Beverage tray with de-stacking pads and improved stacking detents
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
B65D-021/00
B65D-085/62
출원번호
US-0254224
(2002-09-25)
발명자
/ 주소
Hammett,Roy
출원인 / 주소
Norseman Plastics, LTD
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
11인용 특허 :
3
초록▼
A beverage tray has a floor with peripheral, upstanding side and end walls for holding a plurality of containers of beverage, for example in six-packs. The floor has a plurality of downwardly projecting detents on its bottom surface for cooperation with the tops of beverage containers in a sub-adjac
A beverage tray has a floor with peripheral, upstanding side and end walls for holding a plurality of containers of beverage, for example in six-packs. The floor has a plurality of downwardly projecting detents on its bottom surface for cooperation with the tops of beverage containers in a sub-adjacent tray to impede free sliding movement of an upper tray over the beverage containers in a sub-adjacent tray to enable stable stacking of the trays, while at the same time enabling the upper tray to be slid over the cans in the lower tray to remove the upper tray from a stack of trays. The detents are rectilinear and present spaced, opposed, parallel, straight detents that define detent sets surrounding bottle top receiving areas. The upper edge of the side wall is smoothly sinusoidally curved to define spaced, alternating upper side wall sections and recessed areas. The side wall has an inwardly inclined, planar outer side wall panel, and a plurality of flat pads are on the outer side wall panel for cooperation with automated machinery used in the handling of the tray.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A beverage tray for holding a quantity of containers of beverage, said tray comprising: a tray floor having a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction, opposite side edges and opposite end edges, a top surface and a bottom surface and a plurality of spaced apart beve
What is claimed is: 1. A beverage tray for holding a quantity of containers of beverage, said tray comprising: a tray floor having a transverse direction and a longitudinal direction, opposite side edges and opposite end edges, a top surface and a bottom surface and a plurality of spaced apart beverage container seating areas distributed over the top surface; upstanding side and end walls extending upwardly from the floor and around the periphery of the floor for confining beverage containers supported on the floor; and spaced rectilinear detent means projecting downwardly from the underside of the tray floor a predetermined distance and presenting pairs of opposed, parallel, straight detent surfaces forming closure receiving areas for receiving the tops of beverage containers in a sub-adjacent tray when a plurality of trays holding containers of beverage are stacked on top of one another, said detent means forming unimpeded transverse and longitudinal channels that open through adjacent side and end edges of the tray, said detent means and channels cooperating with the tops of said beverage containers to impede free sliding movement of one tray over the tops of the beverage containers so that the trays can be stacked together in stable relationship, but at the same time enabling said one tray to be moved transversely or longitudinally with respect to the sub-adjacent tray when a laterally directed force is applied to said one tray to remove it from the stack of trays. 2. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said tray floor comprises a plurality of parallel, uniformly spaced apart, longitudinally and transversely extending orthogonally intersecting struts defining an open grid of rectangular configuration; and at least some of said detent means are formed on the underside of said struts. 3. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 2, wherein: said detent means include rectilinear formations supported by said transversely and longitudinally extending struts and having predetermined lengths in directions parallel to the plane of the tray floor and predetermined depths in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the tray floor. 4. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 3, wherein: said detent means comprise a plurality of detent sets distributed over the bottom surface of the tray floor, with a detent set disposed beneath each beverage container seating area, and each detent set defining a plurality of opposed pairs of parallel, straight detent sides. 5. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 4, wherein: said detent means include a first continuous, uninterrupted detent line extending along the longitudinal centerline of the tray bottom. 6. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 5, wherein: said detent means include second and third continuous, uninterrupted detent lines extending along respective transverse lines extending parallel to one another on opposite equally spaced sides of the transverse centerline of the tray. 7. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 6, wherein: said detent means includes a fourth line of spaced rectilinear detents extending along the transverse centerline of the tray, and fifth and sixth lines of spaced rectilinear detents lying along parallel transverse lines equidistantly spaced, respectively, on opposite sides of said second and third uninterrupted detent lines. 8. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 7, wherein: said lines of spaced detents and said lines of uninterrupted detents cooperate to define a plurality of said open channels free of detents extending transversely through opposite side edges of the tray from the longitudinal centerline thereof, and a plurality of said open channels free of detents extending longitudinally through opposite ends of the tray from the second and third lines, respectively, of uninterrupted detents. 9. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 8, wherein: the upper edges of the side walls are smoothly sinusoidally curved to define a plurality of alternating upper side wall sections and recessed areas. 10. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 9, wherein: the side walls comprise an inwardly inclined, planar outer side wall panel, and inner side wall panels on only the upper side wall sections, said inner side wall panels being perpendicular to the tray floor. 11. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 10, wherein: the upper edge of the end walls is recessed at opposite side edges thereof and across a substantial mid-portion, defining a pair of spaced apart upper end wall sections, said end wall having an inwardly inclined planar outer end wall panel, and inner end wall panels on only the upper end wall sections. 12. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 11, wherein: a plurality of spaced apart flat pads are on the outer side and end wall panels for machine handling of the tray. 13. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 12, wherein: one of said pads is located on an outer surface of each upper section of said side and end wall panels, said pads extending from a bottom edge of the respective side and end wall outer panel to a position spaced above the bottom of said recessed areas but below the top of said upper side and end wall sections. 14. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 13, wherein: a handle extends between the upper ends of said upper end wall sections. 15. A beverage tray for holding a quantity of containers of beverage, said tray comprising: a tray floor having transverse and longitudinal dimensions, side edges and end edges, a top surface and a bottom surface; upstanding side and end walls extending upwardly from the floor and around the periphery of the floor for confining beverage containers supported on the floor, upper edges of the side walls being smoothly sinusoidally curved to define a plurality of alternating upper side wall sections and recessed areas, and said side walls comprising an inwardly inclined, planar outer side wall panel extending from a bottom edge to the upper edge, and inner side wall panels on only the upper side wall sections, said inner side wall panels being perpendicular to the tray floor; and a plurality of raised, spaced apart flat pads on the outer side and end wall panels, extending substantially perpendicular to the plane of the tray floor and outwardly offset from the plane of their respective outer side and end wall panels, for machine handling of the tray. 16. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 15, wherein: said pads on the side wall panels are coplanar with one another and the pads on the end wall panels are coplanar with one another. 17. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 16, wherein: one of said pads is located on an outer surface of each upper section of said side and end wall panels, said pads extending from a bottom edge of the respective side and end wall outer panel to a position spaced above the bottom of said recessed areas but below the top of said upper side and end wall sections. 18. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 17, wherein: spaced rectilinear detent means project downwardly from the underside of the tray floor a predetermined distance and present pairs of opposed, parallel, straight detent surfaces forming pockets for receiving the tops of beverage containers in a sub-adjacent tray when a plurality of trays holding containers of beverage are stacked on top of one another, said detent means forming unimpeded transverse and longitudinal channels that open through adjacent side and end edges of the tray, said detent means cooperating with the tops of said beverage containers to impede free sliding movement of one tray over the tops of the beverage containers so that the trays can be stacked together in stable relationship, but at the same time enabling said one tray to be moved transversely and longitudinally with respect to the sub-adjacent tray when a laterally directed force is applied to said one tray to remove it from the stack of trays. 19. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 18, wherein: said tray floor comprises a plurality of parallel, uniformly spaced apart, longitudinally and transversely extending orthogonally intersecting struts defining an open grid of rectangular configuration; and at least some of said detent means are formed on the underside of said struts. 20. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 19, wherein: said detent means include rectilinear formations supported by said transversely and longitudinally extending struts and having predetermined lengths in directions parallel to the plane of the tray floor and predetermined depths in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the tray floor. 21. A beverage can tray as claimed in claim 20, wherein: said detent means comprise a plurality of detent sets distributed over the bottom surface of the tray floor, with a detent set disposed around each pocket, and each detent set defining a plurality of opposed pairs of parallel, straight detent sides. 22. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 21, wherein: said detent means include a first continuous, uninterrupted detent line extending along the longitudinal centerline of the tray bottom. 23. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 22, wherein: said detent means include second and third continuous, uninterrupted detent lines extending along respective transverse lines extending parallel to one another on opposite equally spaced sides of the transverse centerline of the tray. 24. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 23, wherein: said detent means includes a fourth line of spaced rectilinear detents extending along the transverse centerline of the tray, and fifth and sixth lines of spaced rectilinear detents lying along parallel transverse lines equidistantly spaced, respectively, on opposite sides of said second and third uninterrupted detent lines. 25. A beverage tray as claimed in claim 24, wherein: said lines of spaced detents and said lines of uninterrupted detents cooperate to define a plurality of said pathways free of detents extending transversely through opposite side edges of the tray from the longitudinal centerline thereof, and a plurality of said pathways free of detents extending longitudinally through opposite ends of the tray from the second and third lines, respectively, of uninterrupted detents.
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