GB1575908A

GB1575908A - Trays and the like

Info

Publication number: GB1575908A
Application number: GB2250076A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: METCALFE BROS Ltd
Current assignee: METCALFE BROS Ltd
Priority date: 1976-06-01
Filing date: 1976-06-01
Publication date: 1980-10-01
Also published as: NL7705945A; IE45386L; IE45386B1

Description

(54) TRAYS AND THE LIKE (71) We, METCALFE BROTHERS (RAMS BOTTOM) LIMITED, a British Company of Prince Street, Ramsbottom, Via Bury, Lancashire, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a Patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement:- The invention concerns trays and the like, and has particular, though not exclusive reference to such structures formed from sheet materials such as hardboard by a bending operation or operations.

Rigid or substantially rigid re-usable trays or boxes for use for horticultural and like purposes, for the storage and transportation of fruit, or for the transportation and display of bakery products are known, such structures, hereinafter referred to as "trays of the kind described", usually being fabricated from an appropriate number of individual elements permanently assembled together in an appropriate relative disposition.

Whilst such trays are eminently suitable when in use in their intended context, the manufacture and assembly thereof may well be a time-consuming, and hence expensive operation and, if the assembly is undertaken by the manufacturer rather than a user to whom the trays are delivered in knock-down form, the space requirement, and hence cost, for delivery is appreciable, bearing in mind that the required stacking characteristic of the trays when in use precludes the nesting of such trays to give a lesser space requirement for delivery purposes.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tray for use in the various contexts as aforesaid which is capable of being stacked with other like trays when required in use yet which can be nested with such trays to give a reduced volume requirement for storage or transportation when not in use.

According to the present invention there is proposed a tray of the kind described comprising a base, upstanding walls at opposed edges of such base, a respective tongue extending from at least two such upstanding walls, each such tongue lying in or substantially in the plane of the wall from which it extends, and at least one aperture adjacent to the periphery of the base at each of two opposed edges thereof, the walls being of constant thickness throughout substantially the full extent thereof in the peripheral direction of the base and the said apertures being adapted and arranged to receive respective tongues of an underlying tray of a stack of trays, the tray being fabricated from a semi-rigid material of a sufficient flexibility to allow of a flexing of the walls and/or the tongues extending therefrom for selective engagement of such tongues with respective correspondingly positioned apertures in the base of an overlying tray or for nesting with such tray of an overlying tray.

Preferably the 'semi-rigid material comprises hardboard of commercially available quality, and upstanding walls are provided about the whole of the periphery of the base.

According to a preferred feature the apertures are provided in the base in the region of the junction between a wall and such base.

The invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, and in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a tray according to a first embodiment of the invention; and Figs. 2 and 3 are corresponding sectional views of a plurality of superimposed trays of a second embodiment of the invention in their stacked and nested modes, respectively.

Referring now to the drawings, and par ticularly to Fig. 1 thereof, a tray 11 for use in the storage and transportation of, for example, tomatoes comprises a generally rectangular base 12, upstanding walls 13, 14 at the lateral and longitudinal edges respectively of such base, a respective tongue 1 3a extending upwardly from each of the opposed lateral walls 13, and a respective aperture 16 in the base 12 adjacent to the foot of the said opposed lateral walls.

The tray is of integral construction, and is fabricated from a commercially available hardboard by a bending process of the kind disclosed in our co-pending British Patent Application No. 22502/76 (Serial No.

1 575 909) flled simultaneously herewith.

The ends of the lateral walls 13 have integral tabs 1 3b which lie generally at 90" to the walls from which they extend, such tabs 1 3b lying inwardly of the adjacent longitudinal walls 14, whilst the longitudinal and lateral walls are of constant and equal thickness, being the thickness of the hardboard, throughout substantially the full extent thereof as considered in the peripheral direction of the base 12, and being only of other than this thickness in the region of the tabs.

Each aperture 16 is in alignment with a related tongue 1 3a and is so dimensioned as to receive a like tongue into free engagement therewith.

The tray is formed to the shape shown in Fig. 1 by bending from a flat sheet of an appropriate profile, the blank having a circular hole therein, as illustrated at 17 in the erected tray of Fig. 1, at locations to correspond to the corners of the base, and the line defining the ends 14a of the longitudinal walls and the lower edges 13b' of the tabs in the flat condition of the blank, breaking into such hole 17.

The method by which the blank is bent to constitute the tray as shown in the drawing is disclosed in greater detail in our copending Application aforesaid.

In use, the tray as shown is free standing, and is of sufficient rigidity to contain and to protect articles placed in spaced disposition therein.

If the tray 11 is to receive another like tray 21 into stacked relationship therewith, see now Fig. 2, then such other tray 21 is superimposed thereon and the upstanding tongues 1 3a of the lower tray 11 are engaged with respective ones of the apertures 26, the upper tray 21 being supported on the upper edges of the walls 13, 14 of the lower tray 11 and being located relative to such lower tray by co-operaton between the tongues 1 3a and apertures 26.Interengagement of the tongues 1 3a and apertures 26 may require that the tongues 13,a, and the walls 13 from which they extend, be displaced slightly inwardly of the total tray structure, the resilience of the material allowing of such displacement and serving to load the tongue outwardly and into contact with the inner surface of the adjacent wall of the upper tray.

If, on the other hand, the tray is to be arranged in nested relationship with other trays, see now Fig. 3, then the tongue (and wall) is displaced outwardly to lie outwardly of and in contact with the outer surface of the superimposed tray, the longitudinal walls of the lower tray being bent outwardly slightly to accommodate the corresponding walls of the next higher tray.

If desired, the tabs of the embodiment of Fig. l can be secured to the adjacent longitudinal walls, as by glueing or stapling, in which case the greater part of the deformation is in the tongue, and such tongue may not lie in close contact with the inner face of the wall of the next higher tray.

Nesting will be facilitated, in the case of a tray having rigid corners, if the walls diverge slightly outwardly of the tray.

The stacking and the nesting of trays constructed in accordance with the invention is illustarted diagrammatically in Figs. 2 and 3, there being no tabs in the embodiment shown.

The invention is not restricted to the exact features of the embodiment disclosed, since alterantives will readily present themselves to one skilled in the art.

Thus, for example, upstanding walls may be provided at two opposed edges only of the base, and the apertures be provided adjacent those edges or adjacent another pair of opposed edges, if preferred.

In another arrangement, the apertures, whilst being provided adjacent to the edges of the base, are provided in the upstanding walls, the tongues being shaped, or not, as preferred, for engagement with such apertures.

The tray will preferably be produced from a hardboard material, with the wire side thereof at the outer face of the structure.

However, like advantages to those arising from the tray as herein proposed will be presented by a tray moulded to shape from a synthetic plastics material, and the invention is to be considered to extend to such materials.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A tray of the kind described comprising a base, upstanding walls at opposed edges of such base, a respective tongue extending from at least two such upstanding walls, each such tongue lying in or substantially in the plane of the wall from which it extends, and at least one aperture adjacent to the periphery of the base at each of two opposed edges thereof, the walls being of constant thickness throughout substantially the full extent thereof in the peripheral

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ticularly to Fig. 1 thereof, a tray 11 for use in the storage and transportation of, for example, tomatoes comprises a generally rectangular base 12, upstanding walls 13, 14 at the lateral and longitudinal edges respectively of such base, a respective tongue 1 3a extending upwardly from each of the opposed lateral walls 13, and a respective aperture 16 in the base 12 adjacent to the foot of the said opposed lateral walls. The tray is of integral construction, and is fabricated from a commercially available hardboard by a bending process of the kind disclosed in our co-pending British Patent Application No. 22502/76 (Serial No.

1 575 909) flled simultaneously herewith.

direction of the base and the said apertures being adapted and arranged to receive respective tongues of an underlying tray of a stack of trays, the tray being fabricated from a semi-rigid material of a sufficient fiexibility to allow of a flexing of the walls and/or the tongues extending therefrom for selective engagement of such tongues with respective correspondingly positioned apertures in the base of an overlying tray or for the nesting with such tray of an overlying tray.

2. A tray as claimed in claim 1, wherein the semi-rigid material comprises hardboard of a commercially available quality.

3. A tray as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein upstanding walls are provided at each edge of the base.

4. A tray as claimed in claim 3, wherein upstanding walls are provided about the whole of the perihpery of the base.

5. A tray as claimed in claim 4, wherein adjacent walls are connected together at the corner regions of the tray.

6. A tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the walls are in dined upwardly and outwardly relative to the base.

7. A tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apertures are provided in the base in the region of the junction between a wall and such base.

8. A tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein a respective tongue is provided for each of two opposed upstanding walls.

9. A tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tongues are shaped to provide an aperture engaging portion disposed substantially in the plane of the wall from which the tongue extends.

10. A tray of the kind described substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.