Milk crate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10233014-B2
Application number	US-201615019642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 10, 2015
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

Four embodiments of a tray are disclosed for transporting and storing milk containers and for nesting the trays for their return trip to their origin.

First claim

I claim:

1. A tray for use with a similar tray to form a tray stack for supporting individual containers, the tray having a first end and a second end opposed to the first end, a plurality of troughs extending between the first end and the second end, a plurality of raised flat surfaces extending between the first end and the second end and being spaced from the troughs along an axis of rotation extending perpendicular to the plurality of flat surfaces, one of each of the plurality of troughs being positioned between one of each of the plurality of flat surfaces, each trough of the plurality of troughs has a generally U-shape facing in a first direction, each of the plurality of flat surfaces has a generally U-shape facing in a second direction opposed to the first direction, the plurality of troughs nest within a plurality of troughs of a similar tray when in a first orientation, and the plurality of troughs contact a plurality of flat surfaces of a similar tray in a second orientation to form chambers for seating the containers therebetween, the second orientation being rotated 90° about the axis of rotation with respect to the first orientation.

2. The tray of claim 1 wherein the chambers have a height greater than a height of the containers.

3. The tray of claim 2 wherein the tray is fabricated from a polymeric material.

4. The tray of claim 3 wherein the polymeric material is selected from the group consisting of polyolefins, polyamides, and polyesters.

5. The tray of claim 4 wherein the polyolefin includes homopolymers and copolymers of ethylene, propylene, butene, hexene, octene and combinations of the same.

6. The tray of claim 4 wherein the polyolefins include high density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene.

7. The tray of claim 3 wherein the polymeric material is foamed.

8. The tray of claim 1 wherein each trough of the plurality of troughs has a continuous planar surface from the first end to the second end.

9. The tray of claim 8 wherein each flat surface of the plurality of flat surfaces has a continuous planar surface from the first end to the second end.

10. The tray of claim 1 wherein there is an equal number of troughs and flat surfaces X and X 2 chambers.

11. The tray of claim 10 wherein there are five troughs, five flat surfaces, and twenty-five chambers.

Assignees

• Orbis Corp

Inventors

• Nussbaum Robert G

Classifications

• B65D21/0234

  Nestable or stackable container parts forming a receptacle when one part is inverted upon the other · CPC title

• B65D85/80 Primary

  for milk · CPC title

• B65D71/70

  Trays provided with projections or recesses in order to assemble multiple articles, e.g. intermediate elements for stacking · CPC title

• B65D1/36

  with moulded compartments or partitions · CPC title

• B65D21/0224

  Auxiliary removable stacking elements other than covers · CPC title