Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRAY FOR TRANSPORTING AND STACKING
LAYERS OF STRUCTURAL BOTTLES
DESCRIPTION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent
Application No.
62/322,373, filed April 14, 2016, and U.S. Patent Application No. 15/480,589,
filed April 6,
2017, the contents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by
reference and made a
part hereof.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] N/A
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention generally relates to a molded plastic tray for
supporting a
plurality of milk bottles, and more particularly to a tray that can be
combined with a sleeve to
allow for stacking a plurality of layers of trays supporting such bottles.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Currently, metal carts ¨ referred to as "bossy" carts ¨ are
typically used to transport
and present milk to customers via a series of rigidly connected racks on each
cart. The milk
bottles on each rack are not used to provide any support for any additional
racks above the
bottles.
[0005] The present invention provides an improved tray system that uses the
bottles on the
tray in conjunction with a sleeve to support layers of bottles (on additional
trays) above the tray
at issue.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides a tray, sometimes referred to as a
milk tray, to
transport a plurality of bottles, such as gallon sized milk bottles or
containers (the bottles can
hold other fluids, such as distilled water or apple cider for example). The
milk tray can utilize
the bottles supported on the tray, along with a sleeve, to support layers of
other bottle loaded
trays above the tray at issue. The tray and sleeve, collectively, is a
collapsible packaging
solution that reduces freight cost and storage space requirements when empty.
[0007] The top of the milk tray is configured to include pockets for
containing the milk
bottles and channels to position and hold the sleeve. The bottom of the tray
is configured to
engage the neck of the bottle below (when stacked on a lower tray supporting
bottles) to increase
surface area and reduce pressure per bottle when stacked. The bottom also
includes channels or
other similar structure designed to engage the upper portion of the sleeve on
the lower tray.
[0008] In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a tray
for holding
bottles is provided. The tray is formed from a generally rectangular sheet of
material having a
first side, a second side opposing the first side, a first end and a second
end opposing the first
end. A plurality of pockets forms depressions in the sheet. Each pocket
includes a plurality of
upwardly extending bottle supporting projections. Each bottle supporting
projection is
positioned to support a central portion of a bottom of a bottle. Each pocket
further includes
sidewalls having transitional ledge portions. The transitional ledge portions
are positioned to
support a peripheral edge of the bottom of the bottle. The tray further
includes a plurality of
channels separating each of the plurality of pockets.
[0009] The tray can be configured so that at least one of the plurality of
pockets includes a
centrally positioned upwardly extending projection. Preferably, four bottle
supporting
projections surround the centrally positioned projection. The centrally
positioned upwardly
extending projection is configured to have a transitional ledge portion
positioned to support a
peripheral edge of the bottom of the bottle. The centrally positioned upwardly
extending
projection, along with the transitional ledge portions in the sidewalls and
the bottle supporting
projection fully support each bottle in the tray.
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100101 The tray can further comprise an upwardly extending sleeve having
panels positioned
in the plurality of channels. Additionally, the tray can include a plurality
of slots formed in the
plurality of channels. The sleeve can include a plurality of downwardly
extending tabs
positioned to engage the slots. The slots and tabs help position and maintain
the sleeve on the
tray.
[0011] Additionally, the tray can include a plurality of bosses extending
upwardly from the
channels. Like the slots and tabs, the bosses also help to hold the sleeve in
place.
[0012] Each bottle supporting projection can include a lower surface
configured to rest on a
shoulder portion of a bottle below the tray (when layers of trays are stacked
on each other). This
helps spread the pressure and allows for the bottles and sheet of one tray to
support layers of
trays above it.
[0013] The tray can be formed from a molded plastic. The sheet can also be
plastic, such as
a corrugated plastic having a first outer layer and a second outer layer
separated from the first
outer layer by a plurality of flutes. Other suitable materials can be also be
used.
[0014] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a tray for
supporting bottles in a
stack of bottles is provided. The tray comprises a generally rectangular sheet
of material having
a first side, a second side opposing the first side, a first end and a second
end opposing the first
end. The tray includes a plurality of upwardly extending bottle supporting
projections formed in
the rectangular sheet of material. The tray also includes a plurality of
channels formed in the
rectangular sheet of material and a sleeve having panels positioned in the
plurality of channels.
[0015] The tray can also include other features mentioned herein and/or
shown in the
Figures.
[0016] Further aspects of the invention are disclosed in the Figures, and
are described herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] To understand the present invention, it will now be described by way
of example,
with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
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[0018] FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a milk tray in accordance with
aspects of the
present invention;
[0019] FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the milk tray of FIGURE 1;
[0020] FIGURE 3 is a side plan view of the milk tray of FIGURE 1;
[0021] FIGURE 4 is a side plan view of a plurality of milk trays holding
milk bottles on a
pallet;
[0022] FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of a loaded milk tray with a divider
sleeve between
groups of milk bottles;
[0023] FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the divider sleeve of FIGURE 5;
[0024] FIGURE 7 is partial perspective view of a slot on the milk tray for
receiving a tab
from a divider sleeve;
[0025] FIGURE 8 is a partial side plan view of a top of milk bottle
supporting a milk tray
above the bottle; and,
[0026] FIGURE 9 is a bottom plan view of the tray of FIGURE 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different
forms, there is
shown in the drawings, and will herein be described in detail preferred
embodiments of the
invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be
considered as an
exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to
limit the broad aspect of
the invention to the embodiments illustrated.
[0028] A tray 10 for supporting, transporting and/or stacking layers of
structural bottles in
accordance with the present invention is shown in Figures 1-9. While the
invention is sometimes
referred to as a "milk tray" herein, and is primarily designed to carry
bottles having shapes
typically associated with containing a gallon of milk, other fluids can be
carried in the bottles.
For example, such bottles are also used for distilled water, apple cider,
fruit juices, etc.
Accordingly, the tray of the present invention is not limited to only
transporting milk. Moreover,
other bottle shapes or designs may be utilized.
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[0029] As shown in Figure 1, the tray 10 is a generally rectangular sheet
of material, such as
a molded plastic, having a first side 12, an opposing second side 14, a first
end 16 and an
opposing second end 18. The tray 10 includes an upper or top surface 20 and a
lower or bottom
surface 22.
[0030] The tray 10 shown in Figure 1 is designed to hold twenty gallon-
sized bottles (e.g.,
milk bottles). The top surface 20 is divided into four large pockets or
sections 24 configured to
hold four bottles each, and two small pockets or sections 26 configured to
hold two bottles each.
The small sections 26 for holding two bottles each are positioned in a central
portion of the tray
10. Each of the pockets 24, 26 form a depression in the tray 10 and extend
downward from an
upper part of the tray 10 surrounding and dividing the various pockets 24, 26,
to a lower level 34
(see Figure 3).
[0031] Each of the large sections 24 for holding four bottles includes four
generally conical
shaped bottle resting projections 30 and a central projection 32 (having a
generally rectangular
cross-sectional shape) surrounded by the bottle resting projections 30. Each
of the projections
30, 32 are hollow and extend upward from the lower level 34 of the tray 10. As
shown in Figure
3, the central projection 32 in each large section 24 extends upward above the
upper part of the
tray 10 surrounding each of the sections 24, 26.
[0032] Additionally, each of the central projections 32, along with
sidewalls forming the
depressions of the sections 24, includes a ledge or transition portion 36 that
separates a lower
portion of the sidewalls and central projections 32 from an upper portion.
Each of the lower
portions of the sidewalls extends further into the depression than the upper
portions. With
respect to each central projection 32, the lower portion extends outward
further than the upper
portion. That is, the base of each projection is wider than the upper portion.
[0033] The bottle resting projections 30 support a central portion of the
bottom of each
bottle. Together, the bottle resting projections 30 along with the ledge
portions 36 of the
sidewalls and central projections 32 support the central portions of the
bottoms of the bottles.
The ledge portions 36 support around the periphery of the bottom of each
bottle. The projections
30 can also be formed to have a ledge portion.
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100341 The top surface 20 also includes a plurality of channels 28 that are
formed in the
upper part of the tray. The channels 28 separate each of the large pockets 24
for holding four
bottles and each of the small pockets 26 for holding two bottles. The channels
28 are used to
support a sleeve 38 that separates the pockets 24 and 26.
100351 Figure 5 shows a tray 10, sleeve 28 and bottle 46 assembly that
forms a layer that can
be used in a stack of assemblies (see Figure 4). Figure 5 shows the tray 10
holding twenty milk
bottles 46.
100361 The sleeve 38 is shown in Figure 6 without the tray 10 or bottles
46. The sleeve 38
includes a plurality of panels 40 configured to form generally U-shaped areas
¨ one for each of
the pockets 24, 26. The panels 40 can be connected together or formed as a
single piece of
material. Alternatively, the sleeve 38 can be a plurality of separate pieces
(each piece being one
or more panels).
100371 The sleeve 38 can be formed from a corrugated material, such as
corrugated paper or
corrugated plastic, having a first outer layer and a second outer layer
separated from the first
outer layer by a plurality of flutes or other similar structure. The sleeve 38
can also be a solid
structure and formed from other suitable materials.
100381 The upper surface 20 of the tray 10 also includes a plurality of
bosses 42 positioned
proximate portions of the channel 28. The bosses 42 help keep the sleeve 38 in
place and
prevent the panels 40 from moving or slipping off the channel 28.
100391 Additionally, the upper surface 20 includes slots 44 formed at
various spots on the
channel 28 as shown in Figure 7. The slots 20 are configured to receive tabs
47 extending from a
lower edge of the sleeve 38. The slots 44 and tabs 47 also help keep the
sleeve in the channel 28
and properly positioned.
100401 The bottle resting projections 30, in addition to supporting the
bottom of a bottle 46
on the upper surface 20 of the tray 10, are configured to receive and rest on
a top portion 48 of a
lower bottle 46 (when one tray 10 of bottles is stacked on a lower tray 10 of
bottles 46). As
shown in Figure 8, the central portion 50 of the projection 30 is shaped to
surround the cap of a
lower bottle 46 and contact a portion of the shoulder of the bottle 46. That
is, the central portion
50 of the projection 30 engages the neck portion of the bottle below to
increase surface area and
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reduce pressure per bottle when stacked. In this manner, the lower bottles 46
help support an
upper tray 10.
[0041] The sleeve 38 is also used to support additional layers of filled
trays 10. That is, both
the sleeve 38 and the bottles 46 (contacting the lower surface of the
projections 30 of an upper
tray 10), are used to support additional layers of trays 10. The sleeve 38 can
be slightly higher
than the tops of the bottles. Accordingly, the sleeve 38 may need to be
compressed slightly
(about 1/8 of an inch) before the upper tray 10 will rest on lower bottles.
The lower surface of
the tray 10 can also include channels 51 (see Figure 9) to engage the upper
edge of the sleeve in
the tray below when stacked.
[0042] Figure 9 provides a view of the lower surface 22 of the tray. As
evident in this
Figure, troughs 52 (projecting toward the viewer in this Figure) form an
outline of the bottle
holding pockets 24, 26.
[0043] Figure 4 shows a stack of a plurality of trays 10 supporting bottles
46 in layers. The
stack of trays 10 and bottles 46 are supported on a pallet 54. An empty tray
10 is placed on the
top layer of bottles 46 to act as a cap.
[0044] Many modifications and variations of the present invention are
possible in light of the
above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood within the scope of the
appended claims the
invention may be protected otherwise than as specifically described.
