1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stackable low depth tray for storing and transporting beverage containers, such as bottles.
2. Background Art
Bottles, particularly for soft drinks and other beverages, are often stored and transported in trays. The term “tray” as used herein includes trays, crates, cases, and similar containers having a floor and a peripheral side wall structure. As compared with other materials, plastic trays provide advantages such as strength, durability, and reusability. In order to minimize the storage space of trays, reduce their cost and weight, and promote display of the bottles contained therein, many trays are constructed to have shallow side and end walls. Such trays are generally 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 stacked on top.
In general, bottles go through a bottling facility and to the bottler's warehouse in the following order: the bottles are filled, sealed, loaded into trays, and then layers of trays are placed on pallets. Trays in successive layers are stacked or cross-stacked on top of each other, with the bottles bearing most of the load of above-stacked trays. The stacks of trays must be particularly stable in order to remain standing during the jostling inherent when the pallets are moved into and out of the warehouse.
Plastic bottles are widely used as containers for retailing soft drinks and other beverages. One type of plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), has become particularly popular because of its transparency, light weight, and low cost. In addition to being flexible, the walls of PET bottles are strong in tension and thus can safely contain the pressure of a carbonated beverage. Moreover, conventional PET bottles can bear relatively high compressive loads, provided that the load is directed substantially along an axially symmetric axis of the bottle. A single PET bottle can support the weight of many bottles of the same size filled with beverage if the bottle is standing upright on a flat, horizontal surface and the weight of the other bottles is applied to the closure of the single bottle and is directed substantially vertically along its symmetric axis. However, if a compressive load is applied to a conventional PET beverage bottle along a direction other than the symmetry axis of the bottle, the bottle may buckle, particularly for large capacity bottles such as the two-liter bottle widely used for marketing soft drinks.
Bottles can also tilt away from vertical alignment upon stacking if conventional partitioned trays having low side walls are used to contain the bottles. Tilted bottles in the lower trays of a stack can buckle, causing the stack to fall. Even absent buckling, the tendency of bottles to tilt in conventional low-sided trays causes instability and places an undesirably low limit on the number of tiers that can be included in a stack.
With the aforementioned issues regarding bottle stability and storage and handling processes in mind, there are several features which are desirable for the design of low depth bottle trays. Generally, low depth trays should have a wall structure that provides sufficient support for the bottles stored therein while also allowing the bottles to be visible for merchandising purposes. In addition, trays should be designed with structural features which enhance their stability when stacked and cross-stacked. Still further, the wall structure should have sufficient strength and rigidity to withstand handling. Lastly, the trays should be lightweight and be easy to manipulate and carry.
While some trays may partially fulfill these objectives, two important problems are encountered with current low depth trays. First, low depth trays are typically designed with a trade off between side wall strength, weight, and the degree of visibility available for the bottles stored within the tray. Second, the wall structure of current trays often requires a snug fit between the bottle pocket and the bottle to ensure stability, which limits the range of bottle diameters which can be retained in a stable stack.
Therefore, it is an object according to the present invention to provide an improved low depth tray for storing, transporting, and displaying beverage containers, such as bottles.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide a low depth tray for bottles that is structured for high strength as well as high visibility of the bottles contained therein.
It is yet another object according to the present invention to provide a low depth tray for bottles that provides greater support and stability of the bottles loaded in the tray.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide a low depth tray for bottles which is lightweight and easy to handle.
It is another object according to the present invention to provide a low depth tray for bottles that is easier and less expensive to manufacture.
Accordingly, a low depth tray for bottles is provided which includes a first pair of opposed walls, a second pair of opposed walls attached to the first pair of opposed walls to form a wall structure, and a base attached to the wall structure. At least one interior column projects upwardly within the wall structure, where the interior column has a height less than the height of bottles loaded in the tray. A plurality of interior divider walls of double-walled construction project upwardly from the base and extend between the one or more columns and the wall structure to form an interior grid structure. Together, the divider walls, columns, base, and wall structure define a plurality of bottle retaining pockets, where each pocket includes at least one divider wall and is sized to receive a single bottle therein.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tray is integrally molded of a plastic material. The wall structure has a double-walled construction and includes a lower wall portion having a substantially flat outer wall and a generally curved inner wall. The lower wall portion also includes a plurality of windows formed therein. In addition, the wall structure includes an upper wall portion having a plurality of upwardly projecting wall columns disposed between the windows. The wall columns and the one or more interior columns are substantially equal in height, and preferably extend a distance above the base of approximately one third of the height of bottles loaded in the tray. The wall columns and interior columns are substantially hollow, and include at least one curved surface contoured to the shape of bottles loaded in the tray. Likewise, the divider walls each include at least one curved surface contoured to the bottle shape. Furthermore, each column preferably includes an opening on the curved surface adjacent the base.
The interior columns are preferably substantially octagonal in shape, having four alternate sides with curved surfaces contoured to the shape of bottles loaded in the tray. Furthermore, the columns disposed along a transverse axis of the tray each include a transversely extending recess formed therein, preferably extending downwardly to the height of the outer wall structure.
Each of the second pair of opposed walls includes a handle including a cutout portion formed adjacent to the base and a slot formed above the cutout portion. With this handle configuration, a user's fingers can be inserted into the cutout portion and through the slot in a palm-up orientation, and into the slot and through the cutout portion in palm-down orientation.
The base includes an upper surface including a plurality of spaced bottle support areas, where each bottle support area forms part of a bottle retaining pocket. The bottle support areas each include a generally circular central portion and a concave perimeter portion which at least partially surrounds the central portion and is attached to at least one divider wall of the bottle retaining pocket. The bottle support areas also include apertures formed therein. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle retaining pockets are sized to receive two-liter bottles.
The base also includes a lower surface which includes generally circular, concave receiving areas having central retaining openings sized to receive bottle closures therein, where the receiving areas are operable to guide the bottle closures into the corresponding retaining openings. The concave receiving areas of the base lower surface are substantially aligned with the bottle support areas of the base upper surface, and the bottle retaining pockets within the tray have substantially equal center-to-center distances.
When the tray of the present invention is empty and is disposed in a stacked configuration with a like lower tray, the columns of the tray are adapted to receive at least a portion of the columns of the like lower tray and a lower surface of the outer wall structure of the tray is adapted to be supported on an upper surface of the wall structure of the like lower tray. When the tray of the present invention is loaded with bottles and is disposed in a stacked configuration with a like lower tray, the bottle retaining pockets of the tray are substantially aligned with the bottle retaining pockets of the like lower tray, and the receiving areas of the tray are adapted to receive the closures of bottles loaded in the like lower tray.
When the tray of the present invention is empty and is disposed in a cross-stacked configuration with an upper like tray, the column recesses are adapted to receive a portion of the wall structure of the upper like tray. When the tray of the present invention is loaded with bottles and is disposed in a cross-stacked configuration with an upper like tray, the bottle receiving pockets of the tray are aligned with the receiving areas of the upper like tray. In addition, the center-to-center distances between the bottle retaining pockets of the tray of the present invention and the bottle retaining pockets of an adjacent like tray abutting the wall structure are substantially equal.
The above objects and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Tray 10 is typically formed of various types of plastic or polymeric materials, such as high density polyethylene (HDPE), by an injection molding or other plastic molding process suitable to this application. As is well understood in the art, the wall thickness of base 12, walls 14, 16, 18, 20, and other components illustrated and disclosed herein may vary depending on the intended usage and other characteristics desired from tray 10. In the embodiment shown herein, tray 10 is rectangular having side walls 14, 16 which are relatively longer than end walls 18, 20. However, tray 10 of the present invention is not limited to a rectangular shape and may include side walls 14, 16 and end walls 18, 20 of equal length forming a tray 10 of square dimensions.
In a preferred embodiment, side walls 14, 16 and end walls 18, 20 have double-walled construction. The double wall construction of walls 14, 16, 18, 20 eliminates the variance in wall thickness, or draft, which can result during the molding of single thickness wall portions. Referring to
Referring again to
Columns 40, 42 are substantially hollow for reduced tray weight and also to permit empty trays 10 to stack and cross-stack as described below with reference to
Referring now to
Still further, as best shown in
Together, divider walls 52, columns 40, 42, base 12, side walls 14, 16, and end walls 18, 20 define a plurality of bottle retaining pockets 58, where each pocket 58 includes at least one column 40, 42 and at least one divider wall 52 and is sized to receive a single bottle therein. In greater specificity, the four curved surfaces 44 of each interior column 42 define portions of four bottle retaining pockets 58 and the four flat surfaces 46 separate these pockets 58 and are generally attached to an have a centerline coplanar with that of divider walls 52. The two curved surfaces 44 of each wall column 40 help define two separate and adjacent bottle retaining pockets 58, with the flat surface disposed between these two bottle retaining pockets 58. Lastly, the single curved surface 44 of wall columns 40 disposed in the corners of tray 10 belong to only one bottle retaining pocket 58. As such, four curved surfaces 44 on four separate columns 40, 42 form the four corners of a bottle retaining pocket 58.
The ratio of the length of side walls 14, 16 to the length of end walls 18, 20 is substantially equal to the ratio of the number of bottle retaining pockets 58 in the lengthwise direction to the number of bottle retaining pockets 58 in the widthwise direction. For example, the 8-bottle tray 10 depicted herein is twice as long as it is wide and holds bottles in a 4×2 relationship. In addition, bottle retaining pockets 58 of tray 10 are sized to receive two-liter bottles, as shown in
Referring now to the top plan view of
Perimeter portion 66 is contoured to the bottle shape (see
Referring now to
In addition to handles 70 provided on end walls 18, 20, handles 70 or an alternate handle configuration may be provided on side walls 14, 16 such that a gripping structure is disposed on each side of tray 10 for removing cross-stacked trays 10 from a pallet, since some of the cross-stacked trays 10 will have end walls 18, 20 facing the operator and some of the cross-stacked trays 10 will have side walls 14, 16 facing the operator (see
Turning next to the bottom plan view of
Receiving areas 80 of base lower surface 78 are substantially aligned with bottle support areas 62 of base upper surface 60, and correspond in number to the number of bottles that tray 10 is designed to retain. Furthermore, bottle retaining pockets 58 within tray 10 have substantially equal center-to-center distances, and the center-to-center distances between adjacent bottle retaining pockets 58 in adjacent trays 10 with abutting side walls are substantially equal.
As shown in the perspective view of
Turning now to
As an alternative to stacking, cross-stacking of trays is done by rotating a top tray 90 degrees about a vertical axis and lowering it onto a lower tray or trays (see
With reference to
Lastly, referring to
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
This application is a Continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/389,832 filed Mar. 27, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,549,539 issued Jun. 23, 2009, which is a Continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/836,045 filed Apr. 16, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,017,746 issued Mar. 28, 2006.
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Exhibit 1: Four photos of a prior art case of Rehrig Pacific Company, Model No. PLBC-8-2L-PET-QD (1984). |
Exhibit 2: Two photos of a prior art case of Rehrig Pacific Company for 3 liter PET bottles (1990). |
Exhibit 3: Two photos of a prior art case of D.W. Plastics (Date unknown). |
Exhibit 4: Two photos of a prior art case of International Container Systems, Inc. for 3 liter PET bottles (Date unknown). |
European Office Action for EP Application No. 02762006.1, Oct. 15, 2010. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20090223854 A1 | Sep 2009 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11389832 | Mar 2006 | US |
Child | 12468281 | US | |
Parent | 09836045 | Apr 2001 | US |
Child | 11389832 | US |