge 172 of side wall 168.

The box has a pair of slots 174 and 176, one on the top wall 170 and one on the bottom wall 182. Each slot is dimensioned and modeled to receive the vertical support structure 22 of the loader 20 shown in Figure 1. Each slot is covered by an adhesive strip 178 or 180 to protect the food inside the box until it is sold.

When the food is sold, strips 178 and 180 are detached from the caika, the vertical support panel 22 is inserted into the slits and the food can be carried away with one hand, together with drinks in the magazine.

As revealed in the request for. patent 10 / 939,264 identified earlier, such covered boxes can be used to carry hot or cold pizza pies, fried donuts and other types. Adhesive slit covers protect food during storage, shipping, heating and handling before being used to distribute food to customers.

Box 166 is supplied with food at a processing location and is sent to remote distribution points, under refrigeration, if necessary. At distribution points, the box can be heated to heat the food, if desired, the strips are removed, the box is placed in the magazine and carried away.

If an I-shaped slot at the top and bottom of a box similar to the one shown in Figures 3-5 is required, the adhesive strips are shaped and sized to cover the entire slot.

PACKAGED DRINK LOADER

Figures 13, 14 and 15 show a packaged beverage carrier 190 constructed in accordance with the invention. In this embodiment, charger 190 is a six pack charger designed to hold six bottles of a soft drink, beer, water or other beverage. Basically, it is of the same construction as that of loader 22 and others shown in the pending patent applications identified earlier, but it is specifically constructed in order to be easily filled by automatic filling equipment instead of manually. The filled porters are then dispatched to the warehouses.

The charger 190 shown in Figure 13 differs from that shown in Figures 1-12 also in that the charger 190 is not so high in that there is no need for an auxiliary tray attachment, and in that the charger 190 is designed for have the same height as that of existing chargers to be replaced.

Loader 190 includes a vertical support structure 192 with panels 194 and 196 connected together coast to coast, and with a front panel 198 and a rear panel 200, a hand opening 202 and a folding hand guard 204. The top edge of the vertical support structure is shown in 206.

Two receptacles 220 and 222 are provided, one extending from panel 194 and the other from panel 196. The first receptacle 220 includes side walls 208, 210 and 212 and the second receptacle 222 has side walls 214, 216 and 218.

The side walls are attached to the vertical support structure by means of the flaps 270 and 284 extending from the panels 194 and 196.

Two dividers 258 and 264 in each receptacle extend from the central support structure and are connected to the side wall 210 by means of flaps 262 and 268. Each divider has a tapered bottom extending downwards 260 or 266 extending close to the bottom of the charger in order to. provide padding between adjacent bottles in the three compartments formed by the dividers to reduce the possibility of the bottles breaking.

Referring now to Figure 14, as well as Figure 13, each of the two receptacles 220, 222 has a bottom structure 224 or 226 that is similar to one of the bottom structures shown in Figures 1 and 2, with one of the main differences being that the top panel 228 is articulated to the structure of. vertical support instead of being hinged to the side wall opposite the vertical support structure. Also, the top panel 228 or 232 of the bottom structure is tapered at its side edges 240.

The tapered edges 240 are provided to minimize interference between parts of the bottom structure when the magazine is opened. Although this reduces the tendency of the top panel to keep the loader open during filling, this is not very significant in that loaders are usually automatically filled by filling machines that keep loaders open during filling.

Each of the top panels 228 or 232 extends throughout the bottom structure and has a pair of projections 230 or 234, each of which extends outward and projects through a slot in a pair of slots 236, 238 in the panels 210 and 216 of the loaders to lock the top panels in place.

The bottom structures 224 and 226 are totally similar in principle to the bottom structure of the receptacles in the loader 220 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Thus, when a folded loader is raised by pushing on opposite sides, panel 228 or 232 is not fully pressed down, but remains partially raised, similar to bottom panel 68 shown in Figure 2.

Then, when a full bottle of drink is placed in one of the receptacles 220 or 222, the weight of the drink and bottle presses the top panels down so that the projections 230 bend and then snap into slits 236 and 238 in order to lock the top panel of the bottom frame in place. This construction, in combination with the remaining panels that support it, provides an exceptionally resistant bottom that locks automatically without the need for a separately activated locking latch structure, such as those required in the manufacture of some previous loaders.

Figure 15 shows a partially folded bottom structure 226 for receptacle 222 of magazine 190 shown in Figure 13. Two corner frames are provided. One has a flap 248 extending from the bottom edge of the side wall 214, with a projection 250 connected along the fold line 249 of the flap 248. The projection 250 is connected to the wide top panel 232 of the bottom structure 226 .

In a corner opposite the corner where the first corner flap structure is located is a second flap structure including a flap 244 extending from the bottom edge of side wall 218, with a projection 246 connected to flap 244 along of a '251 fold line. The projection 246 is connected to the flap 242 which extends from the bottom edge of the vertical support panel 196.

The corner flap structures operate in substantially the same manner as that of the corresponding structures shown in Figures 1 and 6 to pull the bottom panels down from a folded position in order to open the receptacle structures.

PACKAGED DRINK CHARGER PIECE

Figure 16 shows two linear arrangements 288 and 2 90, each forming a blank to build a single loader of the type shown in Figures 13-15.

Only two linear blanks 288 and 290 are shown in Figure 16. They are tightly joined together to maximize the use of sheet material. However, in a typical installation, up to four or more blanks can be fitted to the sheet, thus illustrating the material savings provided by the invention.

The construction process of the loader 190 is substantially the same as that illustrated previously in Figures 7-11. The sheet material is first printed and then sent to a die cutting and cooling station, where the sheet is cut and streaked to form the fold lines and shapes shown in Figure 16.

The various parts of the blanks shown in Figure 16 are then folded and glued substantially as described above, except that there are two dividers such as dividers 258 and 264 in each of the receptacles instead of just one.

After panels 198 and 200 are glued to panels 194 and 196, respectively, the bottom flaps are folded and glued, as are end flaps 270 and 284, and the blank is folded along lines 298 and 296, and finally along the center line 294 to complete a folded, ready-to-use charger.

loader 190, when folded, has substantially the shape shown in Figure 11 of the drawings, but is somewhat smaller. The folded loader takes up substantially less area than the typical prior art belt bottom loader to be replaced, thus providing savings in shipping boxes and shipping costs when the loaders are shipped to the bottling facilities where they are shipped. they're used.

As with the modalities shown in the Figures

1-11, the manufacturing process is believed to be faster as well as more economical in the use of materials. This is believed to produce significant cost savings in the manufacture of the product.

TWO COMPARTMENT CHARGER

Figure 17 is a perspective view of a two-compartment version 300 of the four-compartment magazine shown in Figures 1-11. The charger 300 is essentially the same in construction as the embodiment shown in Figures 1-11, except that it is only half the size of the other charger and has only two receptacles instead of four.

The loader 300 has a vertical support structure 302 with vertical support panels 304 and 306, and panels 308 and 310 attached to the upper surfaces of the vertical support support panels25. The vertical support panels 304 and 306 are connected together coast to coast.

A hand opening 312 and hand guard 314 are provided.

Two receptacles are provided at 316 and 318. The first receptacle includes the side walls 320, 322 and 324, and the second receptacle includes the side walls 326, 327 and 328. The side wall structures are attached to the central support structure 308 by through the flaps 330 and 334 which are connected to the internal surfaces of the side wall panels 324 and 326, respectively.

Two bottom frames 336 and 338 are provided.

Each has a top panel 340 or 342 with a projection 344 or 345 that extends through a slot 346 or 347 in the side wall 322 or 327.

Figure 20 is a bottom plan view of a partially folded receptacle 318 showing the top panel 342, the opposite panel 351 (see also Figure 18) and the corner structures.

In a corner structure, a flap 360 extends from the bottom of the side wall panel 326 and has a projection 348 attached to it along a fold line 362. The projection 348 is attached to the flap 351.

An opposite corner structure includes a flap 364 extending from the bottom edge of side wall panel 328 and a projection 366 joined to flap 364 along a fold line 368. Projection 366 is attached to flap 342.

The previously exposed bottom structure automatically pulls down the bottom panels of each of the receptacles, substantially as previously described in connection with the four-compartment mode28

The bottom of each receptacle, when fully open, is approximately square.

A drink glass 380 is shown in place within receptacle 316 in Figure 17.

LOADED LOADERS

Figures 21 and 22 are, respectively, a side elevation view and a front elevation view of a modification of the invention shown in Figures 17-20, in which a single tray is provided that is large enough to receive the handles of two separate two-cup carriers 390 and 392, so that two of the two-compartment carriers can be grouped together and loaded with one hand through the handling openings 394 and 396. The tray is shown at the top of the three drink glasses 398, 400 and 406. The bottom of each of the two separate carriers is shown at 402 and 404.

If preferred, a single smaller tray can be used with only one of the chargers shown in Figure 17. Alternatively, a larger tray can be used that fits both the four-compartment and the two-compartment charger.

TWO COMPARTMENT CHARGER BLOCK PIECE

Figure 18 shows an array 382 of panels of a linear blank used to make the magazine shown in Figure 17. The printing, die cutting and grooving and folding and gluing steps are substantially the same as shown previously for the four-cup watering can and the packaged drink carrier, and will not be repeated in this document.

The blanks 382 are embedded in a sheet of material substantially in the manner shown in Figure 19; that is, with alternating blanks inverted in relation to each other. In this way, the use of sheet material is minimized.

Figure 19 shows a pair of modified blanks 384 and 386 which are the same as the blank 382 shown in Figure 18, except that the connection plates 370 and 372 (as well as the connection plates 374 and 378) have been omitted in blanks 384 and 386. This allows blanks to be fitted together even closer together, thus further reducing the use of sheet material.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION - THEATER LOADER

Figure 23 shows a first embodiment 410 of the theater loader of the present invention.

The loader 410 includes a vertical support structure 412. Two foldable receptacle structures 435 and 437 are attached to the vertical support structure 412 and extend from it when the loader is opened.

One receptacle structure 435 includes side walls 426, 428 and 430 and the second receptacle structure 437 includes vertical side walls 432, 434 and 436. Flaps 442 and 444 extend from vertical support structure 412 and are glued to the internal surfaces of panels 430 and 432, respectively. The foldable bottom structures 460 and 462 extend from the bottom walls of the receptacle structures.

Dividers 446 and 450 extend between the vertical support structure 412 to the opposite side walls 428 and 434 and are glued to them by means of flaps 448 and 452, respectively. Dividers 446 and 450 are positioned relatively close to ends 430 and 432, so that receptacles 435 and 437 are relatively small. The walls 428, 434 and bottom structures 460, 462 extend laterally from the dividers for a relatively greater distance to form a much larger third compartment or receptacle 439 next to each receptacle.

CENTRAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE

The central support structure 412 includes a pair of relatively high vertical panels 418 and 420 which are glued together coast to coast. A four-layer handling part is formed by panels 414 and 416 which are glued, respectively, to the upper parts of panels 418 and 420. A handling opening 422 is provided close to the upper edge of structure 412, with a protective structure of 424 folding tab.

It should be understood, of course, that equivalent structures can be built using only a two-layer or one-layer vertical support structure, depending on the weight of the fiber board used, the expected load to be loaded, etc.

The large receptacle 439 formed by the lateral extension of the side walls 434 and 428 and the bottom walls 460 and 462 is reinforced by the extension of the panels 418 and 416 at their lower edges to form the extensions 458 and 459, which are glued together to form a small rigid vertical support at the bottom of the large 439 receptacle. Flaps 438 and 440, extending from the leftmost edges of panels 426 and 436, respectively, are glued together, fully folded and glued to panel 436, as shown.

BACKGROUND STRUCTURES

The bottom structures 460 and 462 are illustrated in Figures 23, 24 and 25, as well as in Figure 28.

Each bottom frame 460 or 462 includes a wide flap or top panel 4 64 hinged on an edge of panel 418 or 416 and on the support formed by panel parts 458 and 459.

As in the previous embodiments of the carriers shown in the previously pending patent applications, panels 464 and 465 advantageously extend completely across the bottom of the receptacles they form. Each panel has three small projections 466, 468 and 470 or 472, .474 and 476, which fit into slots 478, 480 and 482 or 484, 486 and 488 when panels 464 and 465 are fully open and pressed down by use by hand pressure, or by the pressure of drink containers leaning on the panels.

The bottom structures 460 and 462 are much more the same as the bottom structure shown in the pending patent applications identified earlier, in that they open automatically when the folded ends of the folded magazine are pushed towards each other (in the directions indicated by the arrows 461 and 463 in Figure 25), so that the structure forms a resistant platform to support the top panel 464 or 465 and the objects in the receptacles.

As shown in Figures 24 and 25, in the front corner of receptacle 435 is a flap or flap 490 with a projection 4 94 that is attached to a long flap 506 and which has a diagonal fold line 495 .. similarly, at the rear of the magazine, a flap 498 extends from the rear wall 426 with a projection 502 which is glued to the bottom surface of panel 464. Flap 498 folds along a diagonal line 499.

Similarly, bottom structure 462 includes a flap or flap 492 hinged to the bottom edge of panel 432. Flap 492 has a projection 496 that is glued to a flap 508. Flap 492 has a diagonal fold line in 497.

Finally, at the rear of the frame 462, a flap 500 with a projection 504 is hinged to the wall 432. The projection 504 is glued to the panel 465 and has a diagonal fold line 501.

Referring again to Figure 23, as well as Figure 28, it can be seen that panels 464 and 465 are basically rectangular in shape. The rectangular shape has a beneficial aspect where, when the flaps 464 and 465 are pulled down by the corner projections, the flaps tend to fill the space between the front and rear walls of receptacles 435 and 437, so that, once Since the loader is opened by pressing on the folded ends of the loader, the loader will remain open when resting on a bench in order to facilitate its filling with items to be transported in the loader.

When the magazine is folded flat, the rear corners of panels 464 and 465 are folded down along fold lines 467 and 469, respectively, due to the fit with panels 426 and 436. As the loader is opened and panels 464 and 465 are pressed down, the corners of the panels press against panels 426 and 436, and when the projections along the edges of panels 464 and 465 fit into the wedding slits, the charger is kept fully open. Advantageously, the seating of the projections in the slots can be carried out simply by placing drinks in the beverage receptacles, so that the weight of the drinks will press down on the panels and will seat them properly.

It should be noted that the bottom edges 454 and 456 of dividers 446 and 450 are cut at an upward angle as shown, in order to prevent interference between panels 4 64 and 4 65 and the dividers as the loader is being Open.

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Figure 26 illustrates the use of loader 410 in a typical food distribution process.

Assume, as an example, that the charger 410 is being used in a theater selling drinks from glasses 514, 510 buckets filled with popcorn 512 and candy bars in boxes or bags.

First, the loader blank is opened by pressing on the ends of the blank in directions 461, 463 (Figure 25), drinks 514 are placed in receptacles 435 and 437, a bucket 110 of popcorn 112 is placed in the container greater 439 as shown in Figure 426, with the bottom of the bucket resting on the vertical support 458, 459. Popcorn is very light and is mostly balanced by the weight of drinks 514, so it is relatively easy to carry popcorn and drinks with one hand using the handle 422.

If the customer buys bags, boxes or candy bars, or other solid foods such as hot dogs, these can be placed on a tray 516 that slides on top of the vertical support structure 412. Thus, the customer can carry in one hand , drinks, a large container of popcorn, and candy, etc., on the tray. Most of the weight is centered directly under the. shoulder strap.

If the 510 bucket holds a relatively heavy substance such as fried chicken or shrimp in 512 instead of lighter popcorn, help with supporting the left side of the magazine with the other hand may be desirable.

Figure 27 is a top plan view of tray 516, which is shown in more detail in several of the co-pending patent applications identified above. Tray 516 has a bottom wall 520 with an elongated slot 522 into which the vertical support structure 12 fits. It has four side walls 524, 526, 528 and 530 that. they are angled upwards as shown, with the sides being glued together at the corners.

If preferred, a closed food box can be used instead of open tray 516, as described in. co-pending order 10 / 939,264 filed on September 10, 2004, and as further described in this document below. The closed container may contain fried donuts, cookies, pizza or other edibles, which can be heated in the box before the box is attached to the charger.

Smaller drink cups may not fill receptacles 435 and 437. For these and other reasons, it may be desired to provide a device to keep the drink cups stable against tipping or sliding to one side.

This can be done, according to another feature of the invention, by adding the flaps 554 and 556, shown in dashed outline in Figure 28, which fold over the top of the beverage compartments and have holes 558 and 560, respectively, to hug a semi-cylindrical glass of drink and keep it steady.

The use of this feature is illustrated schematically in Figure 23 where the drink retainer hole 560 is shown in dashed outline. Preferably, the dimensions of the panels 554 and 556 are such as to make them rest on the upper edges of the side walls of the receptacles.

BLUE PIECE FOR FORMING CHARGER

Figure 28 shows a blank for loader 410. The blank is advantageously formed from a single sheet of fiber board material. The fold lines are marked with the letter F and the areas where the glue is applied are marked with the letter G.

The loader can be manufactured with a single die cutting step from a single sheet of material, with the folding and gluing steps thereafter.

The charger can be manufactured in relatively high quantities at a relatively low cost.

PREFERRED MODE

Figures 29-31 show the preferred charger 531 of the invention. This charger 531 is substantially the same as the charger shown in Figures 23-28, with certain variations. In this way, the same reference numbers were used for the parts of the loader 531 corresponding to the parts of the loader 410 shown in Figures • 23-28.

One of the differences between the loader 531 shown in Figures 29-31 and the one shown in Figures 23-28 is that the rear sides of the vertical side walls 426, 428,

434 and 436 are considerably higher than the corresponding walls of the first revealed charger. Higher walls are given a curved cut at 548 or 550 to reduce their height at the front end of the magazine to provide ready access to receptacles 435 and 437.

Another change in the carrier 131 is the provision of two folding sealing panels 536 and 538 to seal the large receptacle 439 from the smaller receptacles 435 and 437, to enable popcorn, fried chicken or other particulate matter to be loaded into the large container 439 without a bucket and no leakage of those types into smaller receptacles.

Each panel 536 and 538 is hinged along a fold line 534 or 532 so that it can be folded down to the position shown in the directions indicated by arrows 544 and 546 in Figure 30, where it forms a vertical wall closing the space below the bottom edge 454 or 456 of partition 446 or 450 to seal the large receptacle from the smaller receptacles.

Optionally, projections 540 and 542 (Figure 30) can be provided at the edges of panels 536 and 538 to match the slots appropriately located in the bottom frame of the magazine to lock safety panels 536 and 538 in place. Alternatively, the locking function can be performed simply by ensuring a friction fit between the bottom edge of each panel 536 and 538 and the corresponding bottom structure of the receptacle in which it is located.

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When loader 531 is being opened, after the ends of the folded loader have been pressed towards each other, panels 536 and 538 are curved downwards. This has the advantage of pressing the upper panels of the bottom structures downwards to lock them in position.

With this change, the large receptacle 439 can be used to directly hold popcorn, fried chicken or other particulate foods such as chips, etc., without using buckets. This is highly desirable as a cost saving feature.

Figure 31 shows a blank for a magazine substantially similar to that shown in Figures 29 and 30, except that it is of a size to hold only two glasses of drink in receptacles 435 and 437. In other words, the blank shown in Figure 31 would be slightly larger for a four-cup magazine.

As before, the fold lines are marked with the letter F and the areas to be glued are marked with the letter G. Furthermore, some of the cut lines are marked with the letter C.

One of the differences between the blanks shown in Figure 31 and the magazine shown in Figures 23-28 is that the flaps 442 and 444 that are used to secure the side walls to the vertical support panels extend from the right end of the panels 430 and 432, instead of extending from the left end of the vertical support panels.

Furthermore, it should be understood that, if desired, one of the tabs 438 and 440 can be omitted so that the joint in the rear wall of the loader is formed by a single tab glued to the vertical side wall.

It can be seen that the material for the security panels 536 and 538 is taken from the material that forms the third and fourth layers of the handling structure shown in Figure 23. Thus, the handling structure of the modality shown in Figures 29-31 is only two layers instead of four. However, this is not believed to be a substantial disadvantage.

Figure 31 shows the main reason for the extended height of the walls 426, 428 and 434. They are extended to a height such that the sidewall material extends to the cut line C in the center of Figure 31. This facilitates exceptionally the automatic formation of the loader in modern manufacturing equipment.

MATERIALS

The material from which the charger of the present invention can be constructed need not be expensive. Usual medium-weight fiber board is believed to be sufficient for most purposes. For example, it can be made of recycled 0.20 SUS newspaper material. If waterproofing in addition to the acrylic coating provided on such a board is required, an additional waterproofing coating can be applied to both the inner and outer surfaces.

It is also within the scope of the invention to build flexible plastic material carriers.

If desired, chargers can be constructed of plastic materials that are easily washable so that chargers can be reused.

COLLAGE

The joining of the parts to each other can be done by devices without being adhesive. For example, plastic parts or those covered with a plastic layer can be bonded together by ultrasonic bonding or heat. Clamps or other mechanical fasteners can also be used.

It can be seen from the foregoing that the invention well meets the objectives set out above. The loader construction that allows the blanks to be made in linear arrangements allows for better fitting of the blanks on a sheet of fiber board material, thus providing significant savings in the use of materials in the chargers.

In addition, it is believed that the speed of automatic loader manufacturing can be increased, and that the manufacturing cost is reduced accordingly. Additional savings in the complexity of part of the necessary bending machinery can also be achieved.

The foregoing description of the invention is intended to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes or modifications to the described modalities can occur for those skilled in the art. These can be done without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.