US2576725A - Bottle package - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27, 1951 N. A. SCHOELLES 2,576,725

BOTTLE PACKAGE I Filed June 28, 1948 2 SI'IEETSSHEET 1 INVENTOR Norman A. Schoelles ATTORNEYS Nov. 27, 1951 N. A. SCHOELLES Filed June 28, 1948 m 8 5 RM GM T mw T wM D v 3 7H. m C... x

Patented Nov. 27, 1951 BOTTLE PACKAGE Normanv A. Schoelles',vv West Englewood, N. J assignorto General Aniline- & Film Corporation, New York.: N. Y a corporationof Delaware ApplicationJune28, 1948', Seri'aI'No. 35,674

6' Claims.- (Cl.-21510) This invention relates to an improved commercial package for a bottle, whichis especially adapted tobe stacked with similar packages for packing or display purposes;

This application is a continuationin part of my co-pending application for Letters Patent-cf the United States Serial No. 777,261; filed October 1 I947, nowabandoned.

It is an object of this invention teprovide a simple and economical package for bottled preparations, adapted to be conveniently--stackedwith similar packages in a packing case or on a display counteror shelf, offering outstanding'stability against collapse of the stack, and substantial protection against breakage during shipment; handling' or use.

In'conjunction with the foregoingobject, it is also an object to provide a commercial package of pleasing and unusual appearance, singularly well adapted to-display advertising matter thereon-to the bestadvantage, not only when'vd'isplayed for sale, but also during use by the consumer;

In accordance with my invention, I" provide a bottle, e-; g., ofglass or other ceramic or plastic material, having neck and body portions and an abutment projecting from the side of the body portion and facing the neck portion, and aztubm lar'member'or sleeve forassembly with the bottle to' f'orm a package, whichmay-beof any stiff material such as cardboard, wood; plastic or the like; said sleeve surrounding said neck portion and fitting snugly around said upper body por-. tion, with its edgeat one end engaging said' abutment and its opposite end extending beyond the top' of the bottle. Thebase' ofthe bottle is-shaped to adapt it forinsertion, fitting-looselyor snugly, into the latter or outer end of said sleeveiorthe corresponding sleeve of a similar bottle package")? and means are provided for limitingtheextent of such insertion of the( base portion of said bottle intothe outer end of said sleeve to" a point short of the space norm'all'y' occupied by the neck poi"- tion of the bottle; Thelatter means may'compr-ise a downwardly facing abutmentadjacent to the baseof the bottle and adapted to engage the outer" edge. ofthesleeve: or it may comprise a partition on other abutment within the: sleeve, adapted'to support the-'base of'the bottle. So long as the base of the bottle extends into" the latter end of thesleeve, the portion of the sleeve encircling the baseprevents lateral displacement of the'bottle' beyond the-limits of thesleeve.

: B'y use'of theforegoingcombina-tion; a plurality of packages inaccordance-with myinvention, can be readily arranged astack; merely by insertiing the base-portions of successive bottles into the outer ends of the sleeves on adjacent bottles at the-junction-between each pair ofpackages inthe stacks When my packages are stacked in the aforesaid manner, the sleeves protect the neck portions of the bottles from contact with other objects and act as separators or cushionsbetween adjacentbottles in the stack, preventing damage from the bottles knocking against each other. The sleeves moreover, maintain the bottles substantially in. alignment so that the stacks of packages can beconveniently and safely handled as units for depositing them in a packingv case, andmpreventdisarrangement of. the bottles during shipment. In addition, the sleeves serve to stabilize stacks of the packages against collapsewhen arrangedona shelf or display counter, and can be arrangedto serve as connectors between the bottles, without interfering with removal of. individual packages from the stack.

The sleevesv of'my packages provide a convenient base for applying a label, trade-mark, legend or other matter for ornamental or advertising purposes, and resulting, packages, when displayed singly. or stacked, present a unique and striking appearance, wherein the contents of thebottlec'an be displayed in juxtaposition to" the label or ad'- vertising matter placed on the sleeve, and the sleeve and bottle sections are visible alternately in a stack.

In one embodiment of my invention, the sleeve maybe simply and economically made bycutting a series of" sections from cylindrical cardboard tubing; the bottle adapted to be used with such sleeves having an upwardly facing abutment, such as anannular shoulder near the upper end ofthe body portion" and a similar downwardly facing abutment or shoulder near its base. The card-- board' tubing is selected to yield sleeves-- having substantially the same internal diameter as the cylindrical portion of the body of the bottle ex tending upward from said upwardly" facing shoulder or abutmentso that said cylindrical portion may be inserted to fit snugly iii-the end of said sleeve: Similarly, the opposite end of the sleeves can be" constructed tohave the same diameter as the cylindrical base portion of" the bottles extending downward from the lower shoulder or" abutment, so that asnug fit will result. If the sleeve end' is of somewhat larger diameter, a loose fit'results; The inserta-blebase portion of the bottle is preferablymade relatively short" soas to facilitate removal of individual packages from a stack; The cardboard sleeves are made of sufficient length to separate the top is shaped to enter loosely or fit snugly into the 1 the sleeve when the neck portion of the bottle is inserted into said end of the sleeve. In this form of the invention, the package is advantageously marketed and displayed with the bottle inverted so that the cardboard sleeve forms the lower portion of the package and the body portion of the bottle forms the upper part thereof. In this position the sleeve serves as a cushion to protect the package against shocks from contact with a supporting surface. Moreover, in the latter embodiment, the body portion of the bottle is advantageously shaped and dimensioned to fit into the cavity of the sleeve originally occupied by the neck portion of the bottle, so that in order to use the contents of the bottle, the position of the inverted bottle is merely reversed, its base being inserted into the open end of the sleeve, whereby the sleeve continues to act as a cushion for the bottle and also is adapted to catch drops of liquid running down the sides of the bottle. Since the sleeve remains in the same position during use as well as in the original package, the legend or advertising matter thereon is at all times in upright and legible position. In this embodiment, the edge of the sleeve at the end adapted to receive the upper end of the bottle can be advantageously reinforced, e. g., by curling the cardboard in- :ward, to form a rim of double thickness, and thereby improve frictional engagement with the upper portion of a bottle when inserted therein. My invention will be more fully understood, and additional objects and advantages will appear from the following description of a number of preferred embodiments of my invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottle employed in one form of package according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an individual package, includin the bottle of Fig. 1, portions being cut away to show the underlying structure and relationship of the parts.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of a stack of packages of the type shown in Fig. 2, portions being cut away to show the underlying structure.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of another form of bottle suitable for use in accordance with the invention.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an individual package as displayed or marketed, including the bottle of Fig. 4, portions being cut away as in the preceding figures. w M V Figure 6 is a side elevation of the package of Fig. 5, rearranged for use of the contents of the bottle. r a 7 Figure 7 is a side elevation of a, stack of packages of the type shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 8 is a detail in side elevation of another form of sleeve for use with the bottles of Figs. 4and 10.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary view, with portions cut away, of a stack of packages, illustrating use of the sleeve of Fig. 8 with the bottle of Fig. 1.

Figure 10 is a' fragmentary view, similar to Fig. 9, illustrating use of the sleeve of Fig. 8 with a bottle resembling that of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the form of package illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 includes a bottle ll] of the type shown in Fig. 1, comprising a neck portion including a closure, such as screw cap 12, at the top, and having a generally cylindrical body portion, including a, substantially cylindrical section l3 adjacent the neck portion, a relatively short cylindrical section 14 of the same diameter at the base of the bottle, and an intervening section l5 of increased diameter, terminating at an upper abutment formed by annular shoulder l6 facing the neck portion I I, and a lower abutment formed by annular shoulder ll facing the base of the bottle and adjacent thereto. The surface of section l5 intermediate shoulders l6 and I1, may have any desired shapeordesign; for example, it may be provided with ornamentalor utilitarian designs, such as rounded depressions I8, for improving the appearance of the bottle and afiordinga firmer grip in handling the same.

For assembly with the bottle I0, my package comprises a sleeve 19 of stifi material such as cardboard, preferably flat at its ends, having an internal diameter similar to that of cylindrical sections l3 and Id of bottle l0, and a length exceeding, by at least a small increment, combined distances from shoulder IE to the top of cap l2 and from shoulder I! to the base of the bottle. Advertising matter such as a trade-mark, or label 20 bearing a suitable legend or design, can be applied to the exterior of the sleeve IS.

The bottle I0 and sleeve l9 are. assembled in the manner shown in Fig. 2 to form an individual commercial package, by sliding the sleeve [9 downward over the upper section I3 of the body portion of bottle 10, until the lower end of said sleeve abuts annular shoulder IS, the upwardly extending portion of said sleeve thereby surrounding neck portion II of the bottle, and thus providing substantial protection against breakage from contact with other objects in handling.

The outside diameter of sleeve I9 is advantageously made the same as that of section l5 of the body portion of the bottle so as to afford a substantially continuous cylindrical surface extending from the top nearly to the base of the package.

If the bottle is transparent, the contents thereof are visible at the lower portion of the package, while the upper part formed by sleeve I9 can be suitably ornamented or provided with advertising matter to form a package of especially striking and attractive appearance.

A plurality of the packages of Fig. 2 can be readily stacked, as shown in Fig. 3, by inserting the lower section l4 near the base of the bottles into the upper end of sleeve IQ of an adjacent package, downwardly facing shoulder I! of each bottle abutting the outer edge of the sleeve. Telescopic engagement of the base section M of each bottle with the sleeve 19 of the adjacent package stabilizes the. stack against disarrangementor collapse, the resulting stability being of Par a d aeewhenihe t c e p eq on shelves. or counters from which they are to be removed by customers or salesmen.

Another preferred embodiment of my: invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7:. In this em.- bodiment, a bottle 2 I. isv provided, having. a neck portion 22 with a cap. or closure 23, and a body portion comprising an upper convex, rounded section 24 extending to an annular shoulder 25 which faces the neck portion 22. Extending downward from shoulder 25, a mid-section 26 of the body tapers inwardly, as indicated at 21, and then expands to. form a slight. bulge 28 or. nearly cylindrical portion near the base of the bottle, while. below the bulge 28. an inwardly tapered section 2e extends to the. base. The upper con: vex section 24 approaches cylindrical shape. at. its junction with shoulder 25. Moreover, raised characters or alegend: 30- can be advantageously moulded on the exterior of. convex section 24 ad-.- jacent shoulder 25'. Any desired ornamental or utilitarian design, such as the rounded deprese sions. 3|, can be formed in the surface of the lower portion of the bottle as in the case of the bottle of Figs. 1 to 8. For reasons which will hereinafter appear, the diameter of the slightly bulgedor cylindrical portion 28 is similar to that of the convex section 24 at its junction with shoulder 25, while. the base of the bottle at the endof: inwardly tapered section 29 is of somewhat smaller diameter.

To make up a package in accordance with my invention, employing bottle 2|, I provide a sleeve 32' of stiff material such as cardboard, having an internal diameter similar to that of convex section 24 ofthe bottle at its junction with shoulder 25', said sleeve having its upper end 33 open and a partition 34. of similar material near its base, secured therein and advantageouslysupportedby an inwardly curled rim 35 which serves tospace saidpartition a short distance from the lower end of sleeve 32. The length of' the sleeve is such that the distance from the. partition 34 to the. edgeof upper end 33 exceeds by. at least. a. small, increment the. distance. from annular shoulder 25 to the top of cap 23 of the bottle, A label 36, or similar design, on the outside of sleeve 32has its legend in upright position when the open end 330i the sleeve isupwardly disposed and partition 34 is nearer the base.

An individual package for display or marketing purposes is made in accordance with my inven. tion by inverting bottle 2|, and inserting its; neck portion 22; and convex; section 24 into. the upwardly, disposed. open, end 33 of. sleeve. 32, until annular shoulder 25 abutsthe upper. edge of the sleeveas shown in Fig. 5.. Theraised-characters 30, if provided, serve to increase frictional en gagement of they sleeve 32with bottle 2 holding the. two parts of the package together. The package, when it is displayed, presentsa. unique appearance in which. mostof the body. portion of the'bottle and itscontents are visible. at the top of the package, and: the sleeve32 bearingadver-v tisingmatter or; the, like forms the. base, ofthe package, The curled rim .35 of sleeve32; provides abroad, steady, base for thepackage, cushioning the bottle. against shocks; and possible; breakage when the packageis placed on a hard support, as well as from jolting duringshipment of the pack-.- age. in, upright position.

In order; to use the contents of the bottle2 the latter is withdrawn. from the sleeve 32, its position reversed, and its. lower portion 26, in-. sertdi to the-open. endci the sleev 32; as. shown in Fig. 6. The base of thebottleis 1161161018119:

ported on partition 34- while the. slightly bulged or cylindrical portion 28, having the same. diameterv as the interior of sleeve. 32. can engage the.

inner wall of the latter. to. hold the sleeve. and bottle wall frictionally'together. Sleeve 32 thus continuesto provide a cushion for the. bottle. during use, protecting it againstshocks or jolts in handling, and; also preventing the bottle from marring the surface on which it is placed. Moreover, sleeve 32 serves tov catch any drops, of liquid which may. run, down the bottle, thusv preventing possible damage to the surface on. which the bottle is placed.

A luralit of individual packages. of the, type shown in Fig. 5 can be conveniently stacked in the manner shown in Fig. 7 by inserting the up! wardly disposed tapered ends. .29 of the bottles into the shallow cavities formed by curled rim.

3.5 and partition 34 at the lower. end. ofsleeve 32 of each superposed package, the partitions. 34 resting upon the bottom surfaces of the inverted bottles and serving as. abutments to limit. insertion of said bottles into the sleeves. As in the case of the stack shown in Fig. 3', interengagement of the bottles of each package. with the base of the sleeves 32 in adjacent packages stablelizes the stack against disarrangement or col.- lapse, especially when the stacks are placed on shelves or counters, while at the same. time the individual packages can be readily removed, one at a time, by customers orsalesmen.

Fig. 8 shows a modified form of thesleeve. of Figs. 5 to '7, which canbe suitably: made of some: what thinner cardboard or other stiff material. Figs. 9 and 10 show assembly of the. sleeves of Fig. 8 with thebottle ll} of Fig, 1, and; with; a bottle 2|, essentially. similar to bottle 2|, described above, except. that the broadest.- point 28 is closer to the base. than the bulge 28. of bottle 2|. Similar reference, numerals are accordingly used for bottles 2| and 2|, thev latter being distinguished by a prime. The sleeve 3'! has one edge bent inward upon itself to form a curled rim 38 which reinforcesv the edge of the sleeve, and which is, made of a. diameter snugly fitting the upper cylindrical portion l3 of bottle ID or the corresponding rounded sections 24v or 24* of bottles 2| or 2|'-'. Atthe opposite end of the sleeve. 3T, a partition- 39'and av surrounding axially projecting annular flange 4D. projecting outward from the partition are provided, e. g., by applying a sheet metal closure of the type commonly used in tubular cardboard containers to the end of the sleeve, said closure being secured to the sleeve by clamp-ing its edge in an annular groove 4| formed at the edge of the metal closure, so that the metal forming the groove 4| also forms annular flange 68. Like partition 34 of sleeve32, the metal partition 39; is spaced from the edge. of; the rim 38. at the opposite end of the sleeve by a distance exceed ing by at least a small increment the. distance from the annular shoulder 25 or 25. to the top of the cap 23 or 23 on bottle: 2| 0r 2|, or correspondingly the distance from annular shoulder It to the top of the cap |;2 on bottle Iii. While. the outside diameter of the; annular; flange 4i| is .virtually the same as, the; outside diameter of sleeve 31 so that, externally, it-forms substantial- 1y a continuation thereof, its inside diameter is slightly greater than. the diameter, of the base portions of bottles |.0 or-2|'.

The sleeve 3] canbe assembledas; shown. in Fig., 9, with bottle |u.;by. invertingthesleeve and pressing. it down on; the. upper. cylindrical; p.011!

tion l3 of the bottle until the rim 38 abuts shoulder IS. The inwardly curled rim 38, by reason of its resilient cushioning effect, provides increased frictional engagement with the sides of the bottle to hold the sleeve firmly in place. In the resulting package, the sleeve protects the upper portion of the bottle from damage by knocking other objects in handling or storage. The metal closure forming the partition 39 provides additional protection for the top of the bottle, and improves the appearance of the package. As in the case of the other sleeves hereinbefore described, a label bearing a legend, trade-mark or decorative matter can be applied to the sides of the sleeve, and if desired can also be provided on the partition 39.

Similarly, the sleeve 31 can be assembled with bottle 2 I in much the same manner as sleeve 32 with bottle 2|, preferably by inverting the bottle and inserting its upper rounded portion 24 into the cavity of 'the sleeve, the bottle being pressed into the sleeve until the rim 38 abuts shoulder 25 on the bottle. The inwardly curled flange of the rim 38 affords cushioned frictional engagementwith the walls of the bottle, especially when it engages the raised characters or legend 30 formed on the walls of the bottle, to hold the parts of'the resulting package together.

A label or legend when applied to the sleeve 3! can be applied in upright or inverted position (in Fig. 8), depending on the position to be occupied by the sleeve in the package as marketed, so that the label will appear thereon in upright position when the package is displayed.

When packages of my invention are stacked as shown in Fig. 9, the base portion Id of the bottle l rests in the shallow cavity formed by flange 40 of the sleeve of the next lower package, and is supported on the corresponding partition 39, Similarly, in stacking the packages shown in Fig. 10, the upturned base of the inverted bottle 2| of one package enters the shallow cavity of flange 40 of the sleeve of the superposed package, and the partition 39 of the latter rests on the base of the aforesaid bottle. In either case, the flange 40, loosely surrounding the base of the bottle, prevents the packages from sliding sideways on each other, thus rendering the stack relatively secure against collapse from misplacing the packages or from casual displacement caused by vibration, handling, lateral contact or the like.

For use of the contents, the bottle 2i can be inserted in sleeve 3'! in the same manner as described above with reference to bottle 2| and sleeve 32, and shown in Fig. 6. For this purpose, the broadest part 28' of the bottle 2| near its base has a diameter at most equal to the diameter of the rounded portion 24' adjacent shoulder 25, so that the base of the bottle can be inserted into sleeve 31 past its curled rim 38, finally resting on partition 39. Preferably, the broadest part 28' near the base of the bottle is the same diameter as the rounded part 24' so that the base passes rim 38 of the sleeve 37 with a snug fit, so that when the bottle and sleeve are assembled for use, the sleeve will not drop off the base of the bottle, but will be retained. thereon by frictional resistance to withdrawal of the part 28' past rim 38.

The packages of my invention are particularly advantageous for packing large numbers thereof in cases for shipment. Thus, groups of packages can be stacked as shown in the drawings, and the resulting stacks can be safely lifted and deposited as a unit in the packing case. Interengagement of the bottle of one package with the sleeve of an adjacent package not only prevents collapse of the stack during such handling, but also keeps the stacks of bottles substantially aligned in the shipping cases, minimizing danger of breakage from lateral contact between the bottles. Furthermore, sleeves I9, 32 or 31 act as separators or cushions to keep the ends of adjacently packed bottles out of contact, and thus protect them from damage during shipment.

Variations can be made in the packages specifically described above without departing from the scope of my invention. Thus, the abutment provided by annular shoulders l6, l1 and 25 for engaging the ends of sleeves I9, 32 or 31, can be of different form or shape and may be discontinuous or continuous circumferentially of the bottle. Similarly, the abutment formed by partition 34 or 39 in sleeve 32 or 31 can be replaced by any other suitable form of abutment in said sleeve. The packages of my invention have been specifically illustrated as including bottles of circular, transverse cross-section; however, the structure of my invention can be similarly applied in the case of bottles of other crosssectional shapes, the sleeve being modified in each case to conform to the shape of the bottle.

Other variations and modifications can be made within the scope of my invention, and portions can be used without others.

I claim:

1. A commercial package adapted to be stacked with similar packages, comprising a bottle having body and neck portions, said body portion including an abutment projecting from the side of the body portion and facing the neck portion, and said neck portion carrying a closure member; a sleeve of stiff material surrounding the neck portion and closure member, spaced from the latter member, and fitting snugly over, and being slidable in axial direction upon, said body portion with one end engaging said abutment and the opposite end extending beyond said neck portion and closure member; said bottle having a base shaped and dimensioned to enter said opposite end of the sleeve, slidably in axial direction; and means limiting insertion of said base into said opposite end of the sleeve to a point within the sleeve but short of the space occupied by said neck portion when the sleeve engages said abutment. v

2. A commercial package comprising a bottle having body and neck portions, said body portion including an external abutment projecting from the side of the body portion and facing the neck portion, and said neck portion carrying a closure member; and a sleeve of stiff material having an internal transverse abutment, said sleeve being adapted to surround the neck portion of the bottle and closure member, spaced from the latter member, and shaped to fit snugly against, to frictionally engage, and to be slidable in axial direction upon, the sides of the body portion adjacent the external abutment thereon, with one end of the sleeve engaging the external abutment and the opposite end extending beyond said neck portion and closure member, said internal abutment being disposed thereby beyond said neck portion, said body portion being shaped and dimensioned below the external abutment for insertion, slidably in axial direction, into the first-named end of the sleeve so that the base of the bottle rests on the internal abutment of the sleeve.

3. A commercial package adapted to be stacked with similar packages, comprising a bottle having body and neck portions, said body portion including an abutment projecting from the side of the body portion adjacent to and facing the neck portion, and said neck portion carrying a closure member; a sleeve of stiff material adapted to surround the neck portion and closure member, spaced from the latter member, and having one end fitting snugly over, and being slidable in axial direction upon, said body portion to engage said abutment while the opposite end extends beyond said neck portion and closure member; and a transverse partition secured in said sleeve, adjacent to but spaced from said opposite end, disposed to clear the top of said neck portion; the lower body portion of said bottle being shaped and dimensioned for insertion slidably in axial direction into the first-named end of said sleeve, so that the base of the bottle rests upon the partition, and the base of the bottle being also shaped and dimensioned to enter, slidably in axial direction, said opposite end of the sleeve so that the base abuts said partition, whereby the portion of the sleeve projecting beyond said partition can surround the base of the bottle to restrain the base against lateral displacement beyond the limits of the sleeve.

4. A commercial package adapted to be stacked with similar packages, comprising a bottle having body and neck portions, said body portion including a circumferential shoulder projecting from the side of the body portion adjacent to and facing thev neck portion, and said neck portion carrying a closure member; a sleeve of stiff material adapted to surround the neck portion and closure member, spaced from the latter member, and having at least one end fitting snugly over, and being slidable in axial direction upon, said body portion to abut said shoulder while the opposite end extends beyond said neck portion and closure member; and a transverse partition secured in said sleeve, adjacent to but spaced from said opposite end, disposed to clear the top of said neck portion; the lower body portion of said bottle being shaped and dimensioned to enter slidably in axial direction the first-named end of said sleeve, so that the base of the bottle rests upon said partition, and including means for frictionally engaging the interior surface of said sleeve so as to resist withdrawal of the bottle from the sleeve when said lower body portion is inserted into the first-named end of the sleeve; and the base of the bottle being shaped and dimensioned for insertion, slidably in axial direction, into said opposite end of the sleeve so that the base abuts said partition, whereby the portion of the sleeve projecting beyond said partition can surround the base of the bottle to restrain the base against lateral displacement beyond the limits of the sleeve.

5. A commercial package adapted to be stacked with similar packages, comprising a bottle having body and neck portions, said body portion including a circumferential shoulder projecting from the side of the body portion adjacent to and facing the neck portion, and said neck portion carrying a closure member; a sleeve of stifi material adapted to surround the neck portion and closure member, spaced from the latter member, and having at least one end fitting snugly over, and being slidable in axial direction upon, said body portion to abut said shoulder while the opposite end extends beyond said neck portion and closure member, said bottle having locally raised areas on the external surface of the sleeve-engaging part of the body portion adjacent said shoulder to provide increased frictional engagement between said sleeve and the bottle; a transverse partition secured in said sleeve, adjacent to but spaced from said opposite end, disposed to clear the top of said neck portion; the lower body portion of said bottle being shaped and dimensioned to enter, slidably in axial direction, said opposite end of the sleeve so that the base abuts said partition, whereby the portion of the sleeve projecting beyond said partition can surround the base of the bottle to restrain the base against displacement beyond the limits of the sleeve.

6. A commercial package comprising a bottle having body and neck portions, said body portion including a circumferential shoulder projecting from the side of the body portion and facing the neck portion, and said neck portion carrying a closure member; and a sleeve of stiff material, open at one end and having a transverse partition adjacent the opposite end, said sleeve being adapted to surround the neck portion of the bottle and closure member, spaced from the latter member, and shaped to fit snugly a ainst, to frictionally engage, and to be slidable in axial direction upon the sides of the body portion adjacent said shoulder with the firstnamed end of the sleeve engaging said shoulder and the opposite end extending beyond said neck portion and closure member, said transverse partition being disposed thereby beyond said neck portion; said body portion being shaped and dimensioned below said shoulder for insertion, slidably in axial direction, into the first-named end of the sleeve so that the base of the bottle rests on said transverse partition, a part of said body portion adjacent the base of the bottle and which is adapted for insertion into the open end of the sleeve being shaped and dimensioned to have frictional engagement with a portion of the sleeve adjacent the open end thereof so'that said frictionall engaging portions of the sleeve and the bottle move past each other during insertion or withdrawal of the base of the bottle from the open end of the sleeve, thereby resisting withdrawal of the bottle from the sleeve when the base of the bottle has been inserted to rest on said internal abutment, and being disengaged when the bottle is thus inserted.

NORMAN A. SCHOELLES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 24,772 Wilson et al. July 12, 1859 139,081 Ripley May 20, 1873 297,468 Stevens Apr. 22, 1884 816,625 Wallace et a1. Apr. 3, 1906 978,634 Overmyer Dec. 13, 1910 1,797,594 Taube et al Mar. 24, 1931 2,318,434 I Strauch May 4, 1943 2,326,414 Thompson Aug. 10, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 481,787 Great Britain Mar. 1'7, 1938

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