U.S. patent application number 13/180108 was filed with the patent office on 2013-01-17 for corrugated paperboard laminate trays and displays.
This patent application is currently assigned to INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY. The applicant listed for this patent is Robert Dye. Invention is credited to Robert Dye.
Application Number | 20130015093 13/180108 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46457018 |
Filed Date | 2013-01-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130015093 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dye; Robert |
January 17, 2013 |
Corrugated Paperboard Laminate Trays and Displays
Abstract
A stackable display tray made of laminated plies of paperboard
includes first and second vertical walls extending upwardly from a
base wall. First and second upper ends of the walls have first and
second tips in line with first and second channels in a bottom of
the tray. The upper ends may be tapered. The tips may include tip
cross sections and the channels may include channel cross sections
with the tip cross sections generally conforming in size and shape
to the channel cross sections. The paperboard may be double walled
corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair
of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a
second one of the pair such as at 90 degrees. Product such as
bottles may loaded in the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap
film.
Inventors: |
Dye; Robert; (Montebello,
NY) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Dye; Robert |
Montebello |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY
Memphis
TN
|
Family ID: |
46457018 |
Appl. No.: |
13/180108 |
Filed: |
July 11, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/503 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47F 5/11 20130101; A47B
2220/0055 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/503 |
International
Class: |
B65D 21/00 20060101
B65D021/00 |
Claims
1. A stackable display tray comprising: a base wall and spaced
apart first and second vertical walls extending upwardly from the
base wall, the first and second vertical walls including first and
second upper ends having first and second tips respectively, open
first and second channels in a bottom of the tray and in line with
the first and second tips respectively, and laminated plies of
paperboard forming the base wall and the spaced apart first and
second vertical walls.
2. The tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: the first and
second upper ends being tapered, the first and second tips having
flat tops, and the open first and second channels having flat inner
surfaces.
3. The tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: the first and
second tips including first and second tip cross sections, the open
first and second channels including first and second channel cross
sections, and the first and second tip cross sections generally
conforming in size and shape to the first and second channel cross
sections.
4. The tray as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the paperboard
being double walled corrugated paperboard.
5. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the corrugated
paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent
ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of
the pair.
6. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising the corrugated
paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent
ones of the plies extending in a direction at a right angle to the
flutes of a second one of the pair.
7. The tray as claimed in claim 6 further comprising signage or
placards attached to an outside surface of one or both of the first
and second vertical walls.
8. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising: the first and
second upper ends being tapered, the first and second tips having
flat tops, and the open first and second channels having flat inner
surfaces.
9. The tray as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the corrugated
paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair of adjacent
ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a second one of
the pair.
10. The tray as claimed in claim 8 further comprising the
corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair
of adjacent ones of the plies extending in a direction at a right
angle to the flutes of a second one of the pair.
11. The tray as claimed in claim 4 further comprising: the first
and second tips including first and second tip cross sections, the
open first and second channels including first and second channel
cross sections, and the first and second tip cross sections
generally conforming in size and shape to the first and second
channel cross sections.
12. The tray as claimed in claim 11 further comprising the
corrugated paperboard including flutes of a first one of each pair
of adjacent ones of the plies angled with respect the flutes of a
second one of the pair or extending in a direction at a right angle
to the flutes of the second one of the pair.
13. The tray as claimed in claim 12 further comprising product
loaded in the tray and the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap
film.
14. The tray as claimed in claim 12 further comprising bottles
loaded in the tray and the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap
film.
15. A display comprising: stacked display trays, each of the
stacked display trays including a base wall and spaced apart first
and second vertical walls extending upwardly from the base wall,
the first and second vertical walls including first and second
upper ends having first and second tips respectively, open first
and second channels in a bottom of the tray and in line with the
first and second tips respectively, and laminated plies of double
walled corrugated paperboard forming the base wall and the spaced
apart first and second vertical walls.
16. The display as claimed in claim 15 further comprising flutes of
a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with
respect the flutes of a second one of the pair or extending in a
direction at a right angle to the flutes of the second one of the
pair.
17. The display as claimed in claim 16 further comprising: the
first and second upper ends being tapered, the first and second
tips having flat tops, and the open first and second channels
having flat inner surfaces.
18. The display as claimed in claim 15 further comprising: the
first and second tips including first and second tip cross
sections, the open first and second channels including first and
second channel cross sections, and the first and second tip cross
sections generally conforming in size and shape to the first and
second channel cross sections.
19. The display as claimed in claim 18 further comprising a base
supporting the stacked display trays.
20. The display as claimed in claim 19 further comprising the base
being metallic.
21. The display as claimed in claim 19 further comprising the base
being a bottommost one of the trays.
22. The display as claimed in claim 15 further comprising at least
a first one of the trays having a first height different from a
second height of the first and second vertical walls of at least a
second one of the trays.
23. The display as claimed in claim 22 further comprising a base
supporting the stacked display trays.
24. The display as claimed in claim 23 further comprising the base
being metallic.
25. The display as claimed in claim 23 further comprising the base
being a bottommost one of the trays.
26. The display as claimed in claim 22 further comprising flutes of
a first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with
respect the flutes of a second one of the pair or extending in a
direction at a right angle to the flutes of the second one of the
pair.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally stackable trays and,
more specifically, to such trays suitable for stacking and stacked
in displays.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Displays for use in retail environments for displaying
bottles and other items in grocery stores utilize fairly heavy
and/or environmentally undesirable materials, including, wood,
metal, and plastic. They often have an unwieldy number of parts and
require excessive amounts of assembly time and effort. Some
displays are not entirely satisfactory from the standpoint of
container strength, cost of manufacture, free standing stability,
ease of handling and, very importantly, material recyclability.
Corrugated paperboard can be susceptible to deformation in general
and, particularly, when used to support and display heavy articles
such as bottles of soda and the like. Plastic display trays are
typically made to hold one size bottle and are not easily disposed
of in an environmentally sensitive way.
[0005] It is desirable to have display trays with sufficient
structural support for stacking and for shipping of the trays
loaded with products, including, bottles such as bottles of soda.
It is also desirable to have such strong display trays that are
comprised of recycled materials, completely recyclable upon end of
useful life, refillable at retail outlets, and have a long useful
life. It is also desirable to have such strong display trays that
are easy and inexpensive to manufacture and displays made from such
trays that are easy to assemble. It is also desirable to have
displays assembled from such strong display trays that may be
loaded with various products having various sizes and shapes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A stackable display tray includes spaced apart first and
second vertical walls extending upwardly from a base wall. The
first and second vertical walls include first and second upper ends
having first and second tips respectively. Open first and second
channels in a bottom of the tray are in line with the first and
second tips respectively. The base wall and the spaced apart first
and second vertical walls are formed from laminated plies of
paperboard.
[0007] The first and second upper ends may be tapered and the first
and second tips and the open first and second channels may be
flat.
[0008] An alternative embodiment of the tray includes the first and
second tips having first and second tip cross sections and the open
first and second channels having first and second channel cross
sections. The first and second tip cross sections generally conform
in size and shape to the first and second channel cross
sections.
[0009] The corrugated paperboard may be a double walled corrugated
paperboard. The corrugated paperboard may include flutes where a
first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies angled with
respect to the flutes of a second one of the pair. The flutes of a
first one of each pair of adjacent ones of the plies may extend in
a direction at a right angle to the flutes of a second one of the
pair.
[0010] Signage or placards may be attached to an outside surface of
one or both of the first and second vertical walls. Product may be
loaded in the tray and the tray wrapped with plastic shrink wrap
film.
[0011] The trays may be stacked to form a display. A base may
support the stacked display trays and the base may be metallic or a
bottommost one of the trays. A first height of the first and second
vertical walls in at least a first one of the trays may be
different from a second height of the first and second vertical
walls in at least a second one of the trays.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The foregoing aspects and other features of the invention
are explained in the following description, taken in connection
with the accompanying drawings where:
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of a stackable
tray made from laminated plies of double wall corrugated
paperboard.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a top view illustration of substantially identical
plies used to make the stackable trays illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustration of a bottom of the
stackable tray illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a top view illustration of several nested
stackable trays of the type illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustration of a display made
by stacking the stackable trays of the type illustrated in FIG.
1.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustration of an alternative
display of the stackable trays with a metal base stand.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustration of a wrapped
stackable tray loaded with product for shipping.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a side view illustration of perpendicular flutes
in adjacent laminated plies in the stackable tray illustrated in
FIG. 1.
[0021] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustration of the
perpendicular flutes taken through 9-9 in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Illustrated in FIG. 1 is a stackable display tray 10 made by
gluing or otherwise adhering together multiple plies 12 of
preferably double walled corrugated paperboard 14 as illustrated in
FIG. 8. The tray 10 has a relatively rectangular horizontal base
wall 16 and spaced apart first and second vertical walls 18, 20
extending upwardly from spaced apart first and second distal ends
22, 24 of the base wall 16. The first and second vertical walls 18,
20 are perpendicular to the base wall 16 in the exemplary
embodiment of the tray 10 illustrated herein. Multiple plies 12 may
be cut from a single blank or sheet of paperboard as illustrated in
FIG. 2.
[0023] The first and second vertical walls 18, 20 are mirror images
and include first and second tapered upper ends 30, having first
and second tips 36, 38 respectively. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3,
open first and second channels 40, 42 in a bottom 44 of the tray 10
extend an entire depth D of the bottom 44. The first and second
channels 40, 42 are in line with the first and second tips 36, 38
respectively so that when the trays 10 may be stacked up with the
first and second tips 36, 38 of a bottom tray 50 received inside of
the first and second channels 40, 42 of an upper tray 52. In this
manner, the stackable trays 10 may be assembled into a display 54
such as those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. The first and second
channels 40, 42 may each include a flat inner surface 55 that
matches a flat top 57 of each of the first and second tips 36,
38.
[0024] The first and second tapered upper ends 30, 32 and the first
and second tips 36, 38 respectively are upper ends of the
longitudinally spaced apart first and second vertical walls 18, 20
that interlock with the open first and second channels 40, 42 in
the bottom 44 of the tray 10 to provide longitudinal stability
between stacked trays 10 in displays 54 such as those illustrated
in FIGS. 5 and 6. The first and second tips 36, 38 include first
and second tip cross sections 136, 138 that generally conform in
size and shape to first and second channel cross sections 140, 142
of the open first and second channels 40, 42 in order to provide
longitudinal stability.
[0025] An open space 74 between the first and second vertical walls
18, 20 and the bottom 44 of the tray 10 provides a very useful and
flexible area to place products such as bottles, cans, boxes, etc.
of product for display and shipping. The open space 74 preferably
has a rectangular shape to maximize its usefulness. Signage 17 or
placards can be attached to an outside surface 15 of one or both of
the first and second vertical walls 18, 20 of display tray as
illustrated in FIG. 1. The display 54 in FIG. 5 illustrates how the
trays 10 may be used to display bottles in the open space 74. The
display 54 in FIG. 6 illustrates how containers of different
products in different containers having different sizes and shapes
may be displayed in the open space 74. The different containers
illustrated in FIG. 6 include jars 80, boxes 82, and cans 84,
although this should not be seen as limiting the scope of the
disclosed tray and related display as the packing and display of
other products is contemplated and feasible.
[0026] Different trays 10 may have different heights H and a
bottommost 66 one of the trays 10 may used as a base 58 of the
display 54 as illustrated in FIG. 5. Alternatively, a metal base 60
illustrated in FIG. 6 or a base made of another material may be
used. The metal base 60 uses metal cross bars 64 that are received
inside of the first and second channels 40, 42 of the bottommost 66
one of the trays 10.
[0027] The trays 10 are nestable as illustrated in FIG. 4 and
several trays 10 may be nested together for shipping. The nested
trays 10 may have different heights H as illustrated by two of the
trays 10 having a short height H1 and two of the trays 10 having a
tall height H2. One of the trays 10 having the short height H1 may
be used as the base 58 of the display 54. The stackable trays 10
used to form one or more displays 54 may be shipped unstacked and
nested together.
[0028] Trays 10 may be loaded with product such as soda bottles 70
and wrapped with material such a plastic shrink wrap film 68 for
shipping as illustrated in FIG. 7. The loaded trays may then be
unwrapped and easily stacked to form a display. Thus, the tray may
be used for shipping product as well as displaying the product
either individually or stacked and assembled in a display as
illustrated herein.
[0029] The trays 10 can be readily recycled using existing paper
recycling methods which are currently available extensively. The
laminated paperboard trays 10 offer the longevity of displays made
from metal and plastic without the disadvantages and expense of
tooling and manufacture. Displays made from the stackable laminated
paperboard trays are capable of supporting weights far in excess of
typical corrugated paperboard displays.
[0030] The corrugated paperboard 14 used in the tray 10 is
preferably double walled with a kraft finish, which was chosen for
its sustainability properties. Corrugated paperboard is often made
of recycled paper and most commonly includes outer and inner liners
and a corrugating or fluted medium layer glued between the liners.
This sandwich-type construction gives corrugated board its
excellent rigidity and structural strength as well as its unique
cushioning characteristics. Each tray 10 is illustrated herein as
being made from substantially identical plies 12 as illustrated in
FIG. 2. The plies 12 are glued or otherwise adhered together to
form the laminated trays 10. Cold glue or hot melt may be used for
gluing or adhering.
[0031] Preferably, flutes 21 of a first one 23 of each pair 29 of
adjacent ones of the plies 12 extend in a direction at a right
angle A (90 degrees) or is perpendicular to the corrugated flutes
21 of a second one 27 of the adjacent ones of the plies 12 as
illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9. Perpendicularity of the corrugated
flutes 21 provide additional strength for the tray 10. The flutes
21 of the first one 23 of each pair 29 of adjacent ones of the
plies 12 may be angled with respect to the flutes 21 of the second
one 27 of the adjacent ones of the plies 12 at other than a 90
degree angle in order to provide additional strength for the tray
10.
[0032] While there have been described herein what are considered
to be preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present invention,
other modifications of the invention shall be apparent to those
skilled in the art from the teachings herein and, it is therefore,
desired to be secured in the appended claims all such modifications
as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Accordingly, what is desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the
United States is the invention as defined and differentiated in the
following claims.
* * * * *