U.S. patent number 3,784,083 [Application Number 05/189,950] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-08 for tote tray.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Liberty Carton Co.. Invention is credited to Marlyn D. Johnson, James L. Pfaffendorf.
United States Patent |
3,784,083 |
Pfaffendorf , et
al. |
January 8, 1974 |
TOTE TRAY
Abstract
A collapsible tray constructed from a single blank of fiberboard
material folded and formed to provide an open top tray having a
relatively short, front end wall providing a front access opening,
and reinforced by a rigid rim extending around the entire, inner
periphery of the tray with the side legs of the rim extending along
the side walls of the tray in a downwardly and forwardly inclined
position. The front end of the inclined rim extends across the top
of the short, front end wall of the tray, and the rear end of the
rim is supported at a higher elevation coinciding with the top of
the rear end wall of the tray; and the side legs of the rim taper
inwardly towards each other towards the front of the tray to
provide for the snug positioning of the rim along the entire length
of the inclined side walls of the tray.
Inventors: |
Pfaffendorf; James L. (Maple
Grove, MN), Johnson; Marlyn D. (Minneapolis, MN) |
Assignee: |
Liberty Carton Co.
(Minneapolis, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
22699439 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/189,950 |
Filed: |
October 18, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/112; 229/164;
229/176; 312/259; 229/166; 229/178; 211/126.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
5/2038 (20130101); B65D 5/448 (20130101); B65D
5/22 (20130101); B65D 5/2047 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
5/20 (20060101); B65D 5/44 (20060101); B65D
5/22 (20060101); B65d 005/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/34R,34HW,1G,31I
;211/126,132,134 ;312/258,261,259 ;248/174 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Moorhead; Davis T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: George F. Williamson et al.
Claims
We claim:
1. A fiberboard tray formed from a single piece of cut and scored
fiberboard, comprising:
a bottom wall, a pair of opposed, upright side walls, and a pair of
opposed, upright end walls, the upper edges of said side and end
walls defining an open top of said tray, and one of said upright
end walls being shorter than the other one of said end walls;
a first pair of tuck flaps hingedly attached to said shorter one of
said end walls and folded inwardly therefrom in overlying relation
to said side walls at the front end of said tray adjacent said
shorter one of said end walls;
a second pair of tuck flaps hingedly attached to said other one of
said end walls and folded inwardly therefrom in overlying relation
to said side walls at the opposite, rear end of said tray, the
upper edges of said second pair of tuck flaps being at a higher
level than the upper edges of said first pair of tuck flaps;
and
a substantially rigid reinforcing rim extending around the entire,
inner periphery of said tray, said rim having side legs extending
along said side walls of said tray and supported in an inclined
position with their opposite ends resting on top of the upper edges
of said first and second pairs of tuck flaps.
2. A fiberboard tray as defined in claim 1 wherein:
the upper edges of said first and second pairs of tuck flaps
incline downwardly in a direction from said rear end of said tray
towards said front end, to thereby locate and support said rim in
said inclined position.
3. A fiberboard tray as defined in claim 1 wherein:
said opposed side walls angle outwardly and upwardly from said
bottom wall, whereby said tray will be wider at its top than at its
bottom to facilitate the nesting of one of said trays within the
other for stacking purposes; and
said side legs of said rim taper inwardly towards each other in a
direction from the rear towards the front of said tray, whereby the
front end of said wire rim will have a lesser, predetermined width
than the rear end of said rim and will fit snugly between the
opposed side walls of said tray at an elevation thereon below the
top edges of said side walls where the width between said side
walls is less than the width between said side walls at the tops
thereof.
4. A fiberboard tray as defined in claim 1 wherein:
said wire rim includes an end leg extending between said side legs
at said front end of said tray along the top of said shorter one of
said upright end walls, said end leg of said wire rim cooperating
with a notched opening in said shorter end wall to define a hand
opening, and to serve as a hand grip.
5. A collapsible tray formed from a single blank of cut and scored
paperboard material comprising:
a bottom wall, a pair of opposed, upright side walls inclined
upwardly and outwardly from fold line connections with said bottom
wall, and a pair of opposed, upright end walls, the upper edges of
said side and end walls defining an open top of said tray, and the
one of said upright end walls at the front of said tray being
shorter than the opposite, rear one of said end walls;
a pair of inwardly folded, upright flaps at each end of said tray;
and
a rigid, four-sided, reinforcing member supported within said tray
on top of said inwardly folded flaps in an inclined position with
one end supported adjacent the top of the rear end wall of said
tray, and the opposite end of said reinforcing member being
supported adjacent the top of said front, shorter end wall, said
reinforcing member having side legs which taper inwardly towards
each other in a direction from the rear towards the front of said
tray, whereby the front end of said reinforcing member will be
narrower than the rear end thereof and will be of a predetermined
width such that said reinforcing member will fit snugly between
said opposed, inclined side walls of said tray along substantially
the entire length thereof with the front end of said reinforcing
member being supported at an elevation below the top edges of said
side walls where the width of said tray is less than at the top
thereof.
6. A collapsible tray as defined in claim 5 wherein:
said pairs of inwardly folded flaps at the front and rear ends of
said tray are hingedly attached to said upright end walls of said
tray along fold lines and extend along said side walls.
7. A collapsible tray as defined in claim 5 wherein:
the upper edges of said opposed walls incline downwardly and
forwardly at the front end of said tray to juncture points with the
upper edge of said shorter, end wall at the front of said tray,
said reinforcing member having a front, end leg which extends
across the top of said front, shorter end wall with the front ends
of said side legs of said reinforcing member being disposed below
said inclined, forward edges of said tray side walls.
8. A collapsible tray as defined in claim 5 wherein:
said rigid reinforcing member includes a front end leg extending
between said side legs along the top of said front, end wall of
said tray, and the structure of said front end wall includes a pair
of laterally spaced, upright panels folded over the top of said
front end leg of said reinforcing member and secured in place with
said front end leg of said reinforcing member sand-wiched
therebetween.
9. A collapsible tray formed from a single blank of cut and scored
paperboard material comprising:
a bottom wall, a pair of opposed, upright side walls hingedly
connected to said bottom wall along fold lines, and a pair of
opposed, upright end walls, the upper edges of said side and end
walls defining an open top of said tray, and the upright end wall
at the front of said tray being shorter than the opposite one of
said end walls at the rear of said tray;
a rigid reinforcing rim of rectangular shape extending around the
entire, inner periphery of said tray, said rim being supported
above said bottom wall of said tray by inwardly folded flaps, and
said rim including a pair of opposed, front and rear end legs, said
front leg of said rim extending across the top of said shorter,
front end wall of said tray; and
the structure of said front end wall including a pair of laterally
spaced, upright panels folded over the top of said front end leg of
said reinforcing rim and secured in place with said front end leg
of said rim firmly sandwiched there-between by lock tab means;
and
an additional panel extending across the entire width of said front
end wall of said tray and folded inwardly over the top of said
laterally spaced, upright panels.
10. A collapsible tray as defined in claim 9 wherein:
said additional panel of said front end wall is centrally notched
to provide a hand grip opening and includes a central flap folded
inwardly, under said front end leg of said reinforcing rim and over
the bottom of said additional panel to a downwardly extending
position in locking engagement with a slot in said bottom wall of
said tray.
11. A collapsible tray as defined in claim 9 wherein:
said additional panel of said front end wall includes a pair of
tuck flaps hingedly connected to the opposite ends thereof along
fold lines, said tuck flaps being folded inwardly along the opposed
side walls of said tray and assuming an upright position in the
fully assembled condition of said tray, the upper edges of said
tuck flaps supporting the front end of said reinforcing rim at an
elevation coinciding with the top of said front end wall of said
tray with said front end leg of said rim extending across the top
of said front end wall; and
a pair of inwardly folded flaps at the rear end of said tray
supporting the rear end of said reinforcing rim at a location
coinciding with the top of said rear end wall of said tray, whereby
said reinforcing rim is supported in an inclined position with the
side legs of said rim inclined forwardly and downwardly towards the
front end of said tray.
Description
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a collapsible tray primarily intended
to be used in handling and sorting mail, and which can be easily
and quickly assembled from a collapsed condition to form a
relatively strong and rigid tray having sufficient strength to
withstand relatively rough handling.
These basic objectives have been realized by utilizing a single
blank of fiberboard material cut and scored in a predetermined
manner in order to be able to fold the fiberboard into the shape of
the tray which is open at its top, which has a shortened, front end
wall providing an access opening to the tray, and which is
reinforced by a wire rim extending around the entire, inner
periphery of the tray, with the front end leg of the wire rim
extending across the top of the front end wall of the tray.
Inwardly folded tuck flaps at the front and rear of the tray are
utilized to support the wire rim in an inclined position so that
the front of the rim is at the same elevation as the top edge of
the short, front end wall of the tray with the rear end of the wire
rim extending to the top of the rear, end wall of the tray.
As a particularly advantageous feature of the tray structure, the
side walls of the tray are inclined upwardly and outwardly from the
bottom wall to facilitate the nesting storage of one tray within
another; and the aforesaid reinforcing rim has its elongated side
legs tapered forwardly and inwardly towards each other. This
arrangement insures that the inclined reinforcing rim will fit
snugly between the inclined side walls of the tray over the entire
length of the tray with the narrow front end of the wire rim of a
predetermined width to fit securely between the narrower width of
the tray at an elevation on the opposed side walls below the top
edges thereof.
As a further beneficial aspect of the tray structure of this
invention, the aforesaid tuck flaps are provided with inclined
upper edges which angle downwardly in a direction from the rear of
said tray towards the front end thereof at a predetermined angle to
locate and support the reinforcing rim at the desired angle of
inclination.
To assist in locating and securely positioning the front end of the
reinforcing rim with a front end leg of the substantially
rectangular reinforcing rim extending along the top of the front,
end wall of the tray, the front end wall structure is formed to
include a pair of laterally spaced, upright panels which are folded
over the top of said front end leg of the reinforcing rim and which
are secured in place by means of lock tabs with the front end leg
of said reinforcing member sandwiched therebetween. The front wall
structure of the tray further includes an additional panel which
extends across the entire width of the front end of the tray and
which is folded inwardly over the top of the aforesaid, laterally
spaced, upright panels. A central notch in the front wall panel
provides a hand grip opening, the upper edge of which is defined by
the aforesaid front end leg of the reinforcing rim; and a central
falp folded inwardly and downwardly from the aforesaid hand opening
notch in the front end wall panel is provided with a lock tab which
is engaged within a slot in the bottom wall of the tray to assist
in securely holding the entire front end wall structure of the tray
in place.
These and other objects and advantages of our invention will become
readily apparent as the following description is read in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference
numerals have been used to designate like elements throughout the
several views.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top, plan view of the blank from which the fiberboard
tray of this invention is formed and assembled;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of the reinforcing rim for the tray;
FIGS. 3 through 7 are perspective views showing the tray in
successive stages of assembly; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the tray folded to its fully
assembled condition.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, we have shown a blank of material 1 cut
and scored as required to manufacture and assemble the improved
tote tray of this invention. Although various materials may be
utilized for making the tote tray, such as various forms of
paperboard, we have found corrugated fiberboard to be particularly
satisfactory for the mail handling purposes for which the tray is
primarily intended. Blank 1 includes a panel 2 which forms the
bottom wall of the tray, and a pair of opposed, side panels 4 and 6
which are folded to form upright, side walls for the tray. Each of
the side wall panels 4 and 6 is comprised of a pair of panel
sections 4a, 4b and 6a, 6b respectively. Panel sections 4a and 4b
are joined together along fold line 5, and panel sections 6a and 6b
are joined together along fold line 7. Also, each of the entire
side wall panels 4 and 6 are hingedly connected to bottom wall
panel 2 along fold lines 8 and 10 respectively. As is hereinafter
explained, side wall panels 4 and 6 are folded upwardly along fold
lines 8 and 10 and their panel sections 4a, 4b and 6a, 6b are
folded over to provide a double wall thickness for each of the side
walls. Lock tabs 12 and 14 on each of the side wall panels 4 and 6
are utilized to lock these side walls in place against bottom wall
2 utilizing receiving slots 16 and 18 positioned in alignment with
lock tabs 12 and 14.
The rear end of the tray is formed by a wall structure comprised of
inwardly foldable flaps 20 and an end wall panel 22 comprised of
panel sections 22a and 22b joined together along fold line 23. One
of the flaps 20 has a downwardly opening notch 24, and the other
flap 22 has a corresponding, upwardly opening notch 25 by means of
which these two flaps may be locked together when folded inwardly
to form a part of the rear end wall structure. Hingedly attached to
panel section 22a of end wall panel 22 along fold lines 27 are a
pair of tuck flaps 26 which are utilized to support a reinforcing
rim in a manner explained below. A handle flap 28 on end wall panel
section 22b, and a cooperating hand opening 29 in panel section 22a
combine to form a hand grip on the rear end wall when this wall is
fully assembled.
At the opposite, front end of the tray there is provided a front
wall structure comprised of a pair of laterally spaced panels 30
hingedly attached to side wall panels 4 and 6 along fold lines 31,
each of the panels 30 including a pair of panel sections 30a and
20b attached along fold lines 32. Each of the panels 30 further
includes a foldable lock tab 34. The front end wall structure is
further comprised of an end wall panel 36 made up of a pair of
panel sections 36a and 36b attached together along fold line 37.
Front end panel 36, like rear end panel 22 is hingedly attached to
bottom wall 2, and includes a friction tab 3 36c for holding it in
place in frictional engagement with bottom wall 2. Rear end wall 22
may also include a pair of friction tabs 22c. A pair of inwardly
foldable tuck flaps 38 attached to front end panel section 36a
along fold lines 39 are utilized in cooperation with tuck flaps 26
on rear end wall 22 to assist in holding a reinforcing rim in place
at a desired elevation. In the center of front end panel 36 is a
lock tab or flaps 40 hingedly attached to front end panel section
36b along score line 41, and which is used in cooperation with
receiving slot 42 in bottom wall 2 to assist in holding the entire
front end wall structure in place. A hand grip opening 44 is also
provided in front end panel 36 above lock tab 40.
For the purpose of reinforcing the tray, a reinforcing rim 46 shown
in FIG. 2 is inserted on the inside periphery of the tray. Rim 46
is of generally rectangular configuration, and may be made out of
any reasonably stront, self-supporting material such as metal or
rigid plastics. A wire rim has proven to be satisfactory for
reinforcing purposes in the tote tray. Rim 46 has a pair of side
legs 47 and 48 which taper inwardly towards each other for a reason
hereinafter explained, and which are joined at their opposite ends
by front and rear legs 49 and 50 respectively.
The manner of installing reinforcing rim 46 within the tote tray
may best be understood by reference to FIGS. 3 through 7 wherein
the assembly procedure for the tray is illustrated. As the first
step in assembling and forming the tote tray from blank 1, side
wall panels 4 and 6 are folded upwardly along hinge lines 8 and 10.
Rear end wall flaps 20 are then folded inwardly to the position
shown in FIG. 3, and are locked together by engaging downwardly
facing slot 24 within complementary, upwardly facing slot 25.
Handle flap 28 is then tucked backwardly against end wall panel
section 22b and held while folding rear wall panel 22 upwardly and
inwardly. Before this folding step of end wall 22, reinforcing rim
46 is placed in the partially folded tray in the manner shown in
FIG. 3 with wider end legs 50 thereof extending across the top of
end wall flaps 20. Flaps 20 are provided with notches 20a within
which the wider, rear end of reinforcing rim 46 rests. In this
manner, notched flaps 20 serve as a means of locating reinforcing
rim 46. Next, as is illustrated in FIG. 4, end panel 22 is folded
over the top of flaps 20 and over wire end leg 50 to an upright
position with tuck folds 26 simultaneously being folded inwardly so
that they will ultimately assume the upright position shown in FIG.
4 wherein they extend along upright side walls 4 and 6. Friction
tabs 22c engage bottom wall 2 and assist in holding the end wall
assmebly in place.
Rear end leg 50 of reinforcing rim 46 is then lifted upwardly
between panel sections 22a and 22b to the top thereof fitting it
snugly against the top edge of end wall panel 22, now defined by
fold line 23 so that side legs 47 and 48 of rim 46 rest upon the
top edges of tuck flaps 26. The upper edges of tuck flaps 26 are
angled so as to incline downwardly and forwardly from rear end wall
22 to support reinforcing rim 46 in an inclined position wherein
the front end leg 49 of rim 46 is supported at a lower level at the
front of the tray in a manner which may be best understood by
reference to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7.
The front end of the tray is assembled by first folding hinged
panels 30 inwardly to the upright position shown with respect to
one of the panels 30 in FIG. 5. In this position, panels 30 will
extend transversely of the tray. With the front end leg 49 of
reinforcing rim 46 lifted up, panels 30 are folded in half and are
swung inwardly under the front end of rim 46 so that the front
corners of rim 46 fit into notches 30c formed on panels 30. The
upper panel sections 30a of panels 30 are then folded outwardly
along fold lines 32 back over the top of front leg 49 of rim 46 in
the manner shown in FIG. 5 to a downwardly extending position.
Folded panels under are secured in place by tucking lock tabs 34
unde lower flap sections 30b in a friction fit between the lower
edge of flap sections 30b and bottom wall 2. In this manner, front
end leg 49 of rim 46 is firmly sandwiched between panel sections
30a and 30b, and is thereby secured against longitudinal
displacement with respect to the tray. Next, center lock flaps 40
of end wall 36 is folded inwardly, under front leg 49 of rim 46.
Front end panel 36 is then folded upwardly and inwardly over the
top of rim leg 49, and over panels 30. While folding front wall
panel 36 inwardly, lock tab 40 is inserted through hand grip
opening 44 thereof, and then folded downwardly into locking
engagement with slot 42 is bottom wall 2. In its locked position,
lock tab or flap 40 will extend downwardly over the bottom of panel
section 36b, and thus will act to hold the entire front wall
assembly securely in place in the desired upright position. The
engagement of friction tab 36c with bottom wall 2 also assists in
holding front wall panel 36 in its upright position of assembly.
Panel 36 extends across the entire width of the front end of the
tray, and cooperates with panels 30 in forming a reinforced front
end wall of multiple panel thickness.
As front end panel 36 is folded inwardly over rim leg 49, tuck
flaps 38 hingedly attached to the opposite ends thereof are held in
a rearwardly folded position to clear side walls 4 and 6. In the
completely assembled position of the front end wall structure, tuck
flaps 38 will assume the upright position shown in FIG. 7 wherein
they extend along side walls 4 and 6. The upper edges of tuck flaps
38 are inclined, and serve to support the front end of the side
legs 47 and 48 of reinforcing rim 46 at an elevation coinciding
with the top of front end wall 36. Front leg 49 of rim 46 thus
extends across the top of the front end wall of the tray, and
serves as a hand grip defining the top of a hand opening in
cooperation with opening 44 in end panel 36. Front end panel 36 is
shorter than rear end panel 22, and in its fully assembled, upright
position has a lesser height, so as to provide a front, access
opening to facilitate the placing of articles, such as mail in the
assembled tray. The angle of inclination of the top edges of tuck
flaps 26 and 38 is selected so as to properly support the
reinforcing rim 46 at the angle of inclination it will assume with
its rear leg 50 extending along the top of rear end wall 22 and its
front leg 49 extending across the top of shorter, front end wall
36.
As may be noted with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7, side wall panels 4
and 6 are provided with triangular flaps 52 at their front ends,
these flaps being folded inwardly against lower side panel sections
4b and 6b as illustrated in FIG. 7 to provide a smooth, inclined
front edge at the forward end of both of the side walls 4 and 6.
The forward, upper edges 52a of the side walls 4 and 6 incline
downwardly and forwardly to juncture points with the upper edge of
front end wall 36, as is illustrated with respect to the fully
assembled tray in FIG. 8. The front ends of reinforcing rim side
legs 47 and 48 are disposed below inclined, forward edges 52a of
the tray side walls. This arrangement provides for easy access to
the interior of the tray when depositing or removing articles.
The assembly operation is completed by folding side wall panel
sections 4a and 6a inwardly and downwardly along fold lines 5 and 7
and locking these side wall panel sections in place by inserting
lock tabs 12 and 14 within bottom wall slots 16 and 18. Side walls
4 and 6 are preferably folded upwardly to a position wherein they
angle or incline upwardly and outwardly from their fold line
connections with bottom wall 2 in order to facilitate the nesting
storage of one tray within another. The tapered configuration given
to reinforcing rim 46, wherein side legs 47 and 48 taper inwardly
and forwardly towards each other, as illustrated in FIG. 2, permits
this reinforcing rim to be snugly fitted between inclined side
walls 4 and 6 along their entire lengths. The angle of taper given
to rim side legs 47 and 48, and the predetermined width of front
end leg 49 are such that the width between side legs 47 and 48 will
coincide with the width between side walls 4 and 6 at all
elevations along these side walls where side legs 47 and 48 extend.
Thus, the width of front rim leg 49 is predetermined so that the
front end of rim 46 will fit snugly between side walls 4 and 6 at
an elevation below the top edges of said side walls where the width
between these walls is less than that at the top of the outwardly
inclined side walls 4 and 6.
With the tray fully assembled as illustrated in FIG. 8, the upper
edges of side walls 4 and 6, and end walls 22 and 36 define an open
top for the tray. Such a tray structure is particularly well suited
for the handling of mail, with pieces of mail being thrown into the
tray and easily removed therefrom. The use of reinforcing rim 46 in
the manner illustrated, with the rim extending around the entire
inner periphery of the tray greatly strengthens the tray, and
renders it able to sustain the rough handling encountered in mail
processing operations. Also, with side legs 47 and 48 of rim 46
extending along the entire length of the tray side walls, the side
legs of the rim assist in locating and holding the inclined side
walls 4 and 6 at the desired angle of inclination with panel
sections 4a, 4b and 6a, 6b folded over the top of rim legs 47 and
48. Maximum strength is realized from wire rim 46 by forming it so
that all of its leg segments 47, 48, 49 and 50 lie in a common
plane. If rim 46 were located so that side legs 47 and 48 extended
along fold lines 5 and 7 at the top of side walls 4 and 6, the
front end of side legs 47 and 48 would have to be bent downwardly
to conform to the shape of inclined front edges 52a of the tray
side walls. Such a bent rim structure would not have as much
strength in holding the assembled tray to the configuration shown
in FIG. 8, since the bent, front ends of the wire along inclined
edges 52a would tend to yield and bend forwardly when gripping the
front end of the tray by rim leg 49, with the tray fully loaded and
weighted. The planar rim 46 utilized as described above, and
installed with side legs 46 and 47 inclined along the length of the
tray side walls would not yield significantly when pulling pressure
is applied to front leg 49, and the tray is loaded.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the rim reinforced
tray structure as disclosed herein offers a particularly strong and
durable fiberboard tray assembly for use in rough handling
operations. We anticipate that various changes may be made in the
size, shape, and construction of the tray assembly disclosed herein
without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as
defined by the following claims.
* * * * *