The present application claims the benefit of priority under 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/702,879, filed Jul. 27, 2005, which is hereby incorporated, in its entirety, herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to stackable, open-topped, partially-lidded, and/or fully-lidded shipping and/or display container, and more particularly to a corrugated paperboard stackable container for shipping and displaying products such as, for example, agricultural produce.
2. Prior Art
Containers made from corrugated paperboard are commonly used for shipping and storing various products, including agricultural produce. One preferred container includes a bottom wall, opposite side walls, opposite end walls, and an open top. Stacking tabs on the upper edges of the side and/or end walls engage in slots or openings in the bottom of another tray when the trays are stacked on top of one another to achieve stacking stability. These trays offer good stacking strength and stability, and also provide excellent product presentation due to the open top, and the side panel surfaces that permit display of graphics and the like. Further, recent improvements to these trays have included inwardly inclined side or end panels with correspondingly inclined stacking tabs to provide greater resistance to nesting or telescoping of stacked trays, and to allow units to be easily palletized.
Typically, these trays are formed from a single blank of corrugated paperboard scored with score lines or cut lines, and folded into a finished tray by automated machines or by hand. Machine forming can be accomplished in a continuous in-line process involving cutting, scoring and folding the trays from continuous sheets of paperboard. In order to achieve a desired stacking strength in conventional produce trays, different weights (thicknesses) of material are used in the construction of the tray.
Conventional produce trays have inner and outer side wall panels that form square outer corners and angled or diagonal inner corners. The diagonal inner corners extend into the tray interior space and limit to a certain extent the type, style or number of clamshell grape lugs, for example, that can be placed in the tray.
It would be desirable to have a tray with the advantages of the conventional produce tray, but that uses less material in its construction and has interior space to accommodate commonly used clamshell grape lugs, for example. Further, it would be desirable to have a tray or shipping and/or display container that is capable of having either a partially-lidded or fully-lidded feature that allows ventilation and/or access of goods contained therein to the consumer and protects the goods at the same time while in transport and/or during stacking.
The present invention is a produce style tray with improved stacking strength and increased interior space, while requiring less material to make than prior art trays. The tray of the invention has inner and outer wall panels that form diagonal corners both inside and outside the tray. In one embodiment, the diagonal corner is single ply and is formed on an outer side wall panel, thus increasing the interior space of the tray while maintaining the diagonal corner configuration, and in another embodiment the inner and outer wall panels each has diagonal corner panels, thus forming double ply diagonal corners.
The trays according to preferred embodiments of the invention are formed from blanks of corrugated paperboard cut and scored to form a bottom panel with an end wall panel foldably joined to opposite end edges thereof. Opposite outer side wall panels are foldably joined to the opposite side edges of the bottom panel, and an inner side wall panel is foldably joined to the outer or upper edge of each outer side wall panel. A minor flap is foldably joined along a pair of spaced apart fold lines to each of the opposite ends of at least the outer side wall panels. These minor flaps comprise sealing flaps that are secured relative to respective end wall panels, and the spaced apart fold lines of each pair define between them diagonal corner panels in the erected tray.
In one embodiment, diagonal corner panels are formed only in the outer side wall panels. Provision of the diagonal corner panels in the outer side wall panels moves the diagonal corner panels farther out relative to the interior of the tray, thus increasing the interior space over that available in conventional produce trays, wherein the diagonal corner panels are formed on the inner wall panels. Additionally, the outer side wall panels may be devoid of minor flaps extending from their ends, reducing the amount of material required to produce the tray.
In another embodiment, minor flaps are foldably joined along pairs of spaced apart fold lines to opposite ends of both the inner and outer side wall panels, forming diagonal corner panels on both the inner and outer side wall panels, resulting in double ply diagonal corners. This construction permits a lighter weight material to be used in forming the tray, while achieving the same strength as obtained in conventional trays that require a heavier weight material.
In both embodiments, at least the bottom edges of the minor flaps can extend at an acute angle relative to the bottom edges of the respective side wall panels, whereby when the panels are folded to form an erected tray, the side walls are inwardly inclined, or lean in at their top edge, thus defining a smaller footprint at the top of the tray than at the bottom and helping to prevent an upper tray from telescoping or nesting into a lower tray when the trays are stacked on top of one another.
Additionally, the stacking tabs formed on the upper edges of the side and/or end walls extend coplanar with the respective side and/or end wall, i.e., the stacking tabs are inwardly inclined or lean in at the same angle as the respective side and/or end wall, and are adapted to be received in and captured by slots or openings in the bottom of another tray.
In a preferred construction, bendable tongues project into the tab-receiving slots from one side thereof and help define a friction lock mechanism to hold the stacking tabs in the slots.
The foregoing, as well as other objects and advantages of the invention, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
Referring to
Locking tabs 31, 32 and 33 project from the free edge of panels 16 and 17, this free edge being the bottom edge in an erected tray. Locking tabs 34 also project from one side edge of the minor flaps 27 and 28, and corresponding locking tabs 35 project from one side edge of minor flaps 24 and 25. These side edges correspond to the bottom sides of the minor flaps in an erected tray. In addition, locking tabs 36 and 37 project from opposite ends of the free edge of each of roll-over panels 22 and 23.
Slots or openings 38, 39 and 40 are provided in the bottom panel closely adjacent to or contiguous with the respective fold lines 14 and 15, in positions to receive the locking tabs 31, 32 and 33 when the panels are folded into operative erected position, and similar but larger openings 41 and 42 are formed in opposite ends of the bottom panel closely adjacent to or contiguous with the fold lines 20 and 21, in positions to receive the locking tabs 34, 35, 36 and 37 on the minor flaps and on the roll-over panels, respectively, when the tray is erected. These locking tabs and slots function to hold the tray in its erected position.
Cut-outs 45 and 46 are made in the material of the inner and outer side wall panels, spanning the fold line between them, leaving connecting webs 47 and 48 that form stacking tabs 49 and 50 (see, e.g.,
Stacking tab-receiving openings 51 and 52 are formed in the bottom panel at opposite ends thereof adjacent to or contiguous with the fold lines 20 and 21 for receiving the stacking tabs 49, 50 on a subjacent tray when the trays are stacked on top of one another.
Bendable tongues 53 project into the openings 51 and 52 from the side thereof opposite the respective fold lines 14 and 15 and with the openings and stacking tabs form a friction locking mechanism that securely but releasably holds the stacking tabs in the openings. Crushed areas 54 may be formed in the material of the blank along the side of the openings 51 and 52 opposite the side from which the tongues project, to provide additional clearance for stacking tabs extended into the openings.
Short relief cuts 60 preferably are made in the material of the blank along opposite sides of all the other openings formed in the bottom panel, defining somewhat flexible or bendable tabs or tongues in each of these openings to facilitate insertion of the locking tabs into the openings.
To erect a tray from the blank of
It will be noted that each of the minor flaps 24, 25, and 27, 28 extend at a slight acute angle relative to the length axis of the respective side wall panels, and the outermost fold line 29 of the pair of fold lines joining minor flaps 27 and 28 to their respective inner side wall panels also is disposed at a corresponding angle. Accordingly, when the panels are all folded into their operative erected positions, the side wall panels are slightly inwardly inclined toward their upper edge.
The resulting conventional tray (not shown) has square outer corners defined by the single fold lines 26, and diagonal inner corners defined by the pairs of fold lines 29 and 30.
It will also be noted that in the particular example shown, the end wall panels 18 and 19 and the associated roll-over panels 22 and 23 have less height than the side wall panels 12, 13 and 16, 17, and the minor flaps 24, 25, 27 and 28 have recessed areas or cut-outs 65, 66 in their upper edges where the roll-over panel engages them. This construction provides a ventilation opening 70 (see, e.g.,
A first embodiment of a blank for making a tray according to the invention is indicated generally at 80 in
A tray 90 made from the blank of
A second embodiment of a blank for making a tray according to the invention is indicated generally at 100 in
A third embodiment of a blank for making a tray according to the invention is shown at 120 in
The stacking tabs can be positioned on either the end panels or the side panels and either the side walls or the end walls can be inwardly inclined. Further, the tray can be sized to be modular (half-sized or full sized) to allow interlocking with other trays that have stacking tabs properly positioned. The tray also can be made in various sizes (footprints) to accommodate two tabs per side or end or one tab per side or end.
The present invention also relates to a tray and/or container with the advantages of the conventional produce tray and/or the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention and further has either a fully-lidded or partially-lidded feature that allows ventilation and/or access of goods contained therein to the consumer and protects the goods at the same time while in transport and/or during stacking.
In an additional aspect of the invention, a blank generally referred to as 150 is shown in
When the blank 150 is constructed, the lid panel 151,152 may be in an open or closed position.
The size of each lid panel 151,152 may be of any size and shape, so long as when the lid panel 151,152 is in the closed position it is spaced above at least a portion of the interior space provided by the tray/container. In a preferred embodiment as shown in
The lid panels do not contain the locking tabs 36 and 37 because the lid panels do not serve the same function as the roll over panels 22 and 23 mentioned above. Therefore, there may not be any locking of the lid panels into the openings 41 and 42 as mentioned above because at least a portion of the lid panel, as defined above, does not roll over to a position that is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the bottom panel 11. One preferable self locking feature is shown as 170 (
The dimensional relationships of the self locking feature 170 can best be seen with particular reference to
The self locking feature may contain a fold over flap 160 that is defined by cut lines 161, 162, and 163. In this embodiment, the cut lines are such to define a fold-over flap 160 that is approximately trapezoidal in shape. However, the use of more or less cut lines may be implemented to promote any shape or size of the fold over flap 160. The fold over flap 160 is folded downwardly alongside a surface of the end panel 18,19, and/or in the alternative, a surface of the minor flap 27,28 and/or the major flap 24,25, so as to help position and secure the end wall panel 18/19 and the lid panel 151,152 in the properly erected from when the lid panel is in either the open or closed position. The fold over flap 160 contains at least one heel 164 that, when erected to place the lid panel 151,152 in either the open (see
It is preferable to use the self locking feature 170 with a notch 180 in which the web 153 resides and/or with which the web 153 is engaged, when the self locking feature 170 is folded to be operable for securing the end panel 18,19 and the lid panel 151,152 in the open and/or closed position. When the blank/tray/container contains a notch 180 (See
When the lid panel 18,19 is positioned in either the open or closed position, the hook 184 on each flap 24,25,27,28 may point toward and/or away from the inner 12,13 and outer 16,17 side wall panel connected with the minor 27,28 and/or major flap 24,25. Thus, when the fold over flap 160 is folded inwardly and downwardly over the in-turned minor and/or major flaps 24,25,27,28 and the associated end panel 18/19 and when the web 153 is pulled down into the notches 180, at least a portion of the fold over panel 160 is engaged beneath the hook 184. When the hook 184 points toward the inner 12,13 and outer 16,17 side wall panel to which the associated the minor 27,28 and/or major flap 24,25 flap is joined, any outwardly directed force on the inner 12,13 and outer 16,17 side wall will tend to pull the associated minor 27,28 and/or major flap 24,25 flap and hook 184 toward the fold over flap 150 or web 153, tightening the engagement the portion of the web 153 beneath the hook 184, and securing the web 184 against displacement from the notch 180, thereby preventing/reducing the tendency for release of the fold over flap 160. It should be noted that while the hook 184 may be constructed in any manner, size and/or shape, a preferably construction of the hook 184 is rounded, having a tapered lead-in 185 that facilitates movement of the edge of the web 153 past the hook 184.
The lid panel may also contain at least one fastening feature 200. The fastening feature may be located anywhere within the lid panel 151,152, but preferably towards the outer edge 207/208 of the lid panel 151,152. The fastening feature 200, when folded in the operable structure, is used to fasten and secure the lid panel, when positioned in its closed position. In a preferred embodiment the lid panel is spaced above and/or on the top edge of at least one of the inner and outer side walls 12,13,16,17 and/or end walls 18,19. In an alternative, the lid panel 151/152 may be fastened and/or secured to a top edge of the major and/or minor flaps 24, 25, 27, 28. While the above are a preferred embodiments, the fastening feature 200 may be used to fasten the lid panel 151,152 to any surface of the blank/tray/container so long as the surface to which the lid panel 151,152 is fastened contains a means for receiving the fastening feature 300, preferably a receiving tab 301 that positions the lid panel 151,152 in its closed position. The receiving tab 301 may be a further means to aid in the stacking of folded trays/containers. More preferably, at least one receiving tab 301 is located at the top edge of at least one of the side walls 12, 13, 16, 17 and/or end walls 18,19; or, at a top edge of the major 24,25 and/or minor flaps 27,28. The receiving tab 301 may be the result of a cut out in the blank 45. In a preferred embodiment, the tab is formed from at least one connecting web 47,48 See
The above mentioned fastening feature 200 may be any fastening feature 200 so long as it serves the function of securing/fastening at least one lid panel 151/152 to at least one surface of the tray/container. In a preferred embodiment, the fastening feature 200 contains a fastening flap 202/203 having an outer side edge 204/205 that projects farther away from the center of the bottom panel 11 than an outer side edge 207/208 of the lid panel 151/152. In an alternative embodiment, the fastening flap and the lid panel may share the same outer edges. More preferably, the lid panel 151,152 contains a plurality of fastening features 200, most preferably two fastening features 200. When a plurality of fastening features are present, it is preferred that at least two are located towards the outer side edge 207,208 of the lid panel 151,152. In a preferred configuration of the blank, the fastening features 200 are positioned such that a distance between an outer side edge 204 of a first fastening flap 202 and that of an outer edge 205 of a second fastening flap 203 is greater than the distance between the outside edges 207 and 208 of the lid panel 151,152. In an alternative embodiment, the distance between an outer side edge 204 of a first fastening flap 202 and that of an outer edge 205 of a second fastening flap 203 is approximately equal to the distance between the outside edges 207 and 208 of the lid panel 151,152. In a further alternative embodiment, the distance between an outer side edge 204 of a first fastening flap 202 and that of an outer edge 205 of a second fastening flap 203 is less than the distance between the outside edges 207 and 208 of the lid panel 151,152.
Another embodiment of the fastening feature 200 includes a cut out portion 209 (See
Another embodiment of the fastening feature 200 includes a fastening tab 210. When the lid panel 151,152 is in the closed position, the fastening tab 210 functions to provide friction force against a side of the means for receiving the fastening feature 300 so as to provide greater fidelity of interlocking the fastening feature 200 with the means for receiving the fastening feature 300. In the preferred embodiment, the fastening tab 210 is formed from cut lines 211, 212, and 213. Although the fastening tab may be any size and shape, in the preferred embodiment, cut lines 211 and 212 are positions to be approximately perpendicular to the outer side edge 207,208 of the lid panel 151,152. While cut line 213 may be of any shape, it is preferably to be in the form that creates a fastening tab that has a greater distance between the outer edges 214 and 215 of the fastening tab 210 and the outer edges 204,205 of the fastening flap 202,203 than the distance between the middle edge 217 of the fastening tab 210 and the outer edges 204,205 of the fastening flap 202. In the preferred embodiment, when the tray/container is constructed so that the lid panel 151,152 is in the closed position, the fastening flap 202,203 is folded towards the receiving tab 301 and then outwardly (away from the interior of the tray/container) and downwardly over the outside surface of the outer side panel 12 such that the receiving tab 301 penetrates into the opening left by the cut out portion 209, e.g. a locked position (see
The above-mentioned lid panel, fastening feature, self-locking feature and means for receiving the fastening feature embodiments should be understood to be able to be utilized with any blank/tray/container/packaging system, including those containing 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or even greater sides. Further, those tray/container/packaging system's that contain at least one inner and at least one outer wall may include these embodiments, especially those having an inner/outer wall corner configuration as follows: square/square, diagonal/diagonal, square/diagonal and diagonal/square. Any one or more of the above configurations may be used in the tray/container/packaging system that contains the above embodiments. For example, an eight-sided tray/container/packaging system having at least four corners may have at least four corners of the diagonal/diagonal inner/outer wall configuration. Alternatively, an eight-sided tray/container/packaging system having at least four corners may have at least three corners of the diagonal/diagonal inner/outer wall configuration and at least one corner of the diagonal/square configuration. The above examples are not meant to be limiting in any fashion. Further, in the above examples and embodiments, a square corner is one in which at least one side wall and at least one end wall contact each other to form a corner having about an angle of about 90°. Further, in the above examples and embodiments, a diagonal corner is one in which at least one side wall and at least one end wall contact each other to form a corner having about an angle that is greater than about 90°. This is only representative and not meant to be limiting in any manner.
In other embodiments the width of the side and end walls, as well as the major and minor flaps may be smaller or larger than what is described herein. If larger, then the inside space of the constructed tray/container/packaging system would increase in volume. One example of such a conventional tray/container/packaging system is represented in US Published Patent Application 2006-0091194 having U.S. Ser. No. 11/303,898, filed Nov. 19, 2005, which is hereby incorporated, in their entirety, herein by reference.
In additional alternative embodiments, at the lid panel 151,152 may have a width and/or length that is equal to or less than half the width and/or length of the bottom panel 11. In an additional embodiment, the blank may contain two lid panels, each having a width and/or length that are each approximately equal to half the width and/or length of the bottom panel 11; thus creating approximately a fully-lidded tray/container when the tray/container is erected from the blank and both lid panels 151,152 are in the closed position; which may placed the lid panels 151,152 about parallel to the plane of the bottom panel 11. In a further embodiment, the blank may contain two lid panels 151,152, each having a width and/or length that are each equal to less than half the width and/or length of the bottom panel 11 (but still have a width and/or length that is greater than about 1 inch); thus creating approximately a partially-lidded tray/container when the tray/container is erected from the blank and both lid panels 151,152 are in the closed position, preferably the lid panels 151,152 are positioned about parallel to the plane of the bottom panel 11.
In a further alternative embodiment, the lid panels 151,152 contain at least one self-locking feature; and, the lid panel 151,152 may also contain at least one locking tab 36/37 in the case that a portion of the lid panel 151,152 does roll over to a position that is approximately perpendicular to the plane of the bottom panel 11, performing a similar function as the roll over panel 22,23. In the alternative, the fastening feature may further contain at least one locking tabs 36,37, enabling it to perform a similar function as the roll over panel 22,23. The performance and function of the roll over panel is discussed above.
In a further alternative embodiment, the blank/tray/container of the present invention may contain a plurality of self locking features 170. However, it is preferable that each lid panel 151,152 contain at least one, preferably two, self locking features 170. Of course, there will preferably be a number of notches 180 that equal the number of self locking features 170 present in the tray/container, although there also may be more or less. However, the blank may preferably contain more notches 180 than self locking features 170 due to when there are multi-wall embodiments and the notches within each wall should preferably align up approximately squarely when the blank is constructed into the corresponding tray/container. The notches may be of any size and positioned anywhere. Although, it is preferable that the notches are positioned such that when the blank is folded in its operable form, a notch positioned and contained by the major flap is aligned with a notch that is positioned and contained by the minor flap 27/28. In order to accomplish this in the preferred embodiment of the blank, the notch of the minor flap 27/28 is preferably approximately a mirror image of the notch of the major flap 24/25.
It should be noted that the walls (end or side) of the tray/container may contain more than one end panel and/or more than one minor flap panel and/or more than one major flap panel and/or more than one side wall panel folded therein, as well as any combinations thereof to form a muli-layered wall configuration. The multilayered or multiwalled end wall may have at least 2 walls, preferably three or more. Further, portions of the walls may be multiwalled, while other portions are single walled structures. In addition, the end walls may be longer and/or wider than the side walls. Further, end wall panels may be longer and/or wider than the side wall panels. Further, the side walls may be longer and/or wider than the end walls. Further, side wall panels may be longer and/or wider than the end wall panels. Accordingly, the relative length and width of the side and end walls may be of any relative length and width.
Further, while not required, it is preferred that the blank/tray/container have vent holes located therein. For example,
While the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to one or more preferred embodiments thereof, it is not the intention of the Applicants that the invention be restricted to such detail. Rather, it is the intention of the Applicants that the invention be defined by all equivalents, both suggested hereby and known to those of ordinary skill in the art, of the preferred embodiments
Number | Date | Country | |
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60702879 | Jul 2005 | US |