Patent ID: 6394274
Filing Date: 2002-05-28
Classification: B65D

Abstract:
A tray for stacking a plurality of identical trays with respect to one another and providing at least three levels of stacking corresponding to different angular positions of vertically adjacent stacked trays with respect to one another, said tray comprising:a front wall; a rear wall opposite from the front wall; two side walls and a rectangular floor integrally connected to the four walls, wherein said two side walls are mirror images of each other, each side wall having a continuous outer ledge at an upper end of each side wall and a discontinuous inner ledge spaced from the outer ledge forming a discontinuous groove therebetween, each side wall further having a plurality of non-uniformly spaced feet at a lower end providing different stacking levels when two identical trays are stacked vertically at different angular orientations with respect to one another, the front and rear walls having a notch adjacent to each side wall in vertical alignment with the feet and in horizontal alignment with the discontinuous groove providing sliding access to the discontinuous groove by the feet of another tray for stacking, the notch formed as a generally concave indentation with steep opposing sides, wherein a first level of stacking is defined when adjacent stacked trays are aligned in an identical orientation with respect to one another, a second level of stacking is defined when adjacent stacked trays are rotated 90Â° with respect to one another, and a third level of stacking is defined when adjacent stacked trays are rotated 180Â° with respect to one another, the feet integrally formed on lower ends of each side wall of the upper tray, and a corresponding number of shaped slots formed in upper ends of each side wall of the lower tray and engageable with respect to the corresponding feet for defining cam surfaces engageable with one another to move the upper tray in a direction toward one of the front and rear walls in response to the one wall being lifted to allow the upper tray to slide with respect to the lower tray for unstacking the upper tray from the lower tray.