U.S. patent number 3,648,909 [Application Number 05/067,044] was granted by the patent office on 1972-03-14 for carrying tray.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation. Invention is credited to Warren R. Wisecarver.
United States Patent |
3,648,909 |
Wisecarver |
March 14, 1972 |
CARRYING TRAY
Abstract
A tray with a pivot support in each corner with carrying handles
on the opposite ends of the tray being foldable on said pivots to
the bottom of the tray and which can be extended into upright
position for carrying a loaded tray. Each end structure for the
pivots forms a downwardly open nesting pocket and an upwardly
extended nesting flange so formed that the trays with the folded
handles can be nested one on top of the other. Each pivot is so
positioned relatively to the handle and the bottom of the tray that
the pivot flange of the handle bears against the bottom in the
upright position. Each handle has a central opening with opposite
curved edge flanges to form a grip, and in the preferred form has a
bracing flange adapted to the clamp over the top nesting flange of
the adjacent end member.
Inventors: |
Wisecarver; Warren R. (Walnut
Creek, CA) |
Assignee: |
Bishop-Wisecarver Corporation
(Pittsburgh, PA)
|
Family
ID: |
22073359 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/067,044 |
Filed: |
August 26, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
294/169; 206/506;
294/172 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
21/0226 (20130101); B65D 7/26 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
21/02 (20060101); A47g 023/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;214/1.5R
;224/48R,48B,48D,48E,48F,45G,45P ;108/91 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Forlenza; Gerald M.
Assistant Examiner: Forsberg; Jerold M.
Claims
I claim:
1. In a carrying tray having a tray portion with sides and foldable
handles at opposite ends of the tray portion,
the improvement of
a pivot support in each corner of the tray portion, comprising
an end strip substantially at right angles to the adjacent side
forming said corner, said end strip extending along the adjacent
end of the tray,
a flange along each edge of each handle,
a bearing portion on the end of each flange adjacent said
corner,
a pivot spaced from the adjacent end and extended through said side
and through said bearing portion of said handle flange at said
corner,
said handle being foldable about said pivot away from said end and
inwardly of the tray thereby to lie above the bottom of the tray in
folded attitude,
a top nesting flange on the outside of each end strip,
a coacting nesting flange facing toward the bottom of each end
being nestable on a similar top nesting flange of another tray,
a nesting portion of each handle adapted to be nested in the
upright position of said handle on said coacting nesting flange of
a tray stacked thereon,
said edge flanges being so formed relative to the top of the
respective handles as to direct the stacked load on the handle
outwardly relative to the adjacent tray end.
2. The improvement specified in claim 1, and
said pivot being spaced from the bottom end of said bearing portion
in the upright position of said handle to about the same distance
as from the bottom of the tray whereby the bottom edge of the
handle flange bears against the bottom of the tray in said upright
position of the handle.
3. The improvement specified in claim 2, and
said coacting nesting flange forming a pocket on the outside of the
adjacent end and being open toward the bottom.
4. The improvement specified in claim 1, and
said top nesting flange and said coacting nesting flange
including
a spacer flange extended from each end strip outwardly,
a substantially perpendicular wall extended upwardly from said
spacer flange so as to project to above said end strip,
and a wall extended downwardly from said spacer flange spaced from
said end strip to form a nesting pocket.
5. The improvement specified in claim 4, and
a top nesting flange extending from said substantially
perpendicular wall,
and clamping means extended from said handle for engagement with
said top nesting flange in the upright position of said handle.
6. The improvement specified in claim 5, wherein said clamping
means consists of an outwardly extending horizontal flange with a
lip along its free edge adapted to be snapped over said top nesting
flange thereby to hold and brace said handle.
7. The improvement specified in claim 5 and
each handle having an opening,
cross-sectionally curved lips along the top of each handle and
along the top edge of said opening, curved oppositely toward one
another and spaced so as to form a grip portion on said handle.
8. The invention specified in claim 7, and
said clamping means including,
a clamping flange extended outwardly from said handle in
substantial registry with and for engagement with said top nesting
flange in the upright position of said handle thereby to hold and
brace said handle in said upright position,
and a clamping lip on said clamping flange adapted to be sprung
over said top nesting flange.
9. The improvement specified in claim 8, and a bearing portion of
each end strip extending over the respective adjacent sides at said
corners forming part of the pivot supports.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The general type of carrier tray with foldable handles is shown in
patent of Widenhofer U.S. Pat. No. 1,006,328, and of Barefoot U.S.
Pat. No. 2,747,748 showing two types of foldable handles on such
carrier trays. The disadvantages of the prior trays are that they
are not adapted to carry taller articles, such as milk cartons, and
the various moving parts project in such a manner as to wear or
damage the cartons adjacent to them. Furthermore, the handles are
not biased outwardly so as to be suitably braced to render them
firmer to support stacked trays in extended or upright positions of
the handles.
The advantages of the present invention are the pivot support for
the handles in such a manner that the parts do not rub or wear and
damage packages such as milk cartons and wherein the end members
forming the parts of the pivot support also form the top and bottom
nests for nesting the collapsed carrier trays securely and the top
nest is adapted to be engaged by the adjacent handle in the upright
position so as to hold and brace the handle which latter is biased
outwardly. The top portion of each handle is formed into a grip and
fits into the bottom or lower nest of the end member so as to nest
the loaded trays stacked one upon the other securely, firmly
pressed, and positively prevented from inward movement or
collapsing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the carrier
tray partly in section.
FIG. 2 is a fragmental cross-sectional view of trays stacked on one
another.
FIG. 3 is a fragmental sectional detail of the end member with the
top and bottom pockets.
FIG. 4 is a fragmental face view of one of the end members.
FIG. 5 is a fragmental sectional view of one of the pivots of the
handle.
FIG. 6 is a fragmental top view of the tray itself.
FIG. 7 is a fragmental side view of the tray member itself.
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken on lines 8--8 of FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view the section being taken on lines 9--9 of
FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a perspective fragmental view of one end of a
modified form of the tray.
FIG. 11 is a sectional fragmental view of the pivot support for the
modified form.
FIG. 12 is a detailed view of the end member of the modified
form.
FIG. 13 is a fragmental face view of the end member of the modified
form.
FIG. 14 is a sectional fragmental view of the modified form of the
trays stacked attitude.
FIG. 15 is a sectional detailed view of one of the handles of the
modified form.
FIG. 16 is a fragmental face view of the handle shown in FIG.
15.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the preferred form of the tray there is a bottom 1 formed with
suitable spaced longitudinal ribs 2. Longitudinal sides 3 are also
provided with suitable reinforcing ribs 4. At each end of each side
3 there is provided pivot support 6 to pivotally support a handle
7. Each handle 7 is provided with a pivot flange 8 along each
perpendicular edge thereof in the upright position of the handle 7.
The pivoted end 9 of each pivot flange 8 is enlarged into a bearing
portion to accommodate a pivot 11, which latter in turn extends
through the adjacent portion of the side 3 near the adjacent corner
of the tray. Each pivot 11 is spaced from the abutment end 12 of
the pivot end 9 of the pivot flange 8 about the same distance as
the distance between the pivot and the bottom 1 of the tray so that
in the upright position of the handle the abutment end 12 abuts the
tray bottom 1 at each corner thereby to transmit the load of
stacked trays from the respective pivots 11 to the reinforced
bottom 1 of the tray.
The pivot support also includes an end member 13 which extends
along each transverse edge of the tray bottom 1. Each end member 13
has a pivot flange 14 at each end thereof welded to the inside face
of the adjacent end of the longitudinal side 3 so as to accommodate
the pivot 11 therein and thereby to reinforce the pivot
bearing.
Each end member 13 includes an end strip 16 with a bottom flange 17
extended along the underside of the ribbed bottom 1 and being
fixedly held in place, for instance by welding. From the top of the
end strip 16 extends a spacer flange 18 outwardly of the tray and
has a substantially perpendicular upward flange 19. To the outside
of the upward flange 19 and spaced from the end strip 16 is secured
a longitudinal plate 21, a portion of which forms a downward flange
22 opposite to and spaced from the end strip 16 to form a bottom
next 23. The upper portion of the plate 21 forms an upward wall 24
entending considerably above the end strip 16 to form the top nest.
The upper end of the wall 24 has a seating flange 26 bent from its
upper edge back toward the tray and substantially parallel with the
spacer flange 18.
As shown in FIG. 2 in the collapsed position of the handles 7, the
bottom pocket 23 of the stacked tray is in engagement with the top
of the wall 24 and the seating flange 26 so that the upper tray is
securely held in stacked position.
Each handle 7 has a comparatively large substantially rectangular
opening 31 cut out. The top edge of each handle 7 is bent over
toward the tray, and the adjacent edge of the opening 31 is bent
oppositely upwardly. The curved grip flanges 32 form a suitable
rounded hand grip for carrying the tray by its handles. The upper
grip flange 32 can be nested in the bottom nest 23 of the next
stacked tray as shown in FIG. 2. Reinforcing or bracing flanges 33
extend outwardly of the tray from the perpendicular edges of the
opening 31 and are tapered so as to terminate in a clamping flange
34 spaced from the pivot 11 the same distance as the vertical
distance between the seat flange 26 and the pivot 11 so that in the
upright position the clamping flange 34 rests on the seating flange
26. A lip 36 on the outer edge of the clamping flange 34 is so
spaced from the face of the handle 7 that it tightly springs over
the outer edge of the seating flange 26 thereby clamping the handle
in upright position. The perpendicular pivot flanges 8 are slanted
so as to converge upwardly toward the top of each handle 7 thereby
to bias the handle 7 outwardly of the tray. The load of stacked
trays in the upright position of the handles 7 is transmitted
through the bottom pocket nest 23 on to the nesting flange 26 and
the load on the handle is also transmitted through the flange 34 on
to the seating flange 26 thereby to distribute the strain and
stress more or less evenly on the strongest and most reinforced
portions of the tray.
The modified form of the tray shown in FIGS. 10 to 16 inclusive has
a handle 41 on which the edge or pivot flanges 42 are so formed
that the handle is slanted outwardly of the tray and the bearing
end of each flange is pivoted substantially in the manner
heretofore described. Each end piece 43 has a bottom flange 44
welded to the adjacent bottom 1 of the tray and has an end wall 46
extending along the adjacent end of the tray so slanted as to be
engaged by the correspondingly slanted edge of the pivot end of the
flange 42. From the upper end of the wall 46 extends outwardly a
spacing flange 47 on which can be seated a bottom flange 44 of the
next stacked tray. On the upper end of the spacing flange 47 is a
nest member 48 which is substantially semicircular in cross section
so as to form a nest which can be nested on the top grip flange 32.
The end wall 46 also has pivot flanges 49 extended over the
adjacent longitudinal sides 3 to accommodate the outer end of the
pivot 11.
* * * * *