Abstract: A carrier for holding and transporting a plurality of bottles includes a top panel, a bottom panel, and two side panels extending between said top and bottom panels to form a sleeve through which the bottles extend. When the carrier is formed to carry six or more bottles, the top panel has at least two rows of outboard apertures which are adapted to receive the bottles to engage the bottles to retain the bottles in the carrier. The bottom panel extends between the side panels and also includes at least two rows of outboard surrounding apertures which are aligned with, but radially offset from the outboard apertures of the top panel, such that the centers of the bottom panel outboard apertures are closer to the side panels than are the outboard apertures of the top panel. If the carrier includes inboard apertures in the top and bottom panel, the inboard apertures of the top and bottom panel are preferably concentric with each other.

Abstract: A box-top carrier includes a top panel, a bottom panel spaced from the top panel, and two side panels extending between the top and bottom panels. The carrier is provided with a release mechanism to facilitate removal of bottles from the carrier. The top panel has apertures through which the bottle necks extend and a plurality of slits extending from an edge of the apertures to define a plurality of tabs around the apertures. The bottom panel has a plurality of apertures which are generally concentric with the top panel apertures. The top and bottom panel apertures are formed in an array having at least two columns of at least two spaced apart rows. The release mechanism includes pairs of tear lines in the top panel extending from the edges of the top panel to slits of the top panel apertures. The pairs of tear lines include two spaced apart tear lines which define tear strips extending between the top panel apertures.

Abstract: A carrier is provided for carrying a plurality of bottles such as, but not limited to, long-necked glass bottles or PET bottles. The carrier includes a top panel and at least one side panel. The top panel has a first ply defining an array of surrounding apertures and a second ply below the first ply defining an array of container receiving apertures which are concentric with the surrounding apertures of the first ply. A plurality of slits extending radially from each container receiving aperture of the second ply to define tabs which engage a bottle's chime and hold the bottle in the carrier. The fold point for the tabs is defined by the surrounding apertures. The carrier can be formed as a box-top or sleeve carrier having a bottom panel defining openings which are concentric with the apertures in the top panel. The box-top carrier holds the bottles in tight formation and in contact with each other to prevent the bottles from impacting each other to prevent damage to the bottles.

Abstract: A paperboard carrier for containers arranged in the carrier in side-by-side positions with the carrier formed with apertures to receive the filling ends of the containers in which the apertures are delineated by embossed ring formations, each one surrounding a group of tabs radiating inwardly from the ring formation to terminal ends which are shortened to leave an open space. One of the group of tabs in each aperture is formed with an enlarged inner end to substantially fill the space left by the terminal ends of the other tabs. The group of tabs in each of the embossed ring formations close the aperture but are responsive to the insertion of a container filler end to hinge outwardly on the embossed ring formation into a conic shape to engage the container filling end, with the special feature of the one tab hinging outwardly to position its enlarged inner end alongside the container for easy grasping to tear that one tab out of the paperboard for effectively releasing the container.

Abstract: Manually operated apparatus for assembling a multi-container pack in a carrier wherein the apparatus has a base formed with apertures in a pattern to form a multi-container pack, a carrier supported on the base and it being formed with a pattern of container receiving apertures having bendable fingers ringing the inner circumference of the container apertures, and a container guide positioned over the carrier for steering the containers into positions with the ends thereof grasped by the fingers ringing the ends of the containers.

Abstract: A fiber carrier for ringing beverage containers has upstanding walls to engage a flange or chime on a beverage container. The walls extend circumferentially around container engaging apertures in the carrier. The carrier may have concentric strengthening members, such as scores or corrugations surrounding the container engaging apertures. The carriers may be installed on arrays of beverage containers by automated or manually driven ringing machines. These machines index the carriers to locations which correspond to the location of an array of containers received in the machines. The machines have mechanisms to utilize preformed webs of joined carriers. The ringing machines position the carriers over an array of containers and force the carriers into ringing engagement with the arry. The fiber carrier may be compatible with modern disposal methods including incineration and biodegradation.

Abstract: This exercise bicycle includes a frame having a front fork portion supporting a pair of handlebars and mounting a rotatable wheel; a rear ground-engaging support portion, and an intermediate portion supporting the seat and mounting a pedal sprocket. A coin-operated drive resistance assembly is mounted to the rear of the frame, the assembly including a shaft having a sprocket connected thereto by a torque limiter device which sprocket is drivenly connected to the pedal sprocket and the front wheel; a disc brake on the shaft and a hand control for setting the brake for predetermining the resistance of the shaft to rotation; a lock for the shaft including a member rotatable with the shaft, and a coin-operated timer switch for actuating a solenoid to deactivate the lock for unlocking the shaft, the unlocked period being determined by the timer.