GB2281066A - Packaging tray - Google Patents

Abstract

A packaging tray for carrying packets of foodstuff, and for displaying them on the shelves of supermarkets and the like, which is erected from a one-piece blank of fibreboard, has a rectangular base 1, a pair of side walls 3, 5 and a pair of end walls 15, 17. A stacking panel 35 is provided at each corner, respective stacking panels being foldably connected to an end portion of a side wall at a location spaced inwardly from the end of the tray, each stacking panel extending from the tray base to the desired stacking height. At at least one end of the tray, first and second locking flaps 47, 53 extend from a side edge region of the end wall 15, 17 and are folded respectively around the outside and inside of the stacking panel 35 and engageable within a slot. Such a tray can be stacked several high and the packets of foodstuff can be easily removed from a front end thereof. <IMAGE>

Description

PACKAGING TRAY This invention relates to a packaging tray, and more particularly to a tray for packets of potato crisps or other snack foods, and to a blank for erection into the tray.

Nowadays, supermarkets sell packets of potato crisps and other snack foods from low fronted fibreboard trays, which are converted at the point of sale by removal of a lid or other cover. The trays are normally stacked on a shelf, and their low front allows one or more of the packets therein to be taken from the tray. It is important that the trays are stable when stacked, otherwise a stack may collapse and the packets could then fall onto the floor.

In order to keep down costs, the snack food manufacturers need a hand-erected tray which can be converted from a blank in a pile of blanks into a tray by a worker, who can then easily fill the tray with the packets of crisps or other snack foods.

In our U.K. Patent Application No.9309952.1, several embodiments of packaging tray for packets of potato crisps or other snack foods are disclosed, and these have found favour both with the food manufacturers and with the supermarkets. It has been found, however, that some of the trays disclosed in U.K. Patent application No.9309952.1 are susceptible to tearing where the low front wall abuts the corner pillars, and is joined to the side walls, because of the way the front wall is connected to the side walls.

The present invention seeks to solve this problem, and to provide an improved tray of the general type disclosed in our Patent Application No.9309952.1, and which uses less fibrous sheet material, without in any way sacrificing strength, especially at the corners and in the connection between side and end walls.

According to the present invention, we provide a tray for packets of potato crisps or the like, the tray having a rectangular base, a pair of side walls upstanding from a first opposite pair of sides of the base, and a pair of end walls upstanding from the second pair of opposite sides of the base, and including a stacking panel at each corner, each stacking panel being foldably connected to one end portion of a side wall at a location spaced inwardly from the end of the tray, the stacking panel having a base edge resting on the tray base and an opposite edge at the desired stacking height, and wherein at at least one end of the tray, a first locking flap which is foldably connected to a side edge of the end wall is folded around the outside of the stacking panel and held in position within a slot, and a second locking flap foldably connected to the end wall is folded around the inside of the stacking panel and also held in position within a slot.

Preferably, short substantially full height end wall panels are foldably connected to the stacking panels, each forming part of a stacking pillar, the short full height end wall panels being reverse folded and having their free edge located in a corner of the tray.

Preferably, a single slot is formed in each side wall adjacent the fold line connecting the respective stacking panel to the side wall, into which slot both the first and second locking flaps engage. The slot may be formed by a flap formed in the side wall, which is folded inwardly to receive the edge of the locking flaps, or tongues extending therefrom, behind it.

Preferably, two locking flaps as described above are provided at each of the four corners of the tray.

Preferably, the front and rear end walls are of only single layer thickness, and the rear end wall is higher than the front end wall, but lower than the side walls.

Preferably, a tuck-in flap is foldably connected to the free end of each first locking flap about a fold line spaced from, and parallel to, the fold line connecting the locking flap to its end wall.

Also according to the present invention, we provide a blank for a tray for packets of potato crisps or other snack foods, the blank comprising a rectangular base panel, a pair of side wall panels foldably connected to the base panel about a first pair of parallel spaced fold lines defining the sides of the base, a second pair of spaced parallel fold lines at right angles to the first pair defining the ends of the base panel, a pair of end wall panels foldably connected to the base panel about respective ones of said second pair of fold lines, and, at each end of each side wall panel, spaced inwardly from the respective ends of the base panel, a further fold line extending parallel to said second pair of spaced fold lines, and defining a full height stacking panel, at each side of at least one of the end wall panels, a pair of parallel spaced fold lines, defining respectively, first and second locking flaps for connecting the end wall panel to the side wall panels, there being at least one slot in the side wall panels or stacking panels or at the fold line between the two to receive the respective locking flaps when the blank is erected into a tray.

Preferably, one of said further fold lines is substantially in line with one of the fold lines of the first pair of fold lines at the sides of the base panel.

Preferably, the pairs of spaced fold lines defining the first and second locking flaps are formed in each end wall panel.

Preferably, also, a short end wall panel is foldably attached to each stacking panel about a fold line parallel to the fold line connecting the stacking panel to its side wall panel.

A tray according to the invention is now described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a tray blank; FIGURE 2 is a perspective view from one end of the tray of one corner of a tray partly erected from the blank of Figure 1; and FIGURE 3 is a perspective view from the other end of the tray of the erected tray.

In the drawings, score lines are represented by broken lines, and cuts by ordinary heavy lines.

Referring to Figure 1, the tray blank is divided into a base panel 1, and a pair of side wall panels 3, 5 by a first pair of spaced parallel fold lines 7 and 9. A second pair of spaced fold lines 11 and 13 extending normal to the fold lines 7, 9 connect respective ones of a pair of end wall panels 15, 17 to the end edges of the base panel 1.

At each end of each side wall panel 3, 5, a further pair of spaced fold lines 31, 33 is provided, defining a substantially full height stacking panel 35 and a short end wall panel 37. A slot is formed in each side wall panel 3, 5, the slot being provided by folding a flap 43 formed therein out of the plane of the panel. The slot may alternatively be a single cut-out, and it could be formed in line with its respective fold line 31, or just within the stacking panel 35, adjacent fold line 31.

Foldably connected to each side edge of each end wall panel 15, 17, about -a fold line 45 in line with respective ones of the fold lines 7, 9, is a first locking flap 47.

These flaps 47 extend the full depth of the end wall panels 15, 17. A tuck-in flap 49 is foldably connected to the edge of each flap 47, about a fold line 51 parallel to fold line 45. A second locking flap is associated with each end wall panel 15, 17; two such flaps 53 are formed within the panel 15 and each is defined by a fold line 55 parallel to, and spaced from, respective ones of the fold lines 45, and by cuts 57, and two such flaps 59 are defined in end wall panel 17 by respective fold lines 6i, and a top edge 63 of the end wall panel 17 (which is much lower than end wall panel 15) and forms the front wall in the tray erected from the blank.

It will be noted that each second locking flap 59 has a projecting tongue 65 in line with flaps 49, and that, likewise, the free edge of the second locking flaps 53 are in line with flaps 49. In the erected tray, the locking flaps 49, 59 and 49, 53 engage with the slots defined by flaps 43.

To erect a tray from the blank of Figure 1, one side wall panel 3 or 5 is first folded about its fold line 7 or 9 to extend normal to the base panel 1, and a stacking panel 35 nearest the operator is then folded about its fold line 31 towards the centre of the tray base panel 1, and the attached short end panel 37 is reverse folded outwardly about its fold line 33 connecting it to its stacking panel 35.

Either before or after folding up the said one side wall panel 3 or 5, the end wall panel 15 or 17 nearest the operator is folded upwardly about its fold line 7 or 9 so as to lie normal to the base panel 1, whereupon the second locking flap 53 or 59 next to the folded-in stacking panel 35 is folded inwards through 900 about its fold line 55 or 61, so that the reverse bend between stacking panel 35 and short end wall 37 will nest against the bend between locking flap 53 or 59 and its end wall 15 or 17.To hold the folded up end and side walls in this position, the adjacent first locking flap 47 is then folded through 90" about its fold line 45, so that the bend thus formed will embrace the free side edge of short end wall panel 37, whereupon the tuck-in flap is then folded progressively through about 1500, and tucked through the adjacent slot formed by the flap 43, which is folded inwards. The tuck-in flap will then abut the inner face of the adjacent stacking panel 35, as shown in Figure 2. To hold the tuck-in flap in this position, the fold-in second locking flap 53 or 59 is then folded through a further 200 or 300, and by holding back flap 43, the free edge of flap 53 dr the tongue 65 on the free edge of flap 59 is inserted into the slot formed by flap 43, which is then allowed to spring back.This completes the erection of one stacking pillar and one corner of the tray.

An adjacent corner and stacking panel is then formed in the same manner, until the tray is fully erected.

Normally, the erected tray would be stacked full of bags of potato crisps or the like, and then closed off by an inverted U-shaped cover, the top (i.e. base of the U) of which rests on the top edges of the stacking panels 37, with the lower ends of the depending arms of the U being taped, or if tapered tucked behind the end walls of the tray, and then taped in position; it may then receive a final wrapping, e.g. of shrink wrap material.

It is preferred that the corrugations in the board material from which the tray is made extend vertically (as shown in Figure 3) in the stacking panels 37.

It will thus be appreciated that a tray is provided which is hand erectable, and yet which has diagonally extending stacking panels at each corner which rest on the base and therefore have maximum stacking strength from the material of the tray. Further identical trays may be stacked on top of the trays with the stacking panels 37 taking the majority of the weight of superimposed trays.

Each side wall panel 3, 5 may have an upstanding portion to provide lateral location for stacking purposes.

The above-described tray has several advantages over the tray disclosed in our co-ending U.K. Patent Application No.9309952.1 (and that disclosed in our co-pending U.K.

Patent Application No.9210448.8).

The principal advantage is one of strength at the corners. Because each end wall panel 15, 17 has a high side edge region (marked H in Figure 1), it allows the first locking flap 47 to extend around the outside of the corner of the tray for the full height of the region H (i.e. from the tray base level to the top of the region H) by bending along the fold line 45. This fold line, in the preferred arrangement, extends at right angles to the corrugations in the board material from which the tray is made, and thus strengthens the side edge region of each end wall 15 or 17.

Without this feature, there would be a tendency for creasing to occur in the region H, in line with the edge 63 of end wall 17; if such creasing occurs, there is a tendency for this crease to result eventually in a tear, due to the forces which are applied to the edge 63 when packets of crisps or the like are removed over this edge from the front of the tray when it is on a supermarket shelf. The locking flap 47 can extend the full height of the end wall region H, because the board material is available in the blank, which is not the case in the constructions disclosed in our earlier co-pending applications, where the stacking pillar is made up of two full height panels connected to the ends of the side wall panels in line with the ends of the base panel.Because these panels are full height, the first locking flap (in the form of a strap) has to be connected to the end wall at a location spaced well above or away from the base panel. Similar advantages are obtained at the rear end wall by using similar corner constructions.

Because there is little tendency towards creasing and hence tearing, we have found that the end wall(s) need only be of single layer thickness, thus saving some board material.

Furthermore, it is also possible to have very shallow trays, because corner strength can be achieved by wrapping the first locking strap around the outside of the corner, even if the side and end walls are low, since wrap-around can be achieved from the base panel upwards. This is not possible in the trays disclosed in our earlier pending patent applications.

A further saving in board material is achieved by forming the stacking pillars out of two panels, the first or stacking panel being connected to the side wall inboard of the corner of the tray.

Corner strength is also gained by having a second locking flap which folds around the inside of the stacking panels.

It will of course be understood that the present invention has been described above purely by way of example, and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Claims (14)

CLAIMS:

1. A tray for packets of potato crisps or the like, the tray having a rectangular base, a pair of side walls upstanding from a first opposite pair of sides of the base, and a pair of end walls upstanding from the second pair of opposite sides of the base, and including a stacking panel at each corner, each stacking panel being foldably connected to one end portion of a side wall at a location spaced inwardly from the end of the tray, the stacking panel having a base edge resting on the tray base and an opposite edge at the desired stacking height, and wherein at at least one end of the tray, a first locking flap which is foldably connected to a side edge of the end wall is folded around the outside of the stacking panel and held in position within a slot, and a second locking flap foldably connected to the end wall is folded around the inside of the stacking panel and also held in position within a slot.

2. A tray according to claim 1, wherein short substantially full height end wall panels are foldably connected to the stacking panels, each forming part of a stacking pillar, the short full height end wall panels being reverse folded and having their free edge located in a corner of the tray.

3. A tray according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a single slot is formed in each side wall adjacent the fold line connecting the respective stacking panel to the side wall, into which slot both the first and second locking flaps engage.

4. A tray according to claim 3, wherein the slot is formed by a flap formed in the side wall, which is folded inwardly to receive the edge of the locking flaps, or tongues extending therefrom, behind it.

5. A tray according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein first and second locking flaps are provided at each of the four corners of the tray.

6. A tray according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the front and rear end walls are of only single layer thickness.

7. A tray according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the rear end wall is higher than the front end wall, but lower than the side walls.

8. A tray according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein a tuck-in flap is foldably connected to the free end of each first locking flap about a fold line spaced from, and parallel to, the fold line connecting the locking flap to its end wall.

9. A tray, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

10. A blank for a tray for packets of potato crisps or other snack foods, the blank comprising a rectangular base panel, a pair of side wall panels foldably connected to the base panel about a first pair of parallel spaced fold lines defining the sides of the base, a second pair of spaced parallel fold lines at right angles to the first pair defining the ends of the base panel, a pair of end wall panels foldably connected to the base panel about respective ones of said second pair of fold lines, and, at each end of each side wall panel, spaced inwardly from the respective ends of the base panel, a further fold line extending parallel to said second pair of spaced fold lines, and defining a full height stacking panel, at each side of at least one of the end wall panels, a pair of parallel spaced fold lines, defining respectively, first and second locking flaps for connecting the end wall panel to the side wall panels, there being at least one slot in the side wall panels or stacking panels or at the fold line between the two to receive the respective locking flaps when the blank is erected into a tray.

11. A blank according to claim 10, wherein one of said further fold lines is substantially in line with one of the fold lines of the first pair of fold lines at the sides of the base panel.

12. A blank according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the pairs of spaced fold lines defining first and second locking flaps are formed in each end wall panel.

13. A blank according to claim 10, 11 or 12, wherein a short end wall panel is foldably attached to each stacking panel about a fold line parallel to the fold line connecting the stacking panel to its side wall panel.

14. A blank for a tray, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.