US3884381A - Nestable compartmentalized trays - Google Patents

Nestable compartmentalized trays Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3884381A
US3884381A US385240A US38524073A US3884381A US 3884381 A US3884381 A US 3884381A US 385240 A US385240 A US 385240A US 38524073 A US38524073 A US 38524073A US 3884381 A US3884381 A US 3884381A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
tray
trays
side walls
base
depressions
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US385240A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Gunther Kaupert
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from DE19722238393 external-priority patent/DE2238393C3/de
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3884381A publication Critical patent/US3884381A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
    • B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
    • B65D1/34—Trays or like shallow containers
    • B65D1/36—Trays or like shallow containers with moulded compartments or partitions

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT In nestable compartmentalized trays at least one portion of at least one connecting edge (formed by the converging, adjacent side walls of two side-by-side situated cup-shaped depressions constituting the compartments) is at a height from the base of the compartments that is different from the height of any other portion of the remaining connecting edges.
  • the abutting portions of the connecting edges of two adjoining nested trays have different heights from their associ ated bases. In this manner, the side walls of mutually nesting compartments are maintained spaced from one another.
  • This invention relates to nestable compartmentalized trays made of a thin sheet material and having a plura1- ity of downwardly narrowing cup-shaped depressions. Two side-by-side extending side walls, one belonging to one depression and the other belonging to an adjoining depression, converge upwardly and terminate in a common upper connecting edge. Trays of this structure may be nested in one another to form a tray stack.
  • Compartmentalized trays of the aforenoted type are often made of a stampable shaperetaining sheet made of a synthetic material which may be metallized. Trays of this type serve, in package making, for receiving goods, such as chocolate candies, cookies, mechanical parts, pharmaceutical products, etc., and are shipped to the manufacturer generally in stacks.
  • the stacked, nested compartmentalized trays, before charging them with goods have to be separated (denested") which may be performed by a special apparatus such as described, for example, in German Pat. No. 1,586,152 or U.S. Pat. No. 3,401,831.
  • the force which sometimes develops and with which the nested trays stick together presents certain difficulties in that it resists separation. Such forces generally appear between the engaging sloping side walls of the depressions of two immediately superposed, nested trays.
  • each tray at least one portion of at least one connecting edge is at a height from the base (or lowermost wall portion) of the compartments that is different from the height of any other portion of the remaining connecting edges in the same tray.
  • the abutting portions of the connecting edges of two adjoining nested trays have different heights from their associated bases. In this manner, it is ensured that the side walls of mutually nesting compartments are maintained spaced from one another.
  • each individual compartmentalized tray has at least two upper edges that are at a different (preferably lower) height than the other connecting edges of the same tray.
  • Such lowered connecting edges of the same tray may be, for example, diagonally opposed.
  • the stacking of the trays is then performed in such a manner that the thus defined diagonals cross each other from tray to tray.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a compartmentalized tray incorporating the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional side elevational view of a number of nested trays according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional side elevational view of a plurality of nested trays in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional side elevational view of a plurality of nested trays in accordance with a third preferred embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 1 there is shown a compartmentalized tray generally indicated at 1 which is made of a thin sheet material and which has cup-shaped depressions 2 each having a base 2a and side walls 2b sloping inwardly towards the base 2a.
  • the entire tray is bounded by a marginal peripheral edge face 4.
  • each connecting edge 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e and ef is downwardly arcuate (that is, it is arcuate towards the base of the depressions).
  • each tray has at least one connecting edge, such as 3a, which has a lesser radius of curvature than other connecting edges such as 3d. This means that those connecting edges that have the lesser radius of curvature, have a lowest point which is situated at a lesser height (vertical distance) from the base 2a than the lowest point on the other connecting edges that have a greater radius of curvature. If now, as illustrated in FIG.
  • the trays are stacked in such a manner according to the invention that a connecting edge 32 of relatively small radius of curvature is positioned immediately above a connecting edge 3d of relatively large: radius of curvature, then the lowest points on connecting edges 3e and 3d will be in contact while the side walls of the identically shaped depressions of the two immediately nesting trays are kept out of contact.
  • the trays according to the embodiment in FIG. 2 are so designed that in each tray connecting edges of large radius of curvature alternate with connecting edges of small radius of curvature.
  • the connecting edge 3f of large radius of curvature is adjoined by the connecting edge 30 of small radius of curvature.
  • a similar arrangement may be observed in the middle tray regarding the edges 3b and 3e and in the lowermost tray regarding the edges 3d and 3a.
  • each tray according to FIG. 2 may be considered as aesthetically pleasing.
  • the same spacing effect discussed in connection with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 may be achieved with straight, rather than arcuate connecting edges, as illustrated in the embodiment according to FIG. 3.
  • the height of the connecting edges 3g and 31' from the base of their associated depressions is less than the height of the connecting edge 3h from the base of its associated depression.
  • the connecting edges of smaller radius of curvature according to FIG. 2 are replaced in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 by straight edges of reduced height.
  • the location 5 of the intersection between two connecting edges, such as 3j and 3k is at a different height from the depression base than the otherwise uniform height level of the connecting edges in the same tray. It is preferred that at least two such positions be present in the same tray. Or, the tray may be so designed that the height of the locations 5 varies from intersection to intersection. Viewing trays designed according to the third embodiment in a nested condition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, any location 5a, 5b in one tray has a height position that is different from that of a vertically immediately adjacent intersection 5c, 5d of two connecting edges.
  • the nested trays are in engagement with one another at the intersections 512, 5d and 5e, 5e respectively having, in the different trays, different height positions and thus a spacing between the side walls of the nesting cupshaped depressions is ensured.
  • a nestable compartmentalized tray having a plurality of cup-shaped depressions each having a base or lowermost wall portion and side walls sloping inwardly towards said base, two side-by-side extending side walls of two adjoining depressions being convergent in a direction away from the bases and terminating in a common connecting edge, whereby the tray has a plurality of common connecting edges; the improvement comprising the arrangement wherein said connecting edges are curved in the direction of the height dimension of said tray and wherein end-to-end adjoining curved connecting edges have alternatingly a relatively small and a relatively large radius of curvature.
  • a stack constituted by a plurality of nested compartmentalized trays, each tray having a plurality of cup-shaped depressions each having a base or lowermost wall portion and side walls sloping inwardly towards said base, two side-by-side extending side walls of two adjoining depressions being convergent in a direction away from the bases and terminating in a commonconnecting edge, whereby the tray has a plurality of common connecting edges; the improvement comprising the arrangement wherein said connecting edges of each tray are curved in the direction of the height dimension of the tray, at least one curved connecting edge of each tray has a radius of curvature that is smaller than that of any other curved connecting edge of the same tray, said at least one curved connecting edge in any tray abuts a curved connecting edge of relatively large radius of curvature of an immediately adjoining nested tray, whereby side walls of mutually nesting depressions are urged to be maintained spaced from one another.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Stackable Containers (AREA)
US385240A 1972-08-04 1973-08-03 Nestable compartmentalized trays Expired - Lifetime US3884381A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE19722238393 DE2238393C3 (de) 1972-08-04 Zu einem Stapel inelnanderschichtbare Sortlereinlagen aus dünner Folie

Related Child Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US05/565,215 Division US3982655A (en) 1972-08-04 1975-04-04 Nestable compartmentalized trays

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3884381A true US3884381A (en) 1975-05-20

Family

ID=5852651

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US385240A Expired - Lifetime US3884381A (en) 1972-08-04 1973-08-03 Nestable compartmentalized trays

Country Status (9)

Country Link
US (1) US3884381A (de)
AT (1) AT319844B (de)
BE (1) BE792126A (de)
CA (1) CA994295A (de)
CH (1) CH551905A (de)
FR (1) FR2194616B1 (de)
GB (1) GB1425841A (de)
IT (1) IT977970B (de)
NL (1) NL168464C (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4618069A (en) * 1984-03-21 1986-10-21 Paul Quong Shipping-and-storage container
US20230240201A1 (en) * 2022-02-02 2023-08-03 The Hc Companies, Inc. Tray for horticultural containers

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3120901A (en) * 1962-12-21 1964-02-11 Packaging Corp America Molded egg tray
US3203573A (en) * 1963-04-26 1965-08-31 Donald C Rowe Food containers
US3386608A (en) * 1967-05-15 1968-06-04 Diller Kenneth Multiple-cell molded plastic tray
US3485434A (en) * 1967-11-20 1969-12-23 Monsanto Co Tray structure
US3502241A (en) * 1968-03-25 1970-03-24 Phillips Petroleum Co Compartmented tray reinforced against bending

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3120901A (en) * 1962-12-21 1964-02-11 Packaging Corp America Molded egg tray
US3203573A (en) * 1963-04-26 1965-08-31 Donald C Rowe Food containers
US3386608A (en) * 1967-05-15 1968-06-04 Diller Kenneth Multiple-cell molded plastic tray
US3485434A (en) * 1967-11-20 1969-12-23 Monsanto Co Tray structure
US3502241A (en) * 1968-03-25 1970-03-24 Phillips Petroleum Co Compartmented tray reinforced against bending

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4618069A (en) * 1984-03-21 1986-10-21 Paul Quong Shipping-and-storage container
US20230240201A1 (en) * 2022-02-02 2023-08-03 The Hc Companies, Inc. Tray for horticultural containers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE792126A (fr) 1973-03-16
AT319844B (de) 1975-01-10
CH551905A (de) 1974-07-31
FR2194616A1 (de) 1974-03-01
IT977970B (it) 1974-09-20
DE2238393B2 (de) 1974-05-09
NL7217604A (de) 1974-02-06
CA994295A (en) 1976-08-03
DE2238393A1 (de) 1974-02-21
NL168464C (nl) 1982-04-16
GB1425841A (en) 1976-02-18
FR2194616B1 (de) 1979-01-26

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3191796A (en) Compartmented stacking and nesting container
US6012583A (en) Egg carton
US3813027A (en) Carton construction
US3740238A (en) Stackable cookie package and tray
US3332574A (en) Bottled beverage case
US3982655A (en) Nestable compartmentalized trays
US3212907A (en) Food package and tray
US5102034A (en) Egg container
US3104776A (en) Plastic container
US3838772A (en) Nestable container
US3085730A (en) Plastic containers
US5048716A (en) Cardboard container with reinforcing slits lined with synthetic material
US3539071A (en) Packaging structure
GB2131398A (en) Moulded egg cartons
US3863918A (en) Building block game
US2997196A (en) De-nestable molded pulp trays
US3521808A (en) Tray for frangible materials
US3121507A (en) Molded plastic tray
US3223234A (en) End support for fragile tubular articles
US3478867A (en) Stackable trays and package formed therefrom
US5582297A (en) Packaging
US3884381A (en) Nestable compartmentalized trays
US3416695A (en) Tray construction
US3565321A (en) Tray for displaying and protecting frangible foods
US3578235A (en) Tray for carmels