U.S. patent number 3,732,976 [Application Number 05/133,074] was granted by the patent office on 1973-05-15 for package for fragile articles.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Packaging Corporation of America. Invention is credited to Clifford H. Bessett, Theodore H. Misdom.
United States Patent |
3,732,976 |
Bessett , et al. |
May 15, 1973 |
PACKAGE FOR FRAGILE ARTICLES
Abstract
A package for fragile articles is provided which includes a
container having a bottom surface delimited by upright walls, and a
plurality of article-loaded trays arranged in a compact, stacked,
superposed relation and disposed within the container. Each tray
has a plurality of article accommodating pockets separated by
struts. The struts of a tray are in vertical alignment with the
pockets of the trays disposed immediately above and below. The
peripheries of the stacked trays are adapted to be vertically
supported by the adjacent walls of the container thereby preventing
sagging of certain of the peripheral pockets during storage or
transporting of the loaded container.
Inventors: |
Bessett; Clifford H. (South
Holland, IL), Misdom; Theodore H. (Lansing, IL) |
Assignee: |
Packaging Corporation of
America (Evanston, IL)
|
Family
ID: |
22456893 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/133,074 |
Filed: |
April 12, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/499; 206/564;
229/120.32; 206/503; 217/26.5; 206/521.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
81/133 (20130101); B65D 1/36 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
81/05 (20060101); B65D 81/133 (20060101); B65D
1/36 (20060101); B65D 1/34 (20060101); B65d
071/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;217/26.5 ;229/2.5,42
;206/65R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Lowrance; George E.
Assistant Examiner: Marcus; Stephen
Claims
We claim:
1. A package for fragile articles comprising a container having a
substantially horizontal bottom delimited by upright walls; and a
plurality of relatively stiff article-loaded trays arranged in
stacked, horizontal, substantially superposed relation within said
container, the height of the stack being substantially coextensive
with the height of the container walls; each tray having a
peripheral configuration closely approximating the area delimited
by said container walls and including a continuous upwardly
extending peripheral flange, a plurality of laterally spaced,
article-receiving pockets, said pockets being recessed a
substantial distance from a given horizontal plane defined by the
upper edge portion of said flange, and a plurality of strut
portions disposed intermediate and separating said pockets, the
strut portions of one tray being in substantial vertical alignment
with the pockets of the tray disposed therebeneath, each strut
portion having the upper surface thereof contoured to provide a
centrally disposed elongated hump and broad bandlike shoulders
extending laterally from opposite sides of said hump, segments of
the upper surface of the strut portions being substAntially
coplanar with said given horizontal plane; the under surface of
each strut portion being contoured whereby the broad bandlike
shoulders extend divergently downwardly from the under surface of
said hump and are adjustable about said hump as an axis and
yieldably engage in a slinglike relation the exterior of an article
disposed therebeneath; said peripheral flange having segments
thereof engaging the adjacent container walls whereby said segments
being vertically supportable by said container walls and said tray
remain in substantially parallel relation with respect to said
container bottom; the engagement between said container wall and
said flange segments being elevated relative to areas of engagement
between the under surfaces of the strut portions of one tray and
the exterior of the articles accommodated by a second tray disposed
therebeneath.
2. The package of claim 1 wherein each tray of the stack is of like
construction and successive trays of a stack are turned 180.degree.
relative to one another.
3. The package of claim 2 wherein each pocket of a tray has a
substantially oval configuration and the longitudinal axes of the
pockets are in parallel relation with respect to a given wall of
said container.
4. The package of claim 1 wherein each tray is of molded pulp
construction.
5. The package of claim 1 wherein the upper surface segments of the
strut portions comprise the upper end limits of said humps.
6. The package of claim 1 wherein said pockets are arranged in a
plurality of elongated, substantially parallel rows with the
pockets in one row being in staggered relation with the pockets in
an adjacent row.
7. The package of claim 1 wherein said given horizontal plane is
defined by the upper edge of said continuous peripheral range.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the packaging of a plurality of fragile articles, such as
perishable fruits or the like in a single shipping container,
difficulty is oftentimes encountered in preventing or minimizing
bruising or defacing of such articles while the loaded container is
being stored or transported. Various methods of packaging have
heretofore been employed such as bag packing, bulk packing in
shipping containers, and pre-packing relatively few articles in
small individual trays. Obviously, the incidents of bruising in bag
packing are very high and, therefore, such method is not widely
used where a large number of perishable articles are involved.
Pre-packing in small individual trays, on the other hand, is
frequently done by the retailer at the place of sale, because, if
done by the packer, it might be too time-consuming and costly and
would materially reduce the quantity of articles that could be
accommodated in a shipping container of standard size. Thus, in
most instances, the method of packaging such articles is by bulk
packing wherein an outer container of standard size and usually of
corrugated material, is utilized and the articles are disposed
therein in a plurality of layers parallel to the base of the
container and with the layers being separated from one another by
trays. The tray used for such a purpose is normally of molded pulp
or similar material and is provided with a plurality of recessed
pockets, each of which is adapted to accommodate an article.
Because of the relative disposition of certain pockets adjacent the
periphery of each individual tray being in a substantially
unsupported state with regard to the loaded tray disposed
therebeneath, there is a tendency, after a short period of time,
for these peripheral pockets to sag causing the articles
accommodated therein to be loosely held, and thus, movable relative
to the pockets and to make repeated contact with the adjacent
container side walls as the container is subjected to normal
handling. By reason of such repeated contact with the container
side wall, serious bruising in the case of fruit, or defacement or
damage to the articles is likely to occur.
Furthermore, in many prior methods of bulk packing of fruit, the
trays utilized were not readily capable of accommodating fruit,
which would vary to a substantial extent both in size and shape,
and thus, oftentimes the loaded trays would extend above the open
top of the outer container to such an extent that excessive
compressive force was required to close the container thereby
causing an inordinate amount of bruising of the top layer of fruit.
While a snug pack is desirable, excessive compressive closing force
is to be avoided.
In still other prior methods of bulk packing of fruit or the like,
the outer dimensions of the shipping containers utilized are such
that said containers could not be readily grouped and placed on a
standard 40" .times. 48" pallet without substantial exterior
portions of the containers overhanging the pallet periphery. Thus,
in the past, positioning of such loaded pallets in truck trailers
or railroad cars frequently has become a troublesome and awkward
operation. Where trays have heretofore been utilized in the bulk
packing of fruit or the like, such trays are oftentimes inherently
weak and thus, are unsuitable for mechanical handling when
loaded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a method
of bulk packaging of fruit or the like which is not beset with the
aforenoted shortcomings associated with the aforedescribed prior
methods.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a package for
fruit or the like which is of simple and inexpensive construction,
and eliminates or materially reduces bruising of the accommodated
fruit.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a package
which is of compact size and yet is capable of handling a bushel
weight of the fruit being packed.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a tray
adapted for use in the bulk packing of apples or the like, which is
capable of being manually or mechanically handled when loaded
without becoming distorted.
Further and additional objects will appear from the description,
accompanying drawings and appended claims.
In accordance with one embodiment of the invention a package for
fragile articles, such as apples, is provided which includes an
outer container having a flat bottom surface delimited by upright
walls. Disposed within the container are a plurality of loaded
trays arranged in stacked, superposed relation. Each tray is
provided with a peripheral flange which delimits a plurality of
recessed, horizontally spaced fruit-accommodating pockets.
The periphery of each tray closely approximates the area delimited
by the container's upright wall and the trays are so designed that
the fulcrum point of pivot from one tray bearing on the fruit of
another tray in the pack, in the areas where the trays are not
supported equally by the fruit below, prevents the unsupported
areas of the tray from sagging past their contact areas with the
container's upright walls.
DESCRIPTION
For a more complete understanding of the invention reference should
be made to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of one form of the improved
package with the cover therefor removed.
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 2--2 of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 3--3 of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 4--4 of
FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 1, but showing a first modified form of
improved package.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 6--6 of
FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 7--7 of
FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along line 8--8 of
FIG. 5.
FIG. 9 is similar to FIGS. 1 and 5, but showing a second modified
form of tray.
FIG. 10 is similar to FIGS. 4 and 6, but showing the trays of FIG.
9 loaded and placed within an outer container.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1, one
form of the improved package 10 is shown for accommodating fragile
articles A such as apples or the like, see FIG. 2. The improved
package 10 is particularly suitable for the bulk handling of fruit
where bruising or defacing thereof during normal handling of the
package is eliminated, or materially reduced.
Besides protecting the accommodated fruit, it is important that the
package be of compact design, capable of supporting a standard
bushel shipping weight (e.g., approximately 43 pounds for apples),
and also have an exterior dimension whereby like packages may be
readily grouped and positioned on a standard size (e.g., 40"
.times. 48") pallet without exterior portions of the grouped
packages overhanging the periphery of the pallet.
The improved package includes an outer container 11 preferably
formed of conventional double-faced corrugated board. Various other
materials such as solid paperboard, wood, metal, or plastic may be
utilized; however, because of the low cost, high strength, and
ready availability of corrugated board, the latter is the preferred
material for the container 11.
The container 11 is normally of rectangular design and has a
substantially flat bottom surface 12 delimited by upright side and
end walls 13. The upper edges of the walls may be provided with
closure flaps, not shown, or a separate telescoping cover, not
shown, either of which may be used to close the container
subsequent to the latter being loaded.
Disposed within the container 11 are a plurality of loaded trays 14
arranged in stacked, superposed relation. The trays, commonly
referred to as apple trays in the trade, are normally formed of
molded paper pulp, thermoformed foam plastic material (e.g.
expanded polystyrene) or variations thereof. Regardless of the
material utilized, the tray should be relatively stiff and yet,
soft enough to provide a cushioning effect for the accommodated
fruit A. Each tray 14 is provided with a plurality of recessed
apple-accommodating cells or pockets 15 of substantially oval-shape
so as to conform generally to the configuration of the portion of
the apple disposed within the pocket. In tray 14, all of the
pockets thereof have the elongated axes thereof extending in
substantially the same longitudinal direction so that when the
loaded trays are placed within the container, the axes will be
substantially parallel to the interior surface of the container
side walls. When an apple is placed in a pocket, which is normally
a manual operation, the stem and calyx end thereof are
substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pocket.
Each pocket 15 is recessed approximately 1 5/16 inches from a plane
16 of the tray which is delimited by an upwardly projecting
peripheral flange 17, see FIG. 2. The extent to which the pockets
are recessed relative to plane 16, will vary and depend upon the
type of fruit or fragile articles A being accommodated by the
trays.
In the illustrated embodiment, tray 14 is provided with twenty
pockets 15 arranged in five rows of four pockets each. The rows are
in parallel relation and the pockets of successive rows are
arranged in staggered relation.
Adjacent pockets of a row are separated from one another by a
saddlelike strut 18. The pocket and strut configurations may be
generally of the type disclosed in Pesut U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,003.
As seen in FIGS. 2 and 4, each strut 18 includes a centrally
disposed upwardly projecting hump or rib 18a which, in the FIG. 1
embodiment, is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axes of
the adjacent pockets 15 of the row. The hump 18a substantially
spans the distance between the adjacent pockets of the row and may
be of solid material, see FIG. 2. The thickness of the hump is
normally greater than the thickness of the material forming the
walls of the pockets and thus, said humps facilitate denesting of
the trays when empty trays are arranged in nested relation to form
a bundle. Extending laterally downwardly from opposite sides of the
hump are broad bandlike shoulders 18b, the outer edges of which
terminate at adjoining pockets of adjacent rows. The underside of
the shoulders 18b, when loaded trays are arranged in stacked
relation, engage in a slinglike manner a substantial peripheral
portion of the apple accommodated in the tray below, see FIG.
2.
The hump 18a serves several functions: (a) it provides a fulcrum
about which the shoulders may bend, if required, to more readily
conform to the surface configuration of the apple engaged thereby;
(b) it adds stiffness to the tray and thereby minimizes distortion
thereof, when loaded; and (c) during forming of the tray, may
provide support for the central portion of the tray during drying
thereof, and thus, prevent warpage which might otherwise occur
particularly when the tray is formed of molded pulp.
The peripheral flange 17 of the tray 14 provides overall stiffness
to the tray and defines an area which is closely akin in
configuration to the bottom surface 12 of the outer container 11 or
the area defined by the container walls 13. Sufficient clearance is
provided, however, between the tray periphery and the container
walls 13 so as to enable each tray to be positioned within the
container with the plane of the tray substantially parallel to the
bottom surface. As aforementioned, in prior tray constructions
utilized for this purpose, excessive fruit bruising became a
serious problem, particularly as to the fruit accommodated in
certain of the corner pockets of the tray. This difficulty as to
these pockets was due, in part, at least to the fact that such
pockets were shallow and, after a short period of time, they began
to sag because of inadequate vertical support. Once sagging had
occurred, the fruit became loosely accommodated in the peripheral
pockets and repeatedly contacted the side and end walls of the
container even though the latter was subjected to normal handling.
The repeated contact with the walls caused the fruit to incur
multiple bruises and scars, and thus, seriously impair the
marketability of such fruit.
The illustrated tray 14 readily avoids these problems by increasing
the effective depth of the peripheral pockets by reason of the
substantial upward projection of the flange 17 and by sizing the
periphery of the tray relative to the interior shape of the outer
container so that flexing of the corner pockets B and C is
restrained by the peripheral flange 17 engaging at X the interior
surface of the container wall.
Because of the shape of the pockets, there is a natural tendency
for the corner pockets to flex about a point 20 located in an area
where contact occurs between the apple disposed in the tray below
and the underside of the corner pockets in question, see FIGS. 4
and 6. The point 20, in each instance, is disposed beneath the
plane defined by the upper edge of flange 17 and the location X
where engagement occurs between the flange 17 and the container
wall. By reason of the contact at X, vertical support for the
periphery of the tray is provided by the wall, and thus, the tray
will remain in a substantially horizontal plane and cause the fruit
to be snugly accommodated within the container. The height of the
flange 17 is such that it will have a portion thereof interposed
the container wall and the exterior of the accommodated fruit.
As is common in trays of this general type, two of the opposed edge
portions of each tray are provided with finger holes 21 which
facilitate removal of the loaded trays from the container by the
retailer. Furthermore, such holes may provide some ventilation for
the packed articles while disposed within the outer container
11.
In package 10, all of the trays 14 are of like construction and
thus, it is necessary when forming the package that each successive
tray be turned 180.degree. relative to the preceding tray so that
the pockets of the lower tray will be in vertical alignment with
the struts of the upper tray.
In forming package 10, an empty tray is placed within the container
so that it rests upon the bottom surface 12 and with the pockets
thereof exposed. The fruit is then placed either manually or
mechanically within the pockets with the stem and calyx end of the
fruit as closely aligned with the longitudinal axis of the pocket
as possible.
Once the tray has been fully loaded, a second empty tray is placed
in overlying relation with respect to the initially loaded tray. As
aforementioned, the second tray is turned 180.degree. with respect
to the first tray. The pockets of the second tray are then filled
in the same manner as in the case of the first tray. The described
procedure is repeated until the top level of the accommodated fruit
approximates the height of the container wall 13, whereupon a top
tray, in inverted position, is placed over the top level of fruit.
The cover or closing flaps, not shown, are then positioned so as to
close the outer container. When the cover or closing flaps are in
closing position, a small amount of compressive force is exerted
upon the stack of loaded trays.
FIGS. 5-8 disclose a modified form of the improved package 100. The
difference between packages 10 and 100 is that in the latter, two
different types of trays are utilized, one type of tray 14 is the
same as previously described with respect to package 10 and the
other type of tray 114 is similar to tray 14 except that the
pockets 115 have the longitudinal axes thereof disposed at
90.degree. relative to the longitudinal axes of pockets 15.
Furthermore, the pockets 115 are in vertical alignment with the
struts 18 of the tray 14 disposed therebeneath. Thus, in package
110, alternate trays in the stack are either type 14 or 114. No
180.degree. turning of successive trays of the stack is required in
package 110. Aside from the aforenoted differences, packages 10 and
100 are substantially the same, and thus, similar parts of the
trays 14 and 114 are identified by like numbers except that in tray
114, the numbers are in the 100 series.
FIGS. 9 and 10 disclose a second modified form of tray 214 which is
utilized to form package 200. Tray 214 is similar to trays 14 and
114 except that the humps 218a of the rows of pockets Y and Z,
which are adjacent the narrow ends of the tray, extend in a
direction that is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis
of the tray. The humps 218a of the rows of pockets intermediate the
end rows Y and Z, on the other hand, extend in a direction
transversely of the longitudinal axis of the tray. As in the case
of tray 14, it is necessary that each successive tray 214 in the
stack be turned 180.degree.. Aside from the aforenoted structural
differences, trays 14 and 214 are substantially the same.
With any of the improved trays, the accommodated fruit is
effectively cradled by the pocket involved in combination with the
strut of the tray disposed thereabove so that it will be
immobilized to such an extent that in many instances individual
wrapping of each piece of fruit may be avoided. The avoidance of
such an operation will expedite packing and will reduce the cost
thereof. Furthermore, the improved trays may be readily formed of
inexpensive material and yet, are possessed of sufficient strength
that they may be readily handled when loaded either manually or
mechanically without danger of the fruit falling off the tray. The
improved trays enable the fruit to be snugly packed and to remain
so during normal handling of the package.
While the shape of the tray pockets have heretofore been described
as being of substantially oval configuration, it is to be
understood, of course, that the invention is not intended to be
limited thereto as said pockets may assume various other shapes
such as round, square, octagonal, etc. The shape of the pockets
will depend upon the type and shape of the articles to be
accommodated thereIn.
* * * * *