Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRAY FOR CONTAINERS
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No.
60/946,041, filed June 25, 2007.
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to a tray for use in retaining and
transporting beverage bottles or other containers.
Plastic soft drink bottles, such as twenty-ounce or one-liter PET
(polyethylene terephthalate) bottles, are often packaged in injection molded
plastic
crates for storage and shipment to stores. Another common packaging for soft
drink
bottles is corrugated cardboard which is light and inexpensive, but not
reusable.
SUMMARY
A tray according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a base
wall and a plurality of side walls curving upwardly from a periphery of the
base
wall. A guide rail projects downward from the periphery of the base wall. The
tray
may be thermoformed economically and recycled.
In one embodiment, a plurality of vertical projections project upwardly from
the base wall between the side walls, defining a plurality of pockets between
the
plurality of vertical projections and the side walls.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tray according to one embodiment of
the present invention.
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the tray of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a top view of the tray of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the tray of Figure 1.
Figure 5A is a side view of the tray of Figure 1.
Figure 5B is a section view taken along line 5B-5B of Figure 3.
Figure 5C is an enlarged view of Area C of Figure 5B5B.
Figure 6A is a front view of the tray of Figure 1.
Figure 6B is a section view taken along line 6B-6B of Figure 3.
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Figure 7 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 1 loaded with bottles.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 7 stacked on a similar
loaded tray.
Figure 8A illustrates the trays of Figure 8 with plastic wrap around the trays
and bottles.
Figure 9 is a bottom perspective view of the tray of Figure 8.
Figure 10 is a section view of the trays of Figure 8.
Figure 10A is a section view illustrating a process for forming the tray of
Figures 1-10.
Figure lOB is a section view illustrating an alternate process for forming the
tray of Figures 1-10.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a tray according to a second embodiment
of the present invention.
Figure 12 is a bottom perspective view of the tray of Figure 11.
Figure 13 is a top view of the tray of Figure 11.
Figure 14 is a bottom view of the tray of Figure 11.
Figure 15A is a side view of the tray of Figure 11.
Figure 15B is a section view taken along line 15B-15B of Figure 13.
Figure 15C is an enlarged view of Area C of Figure 15B.
Figure 16A is a front view of the tray of Figure 13.
Figure 16B is a section view taken along line 16B-16B of Figure 13.
Figure 17 is a perspective view of a tray according to a third embodiment.
Figure 18 is a bottom perspective view of the tray of Figure 17.
Figure 19 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 17 loaded with a
plurality of bottles.
Figure 20 is a top view of the tray and bottles of Figure 19.
Figure 21 is a perspective view of a tray according to a fourth embodiment.
Figure 22 is a bottom perspective view of the tray of Figure 21.
Figure 23 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 21 loaded with a
plurality of bottles.
Figure 24 is a top view of the tray and bottles of Figure 23.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A tray 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown
in Figure 1. The tray 10 is a single thermoformed sheet having a plurality of
bottle-
receiving pockets 12. The plurality of bottle-receiving pockets 12 are defined
by a
combination of a bottom wall 14, a generally curved side wall 16, and a
plurality of
vertical projections 18. The pockets 12 are open to each other through a
plurality of
openings 20. The pockets 12 are separated by a plurality of vertical
projections 18
to form a four-by-six arrangement of pockets. Although other arrangements may
be
utilized, the four-by-six arrangement has been generally found to be
convenient for
single-serving (e.g. twenty-ounce, twenty-four ounce or one-liter) bottles.
Referring to Figure 1, the four corner pockets 12 are defined by the bottom
wall 14, a generally concave corner 22, and the vertical projection 18. The
concave
corner 22 extends upwardly from the periphery of the bottom wall 14 and
connects
the generally curved side walls 16 to each other. The remaining pockets 12
located
around the perimeter are defined by the bottom wall 14, the generally curved
side
wall 16 and the vertical projections 18. The interior pockets 12 are defined
by the
bottom wall 14 and the vertical projections 18.
Referring to Figure 1, the vertical projections 18 include a generally flat
portion 30 with a generally rounded top lip 24 that connects the generally
flat
portion 30 to a plurality of substantially vertical but tapered concave
portion 28. A
rounded base portion 26 connects the plurality of substantially vertical
concave
portions 28 to the bottom wall 14. A substantially vertical rounded corner 25
connects the substantially vertical concave portions 28 to each other.
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the tray 10 of Figure 1. A guide rail
32 protrudes from the bottom wall 14. The guide rail 32 has an inwardly facing
surface 33 that engages a vertical portion 39 of a bottle cap 38 of a bottle
40 (Figures
5C, 9) when in a stacked position. A plurality of generally flat portions 36
on the
bottom wall 14 contact the bottle caps 38 when in a stacked position. A
plurality of
recesses 34 on the bottom wall 14 correspond to the plurality of vertical
projections
18 on the top of the tray 10 as shown in Figure 1. A plurality of bridges 44
connect
the flat portions 36 to each other.
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Figure 3 is a top view of the tray 10. A channel 31 on the top of the tray 10
corresponds to the guide rai132 protruding from the bottom wall 14.
Figure 4 is a bottom view of the tray 10. The guide rail 32 protrudes from
the bottom wall 14 in a particular pattern as shown in Figure 4. The guide
rail 32
curves alternately inwardly and outwardly as it circumscribes the bottom wall
14,
forming inwardly-curving portions in areas adjacent a recess 34 and outwardly-
curving portions adjacent the flat portions 36. The vertical projections 18
(Figure 3)
have corresponding recesses 34 on the underside of the tray 10.
Figure 5A is a side view of the tray 10 of Figure 1 and Figure 5B is a section
view taken along line 5B-5B of Figure 3. Figure 6A shows a front view of the
tray
of Figure 1 and Figure 6B is a section view taken along line 6B-6B of Figure
3.
Figure 5C is an enlarged view of Area C of the tray 10 of Figure 5B. The
inwardly facing surface 33 of the guide rail 32 engages the vertical portion
39 of the
bottle cap 38. The inwardly facing surface 33 extends downwardly from the
bottom
wall 14.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the tray 10 loaded with bottles 40, which in
this example are twenty-ounce PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles 40. The
bottles 40 fit snugly in the pockets 12 of the tray 10 and contact each other
to
provide strength when moving the tray. The bottles 40 are in contact with a
combination of several of following portions of the tray: the side walls 16,
the
bottom wall 14, the corner portion 22, one or more of the vertical projections
18 and
adjacent other bottles 40. The bottles 40 fit snugly inside the tray 10 which
gives the
tray 10 and the bottles 40 as a unit the necessary stiffness for handling and
stacking.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of the loaded tray 10 of Figure 7 stacked on a
similarly loaded tray 10'. Figure 8A illustrates the trays 10, 10' of Figure 8
with
plastic wrap, such as shrink wrap 50, securing the trays 10, 10' to the
bottles 40.
The shrink wrap 50 extends from a narrower upper portion of the bottles 40
down
over a portion of the curved side walls 16.
Figure 9 is a bottom perspective view of the loaded tray 10 of Figure 7
stacked on a similar loaded tray 10'. The bottle caps 38 of the bottles 40 are
contacted by the flat portions 36 of the upper tray 10. The vertical portions
39 of the
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bottle caps 38 engage the inwardly facing surface 33 of the guide rail 32 to
improve
the stability of the stacked trays.
Figure 10 is a section view through the trays 10 and 10' of Figure 8. The
contours of the side wall 16 match a bottom portion 42 of the bottles 40. The
bottles
40 are in close proximity to one another over the bridges 44. The vertical
projections 18 has contours that are complementary to the bottom portion 42 of
the
bottles 40. The vertical portion 39 of the peripheral bottle caps 38 engage
the
inwardly facing surface 33 (not visible in Figure 10) of the guide rail 32 to
increase
the stability of the bottles 40 when in the stacked position. The flat
portions 36 rest
on the bottles caps 38 of the bottles 40 when in the stacked position.
Figure 10A is a section view illustrating a process for forming the tray 10 of
Figures 1-10. The tray 10 is formed by placing a polymer sheet 52 onto a
thermoforming mold 54 and drawing the sheet 52 into the shape of the tray 10,
according to known thermoforming techniques. Figure lOB shows that the tray 10
can be alternatively formed in the alternate orientation on a complementary
mold 56.
On either mold 54, 56, different materials and different thickness sheets 52
can be
used as appropriate for a particular application. A thicker sheet 52 can be
used to
form a tray 10 that is stronger and stiffer and possibly reusable, while a
thinner sheet
52 can be used to form a more lightweight tray 10. Figures 10A, lOB are
largely
schematic, as the thermoforming processes are well-known.
Figure 11 is a perspective view of a tray 110 according to a second
embodiment of the present invention. The tray 110 is a single thermoformed
sheet
having a plurality of bottle-receiving positions 112 defined by a combination
of a
bottom wall 114, a substantially vertical side wall 116, a substantially
vertical
rounded corner 122, and a plurality of vertical projections 118. The bottle-
receiving
positions 112 are open to one another and the bottle-receiving positions 112
are in a
four-by-six arrangement. Although other arrangements may be utilized, the four-
by-
six arrangement has been generally found to be convenient for single-serving
bottles.
Referring to Figure 11, four corner positions 112 are defined by the bottom
wall 114, the substantially vertical rounded corner 122, and the vertical
projection
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118. The remaining positions 112 are bounded by the bottom wall 114 and either
the vertical projection 118, the vertical side wall 116 or both.
Referring to Figure 11, the vertical projections 118 include a generally flat
portion 130 with a generally rounded top lip 124 that connects the generally
flat
portion 130 to a plurality of substantially vertical concave portion 128. A
substantially vertical rounded corner 125 connects the substantially vertical
concave
portions 128 to each other.
The tray 110 has a plurality of handles 150 integrally formed with the
vertical side walls 116 at opposing locations as shown in Figure 11. The
handles
150 are formed by the protruding portions 152 and the gripping portion 154
contiguous with the vertical side wall 116. The gripping portion 154 has a
contoured portion 156 to aid the user in handling the tray.
Figure 12 is a bottom perspective view of the tray 110 of Figure 11. A guide
rail 132 protrudes from the bottom wall 114. A plurality of recesses 134
correspond
to the plurality of vertical projections 118 (Figure 11).
Figure 13 is a top view of the tray 110 of Figure 11. The pockets 112,
receive a bottom portion 42 of the bottle 40. A channel 131 on the top of the
tray
110 corresponds to the guide rail 132 protruding from the bottom wall 114.
Figure 14 is a bottom view of the create 110 of Figure 11. The guide rail 132
protrudes from the bottom wall 114 in a particular pattern in order to engage
the
bottle caps 38 of the bottles 40 when in a stacked position. The plurality of
flat
portions 136 on the bottom wall 114 receive the bottle caps 38 of the bottles
40 in a
stacked position.
Figure 15A shows a side view of the tray 110 of Figure 11 and Figure 15B is
a section view taken along the line 15B-15B of Figure 13. Figure 16A is a
front
view of the tray 110 of the Figure 11 and Figure 16B is a section view taken
along
line 16B-16B of Figure 13. Referring to Figures 15A, 15B, 16A, and 16B, the
bottle
caps 38 of the bottles 40 are engaged by the guide rail 132 on the bottom wall
114 of
the tray 110.
Figure 15C is a cut away view of the tray 110 of Figure 15B. The guide rail
132 includes the inwardly facing portion 133. The inwardly facing portion 133
extends downwardly from the bottom wall 114.
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Figure 17 is a perspective view of a tray 210 according to a third
embodiment. The tray 210 is also thermoformed from a single sheet of plastic
to
include a base wall 214 and side walls 216. The side walls 216 curve upwardly
from
the base wall 214 and include curved portions 217 that are curved in the
horizontal
plane so that each forms a pocket 212. A groove or channe1231 extends around
the
periphery of the base wall 214 to define a guide rail 232 on the bottom of the
base
wall 214 as shown in Figure 18. The guide rail 232 has an inner surface 233
for
contacting bottle caps of bottles on which the tray 210 is stacked. The guide
rai1232
includes curved portions 246 aligned with the curved portions 217 of the side
walls
216 and straight portions 248 in between (straight portions 248 could
alternatively
be inwardly-curved portions).
Figure 19 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 17 loaded with a
plurality of bottles 240. The bottles 240 have a different shape than those in
the first
two embodiments, but the trays in any of the embodiments would be adapted to
particular bottles. The bottles 240 each have a rounded, reduced-diameter
bottom
portion 242 that is received in the tray 210. Peripheral bottles 240 are
received in
pockets defined by the curved portions 217 of the side walls 216. The bottles
240
may be retained in the tray 210 by optional plastic shrink wrap 50 (shown in
broken
lines). As shown in Figure 20, the bottles 240 contact one another so that the
bottles
240 and tray 210 form a single sturdy unit.
Figures 21-24 illustrate a tray 310 according to a fourth embodiment. The
tray 310 is similar to that of Figures 17-20, the description of which is
incorporated
by reference, with corresponding parts having similar reference numerals
having a
leading "3" instead of "2." The tray 310 further has the following two changes
relative to the tray 210 of Figures 17-20. First, there are a plurality of
vertical
projections 318 projecting up from the base wall 214 between the side walls
316
(similar to the first and second embodiments). Second, the longer side walls
316a
are generally straight in the horizontal plane (although still curving
upwardly from
the base wall 314), while the shorter side walls 316b include the curved
portions
317. Any combination of straight side walls or side walls with curved
portions, and
a base wall with or without vertical projections could be used.
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As before, a guide rail 332 projects downward from the periphery to form
curved portions 346 and straight portions 348. The guide rail 332 includes an
inner
surface for contacting bottle caps. A groove or channel 331 is formed on the
upper
surface corresponding to the guide rail 332. Recesses 334 on the bottom of the
tray
310 correspond to the vertical projections 318 on the upper surface of the
tray 310.
As before, the tray 310 may be thermoformed.
The described invention provides a tray that is less expensive, lighter and
smaller than the current reusable trays, but unlike the cardboard packaging,
it is also
recyclable and can be made from 100 % recycled beverage bottle material. The
tray
includes a single sheet that may be thermoformed to include pockets or have
positions for receiving twenty-ounce bottles. The tray is not sufficiently
strong and
stiff by itself to independently support the bottles when stacked. Rather,
tight
tolerances between bottles and the walls of the pockets and the interaction of
the
hoop strength of the peripheral wall with the bottles makes the tray and
bottles as a
unit sufficiently strong and stiff for stacking, carrying, and shipping
without the
need for added reinforcement to the tray.
Although a first and second embodiment have been disclosed, a worker of
ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would
come
within the scope of this invention.
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