US2676748A

US2676748A - Compartmented tray

Info

Publication number: US2676748A
Application number: US110754A
Authority: US
Inventors: Wilbur V Sprenger; John C Roche
Original assignee: Chicago Carton Co
Current assignee: Chicago Carton Co
Priority date: 1949-08-17
Filing date: 1949-08-17
Publication date: 1954-04-27
Anticipated expiration: 1971-04-27

Description

P 27, 1954 w. v. SPRENGER E l' AL 2,676,748

' COMPARTMENTED TRAY I Filed Aug. 17, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y gymvron BY dz; 6%? e April 1954' p w. v. SPRENGER EI'AL 2,676,748

COIVIIIPARTMENTED TRAY 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1949 2 sheets-.she 't 2 WgVENTORS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1954 COMPARTMENTED TRAY Wilbur V. Sprenger, Denver, 0010., and John C.

Roche, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Chicago Carton Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application August 17, 1949, Serial No. 110,754

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a package and a tray therefor, and it has particular reference to a package forming tray by means of which a very rigid tray structure may be formed from a foldable or collapsible blank.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a simple, foldable or collapsible blank for forming a rigid tray structure which will facilitate the formation of a wrapper of transparent material around merchandise supported by the tray. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings in which there are shown two selected embodiments of trays according to the invention.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating a preferred form of tray set up ready to receive goods to be packaged;

Fig. 2 is a perspective illustrating a completed package in which merchandise supported by the tray of Fig. 1 is enclosed in a transparent wrapper,-

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank employed for forming the tray of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective illustrating the manner in which the blank of Fig. 3 is formed into a collapsible tray which may be unfolded or opened to tray position,-

Fig. 5 is a perspective of another form of tray according to the invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a package made from the tray of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a plan view of a blank from which the tray of Fig. 5 is formed.

The tray shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings is formed from a blank such as shown in Fig. 3, which is of any suitable grade of box board scored or creased to provide a pair of bottom panels I and 2 foldably interconnected by a central score line 3.

Arcuate slits 4 and scores or creases 5 extending transversely of the central score 3 together with scores or creases 6 which define the outer edges of the bottom panels I and 2 cooperate to define side wall panels I and 8. The free or upper marginal portions of the side wall panels I and 8 are recessed as indicated at 9. The slits 4 and fold lines 5 of the side wall panel I serve also to define flaps I0, III which are foldably connected to the end edges of the side wall panel 1 outwardly of or above the'slits 4. Similarly the slits a and fold lines 5 of the side wall 8 serve also to define flaps I I, H which are foldably connected to the opposite ends of the side wall 2 panel 8. These flaps I I are further provided with fold lines I2 parallel to the fold lines 5 so as to provide for folding of the flaps II upon themselves as will presently appear.

Adhesive is applied in areas indicated at I3 on the flaps I0, the flaps II are folded upon themselves on their fold lines I 2, and the blank is then folded on the median fold line 3 so that the end portions 64 of the flaps I I will become adhesively bonded to the faces of the flaps IE5 as best shown in Fig. 4 where the tray is shown in collapsed but slightly opened condition.

For packaging purposes, the blank is folded on itself so that its opposite halves are disposed in face to face relation, the widths of the bottom panels I and 2 being equal and these widths being also equal to the width of the portion I5 of the flaps II. These equalized widths permit the blank to be folded flat for packaging, storage and shipping purposes.

When the blank is to be set up into a tray, the side wall panels I and 8 are merely pulled apart, the bottom panels I and 2 being thereby caused to unfold to substantially fiat co-planar position while the end wall flaps I8 and II automatically adjust themselves to the transversely extending end wall forming positions illustrated in Fig. 1.

The tray thus formed may have merchandise such as cookies or other bakery goods, or any other kind of material packaged in the central well like portion of the tray and also on the opposite end portions thereof which are very eifectively supported by the end portions of the side walls underlying the convexly curved edges resulting from the slits i. .The tray when suitably loaded with merchandise may be inserted into a preformed bag I6 of transparent film-like material or any other suitable container and the open end of the bag closed and sealed to produce a package approximately as represented in Fig. 2.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the blank is formed to have a single section bottom panel I! which is separated by suitable fold lines I8 and I9 from

side panels

20 and 2|.

End flaps

22, 23, 24 and 25 are provided on the opposite ends of the side panels by means of arcuate slits 25 and transversely extending fold lines 21. The diagonally opposed flaps 22 and 24 are provided with locking slits 28 and the other pair of diagonally opposed

flaps

23 and 25 are provided with looking ears or tongues 29 which are formed by suitably slitting the said flaps as shown.

The blank of Fig. 7 is folded into a tray as shown in Fig. 5, the

side wall panels

20 and 2! being folded to substantially right angular relation to the bottom panel flaps 22, 23,

25 being folded into overlapping relation to each other substantially perpendicularly to the then parallel side walls 29 and. 2!. The overlapping flaps are locked in that position by inserting the tongues 29 of the

flaps

23 and 25 through the slits 28 of the flaps 22 and 24. The tray is thereby looked in its set-up condition so that it will remain in that condition ready for packaging at the convenience of the person using the tray after which the loaded tray may be enclosed in a suitable wrapper as shown in Fig. 6.

This wrapper may be like the wrapper 16 of the package shown in Fig. 2, that is to say, it may be formed of a bag into which the filled tray is inserted, the mouth end of the bag being then closed and sealed. However, the wrapper may also b formed of plain sheet material preferably but not necessarily of transparent character, such sheeting being suitably wrapped transversely around the tray and folded over the ends and under the bottom or the tray whe e such interfolded ends may be suitably sealed to the bottom of the package. Various wrapping arrangements may, of course, be employed in connection with the tray while obtaining the benefits of the rigid support provided by the described tray construction.

Various changes in without departing from vention.

We claim:

1. A tray of the class described, comprising a bottom panel havin a pair oi oppositely disposed side edges, a pair of opposite side walls respectively hingedly connected to said bottom panel side edges and disposed in upstandin side wall relation to said bottom panel, said side walls respectively embodying rigidly interconnected, co-planar base and upper portions, said upper portions being of less length than said base portions and having ends respectively spaced inwardly from the ends of said base portions, and a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to the ends of said upper side wall portions, said flaps extending inwardly from the respective opposite side walls into transversely extending overlying relation to said bottom panel, the flaps which extend from one or said side walls respectively overlapping thos which extend from the other of said side walls and being secured thereto so as to thereby for-m transverse partitions which interconnect and maintain said side walls in said upstanding relation to said bottom panel, said partitions serving to separate the space which overlies said bottom panel between said side walls into a plurality of article receiving compartments which are respectively adapted to receive articles the structure may be made the principles of the inof merchandise, the hinged connections of said side walls to said bottom panel edges, and of said partition formin flaps to said upper wall portion ends, facilitating fabrication of the tray from a one-piece out and creased fiat blank substantially as described.

2. A tray of the class described, comprising a bottom panel havin a pair of oppositely disposed side edges, a pair of opposite side walls respectively hingedly connected to said bottom panel side edges and disposed in upstanding side wall relation to said bottom panel, said side walls respectively embodying rigidly interconnected, co-planar base and upper portions, said upper portions being of less length than said base portions and having ends respectively spaced from the ends of said base portions, and a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to the ends of said upper side wall portions, said flaps extendin in wardly from the respective opposite side walls into transversely extending overlying relation to said bottom panel, the flaps which extend from one of said side walls respectively overlappin those which extend from the other of said side walls and being permanently secured thereto so as to thereby form transverse partitions which interconnect and maintain said side walls in said upstanding relation to said bottom panel, said partitions serving to separate the space which overlies said bottom panel between said side walls into a plurality of article receiving compart ments which are respectively adapted to receive articles or merchandise, said bottom panel and said partitions being provided with co-planar fold lines located substantially midway between said side walls so as to permit collapsing of the tray by folding said bottom panel and partitions on themselves and moving said side walls toward each other into face to face relation.

References (litcd in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 377,813 Munson Feb. 14, 1888 637,838 Vernon Nov. 28, 1899 778,544 Lewis Dec. 27, 1904:

1,585,390 Kondolf May 18, 1926 1,913,134 Tilney June 6, 1933 2,276,890 Steihbiss Mar. 17, 1942 2,295,478 Jason Sept. 8, 19% 2,295,532 Hyndman Sept. 15, 1942 2,300,874 De Ferrari Nov. 3, 194 2,537,452 Forrer Jan. 9, 1951 2,537,615 Arneson Jan. 9, 1951 2,597,289 Caskey May 20, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 265,405 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1927