GB2431920A

GB2431920A - Tray having a sloping base

Info

Publication number: GB2431920A
Application number: GB0522670A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Harold Chilton
Original assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: SCA Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2005-11-07
Filing date: 2005-11-07
Publication date: 2007-05-09
Anticipated expiration: 2025-11-07
Also published as: GB0522670D0; GB2431920B

Abstract

A tray 2 has a base panel 6, side wall panels 12, 14, an end wall panel 8 and an intermediate panel 16 hinged to a lower edge of the end wall panel 8 about a first hinge line 18 and to an edge of the base wall panel 6 about a second hinge line. The intermediate panel 16 is folded about said first and second hinge lines 18, 20 so as to lie face to face with a lower portion of the end wall panel 8 and to project below the base panel 6 such that when the tray is placed on a level surface, the base panel 6 slopes downwardly away from the end wall panel 8. The base panel may have a trapezoidal central sub-panel hinged to outer sub-panels.

Description

* 2431920

TRAYS

The present invention relates to trays and in particular to trays made from cardboard, paperboard or other foldable sheet material.

It is common in retail applications to angle the contents of a tray, for example sachets, rearwardly so as to stop the contents falling forwardly in the tray, which would make it difficult for a consumer to readily identify the contents. This is often difficult, particularly when the tray is full of product. The present invention seeks to provide a tray which solves or at least mitigates the above problem.

From a first aspect, the present invention provides a tray having a base panel, side wall panels, an end wall panel and an intermediate panel hinged to a lower edge of the end wall panel about a first hinge line and to an edge of the base wall panel about a second hinge line, said intermediate panel lying face to face with a lower portion of the end wall panel and projecting below the base panel.

With such an arrangement, the base panel intersects the end wall panel at a position spaced from the lower edge of the end wall panel such that the base panel may slope downwardly away from the end wall panel when the lower edge of the end wall panel engages an underlying surface. Goods arranged on the base panel of the tray may, therefore, tilt backwardly away from the end wall panel.

From a further broad aspect, therefore, the invention provides a tray made from cardboard, paperboard or other foldable sheet material and having a base panel and an end wall panel joined to the base panel, said end wall panel extending below the base panel such that the base panel slopes away from the end wall panel.

The end wall panel is preferably joined to the base panel via the aforementioned intermediate panel.

In a first embodiment of the invention, the base panel is preferably planar, forming a flat bottom in the tray.

Most preferably, the planar base panel is generally rectangular, with the intermediate panel being a rectangular panel hinged to one end of the base panel, such that it forms a rectangular strip projecting downwardly from one end of the tray, causing the tray to slope.

Preferably the side wall panels and a second end wall have the same height as the part of the first end wall extending above the base panel.

In an alternative embodiment, the base panel may comprise a central planar sub-panel and respective edge sub-panels which slope downwardly away from the central sub-panel. Unlike the first embodiment where the base of the tray is flat, this arrangement forms a recess in the under side of the base of the tray, which is advantageous in that it provides increased strength to the tray.

Preferably the central planar sub-panel of the base panel is generally trapezoidal in shape, and the sloping side sub-panels triangular in shape, being hingedly attached to the non-parallel edges of the trapezoidal central sub-panel.

Preferably the end wall of the tray has a central region which lies adjacent the shorter parallel side of the trapezoidal base sub-panel and outer regions which are angled away from the central region and lie adjacent the respective shorter edges of the triangular base sub-panels. This creates a recessed region in the end wall of the tray which is convenient for handling purposes The first end wall panel preferably has respective hinge lines extending downwardly from its free edge between the central and outer regions to facilitate formation of the first end wall of the tray.

The intermediate panel may include respective further hinge lines, generally aligned with the end wall panel hinge lines, to facilitate formation of the first end wall of the tray.

The respective side wall panels may increase in depth from the first end wall to the second end wall, Trays in accordance with the invention are preferably erectable from, and collapsible to, a flat configuration. To facilitate this, the side wall panels of the tray are preferably provided with respective gusset panels which allow the end wall panels to be folded over and lie on top of the side wall panels.

Preferably, the respective end wall panels have glue tabs which are adhered to the respective adjacent gusset panels.

The glue tabs may be dimensioned so as to project beyond the gusset panels and to engage the base of the tray when the side walls are pushed inwardly. This assists in preventing the side walls collapsing into the tray.

It will be understood that the invention also extends to blanks for constructing trays in accordance with the invention. From a further aspect, therefore, the invention provides a blank of paperboard, cardboard or foldable sheet material comprising a base panel, a first end wall panel and an intermediate panel attached to an edge of said first end wall pane! about a first hinge line and to an edge of said base panel about a second hinge line, respective side wall panels attached to side edges of the base panel and a second end wall panel attached to the base panel opposite said first end wall panel, the arrangement of the first end wall panel, base panel and intermediate panel being such that the first end wall panel, and the intermediate panel may be folded about the first and second hinge lines, so as to bring the intermediate panel into a face-to-face relationship with a part of the end wall panel, with the intermediate panel projecting below the base panel.

In one arrangement the base panel is generally rectangular and the intermediate panel formed as a rectangular panel extending along one edge of the base panel, more preferably across the entire edge of the base panel.

Preferably, the height of the side wall panels and second end wall panel are such that when the tray is erected, the upper edges of the respective walls of the tray lie coplanar.

In an alternative embodiment, the base panel comprises a central, trapezoidal sub-panel and respective triangular sub-panels joined to the non-parallel edges of the central panel along respective hinge lines.

Preferably the intermediate panel is joined to the respective triangular and trapezoidal base sub-panels by respective hinge lines provided along the shorter edges of the trapezoidal and triangular sub-panels.

The first end wall panel preferably has respective hinge lines extending inwardly from its free edge to the second hinge line to define central and outer end wall panel regions which, when the tray is erected will lie adjacent the central and side portions of the base panel respectively.

The intermediate panel may include respective further hinge lines, extending from the intersection of said first wall panel hinge lines to the intersection of the hinge lines between the trapezoidal and triangular base panels.

The respective side wall panels may increase in depth from the first end wall to the second end wall.

The side walls panels are preferably formed with respective gusset fold lines which define gusset panels at the respective ends of the side walls.

Most preferably, the respective end wall panels have glue tabs which can be adhered to the gusset panels to erect the tray.

Some preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a first tray in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a blank for making the tray of Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the blank of Figure 2 in a partially folded condition; Figure 4 shows the blank of Figure 2 folded and glued and in a collapsed configuration; Figure 5 shows a second embodiment of the invention; Figure 6 shows a blank for making the tray of Figure 5; Figure 7 shows the blank of Figure 6 partially folded; Figure 8 shows the blank of Figure 6 fully folded and glued; Figure 9 shows the tray of Figure 5 partially erected; Figure 10 shows the tray of Figure 5 fully erected from a different angle, and Figure 11 shows the underneath of the tray of Figure 5.

Figures 1 to 4 illustrate a first embodiment of tray 2 and blank 4 in accordance with the invention. Figure 1 shows the erected tray 2, Figure 2 shows the blank 4 for erecting into the tray, and Figures 3 and 4 shows intermediate stages in the construction of the tray 2 from the blank 4.

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a first tray 2 and blank 4 in accordance with the invention comprise a rectangular base panel 6, a first end wall panel 8, a second end wall panel 10 and first and second side wall panels 12, 14. An intermediate panel 16 is arranged between the base panel 6 and the first end wall panel 8. The intermediate panel 16 is connected to the first end wall panel 8 about a first hinge line 18 and to the base panel 6 by a second hinge line 20.

The side wall panels 12, 14 are provided with triangular gusset panels 22 joined to the side wall panels 12, 14 by gusset hinge lines 24. The first and second end wall panel 8, 10 are provided with glue tabs 26 along their lateral edges. The second end wall 10 is connected to the base panel about a third hinge line 28.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the folding of the blank 4 and its erection into a tray With reference firstly to Figure 3, the glue tabs 26 are folded inwardly to overlie the respective first and second end wall panels 8, 10. The side wall panels 12, 14 are folded inwardly so as to overlie the base panel 6. The gusset panels 22, however, are folded back about the gusset hinge lines 24 so as to overlie the side wall panels 12, 14 At this stage, adhesive is applied to the gusset panels 22 (and/or the associated glue tabs 26) and to the intermediate panel 16, and the first and second end walls 8,10 then folded about the first and third hinge lines 18, 28 respectively to bond the gusset panels 24 and glue tabs together. As the first end wall panel 8 is folded about the first hinge line 18, a lower part of the first end wall panel bonds to the intermediate panel. The glued blank then looks as shown in Figure 4.

The bonded tray may be transported in this flat, collapsed configuration to its point of use, where the tray can be erected by pulling the first and second end walls and/or the first and second side walls, 12, 14 outwardly to erect the tray to the position shown in Figure 1. As the first end wall panel 8 is glued to the intermediate panel 16, the first end wall panel 8 will fold about second hinge line 20. In this configuration, it will be seen that the intermediate panel 16 and the lower part of the first end wall panel 8 project down below the base panel 6 such that the first hinge line 18 forms a supporting edge at one end of the tray 2. The other supporting edge of the tray is formed by the third hinge line 28. As the base panel 6 is spaced upwardly from the first hinge line 18, the tray 2 will slope downwardly away from the first end wall 8 when it is placed on a level surface. With such an arrangement, products, e.g. sachets, placed in the tray 2 will tend to slope backwardly towards the second end wall 10, thereby improving their display.

Figures 5 to 11 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention With reference to Figures 5 and 6, a second tray 30 in accordance with the invention is erected from a second blank 32 in accordance with the invention In this embodiment, the tray 30 and blank 32 have a base panel 34, a first end wall panel 36, a second end wall 38 and first and second side wall panels 40, 42.

The base panel 34 comprises a trapezoidal central sub-panel 44 and two triangular sub-panels regions 46 hingedly attached to the sides of the central sub-panel 44 by respective hinge line 48. A trapezoidal intermediate panel 48 is positioned between the base panel 34 and the first end wall panel 36 The intermediate panel 48 is connected to the first end wall panel 36 about a linear hinge line 50 and to the base panel 34 by a hinge line 52 having a central portion 54 and outer portions 56.

The intermediate panel 48 is also provided with hinge lines 58 aligned with the hinge line 48 between the central and outer sub-panels 44, 46 of the base panel 34. The first end wall panel 36 has respective hinge lines extending inwardly from the free edge 62 of the panel to intersect the intermediate panel hinge line 58 at the first hinge line 50.

As in the earlier embodiments, the side walls panels 40 have gusset panels 64 defined therein by gusset hinge lines 66. Similarly, the first and second end wall panels 36, 38 have glue tabs 68 provided on the lateral edges thereof.

It will be seen from Figure 6 that the side wall panels 40, 42 taper inwardly from the second end wall panel 38 towards the first end wall panel 36 and also that the second end wall panel 38 is deeper than the first end wall panel 36. The reasons for this will become apparent from the following description.

To construct the container 30 from the blank 32, the glue tabs 68 and side wall panels 40, 42 are folded inwardly, and gusset flaps 64 then folded back, and adhesive applied to the gusset flaps and/or the glue tabs. Adhesive is also applied to the central region 70 of the intermediate panel 49.

The first end wall panel 36 is then folded inwardly about the first hinge line 50, thereby bonding the glue tabs 68 to the gusset panels 64, and also bonding a lower part of the first end wall panel 36 to the central region 70 of the intermediate panel 49. The second end wall panel 38 is likewise folded inwardly to bond the glue tabs 68 to the adjacent gusset panels 64. The folded and glued blank is shown in Figure 8, in which flat configuration the blank can be transported.

In order to erect the tray 30 from the flat configuration shown in Figure 8, the end walls 36, 38 are folded outwardly in the direction A as shown in Figure 8.

The second end wall 38 remains planar, as shown in Figures 5 and 10 However, since the first end wall panel 36 is bonded to the intermediate panel 49, the first end wall panel 36 will fold about the second hinge line 50. This means that the first end wall will assume a bowed configuration as shown in Figures 5 and 10 with a central region 72 which is parallel to the second end wall panel 38 and angled side portions 74 The hinge lines 58 in the intermediate panel 49 and the hinge lines 60 in the first end wall panel 36 facilitate the bowing of the first end wall panel 36. The bowing forms a recess in the first end wall which facilitates handling of the tray.

Moreover, the central sub panel of the base panel 34 will assume a position in which it is angled away from the first end wall panel 36 towards the second end wall panel 38.. The triangular sub-panels 46 slope downwardly away from the central sub-panel 44 to the side walls 40, 42. The hinge line sections 56 between the intermediate panel 49 and the triangular sub-panels 46 lie adjacent the outer parts 74 of the first end wall panel 36.

It will be seen from Figure 11 that the intermediate panel 49 and the lower part of the first end wall panel 36 project downwardly with respect to the base panel 34 such that the lower edge 76 is coplanar with the hinge lines joining the side walls 40, 42 to the base wall panel 34 and the second end wall panel 38 to the base panel 34. Thus when placed on a level surface, the lower edge will engage completely along this surface, and the central sub-panel 44 of the base panel 34 will slope downwardly away from the first end wall panel 36 to the second end wall panel 38.

It will be seen that the second end wall panel 38 is deeper than the first end wall panel 36 meaning that it will more easily retain product which slopes backwardly towards it. The recessing of the base of the tray forms a relatively rigid construction, facilitating handling.

It will also be seen from Figure 10 that should a user try to move the side wall panels 40, 42 inwardly, the glue tabs 68 will interfere with the central sub-panel 44 of the base panel 34, thereby preventing, or at least making more difficult, collapsing of the tray.

Claims

Claims 1. A tray made from cardboard, paperboard or other foldable

sheet material and having a base panel and an end wall panel joined to the base panel, said end wall panel extending below the base panel such that the base panel slopes away from the end wall panel.

2. A tray as claimed in claim I wherein the end wall panel is joined to the base panel via an intermediate panel.

3. A tray having a base panel, side wall panels, an end wall panel and an intermediate panel hinged to a lower edge of the end wall panel about a first hinge line and to an edge of the base wall panel about a second hinge line, said intermediate panel lying face to face with a lower portion of the end wall panel and projecting below the base panel.

4. A tray as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the base panel is planar, forming a flat bottom in the tray.

5. A tray as claimed in claim 4 wherein the planar base panel is generally rectangular.

6. A tray as claimed in claim 5 wherein the intermediate panel is a rectangular panel hinged to one end of the base panel, such that it forms a rectangular strip projecting downwardly from one end of the tray, causing the tray to slope.

7. A tray as claimed in any of claims 4 to 6 wherein the tray has respective side wall panels and a second end wall panel which have the same height as the part of the first end wall panel extending above the base panel.

8 A tray as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the base panel comprises a central planar sub-panel and respective sub-panels which slope downwardly away from the edges of the central sub-panel.

9 A tray as claimed in claim 8 wherein the central planar sub-panel of the base panel is generally trapezoidal in shape, and the sloping sub-panels are triangular in shape.

10. A tray as claimed in claim 9 wherein the end wall of the tray has a central region which lies adjacent the shorter parallel side of the trapezoidal base sub-panel and outer regions which are angled away from the central region and lie adjacent the respective shorter edges of the triangular base sub-panels.

11. A tray as claimed in claim 10 wherein the end wall panel has respective hinge lines extending downwardly from its free edge between the central and outer regions to facilitate formation of the first end wall of the tray.

12. A tray as claimed in claim 10 wherein the intermediate panel include respective further hinge lines, generally aligned with the end wall panel hinge lines, to facilitate formation of the end wall of the tray.

13. A tray as claimed in any of claims 8 to 12 wherein the side wall panels of the tray increase in depth from the end wall to a second end wall.

14. A tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the side wall panels of the tray are provided with respective gusset panels which allow the end wall panels to be folded over and lie on top of the side wall panels.

15. A tray as claimed in claim 12 wherein the respective end wall panels have glue tabs which are adhered to the respective adjacent gusset panels.

16. A tray as claimed in claim 15 wherein one or more glue tabs are dimensioned so as to project beyond the gusset panels and to engage the base of the tray when the side walls thereof are pushed inwardly.

17. A blank for making a tray as claimed in any preceding claim.

18. A blank of paperboard, cardboard or foldable sheet material comprising a base panel, a first end wall panel and an intermediate panel attached to an edge of said first end wall panel about a first hinge line and to an edge of said base panel about a second hinge line, respective side wall panels attached to side edges of the base panel and a second end wall panel attached to the base panel opposite said first end wall panel, the arrangement of the first end wall panel, base panel and intermediate panel being such that the first end wall panel and the intermediate panel my be folded about the first and second hinge lines so as to bring the intermediate panel into a face-to-face relationship with apart of the first end wall panel, with the intermediate panel projecting below the base panel.

19. A blank as claimed in claim 18 wherein the base panel is generally rectangular.

20. A blank as claimed in claim 19 wherein the intennediate panel is formed as a rectangular panel extending along one edge of the base panel, more particularly across the entire edge of the base panel.

21. A blank as claimed in claim 18, l9or 20 wherein the height of the side wall panels and second end wall panel are such that when the tray is erected, the upper edges of the respective walls of the tray lie coplanar.

22. A blank as claimed in claim 18 wherein the base panel comprises a central, trapezoidal sub-panel and respective triangular sub-panels joined to the non-parallel edges of the central panel along respective hinge lines.

23. A blank as claimed in claim 22 wherein the intermediate panel is joined to the respective triangular and trapezoidal base sub-panels by respective hinge lines provided along the shorter edges of the trapezoidal and triangular sub-panels.

24 A blank as claimed in claim 22 wherein the first end wall panel has respective hinge lines extending inwardly from its free edge to the second hinge line to define central and outer end wall panel regions which, when the tray is erected will lie adjacent the central and side portions of the base panel respectively.

25 A blank as claimed in claim 24 wherein the intermediate panel includes respective further hinge lines, extending from the intersection of said first wall panel hinge lines to the intersection of the hinge lines between the trapezoidal and triangular base panels.

26. A blank as claimed in any of claims 22 to 25 wherein the respective side wall panels increase in depth from the first end wall panel to the second end wall panel.

27. A blank as claimed in any of claims 18 to 26 wherein the side walls panels are formed with respective gusset fold lines which define gusset panels at the respective ends of the side walls.

28. A blank as claimed in claim 27 wherein the respective end wall panels have glue tabs which can be adhered to the gusset panels to erect the tray.