Nestable containers with indicia holder

A nestable container or a storable-and-nestable container generally of the open-top, rectangular type, comprises along one of its walls a set-back forming a recess which lies inwardly of the remainder of the wall at a lower portion of the container. The recess is provided with means for holding an identifying card or other indicia, e.g. for disclosing the contents of the container so that the card is undamaged upon interfitting of the containers during nesting.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
My present invention relates to containers and, more particularly, to 
open-top generally rectangular tray-shaped containers which can be 
inserted one within another to form a compact stack. The invention also 
relates to so-called storable-and-nestable containers of the type wherein 
in one relative orientation of two containers the bottom of the upper 
container is supported by formations in the wall of a lower container 
(stacking mode) while in another relative orientation (in which one 
indicia is rotated in a horizontal plane 180.degree. from the first) the 
upper container can be nested in the lower container, i.e. the bottom of 
the upper container can approach the bottom of the lower container. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Nestable and storable-and-nestable tray-shaped or box-shaped open-top 
containers are widely used in agriculture, food processing, commerce and 
in industry for a variety of purposes. For example, in manufacturing trays 
they may be used for the transport of finished pieces, semi-finished 
pieces or manufacturing intermediates between stations in a manufacturing 
plant, e.g. by conveyor systems, by truck, or even by hand. 
In such plants, moreover, the containers can be used for temporary storage 
of the products or for the storage of machine parts or the like. 
The containers are widely used in commerce for the storage, display, and 
transportation of parts and products and in assembly areas for units which 
are to be combined with others in the fabrication of larger manufactured 
pieces. 
Regardless of the intended use of such containers, it is desirable to be 
able to identify the container or the contents thereof and means have been 
provided which can receive an identifying card or the like of a size 
sufficient to enable it to be read with ease. 
The card may be preprinted with identifying indicia, can carry a picture or 
even a sample of the contents, can have space for hand notation or can 
merely identify by color or other means a routing source or destination. 
Generally speaking the upper portions or rim of the container will always 
be exposed, i.e. will be visible even in the nested condition of the 
container and generally would be an ideal region for identifying indicia. 
When, however, such containers are fabricated by injection molding, for 
example, from synthetic resins, the upper portion of the container 
generally must be provided with reinforcing or stiffening ribs which 
precludes the availability of a surface of sufficient size for receiving 
indicia cards. 
The lower portions of the container, however, can have walls of a 
sufficient size and can receive labels or other identifying material. 
Experience has shown, however, that when indicia are provided on these 
surfaces, there is a rapid deterioration of the label because the outer 
surface of the lower portion of an upper container usually tightly 
contacts the inner surface of the lower container when the containers are 
nested, thereby rubbing against any indicia. 
When projections are provided to protect the indicia they limit the depth 
of nesting of the two containers and are disadvantageous on this score. 
Furthermore projections from the lower surfaces of the container tend to be 
very fragile and are easily broken off. Thus, while it is desirable to 
provide sample identifying cards or labels upon such containers, it has 
been found to be difficult heretofore or inconvenient, especially if the 
label is to have a long life. 
It has also frequently been found to be advantageous to so label and 
identify the container that their indicia will be visible in a stacked 
condition of the container but invisible in a nested condition thereof. 
This avoids confusion in searching for particular materials. 
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved 
container of the aforedescribed type which has readily visible indicia not 
affected by the stacking and nesting operation. 
Another object of the invention is to provide a container having improved 
means for display indicia whereby the indicia will be invisible in a 
nested condition of the container but is visible in a stacked condition 
thereof. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter are 
attained in accordance with the present invention in a container of the 
nestable type which comprises four lateral walls which generally converge 
downwardly to enable one container to nest in the other and formed with 
reinforcing ribs along the upper portion of the container adjacent the 
open mouth thereof and wherein at least one of the four walls of the 
container is formed at least over part of its lower portion (adjacent the 
bottom) with a recessed zone leading inwardly to adjacent portions of this 
wall at a location below the region in which an inner nesting container 
would overlap this recess but nevertheless within an outer container into 
which the first mentioned container is inserted upon nesting. This recess 
defines a zone provided with means in which a labeling card (label means) 
can be movably inserted. 
In other words, the invention makes use of the lower portion of a container 
which is not visible when it nests in an outer container, but below the 
region into which the inner container penetrates, to accommodate the 
recess in which at least one replaceable, exchangeabe, or movable label 
can be mounted, likewise set back from engagement with an outer container 
during the nesting operation. 
Naturally when the container is provided with formations allowing it to be 
stacked on other containers, i.e. is a so-called stackable-and-nestable 
container, the label is readily visible as it is when the container is 
withdrawn from a nesting mode within another container. 
The recess may be provided in an end wall of a rectangular container and at 
the bottom of the recess, with a projection from the container bottom to 
limit downward movement of the label. The label may be held along its 
opposite edges in grooves formed by flanges on opposite sides thereof.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 shows a stackable and nestable container of rectangular plane 
outline, whose upper portion is provided with a band, delimited by 
horizontal flanges 1 and 2 extending continuously around the entire 
perimeter and spanned by vertical ribs 3 and 4. The ribs provide the 
necessary rigidity and stiffness to the upper portion of the container 
which is molded unitarily from a high-impact synthetic resin. 
This reinforced band is also provided with handle openings 20 (one seen) 
and vertical webs 21 flanking this opening and spanned by horizontal webs 
22 and 23 on the exterior of the container. 
The latter has two downwardly converging longitudinal walls 24, 25 and a 
pair of downwardly converging end walls one of which has been shown at 6 
while the other is represented at 26. 
Within the mouth 27 of the container, at two diametrically opposite 
corners, there are provided a pair of ledges 28, upon which a corner 29 of 
a stacked container can rest. Another corner 30 is cut away so that when 
two of these containers are rotated relatively through 180.degree. in the 
horizontal plane, the ledge 28 coincides with the cut-away corner and the 
containers can be nested, i.e. inserted deeply one within the other. 
The ribs also can define, by their configuration, the orientation of the 
containers for nesting or stacking. When one container is stacked on the 
ledges 28 of the other low transmission is effected through the walls and 
goods within the container are not compressed. 
The vertical height of the belt and the spacing between the two flanges 1 
and 2 determine the degree of nesting of two containers and thus the 
height 5 of free space (see FIG. 3) between the bottom of an upper 
container nested in the lower and the bottom of the latter. 
According to the invention, one or both of a pair of opposite walls of the 
container, preferably a transverse endwall 6 as in the embodiment shown in 
the drawing, is formed at a lower zone, i.e., in the region between the 
container bottom and to a level no greater than the height 5, with a 
recessed zone 7 set back into the interior. 
This recessed zone 7 is formed by an inclined upper portion (overhang) 8 
and the vertical wall (rear wall) 7a. The bottom has an extension 9 which 
projects outwardly beyond the wall 7a but nevertheless lies within the 
recess and which is formed with an upwardly extending tongue 10. 
Between the tongue 10 and the wall 7a there is provided a slot 31 to 
receive the lower edge of an indicia-carrying card. The lateral edges of 
the card can be slipped into a pair of inwardly opening vertical grooves 
11 formed between vertical flanges 11' flanking the recess and the wall 
7a. The recess thus defines a space 12 into which an identifying card 13 
can be inserted, this removable card being compressed of cardboard, 
synthetic resin material or the like and being retained in the grooves 11 
and 31. 
The embodiment of FIG. 3 differs from that of FIG. 2 in that the inclined 
wall 8 in FIG. 2 has a plurality of shoulders or steps 14 which can engage 
the upper edge of the card to prevent the latter from falling out if the 
container is inverted. To enable removal of the card, the latter can be 
bent forward by the finger tips of the user and lifted out of the grooves 
of the slots. The steps can also be interrupted to facilitate insertion of 
a finger tip to engage the upper edge of the card. In the embodiment of 
FIG. 2, the steps are uninterrupted on the inclined wall 8, and at the 
junction between the surfaces 6 and 8 they may also be provided upon 
surface 6 directly. 
As can be seen from FIG. 3, once the card is inserted it is protected from 
contact with nesting containers. Obviously the recess can be formed on the 
other walls of the container as well exclusively or as one of a plurality 
of such recesses.