Dairy tray system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12454387-B2
Application number	US-202017074614-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2020
Priority date	May 4, 2016
Publication date	Oct 28, 2025
Grant date	Oct 28, 2025

Abstract

A tray includes a base having an upper support surface and a central portion extending downward to define a lowermost surface of the tray. The base includes a peripheral portion recessed relative to the central portion. A pair of opposed first walls extend along opposed first edges of the base. A pair of opposed second walls extending along opposed second edges of the base.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tray comprising:
a base having an upper support surface and a central portion extending downward to define a lowermost surface of the tray, the base including a peripheral portion recessed relative to the central portion, wherein the peripheral portion is at least 1.5 inches wide;
a pair of opposed first walls extending along opposed first edges of the base; and
a pair of opposed second walls extending along opposed second edges of the base.

2. The tray of claim 1 wherein the peripheral portion extends below the upper support surface of the base.

3. The tray of claim 2 wherein the base includes a plurality of vertical first ribs defining the peripheral portion and a plurality of vertical second ribs defining the central portion, and wherein the second ribs are longer than the first ribs such that a lower surface of the peripheral portion is recessed relative to a lowermost surface of the central portion.

4. The tray of claim 3 wherein the central portion includes a plurality of recesses on a lower surface thereof, the plurality of recesses each configured to receive an upper portion of a container sized to be shipped in the tray.

5. The tray of claim 1 further including a plurality of upper column portions along an inner periphery of the first walls.

6. The tray of claim 5 further including a plurality of lower column portions between and below the plurality of upper column portions.

7. The tray of claim 6 wherein the plurality of lower column portions are spaced apart from one another along an outer periphery of the base.

8. The tray of claim 7 wherein lowermost surfaces of the lower column portions are substantially flush with the peripheral portion of the base.

9. The tray of claim 8 wherein the upper column portions are tapered upward and the lower column portions are tapered downward, such that the upper column portions of the tray would be received between the lower column portions of an identical tray nested thereon.

10. The tray of claim 9 wherein the tray is molded as a single piece of plastic.

11. A tray system comprising:
a first tray having a base, the base having an upper support surface and a central portion extending downward to define a lowermost surface of the first tray, the base including a peripheral portion recessed relative to the central portion, the first tray including a plurality of walls extending proximate the periphery of the base, wherein a plurality of upper column portions project inward a first distance from an inner periphery of the plurality of walls, the plurality of walls defining an outer footprint of the first tray; and
a second tray having a base, the base having an upper support surface and a central portion extending downward to define a lowermost surface of the second tray, the base including a peripheral portion recessed relative to the central portion, the second tray including a plurality of walls extending proximate the periphery of the base, wherein a plurality of upper column portions project inward a second distance from an inner periphery of the plurality of walls, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance, the plurality of walls of the second tray defining an outer footprint of the second tray, wherein the outer footprint of the first tray is substantially the same as the outer footprint of the second tray.

12. The tray system of claim 11 wherein the first tray is partially nestable in the second tray.

13. The tray system of claim 12 wherein the second tray is nestable in the first tray, such that the base of the second tray is received below uppermost edges of the upper column portions of the first tray.

14. The tray system of claim 12 wherein a lower surface of the base of the first tray and the second tray each include a plurality of recesses configured to receive upper ends of containers receivable in the first tray and the second tray respectively.

15. A tray comprising:
a base having an upper support surface and a central portion extending downward to define a lowermost surface of the tray, wherein the central portion includes a plurality of recesses on a lower surface thereof, the plurality of recesses each configured to receive an upper portion of a container sized to be shipped in the tray, each adjacent pair of the plurality of recesses separated by a pair of spaced-apart vertical ribs and a plurality of transverse ribs connecting the spaced-apart vertical ribs, the base including a peripheral portion recessed relative to the central portion;
a pair of opposed first walls extending along opposed first edges of the base; and
a pair of opposed second walls extending along opposed second edges of the base.

16. The tray of claim 15 wherein the peripheral portion extends below the upper support surface of the base.

17. The tray of claim 16 wherein the base includes a plurality of vertical first ribs defining the peripheral portion and a plurality of vertical second ribs defining the central portion, and wherein the second ribs are longer than the first ribs such that a lower surface of the peripheral portion is recessed relative to a lowermost surface of the central portion.

18. The tray of claim 15 further including angled wall portions connecting the first walls to the second walls and recessed lower corner walls below the angled wall portions, the recessed lower corner walls configured to define a de-nesting notch below each angled wall portion.

Assignees

• Rehrig Pacific Co

Inventors

• Guerry Brian Robert
• Ogawa-Garcia Sydney Marie
• Clark Suzanne Whitfield

Classifications

• B65D85/80

  for milk · CPC title

• B65D21/048

  Identical stackable containers specially adapted for retaining the same orientation when nested, e.g. the upper container being fixed or slightly rotatable during the nesting operation (B65D21/041 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65D1/34

  Trays or like shallow containers {(B65D81/3813 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65D71/70 Primary

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

• B65D21/0233 Primary

  Nestable containers · CPC title