GB2416530A

GB2416530A - Packaging tray

Info

Publication number: GB2416530A
Application number: GB0416665A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stephen Clive Loftus
Original assignee: Linpac Mouldings Ltd; Linpac Materials Handling Ltd
Current assignee: LA 2012 Ltd
Priority date: 2004-07-27
Filing date: 2004-07-27
Publication date: 2006-02-01
Anticipated expiration: 2024-07-27
Also published as: GB2416530B; GB0416665D0

Abstract

A packaging tray comprises a substrate 12 with an array of shallow frustro-conical wells 14 formed therein and projecting below the plane of the substrate. Interspersed between the wells are formations 16 which comprise a frustro-conical recess 18 projecting below the plane and a tapered annular lip or collar 30 projecting above the plane. The bottom of formations 16 are substantially co-planar with the bottom of wells 14. They reduce the gaps between the wells as viewed along lines 24, which helps to reduce vibration as the trays are passed along and between conveyer belts in automated packaging machinery. They also provide local corrugations in the tray to increase the stiffness thereof.

Description

1 241 6530

TRAY

The present invention relates to trays for use in delivering articles, particularly retail articles.

Many food products are conventionally contained in standard size cans and delivered to retail premises on trays which may contain twelve cans, for example.

The tray is commonly formed of card or other disposable material and is discarded after use.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a tray for use in delivering articles, including a generally flat substrate having faces which, in use, provide upper and lower faces of the tray, there being a plurality of wells formed in the substrate and able, in use, to receive articles from above, the tray further including formations formed in the substrate between the wells, each said formation including an outer portion that extends above the upper face of the substrate and an inner portion that extends below the lower face of the substrate.

The formations serve a number of different functions: they reinforce the tray and increase its stiffness, to prevent excessive bending when the loaded tray is lifted; the inner portion of the formation that extends below the substrate bridges the gap between the wells and provides a substantially continuous running surface that allows smooth running on a conveyor; and the outer portion of the formation that extends above the substrate helps to guide cans into the wells during loading, so providing a self-locating and self-centring function.

The outer portion of the formation may include an inclined outer wall. The inclined outer wall may be substantially frusto-conical. This aids the self-locating and self-centring function.

Advantageously, the inner portions of the formations and the wells extend substantially the same distance below the lower face of the substrate, to provide a substantially flat running surface.

S-P550967 16/07/2004 The inner portion of the formation may include a substantially flat base. The inner portion of the formation may include an inclined peripheral wall, which may be substantially frusto-conical. This aids nesting of empty trays.

Advantageously, the lowermost parts of the formations and the lowermost parts of the wells lie in substantially the same plane, providing a substantially flat running surface.

The formations may be substantially circular in plan.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a tray for use in delivering articles, comprising a generally flat substrate having faces which, in use, provide upper and lower faces of the tray, there being a plurality of wells formed in the substrate and able, in use, to receive articles from above, the lower face of the tray being displaced from the plane of the substrate in the region of the wells, and the tray further comprising formations formed in the substrate, between the wells, to provide local displacement of the lower face of the tray from the plane of the substrate, the formations being so located and dimensioned that when the lower face of the tray is viewed in at least one direction from substantially any point, if a gap is visible in the said direction, between the lower faces of wells, a lower face of the formation is visible through the gap, at substantially the same level as the well lower faces, and substantially filling the gap.

Preferably the lower well faces are formed to engage articles on a like tray below.

The wells are preferably generally circular, to receive generally circular articles.

The wells preferably have sloping lead-in faces to assist in the location of articles in the wells.

The formations are preferably hollow, to receive a like formation from above, when stacked. The formations are preferably circular. They may comprise an S-P550967 16/07/2004 upstanding rim around a central well. The formations preferably form a corrugation, in section, along at least one line, to resist bending about that line.

The tray is preferably formed to be nestable with a like tray when not in use.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a tray for use in delivering articles, comprising a generally flat substrate, a plurality of locations arranged across the substrate and formed for receiving articles placed on the tray, the locations being spaced from each other, and there being formations formed in at JO least some of the regions of the substrate, between the locations, to provide resistance against deformation of the substrate.

Preferably, the formations provide corrugation. The formations may alternatively provide strengthening ribs. The formations are preferably circular when viewed perpendicular to the tray, to provide resistance in substantially all directions.

The locations may be wells formed to receive articles.

The tray is preferably formed to be nestable with a like tray when not in use.

Examples of the present invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view from above of a tray according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective view from beneath the tray of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the tray of Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the tray; Fig. 5 is a partial section elevation along the line 5-5 in Fig. 3; S-P550967 16/07/2004 F'g.6 is a partial perspective view from below, cut along the line 6-6 in Fig. 3; and Fig. 7 is a partially cut-away view showing two like trays nested when not in use.

Fig.1 shows a tray 10 for use In delivering articles, such as cans of food produce.

The tray has a generally flat substrate 12 whose upper and lower faces form the upper and lower faces of the tray, during use. In this description, the terms "up" and "down" and the like will be used in relation to the orientation shown in Fig. 1, which is a view from above.

A set of twelve wells 14 are provided across the substrate 12. In use, these receive the base of a can placed on the tray 10 from above. In the region of each well 14, the lower face of the tray 10 is displaced from the plane of the substrate 12, as will be described. This leaves regions 16 between the wells 14. Additional formations 18, to be described, are formed in the substrate 12, in the regions 16 between the wells 14. This provides further displacement of the lower face of the tray 10, in the location of the formations 18, as will be described.

In more detail, each well 14 has a generally circular base 20 surrounded by a circular wall 22 which slopes upwardly and outwardly to form a leadin surface to facilitate the introduction of an article into the well 14. The diameter of the wells 14 is preferably the same as the base of the cans with which the tray 10 is to be used, so that a can will fit snugly on the base 20 of each well 14, once introduced. The walls 22 assist in centring the can in the well 14.

The wells 14 are arranged in a rectangular formation of three lines of four wells.

This arrangement is conventional for trays and is compatible with many types of conventional handling machinery.

The use of a 3 X 4 layout together with the displacement of the lower face of the tray 10 from the substrate 12 by each well 14, and the use of sloping walls 22, all result in a number of lines 24 along which there is a gap 35 between adjacent bases 20, and along which the lower face of the substrate 12 is above the lower face of the bases 20. Thus, in the absence of other features to be described S-P550967 16/07/2004 below, these lines 24 could result in vibration occurring when the tray 10 (particularly a loaded tray) is running on a roller conveyer. The tray 10 could drop slightly, each time one of the lines 24 iS aligned with a roller of the conveyer.

Additional features are provided in the tray 10, in view of this. In particular, the formations 18 are provided in the regions 16 and are thus located along the lines 24. Each formation 24 has a generally circular symmetry about the viewing direction, when viewed perpendicular to the plane of the tray 10. The formation 18 has an outer portion 25 comprising a circular rim 26, around an inner portion 1 0 27 comprising a central well 28 The rim has a sloping outer side wall 30. The well 28 has a sloping side wall 32. The walls 30, 32 meet along a circular summit. The well 28 has a floor 36 which is generally flat.

The outer portion 25 of the well extends above the upper face of the substrate 12, and the lower face of the floor 36 iS displaced below the substrate 12, as can be seen particularly in Figs. 5 and 6. More specifically, (Fig. 5), the lowermost face of the floor 36 iS at substantially the same level as the lower face of the can- receiving wells 14.

The formations 18 are aligned along the lines 24, as has been described. Thus, the floors 36 of the formations 18 are also along the lines 24 and are visible through the gaps 35 between adjacent wells 14. This can readily be appreciated from Fig. 5, in which broken lines are used to indicate the profile of the well when viewed along a straight section line, and similarly to indicate the profile of the formation 18 when viewed along a straight section line. This readily shows that the outer diameter of the floor 36 iS a little greater than the width of the gap 35.

The same is true when the tray 10 is viewed along any of the lines 24. Since the level of the wells 14,28 iS also the same, as has been described, the result is that no lines remain along which the tray 10 can drop onto a roller of a conveyer.

The tray will be supported at all times at the same height, either by the lower surface of a well 14, or, in a gap 35, by the lower surface of the well 28.

Accordingly, smoother handling along a roller conveyer (particularly when loaded with cans) is achieved than would be the case in the absence of the formations 18.

S-P550967 16/07/2004 In the arrangement described, the lower face of the formation 18 fully fills the gap and is at the same level as the well 14. This is the most preferred arrangement, expected to provide the smoothest handling on a roller conveyer.

However, other possibilities exist. For example, if the wells 28 are not at the same height as the wells 14, handling is expected to be less smooth, but nevertheless more smooth than in the absence of formations 18. Similarly, if the formations 18 only partially fill the gaps 35, handling may again be less smooth than in the preferred example, but nevertheless more smooth than in the absence of the formations 18.

The formations 18 provide a further function to enhance the performance of the tray 10. Their form represents a localised corrugation of the substrate 12, particularly visible in Fig. 6. This corrugation runs along a line 24. Consequently, the substrate 12 is strengthened against bending about the line 24. The circular form of the formations 18, which is preferred, results in the substrate 12 being strengthened against bending about substantially any of the lines 24 and also strengthens the substrate 12 against other forms of deformation, such as twisting.

The performance of the tray 10 on roller conveyers and in relation to deformation, is expected to be optimised when a formation 18 is provided in each gap between adjacent wells 14, but it is also envisaged that a smaller number of formations 18 might alternatively be provided. Various layouts could be envisaged in which a smaller number of formations 18 nevertheless provides at least one formation along each line 24.

The formations 18 also provide for the self-locating, self-centring of cans as they are placed on the tray, either manually or by means of a machine. In particular, the sloping side walls 30 of the outer portions of the formations 18 help to guide cans into the wells 14 as the tray is loaded.

The tray 10 illustrated in the drawings also incorporates formations 18a around its edge which are, in form, similar to the formations 18 but semicircular.

S-P550967 1 6/07/2004 Fig. 7 illustrates the manner in which two trays 10 can be nested with one another, when not in use. This is made possible by the use of the sloping walls 22, 32 to allow wells 14 to nest with each other (as visible generally in the region 38), and allows formations 18 to nest with each other (as visible in the regions indicated generally at 40). In between the wells 14 and formations 18, the substrate 12 lies against or close to the substrate of the adjacent tray 10. This results in the trays 10 being very compact when not in use, such as when being returned for refilling.

Short arcuate walls 42 may be provided at each corner of the tray 10, to assist in locating a can in the cornermost wells 14. The wells 42 slope to allow the tray to nest.

The various nesting features, particularly the formations 18, help prevent nested trays sliding across each other, thus improving the convenience of stacking the trays when not in use.

The stability against bending and twisting, provided by the formations 18, is advantageous when a tray full of cans is picked up by hand, for example to be placed on a shelf at a retail store. The stability against bending or twisting helps prevent cans falling off the tray during manual handling.

The form of the tray described and illustrated is appropriate for formation from a synthetic plastics material, such as a moulded thermo setting plastic, for example by injection moulding. Thus, the tray can be sufficiently durable to be re-used and to be cleaned or sterilised before re-use.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of the invention believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

S-P550967 16/07/2004

Claims

1. A tray for use in delivering articles, including a generally flat substrate having faces which, in use, provide upper and lower faces of the tray, there being a plurality of wells formed in the substrate and able, in use, to receive articles from above, the tray further including formations formed in the substrate between the wells, each said formation including an outer portion that extends above the upper face of the substrate and an inner portion that extends below the lower face of the substrate.

2. A tray according to claim 1, wherein the outer portion of the formation includes an inclined outer wall.

3. A tray according to claim 2, in which the inclined outer wall is substantially frusto-conical.

4. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner portions of the formations and the wells extend substantially the same distance below the lower face of the substrate.

5. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner portion of the formation includes a substantially flat base.

6. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner portion of the formation includes an inclined peripheral wall.

7. A tray according to claim 6, in which the inclined peripheral wall is substantially frusto-conical.

8. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lowermost parts of the formations and the lowermost parts of the wells lie in substantially the same plane.

9. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the formations are substantially circular in plan.

S-P550967 1 6/07/2004

10. A tray for use in delivering articles, comprising a generally flat substrate having faces which, in use, provide upper and lower faces of the tray, there being a plurality of wells formed in the substrate and able, in use, to receive articles from above, the lower face of the tray being displaced from the plane of the substrate in the region of the wells, and the tray further comprising formations formed in the substrate, between the wells, to provide local displacement of the lower face of the tray from the plane of the substrate, the formations being so located and dimensioned that when the lower face of the tray is viewed in at least one direction from substantially any point, if a gap is visible in the said direction, between the lower faces of wells, a lower face of the formation is visible through the gap, at substantially the same level as the well lower faces, and substantially filling the gap.

11. A tray according to claim 10, wherein the lower well faces are formed to engage articles on a like tray below.

12. A tray according to claim 10 or claim 11, wherein the wells are generally circular.

13. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the wells have sloping lead-in faces.

14. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the formations are hollow.

15. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the formations are circular.

16. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the formations include an upstanding rim around a central well.

17. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the formations form a corrugation.

18. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the formations form a corrugation S-P550967 1 6/07/2004

19. A tray according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein the tray is

nestable.

20. A tray for use in delivering articles, comprising a generally flat substrate, a plurality of locations arranged across the substrate and formed for receiving articles placed on the tray, the locations being spaced from each other, and there being formations formed in at least some of the regions of the substrate, between the locations, to provide resistance against deformation of the substrate.

21. A tray according to claim 20, wherein the formations provide corrugation.

22. A tray according to claim 20 or claim 21, wherein the formations provide strengthening ribs.

23. A tray according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the formations are circular.

24. A tray according to any one of claims 20 to 23, wherein the locations are wells.

25. A tray according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the tray is

nestable.

S-P550967 1 6/07/2004