The present invention relates to a stackable low depth tray for storing and transporting beverages containers, such as bottles.
Plastic bottles are widely used as containers for soft drinks and other beverages. These bottles are often stored and transported in trays, particularly plastic trays. There are many known tray designs that are referred to as “low depth” trays in which the side and end walls are lower than the height of the stored bottles, and in which the bottles support the weight of additional trays and bottles stacked thereon.
The present invention relates to a stackable low depth tray for storing and transporting beverages containers, such as bottles.
A tray includes a base, a pair of opposed side walls extending along side edges of the base and a pair of opposed end walls extending along end edges of the base. A central lateral divider extends between the side walls. The central lateral divider has a width approximately twice a width of the side walls to permit cross stacking. The central lateral divider includes a pair of spaced-apart divider walls and at least one center rib between the divider walls.
Each end wall may include a hollow end column having an outer wall flaring laterally outwardly to define a handle and then longitudinally outwardly to form a lip at the lowermost edge of the handle.
Each side wall may include hollow side columns. The tray may include corner columns at corners of the tray, and an upper bar and a lower bar connecting adjacent pairs of the side columns and connecting side columns to corner columns.
A tray 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in
A center lateral divider 30 divides the bottle pockets into two groups of four, where the groups are spaced apart from one another by a width equal to twice the width of the outer wall of the tray 10, such that loaded trays 10 could be cross-stacked with the bottles aligned. A central column 32 projects upwardly from the center of the center lateral divider 30. The central column 32 is generally the same height as the side walls 40 and end walls 42. The center lateral divider 30 includes a generally horizontal upper wall 36 and a pair of spaced-apart divider walls 34, each partially defining an adjacent pocket.
The tray 10 includes side walls 40 and end walls 42. The central column 32 is generally the same height as the side walls 40 and end walls 42. The side walls 40 include hollow side columns 44 formed along sides of the tray 10. Corner columns 46 are formed at the corners of the tray 10. End columns 48 are formed at ends of the tray 10. The side columns 44 each include an outer wall 50 partially defining an outer surface of the side wall 40 and an inner wall 52, spaced inwardly from the outer wall 50. Angled walls 54 lead to the inner wall 52 and partially define the bottle-receiving pockets.
Similarly, end columns 48 include an outer wall 84, inner wall 58 and angled walls 60 that partially define the bottle-receiving pockets. Corner columns 46 include an outer wall spaced outwardly from an inner wall 56 that partially defines bottle-receiving pockets.
The side walls 40 further include an upper bar 62 and a lower bar 64 connecting adjacent side columns 44 and connecting side columns 44 to corner columns 46. The upper bar 62 and lower bar 64 are spaced apart to define a window adjacent each bottle-receiving pocket to provide visibility to the bottle label. The upper bar 62 includes an upper horizontal rib 68, which extends around the entire periphery of the tray 10. Each upper bar 62 further includes a lower horizontal rib 70 and an inner wall 72 from which the upper and lower horizontal ribs 68, 70 project outwardly. As shown, each upper bar 62 opens outwardly from the tray 10.
Each lower bar 64 includes an outer wall 76 and an inner wall 80 extending downwardly from an upper wall 78. Thus, the lower bar 64 opens downwardly and provides a smooth exterior surface while the vertically oriented outer wall 76 and inner wall 80 of the lower bar 64 provide rigid reinforcement along the longitudinal axis of the tray 10. The inner wall 80 is concave facing inwardly to further define a bottle-receiving pocket. The outer walls 50 of the side columns 44 do not extend below the lower bar 64, to define a lower portion (roughly half) of the tray 10, which is narrower than the upper portion of the tray 10.
The end walls 42 include the end columns 48, which have outer walls 84, which flare laterally outwardly as they extend downwardly. Each outer wall 84 then flares longitudinally outwardly to form a lip at its lowermost edge where a handle 86 is defined.
As shown in
The upper edge of the tray 10 and the upper edges of the columns 32, 44, 46, 48 are aligned at or just above the middle large diameter portion of the bottles B. The lower edge of the handle 86 is aligned with the lower tapered portion 208 of the bottles B and slightly above a narrowest diameter portion of the lower tapered portion 208 by approximately the width of a finger. This provides the maximum clearance for a person to grasp the handle 86 to carry the tray 10.
Referring to
Referring to
In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes and jurisprudence, exemplary configurations described above are considered to represent a preferred embodiment of the invention. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/184,768, filed Jun. 5, 2009.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61184768 | Jun 2009 | US |