Patent Application
20130180941
1. Field of the Invention
This patent relates to a tray and post type packaging system for shipping and displaying palletized products. More particularly, this patent relates to a dividerless tray and post type packaging system in which the trays are reinforced with separate brace members.
2. Description of the Related Art
Palletized packaging systems suitable for both shipping products and displaying them at retail are well known. For example, Sonoco Products Company makes a tray and post type packaging system that is described in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,342, incorporated herein by reference. The products in their primary packages (what the consumer actually buys) are arranged on the trays. The entire unit is self-supporting and may be displayed in the store aisle.
There are two general types of palletized packaging systems: those in which the trays are supported by the products themselves, and those in which the trays are supported wholly or partly by structural components, such as corner posts, partitions and dividers. The use of dividers between each tray can improve stacking strength, but can make it difficult for consumers to view the products.
The objective of the present invention is to provide a palletized packaging system for the shipping and display of products that has increased stacking strength and enhanced product visibility.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging system that eliminates dividers by reinforcing the trays with separate brace members.
Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.
The present invention is a modular packaging system for shipping and displaying palletized products. The system comprises vertically stacked trays for holding the products, corner posts affixed to each tray, and separate braces that support the bottoms of each tray. The entire assembly may be wrapped in transparent plastic film to protect the products from dust and damage with the bottom tray resting on a standard pallet.
Each tray may comprise a bottom panel for holding the products, two opposing side walls and two opposing end walls extending upwardly from the bottom panel. The corner posts extend between vertically adjacent trays to separate and support the trays. In a key aspect of the invention at least one separate elongated brace is located under and supports (contacts) the bottom panel of one or more of the trays. The brace extends horizontally between two corner posts and has opposing ends that fit into notches or other openings in the two corner posts.
The brace may be any suitable shape, such as one having an “I” shaped cross sectional profile with two elongated substantially rectangular sides and relatively narrower top and bottom edges where the dimension from top edge to bottom edge is greater than the dimension from side to side. Preferably the brace is oriented vertically, that is, with its sides defining parallel vertical planes, for maximum load bearing strength.
Each corner post may further comprise one or more tabs extending upward from a top edge of the corner post and extending through slots disposed in the bottom panel of the tray resting on the corner posts to lock vertically adjacent tray levels together. Each corner post may also comprise two wings (tab-like members) that extend outwardly from a lower portion of the corner post at a right angle to each other. One wing may be enclosed by a tray end wall and the other wing enclosed by a tray side wall to secure the corner post to the tray on which it rests.
The braces may extend between diagonally opposed corner posts and/or along the perimeter (ends and sides) between adjacent corner posts. In a packaging system having multiple tray levels, diagonal braces located under and supporting vertically adjacent trays may define intersecting planes. That is, the diagonal brace under one tray may extend along one diagonal when viewed from above while the brace under the vertically adjacent tray extends along the other diagonal so that, when viewed from above, the diagonal braces cross or intersect.
For maximum reinforcement the packaging system may further comprise a central vertical post extending from a center of a tray bottom panel to a height equal to that of the corner posts on the same tray, and one or two “half diagonal” braces, each extending from a corner post to the central vertical post.
Each corner post may be made from a single, unitary folded blank so that the assembled corner posts have a substantially rectangular cross section comprising two orthogonal outer walls joined along an outer vertical edge and two orthogonal inner walls joined along an inner vertical edge to define a substantially hollow interior. Each corner post has a top edge that abuts the tray resting on top and a bottom edge that rests on the tray below.
A notch may be located along the inner vertical edge of the corner post and communicates with the top edge to accommodate the end of a diagonal brace. Each corner post may further comprise “perimeter notches” disposed in the inner walls and communicating with the top edge to accommodate the perimeter braces, if present.
The bottommost tray may be disposed on a pallet and a top cap may be placed over the topmost tray and rest on a topmost set of corner posts. The trays and corner posts may be formed of corrugated board and the braces may be wound hollow paper tubes.
The system is strong enough not only to support the weight of the products on the trays and withstand the vibration and impact forces that can occur during shipping, but to withstand the weight of one or more units stacked on top. The system is particularly suited for shipping and displaying irregularly shaped items and items that cannot withstand vertical stacking forces, such as soft-packaged goods, since the system can bear the entire stacking load.
While this invention may be embodied in many forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one or more embodiments with the understanding that this disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the illustrated embodiments.
Packaging System with Reinforced Trays
Turning to the drawings, there is shown in
Each tray 12 preferably is formed from folded blank 24 of corrugated board, although any suitable material may be used. Each tray 12 has a bottom panel 26 for supporting the products, two opposing side walls 28 and two opposing end walls 30 extending upwardly from the bottom panel 26. The side walls 28 and end walls 30 capture portions of the corner posts 14 as described below. The bottom panel 26 and/or side walls 28 and/or end walls 30 may be printed or otherwise decorated in any desirable fashion to increase the aesthetic appeal of the display.
The corner posts 14 space the trays 12 apart and provide a platform on which each tray 12 can rest. The height of the corner posts 14 is determined by the height of the products in their primary packaging or, more particularly, the desired height between trays 12.
In a key aspect of the invention, braces 160 are used to support the underside of each tray 12. As explained in more detail below the braces may extend between diagonally opposed corner posts 14 (as shown in
Each tray 12 can be made from a single, unitary (one piece) corrugated blank 24 such as that shown in
Each side wall assembly 32 extends outward from the bottom panel 26 along the first side fold line 36. Each side wall assembly 32 comprises an elongated, substantially rectangular exterior side panel 44—so called because it forms the exterior of the side wall 28 in the assembled tray 12—attached to the bottom panel 26 along the first side fold line 36; an elongated, substantially rectangular interior side panel 46 connected to the exterior side panel 44 along parallel double side fold lines 48; and a side panel extension 50 connected to the interior side panel 46 along a third side fold line 52.
Each exterior side panel 44 is defined by relatively long side fold lines 36, 48 and relatively short first free side edges 54. The free side edges 54 may be non-linear as shown in
Each interior side panel 46 is defined by relatively long side fold lines 48, 52 and relatively short opposing second free edges 56. Optional opposing fold lines 58, when present, help define rectangular shaped flaps 60.
The side panel extension 50 may be trapezoid shaped and is defined by the third side fold line 52 (as the base or longest side), an opposing substantially parallel free edge 62, and two relatively shorter angled side edges 64. Each angled side edges 64 defines a free edge and forms an included angle of about 45 degrees with the base or third fold line 52.
Each end wall assembly 34 extends outward from the bottom panel 26 along a first end fold line 38 and may be of similar construction as the side panel assemblies 32. Each end wall assembly 34 comprises an elongated, substantially rectangular exterior end panel 66—so called because it forms the exterior of the end wall 30 in the assembled tray 12—attached to the bottom panel 26 along the first end fold line 38, an elongated substantially rectangular interior end panel 68 connected to the exterior end panel 66 along parallel double end fold lines 70, and an end panel extension 72 connected to the interior end panel 68 along a third end fold line.
Each exterior end panel 66 is defined by the relatively long end fold lines 38, 70 and relatively short first free side edges 76. The free side edges 76 may be non-linear as shown in
Each interior end panel 68 is defined by relatively long side fold lines 70, 74 and relatively short opposing second free edges 78. Optional opposing fold lines 80, when present, help define rectangular shaped flaps 82.
The end panel extension 50 may be trapezoid shaped and is defined by the third end fold line 74 (as the base or longest side), an opposing substantially parallel free edge 84, and two relatively shorter angled edges 86. Each angled edge 86 defines a free edge and forms an included angle of about 45 degrees with the base or third fold line 74.
Each corner post 14 may be made from a single, unitary (one piece) corrugated blank 90 such as that shown in
Tabs 110, 112 extend upwardly from panels 92 and 95 respectively and are configured to fit into corresponding slots in the tray 12 above. Bottom notches 114, 116 and 118 are cut into the bottom portions of panels 92, 95 and 96 respectively to accommodate the tabs 110, 112 of the corner post 14 located on the tray below. A locking tab 120 extends laterally (horizontally) from panel 92 along a fold line 134 co-linear with the free edge 106 and is configured to fit into a vertical slot 122 located in panel 96 adjacent fold line 103.
Vertical cut line 124, co-linear with fold line 101, and horizontal cut lines 128 and 129 facilitate folding the blank 90 and help define wings 130, 132 which help secure the corner post 14 to the tray 12 as explained below. Additional cut outs 136 and 138 are formed along the free top edge 108 of the blank 90 and are used to hold diagonal braces 160 as explained below.
A single, unitary (one piece) blank 140 for making an alternative corner post 16 is shown in
As with the blank of
Tabs 110, 112 extend upwardly from panels 92 and 95 respectively and are configured to fit into corresponding slots in the tray 12 above. Bottom notches 114, 116 and 118 are cut into the bottom portions of panels 92, 95 and 96 respectively to accommodate the tabs 110, 112 of the corner post 14 located on the tray below. A locking tab 120 extends laterally from panel 92 along a fold line 134 co-linear with the free edge 106 and is configured to fit into a vertical slot 122 located in panel 96 adjacent fold line 103.
Vertical cut line 124, co-linear with fold line 101, and horizontal cut lines 128 and 129 facilitate folding the blank 140 and help define wings 130, 132 which help secure the corner post 16 to the tray 12 as explained below. Cut outs 136 and 138 are formed along the free top edge 108 of the blank 90 and are used to hold the braces as explained below.
In a change from the embodiment shown in
Both corner post embodiments 14, 16 are assembled in the same manner, as will now explained with regard to the first embodiment 14. The corner post 14 may be assembled from the blank 90 of
The assembled corner post 14 comprises two orthogonal outer walls 150 joined along an outer corner or vertical edge 154 and two orthogonal inner walls 152 joined along an inner corner or vertical edge 156 and has a substantially hollow interior. The corner post 14 has a planar top edge 108 that abuts a tray 12 resting on top and a planar bottom edge 109 that rests on a tray 12 in the assembled packaging system 10. The notches 136, 138 align to form a top notch 158 located along the inner vertical edge 156 (see, especially,
With respect to the alternative embodiment corner post 16, after assembly, that is, after the blank 140 of
When the blank 140 is folded notches 142, 144, 146 and 148 align to form two perimeter notches 182 which are designed to accommodate the perimeter braces 170, 172 as shown in
The corner posts 14, 16 may be made to any suitable height, which may be a function of the height of the products carried on the trays 12. Different levels may have different heights for example, to accommodate products of varying heights shipped and displayed in the same packaging system 10.
While the corner posts 14, 16 have been described as being made from corrugated blanks 90, 140, it should be understood that the corner posts may also be made from any suitable material, including without limitation paper, plastic, metal or wood. The corner posts must have notches or other openings to hold the ends 166 of a brace 160 as explained below.
Each tray 12 may be assembled from the blank 24 of
The end walls 34 are assembled in a similar manner by first folding each end wall assembly 34 inwardly along the first end fold line 38 until they are substantially perpendicular to the bottom panel 26. Then the end panel extensions 72 are folded backward (away from the bottom panel 26) along the third end fold lines 74 until they are horizontal (at right angles to the exterior end panels 66). The interior end panels 68 are folded inwardly along the double end fold lines 70 until the interior end panels 68 are in facing, abutting relationship with the exterior end panels 66 and the end panel extensions 72 are in facing, abutting relationship with the tray bottom panel 26.
The assembled tray 12 forms a lightweight, rigid shelf that may be reinforced from underneath for certain loads as explained below.
Each level of the packaging system 10 of
As the tray side walls 28 and end walls 30 are assembled as explained above they will capture (enclose) the corner post wings 130, 132 to secure the corner post 14 to the tray 12 as shown in
Corner mounts 164 may be installed at the four corners of a conventional wood pallet 20 as shown in
When a second tray and corner post assembly is placed on top of the first assembly the upwardly extending tabs 110, 112 will fit through corresponding slots 40, 42 located in the second (upper) tray 12 and into the bottom notches 114 of the corner post 14 above to help hold the two trays 12 in vertical alignment. Additional tray and post layers may be placed on top until the assembled unit has the desired numbers of layers.
While the packaging system just described is suitable for some applications, in other applications it is desirable to reinforce the trays 12 with horizontal braces. Various reinforcing configurations may be employed, including the following.
During assembly of the packaging system 10 a single diagonal brace 160 may be placed onto diagonally opposed corner posts 14 by guiding its ends 166 into the top notches 158. The ends 166 should extend into the hollow interior spaces of the corner posts 14 as shown in
The wings 130, 132 of each corner post 14 are hidden under the sidewalls in the figure. The corner post tabs 110, 112 can be seen extending upwardly so that they can fit through slots 40, 42 located in a second tray 12 located over the first tray 12 to secure the trays in vertical alignment. The folded corner posts 14 engage both the tray 12 on which the corner posts 14 rest and the tray 12 above (not shown).
Preferably, the braces 160 are hollow paper tubes formed into a desired shape, such as those marketed by Sonoco Products Company of Hartsville, S.C. and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,482,054; 5,593,039; 6,059,104 and 6,186,329, incorporated herein by reference. However, the braces may also be made from any suitable material, including without limitation plastic, metal or wood.
In the embodiment illustrated in
Any number of product display layers can be achieved with the invention. By way of example only, and without limitation as to the scope of the invention, to assemble the a six layer packaging system 10 according to
The vendor continues adding tray layers in this manner until the first five layers have been achieved. (In
A top cap (not shown) may be placed over the top level of corner posts so that its side walls and end walls extend downward to help secure the top cap to the upwardly extending corner posts by fitting the corner posts snugly within the top cap side walls and end walls. The tabs 110, 122 of the topmost corner posts 14 (not shown) should extend through corner slots in the top cap. Finally, the entire assembly 10 may be wrapped in transparent plastic film to protect the products from dust and damage during shipment.
When placed on display in a retail setting a header or other sign may be mounted on a central pole which is then inserted through optional openings 162 located in the center of the bottom panels 26 (
The corner posts 16, as noted above, include the additional perimeter notches 182 disposed in the inner walls 176 to accommodate the perimeter braces. For example,
The corner posts 16 of
Still more braces may be added to the tray and post assembly as needed. For example, in the embodiment shown in
With the addition of a central vertical post 185 as shown in
Thus there has been described a packaging system for shipping and displaying palletized products. The system enhances product visibility and reduces packaging waste and material costs by eliminating the need for partitions or dividers. The system is strong enough not only to support the weight of the products on the trays and withstand the vibration and impact forces that can occur during shipping, but also to withstand the weight of one or more units stacked on top. The system is particularly suited for shipping and displaying irregularly shaped items or items that cannot withstand vertical stacking forces, such as soft-packaged products, since the system can bear the entire stacking load.
It is understood that the embodiments of the invention described above are only particular examples which serve to illustrate the principles of the invention. Modifications and alternative embodiments of the invention are contemplated which do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the foregoing teachings and appended claims. It is intended that the claims cover all such modifications and alternative embodiments that fall within their scope.
