Basket style carrier with rigid medial beam and reinforced end handles

Abstract

A collapsible basket style carrier that can be formed from a paperboard blank. The basket style carrier includes a bottom wall, a pair of opposed side walls, a pair of opposed end walls, a medial beam extending between the end walls, and a slot handle in each of the end walls. The medial beam and the manner in which the medial beam, the end walls, and the bottom wall are connected gives the carrier structural integrity. The basket style carrier also includes lateral dividers that extend from the medial beam to the side walls to define compartments for receiving articles such as bottles.

1 . A basket style carrier, comprising:
 a bottom wall;   a pair of opposed side walls;   a pair of opposed end walls, each comprising:
 a pair of side end flaps each having a corner aperture at least partially defined therein, each of the pair of side end flaps being hingedly connected to a respective one of the side walls, the pair of side end flaps extending toward one another such that distal edges thereof abut one another to join the respective corner apertures, thereby at least partially defining a slot handle; and 
   a medial beam extending between the end walls; and   a composite partition connected to and extending inwardly from each of the end walls, each of the composite partitions being connected to the medial beam.   
   
   
       2 . The carrier of  claim 1 , wherein:
 each composite partition comprises a pair of partition panels, and each of the pair of partition panels is hingedly connected to the distal edge of a respective one of the pair of side end flaps, the pair of partition panels being in flat face contact with one another.   
   
   
       3 . The carrier of  claim 2 , wherein each corner aperture is further defined in a respective one of the pair of partition panels so as to interrupt the hinged connection between each side end flap and an adjacent partition panel. 
   
   
       4 . The carrier of  claim 2 , further comprising a bottom end flap hingedly connected to the bottom wall and disposed in face contacting arrangement with the pair of side end flaps, the bottom end flap having a handle aperture that is in registry with the joined corner apertures, thereby at least partially defining the slot handle. 
   
   
       5 . The carrier of  claim 4 , further comprising a handle flap operatively associated with the slot handle, wherein the corner apertures extend into each of the pair of partition panels, thereby defining recesses that provide clearance for the handle flap to fold inwardly with respect to the carrier. 
   
   
       6 . The carrier of  claim 1 , further comprising a bottom end flap hingedly connected to the bottom wall and disposed in face contacting arrangement with the pair of side end flaps, the bottom end flap having a handle aperture that is in registry with the joined corner apertures, thereby at least partially defining the slot handle. 
   
   
       7 . The carrier of  claim 6 , further comprising a pair of reinforcing sections, each hingedly connected to an edge of the bottom end flap and disposed in face contacting arrangement with the pair of side end flaps, the pair of reinforcing sections defining a cutout that is in registry with the joined corner apertures, thereby at least partially defining the slot handle. 
   
   
       8 . The carrier of  claim 7 , wherein the bottom end flap is in flat face contact with the outside surface of the pair of side end flaps, and the pair of reinforcing sections are in flat face contact with the inside surface of the pair of side end flaps. 
   
   
       9 . A basket style carrier, comprising:
 a bottom wall;   a pair of opposed side walls;   a pair of opposed end walls, each end wall comprising:
 a pair of side end flaps, each of the side end flaps being hingedly connected to a respective one of the side walls, the side end flaps of said each end wall extending toward one another such that distal edges thereof are adjacent to one another; and 
 a bottom end flap hingedly connected to the bottom wall and disposed in a face contacting arrangement with the side end flaps of said each end wall; 
   a composite partition connected to said each end wall, each composite partition comprising a pair of partition panels, each of the partition panels of said each composite partition being hingedly connected to the distal edge of a respective one of the side end flaps, the partition panels of said each composite partition being in flat face contact with one another; and   a medial beam connected to each of the composite partitions and extending between the end walls.   
   
   
       10 . The carrier of  claim 9 , wherein said each end wall further comprises a pair of reinforcing sections both hingedly connected to an edge of the bottom end flap of said each end wall and disposed on either side of the medial beam. 
   
   
       11 . The carrier of  claim 10 , wherein the bottom end flap of said each end wall is in flat face contact with the outside surface of the side end flaps of said each end wall, and the pair of reinforcing sections of said each end wall are in flat face contact with the inside surface of the side end flaps of said each end wall. 
   
   
       12 . A blank for forming a basket style carrier having reinforced end walls, comprising:
 a bottom panel;   a bottom end flap hingedly connected to the bottom panel, the bottom end flap having a handle aperture defined therein;   a first side panel and a second side panel, each arranged to be hingedly connected to the bottom panel when the blank is erected to form a basket style carrier;   a first side end flap and a second side end flap hingedly connected to the first side panel and to the second side panel, respectively, the first side end flap and the second side end flap each having a corner aperture defined therein; and   a first partition panel and a second partition panel hingedly connected to the first side end flap and the second side end flap, respectively, said corner apertures of said first and second side end flaps extending into the first and second partition panels respectively.   
   
   
       13 . The blank of  claim 12 , wherein when the blank is erected into a carrier, the first partition panel and the second partition panel are disposed in a face contacting arrangement such that the corner apertures are joined, and
 the bottom end flap are in a face contacting arrangement with the first and second side end flaps such that the corner apertures are aligned with the handle aperture.   
   
   
       14 . The blank of  claim 13 , further comprising a reinforcing panel hingedly connected to the bottom end flap, the reinforcing panel having a cutout defined therein so that when the blank is erected, the reinforcing panel is disposed in a face contacting arrangement with the first and second partition panels and the cutout is aligned with the corner apertures.