Patent Application
20130098916
Containers, such as planting pots and carry trays for horticultural suppliers such as greenhouses are often used growing and transporting plants to market. Other containers such as food containers and dry goods containers are similarly filled and transported. Generally, these systems do not provide any alignment for the containers in the trays and any such systems have not provided ease of insertion of the container in an aligned position or the ability to maintain the container in the aligned position during transport. As labeling and printing on containers has improved an unmet need for such alignment and retention has arisen.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a container with an alignment feature and a carry tray for such a container is disclosed. The container in accordance with the present invention has an upper edge and a lower edge and a rim at the upper edge of the container, a bottom collar including a container base at the lower edge of body; and a container alignment feature with a central hub and two or more arms extending outwardly the hub where each arm has a cross sectional area that decreases toward the periphery of the base. The container of the present invention may also optionally include a drainage cross in the container base, and one or more tag insertion locators formed in the container rim. Generally, the container alignment feature includes two arms and the central hub has a height greater than the arm height and an arm width that decreases as each arm approaches the periphery of the container. The container may be formed of any suitable method including, but not limited to thermoforming, injection molding, blow molding and rotational molding. The container may preferably be a frustoconical planting pot; however any fillable container may be useful.
A system in which the alignable container may be used is also provided including a carry tray with a plurality of pockets, each including a rear wall and a base and a base alignment feature raised from the base and having a central hub as well as at least two arms extending outwardly from each arm and having a cross sectional area that decreases toward the periphery of the base. A carry tray is also disclosed
A more complete appreciation of the invention and the many embodiments thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention will now be described with occasional reference to the specific embodiments of the invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The containers and carry trays of the present invention are typically manufactured by the thermoforming. Thermoforming provides cost-effect thinwall nursery products that are highly uniform, provide improved durability and stackability. Generally, an extruder melts and extrudes polymer pellets into a rough sheet form and a chill roll stand cools the sheet and creates a sheet having the desired width and a uniform thickness across the sheet. The sheet is then cooled to allow the molecular structure of the polymer to realign. The thermoforming process heats the plastic sheet in an oven to a forming temperature at which the sheet is pliable. The sheet is formed to a specific shape in a mold, and trimmed to create the final containers or carry trays of the present invention. The sheet may be vacuum formed to a mold; however more typically in large production runs the sheets are heated, formed, allowed to cool then and trimmed in a continuous high-speed process. Preferably, the plastic sheet is fed from a roll or extruder to indexing chains that pierce the sheet to provide motion through the machine. The sheet is carried by the chain to an oven, heated to the forming temperature of the plastic and then to a form station where a mold and vacuum box close on the sheet. The vacuum removes air and pulls the sheet into the mold. Additionally, a plug may be used to assist in formation of the product in deep areas of the mold and pressurized air may be used to force the sheet into detailed shapes of the mold. After forming reverse air pressure (air-eject) may be used to break the vacuum and force the finished parts out of the mold. The parts are allowed to cool on the sheet until entering a trim station, typically a piercing die that cuts the parts from the sheet. A second type of machine used in this process has the ability to trim while the product is in the mould station.
While thermoforming is generally preferred for high volume runs, the present invention may be produced by injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding, and other forms of processing plastics.
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The containers and carry trays of the present invention may be produced in any number of sizes; a number of examples are shown in TABLE 1.
While the container 10 and carry tray 50 are currently thermoformed and injection molded other production methods such as blow molding, rotational molding, and other forms of processing plastics are useful in forming the present invention.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight, reaction conditions, and so forth as used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless otherwise indicated, the numerical properties set forth in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained in embodiments of the present invention. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical values, however, inherently contain certain errors necessarily resulting from error found in their respective measurements.
The present invention should not be considered limited to the specific examples described herein, but rather should be understood to cover all aspects of the invention. Various modifications, equivalent processes, as well as numerous structures and devices to which the present invention may be applicable will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. Those skilled in the art will understand that various changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, which is not to be considered limited to what is described in the specification.
This application is a CONTINUATION-IN-PART OF U.S. Provisional Patent Application U.S. 61/519,118, entitled “ALIGNABLE POT AND RACK SYSTEM” filed May 17, 2011. All aspects of Provisional Application U.S. 61/519,118 are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61519118 | May 2011 | US |
