GB2101092A

GB2101092A - A stackable box or tray

Info

Publication number: GB2101092A
Application number: GB08119484A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael John Hodder
Original assignee: Ashton Containers Ltd
Current assignee: Ashton Containers Ltd
Priority date: 1981-06-24
Filing date: 1981-06-24
Publication date: 1983-01-12

Abstract

A box or tray has end walls each made up of an inside panel (8) and an outside panel (10). Each outside panel (10) stops short of the bottom of the box or tray and terminates in an intermediate panel (12), which provides a shoulder. The box or tray can stack with another similar one, the shoulders provided by the intermediate panels (12) of the upper box or tray resting on the tops of the end walls of the lower one. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A stackable box or tray This invention relates to a stackable box or tray.

According to the present invention there is provided a box or tray which made from a folded blank of stiff material and is stackable with a similar box or tray, the internal dimension between two oppositely disposed side wall at the top of the box or tray being not less than the external dimension between the same two side walls at the botton of the box or tray, the external surface of each of the two side walls being stepped to provide a shoulder for engagement with the corresponding side wall of a similar box or tray on which the box or tray is stacked.

The box or tray may have two further oppositely disposed side walls, extending between the first mentioned side walls. These further side walls may also be further apart at the top than they are at the bottom, and, preferably, the internal surfaces of all of the side walls slope outwardly of the box or tray from bottom to top.

The side walls providing the shoulders may comprise an inside panel which extends upwardly from the base of the box or tray and an outside panel with extends downwardly from the top of the inside panel. The outside panel may have a tuck-in flap which is fitted between the inside panel and two retaining flaps hinged one to each side wall. The tuckin flap may be connected to the botton edge of the outside panel by an intermediate panel constituting the shoulder.

For a better understanding of the present invention, and to show how it may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a blank; Figure 2 shows a stage during the erection of the blank of Fig. 1 to form a tray; Figure 3 shows a further stage in the erection of the blank; Figure 4 shows the fully erected tray; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken generally along the line V-V in Fig. 4; and Figure 6 is a fragmentary view showing three trays stacked one above the other.

The blank shown in Fig. 1 comprises a base panel 2, to which are hinged two side walls 4.

Each of these side walls 4 has, at each end, a retaining flap 6. Also hinged to the base panel 2 are two series of panels which, in the erected tray, each comprise two more side walls. Because these latter side walls are disposed at the shorter edges of the base 2, they will be referred to for conveniences as end walls. The panels making up each end wall comprise an inside panel 8, an outside panel 10 connected to the inside panel by a double crease, an intermediate panel 1 2 and a tuckin flap 14.

To erect the blank, each series of panels 8, 10, 1 2 and 14 is folded upwardly relatively to the base panel 2, followed by the side wall panels 4. The retaining flaps 6 are folded behind the inside panels 8, to achieve the configuration shown in Fig. 2. It should be noted that the side wall panels 4 diverge from one another from bottom to top, the angle of inclination being governed by the angle of the lateral edges of the inside panels 8. Similarly, the inside panels 8 diverge from one another from bottom to top, the angle of inclination in this instance being governed by the angle of the crease separating each retaining flap 6 from its side wall panel 4.

From the position of Fig. 2, each outside panel 10 is folded down over the retaining flaps 6, and the tuck-in flap 1 4 is tucked between the retaining flaps 6 and the inside panel 8, as indicated in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 4, once the tuck-in flaps 14 are pushed fully home, the intermediate panels 1 2 are generally horizontal, and hold the lower edge of the outside panel 10 away from the retaining flaps 6 and the inside panel 8. This is also shown in Fig. 5. The intermadiete panels 1 2 thus provide shoulders at each end of the tray which, when the tray is stacked above another similar tray, rest on the top edges of the corresponding end walls of the next lower tray, as shown in Fig. 6.

Fig. 6 also shows how, at each end, the lower part of each uppper tray is retained between raised portions 4A of the side walls 4 of each lower tray. Thus, each upper tray is firmly located both longitudinally (i.e. in the direction between the end walls) and laterally (i.e. in the direction between the side walls 4).

Fig. 6 also shows that a gap is left between the base 2 of each upper tray and the top edge of the central region of each side wall 4 of the next lower tray. This allows air to circulate into the produce in each lower tray.

Because each end wall is made up of three thicknesses of material (the panel 8, the panel 10 and the retaining flaps 6), these end walls are very robust, contributing to the stacking strength of the tray as a whole. This good stacking quality is achieved without requiring the commonly used stacking straps extending between the end walls and projecting inwardly of the tray from the side walls. Consequently, the entire top area of the tray is left open, so that access to the tray is unobstructed.

The shoulders provided by the intermediate panels 1 2 can be used to lift a stack of the trays, or even a single tray, which avoids the difficulty of manoevring fingers between the base of the tray and the ground, and the added cost providing finger-holes in the end walls of the tray.

In the described embodiment, the shoulders provided by the intermediate panels 1 2 are on the end walls (i.e. the shorter walls), However, it will be appreciated that these shoulders could, instead, be provided on the side walls (i.e. the longer walls).

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A box or tray which is made from a folded blank of stiff material and is stackable with a similar box or tray, the internal dimension between two oppositely disposed side walls at the top of the box or tray being not less than the external dimension between the same two side walls at the bottom of the box or tray, the external surface of eah of the two side wall being stepped to provide a shoulder for engagement with the corresponding side wall of a similar box or tray on which she box or tray is stacked. 2. A box or tray as claimed in claim 1, in which two further oppositely disposed side walls extend between the side walls providing the shoulders. 3. A box or tray as claimed in claim 2, in which the further side walls are further apart at the top than they are at the bottom. 4. A box or tray as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, in which the side walls providing the shoulders each comprise an inside panel which extends upwardly from the base of the box or tray and an outside panel which extends downwardly from the top of the inside panel. 5. A box or tray as claimed in claim 4 when appendant to claim 2 or 3, in which a tuck-in flap is connected to she outside panel and is fitted between the inside panel and two retaining flaps which are hinged one to each further side wall. 6. A box or tray as claimed in claim 5, in which the tuck-in flap is connected to the botton edge of the outside panel by an intermediate panel constituting the shoulder. 7. A box or tray as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6, in which the top edge of each further side wall is lower at the central region than at the end regions of the further side wall. 8. A box or tray as claimed in claim 7, in which the vertical distance between the tops of the side walls having the shoulders and the top edges of the further side walls in the central region is greater than the vertical distance between the shoulders and the botton of the box or tray. 9. A box or tray as claimed in claim 7 or 8, in which the top edges of the further side walls at the end regions are at generally the same vertical level as the tops of the side walls having the shoulders.

1. A box or tray which is made from a folded blank of stiff material and is stackable with a similar box or tray, the box or tray comprising a base and side walls, the internal dimension between two oppositely disposed side walls at the top of the box or tray being not less than the external dimension of the base between the same two side walls, the external surface of each of the two side walls being stepped over substantially the entire length of the side wall to provide a shoulder for engagement with the corresponding side wall of a similar box or tray on which the box or tray is stacked.

1 0. A box or tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the internal surfaces of the side walls slope outwardly of the box or tray from bottom to top.

11. A box or tray substantially as described herein with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings 1

2. A blank for a box or tray in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

CLAIMS (15 Apr 1982)