Abstract:
A stackable tray may have a main bottom panel and a plurality of wall members extending from the main bottom panel that are adaptable to be folded about a respective plurality of score lines to form a tray. The main bottom panel may have at least one perforation that is at least partially deformable due to engagement of the main bottom panel with a protrusion of a pre-determined item located beneath the tray in the vicinity of the at least one perforation. A blank for forming a stackable tray and a plurality of stackable trays are also disclosed.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    This application relates generally to stackable trays for use in supporting, transporting, storing, and carrying several beverage containers or other items. Businesses such as grocery stores, convenience stores, gas stations, distribution companies, and manufacturing companies that buy, sell, transport, or distribute beverage containers often utilize various stackable trays or cases to allow for the easy movement or storage of multiple beverage containers at once. Stackable beverage trays provide stability to stack beverage containers on top of other beverage containers to maximize space in storage containers or transportation vehicles. Many stackable beverage trays are made of plastic or similar synthetic thermoplastic or thermosetting material making them expensive to make, maintain, and store. Also, stackable beverage trays made of plastic or similar synthetic thermoplastic or thermosetting material are relatively heavy, and may increase transportation costs due to the increased weight of the beverage trays. Additionally, the increased weight may make stacking and unloading the beverage trays more difficult. Some plastic stackable beverage trays are pre-formed or pre-molded, and take up a large amount of volumetric space when stored without beverage containers. 
         [0002]    Some stackable beverage trays enable beverage containers in lower stacked beverage trays to nest with or engage recesses in upper stacked beverage trays or upper stacked beverage containers. These recesses enable the upper stacked beverage containers to align or to remain in an aligned position with the lower stacked beverage trays during shipping, storing, or carrying, and provide stability to multiple stacked beverage trays. However, many recesses do not “lock” or firmly secure the upper stacked beverage trays onto the lower stacked beverage containers, potentially causing damage to the lower stacked beverage containers due to movement, vibration, or other stresses that may be caused during transporting, storing, or carrying. For example, some stackable beverage trays contain shallow depressions or recesses such that during a sudden stop when transporting, the upper stacked beverage tray may slide off of the tops of lower stacked beverage containers causing the upper stacked beverage containers in the upper stacked beverage trays to fall down, possibly causing a rupture, breakage, or other similar damage in the upper stacked beverage containers. 
         [0003]    Additionally, some beverage trays contain deeper depressions or recesses that more firmly secure upper stacked beverage trays onto lower stacked beverage containers, but may cause other problems in carrying or unloading the beverage trays. For example, when removing or unloading some upper stackable beverage trays from lower stacked beverage trays, a worker may horizontally or laterally slide, instead of lift, the upper stacked beverage tray off the tops of the immediately lower stacked beverage containers, potentially causing the tops or caps of the lower stacked beverage containers to break, shear, open, or potentially cause other similar damage to the immediately lower stacked beverage containers. 
         [0004]    Thus, there is a need for a stackable tray that is inexpensive to make, maintain, and store. There is also a need for a lightweight stackable tray to reduce shipping costs and to make it easier to stack and unload, and which is disposable. Additionally, there is also a need for a stackable tray that secures upper stacked trays onto lower stacked trays, enabling a person to unload or remove the upper stackable trays by slightly lifting the upper stackable trays from the immediately lower stacked trays, but not allowing a person easily to horizontally or laterally slide the upper trays from the lower stacked beverage containers or other items in the lower stacked trays. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    A stackable tray may have a main bottom panel and a plurality of wall members extending from the main bottom panel that are adaptable to be folded about a respective plurality of score lines to form a first tray. The main bottom panel may have at least one perforation that is at least partially frangible due to engagement of the main bottom panel with a protrusion of a pre-determined item, to be contained within a second tray located beneath the first tray, in the vicinity of the at least one perforation. A blank for forming a stackable tray and a plurality of stackable trays are also disclosed. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a top plan view of a fiberboard blank for a stackable beverage tray. 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a stackable beverage tray formed from the blank of  FIG. 1  in an assembled configuration. 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of two stackable beverage trays of the type shown in  FIG. 2  holding beverage containers with crimped bottle caps. 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a partial cross-sectional view of the stackable beverage trays of  FIG. 3 . 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a partial cross-sectional view of two stackable beverage trays of the type shown in  FIG. 3  with shrink wrap holding beverage containers with twist-off caps. 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is a partial cross-sectional view of two stackable beverage trays of the type shown in  FIG. 3  displaying perforations partially pierced by wine bottles. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is a partial cross-sectional view of two stackable beverage trays of the type shown in  FIG. 3  illustrating perforations fully pierced by beverage containers. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of a stackable beverage tray holding beverage containers and having perforations that are offset from the beverage containers. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  is a side elevational view of multiple stackable beverage trays of the type shown in  FIG. 2  stacked in an offset manner. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0015]    As used herein, the following terms should be understood to have the indicated meanings: 
         [0016]    When an item is introduced by “a” or “an,” it should be understood to mean one or more of that item. 
         [0017]    “Beverage container” means a container suitable for containing a beverage or other potable liquid, such as, but not limited to, a bottle, a can, a jug or other suitable vessel. A beverage container may be any suitable size and may have any suitable shape, including without limitation cylindrical, spherical, elliptical, rectangular, square, pyramidal, irregular, or a combination of any of the foregoing. 
         [0018]    “Beverage tray” means a case, tote box, removable receptacle, crate, or other container that may be used, for example, to hold, transport, carry, or store one or more beverage containers. 
         [0019]    “Blank” means a sheet of material adaptable for forming a tray or a portion of a tray. 
         [0020]    “Comprises” means includes but is not limited to. 
         [0021]    “Comprising” means including but not limited to. 
         [0022]    “Corrugated” means having a wave-like shape. 
         [0023]    “Fastened” means, with respect to two or more items, attached in any manner, including but not limited to attached by one or more rivets, nails, screws, pins, stitches, staples, brads, glue or other adhesives, straps, bracing, strapping, fittings, or a combination thereof. 
         [0024]    “Fiberboard” means an assembly of two or more paperboard components. Fiberboard may or may not have one or more corrugated members. 
         [0025]    “Flap” means a portion of a tray that may be folded and fastened to another portion of the tray. A flap may be fastened to a panel, another flap, or some other portion of a tray. 
         [0026]    “Having” means including but not limited to. 
         [0027]    “Liquid container” means a container suitable for containing a liquid, such as, but not limited to, a bottle, a can, a jug or other suitable vessel. A liquid container may be any suitable size and may have any suitable shape, including without limitation cylindrical, spherical, elliptical, rectangular, square, pyramidal, irregular, or a combination of any of the foregoing. 
         [0028]    “Member” means a portion of a tray. A member may include but is not limited to a flap or a panel. 
         [0029]    “Panel” means a side of a tray, regardless of its orientation or position with respect to other portions of the tray. A panel may form a top, bottom, front, back, lateral, or other side of a tray. 
         [0030]    “Paperboard” means a sheet of material comprising cellulose fibers, wood fibers, wood pulp, other plant fibers, recycled paper, other suitable fibrous material, or a combination thereof. 
         [0031]    “Perforation” means an area of weakening in a material to facilitate tearing, punching through, or otherwise removing a portion of the material. A perforation may include but is not limited to one or more cuts, holes, slits, scores, slit-scores, indentations, thinned areas, creases, or combinations thereof. A perforation may or may not traverse completely through the material, and the removed portion of material facilitated by a perforation may or may not become separated from the remainder of the material. A perforation may be made by cutting, scoring, slit-scoring, piercing, punching, crimping, creasing, grinding, filing, melting, burning, chemical etching, or any other suitable method. 
         [0032]    “Shrink wrap” means a plastic or other flexible material that may be used to wrap or seal one or more items, such that when the plastic or other flexible material is exposed to a heat source, it generally shrinks to the contour of the one or more items. 
         [0033]    “Slit-score” means a cut extending through only a portion of the thickness of a member. 
         [0034]    “Substantially continuous” means, with respect to a piece of material, not having any significant holes that traverse through the material. 
         [0035]    “Tray” means a container having an open side that may be used to contain one or more liquid containers or any other suitable object. A tray may be any suitable size and may have any suitable shape, including without limitation cylindrical, spherical, elliptical, rectangular, square, pyramidal, irregular, or a combination of any of the foregoing. 
         [0036]    “Wrapper” means a thin flexible material that may be wrapped about one or more items. 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , one embodiment as described herein is directed to a stackable beverage tray for use in supporting, storing, and transporting one or more beverage containers.  FIG. 1  illustrates a blank  1  for forming a stackable beverage tray that may be used to support, store, transport, or carry one or more beverage containers. The blank  1  may be, for example, made of fiberboard that is light, fairly inexpensive to make, and easily disposable. As shown in  FIG. 1 , blank  1  may be made of a single piece of material that, when not being used to hold beverage containers, may be collapsed and be laid flat and stacked with other blanks in a relatively small volumetric space. Of course, blank  1  may be made of two or more pieces of material that are suitably fastened together. The ability to lay the blanks  1  flat may save transportation or storage costs due to the relatively small volumetric space used, as opposed to pre-formed uncollapsible plastic beverage trays (not shown) that use a larger and fixed volumetric space regardless of whether any beverage containers are actually in such plastic beverage trays. Blank  1  may have cut lines (represented by solid lines), which indicate how the blank  1  may be cut from a sheet of material, and score lines (represented by dashed lines, other than perforations  3 ), which may indicate where the blank  1  may be folded in order to form a stackable beverage tray. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that blank  1  may be made from any other material adapted for a particular weight or a particular purpose. For example, blank  1  may be made from a water resistant material, such as wax dipped paperboard or plastic to enable supporting, storing, transporting, or carrying one or more beverage containers in areas susceptible to rain or moisture. Additionally, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that blank  1  may be designed to support, store, transport, items other than beverage containers, such as perfume bottles, oil bottles, food cans, liquid containers, items of manufacture, or any other suitable items or goods. 
         [0038]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a stackable beverage tray  10  may be formed from blank  1  by the mating of side flaps  5 , end flaps  7 , end panels  13 , and a main bottom panel  11 , each of which may be formed from a blank  1  that is suitably cut, scored, folded, and glued according to methods known in the art.  FIG. 2  shows the side flaps  5  and end flaps  7  fastened together and the end panels  13  folded in a manner that enables the stackable beverage tray  10  to hold one or more beverage containers, which may be placed in the stackable beverage tray  10  such that the bottom of each beverage container may rest on the main bottom panel  11 . In some embodiments, a member, such as the side flaps  5  or end flaps  7  of a stackable beverage tray  10 , may be fastened together with an adhesive applied to a blank during manufacturing. Alternatively, a member of a stackable beverage tray  10 , may be fastened together with an adhesive applied to a blank just prior to forming the stackable beverage tray  10 . Of course, various members such as the side flaps  5  or end flaps  7  may be fastened together by any suitable method to allow the stackable beverage tray  10  to hold one or more beverage containers. Additionally, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many other suitable blank shapes, cut patterns, score patterns, and combinations of panels and flaps may be used to form a stackable beverage tray  10 . For example, a blank may have a cut pattern configuration such that it may form a stackable beverage tray with one or more handles (not shown) that may enable easier carrying of the stackable beverage tray. 
         [0039]      FIGS. 1 and 2  further illustrate that blank  1  may contain an array of perforations  3  on the main bottom panel  11 . One stackable beverage tray  10  filled with beverage containers may be stacked on top of another stackable beverage tray  10  filled with beverage containers. The perforations  3 , described further herein, may enable an upper level of one or more stackable beverage trays  10  to remain stable on top of, and substantially align with, a lower level of one or more stackable beverage trays  10 . Many beverage containers contain recesses or depressions in their bottoms that allow for engagement or nesting with the tops of lower stacked beverage containers. For example, some beverage containers have top tapered necks with a cap, wherein the top tapered neck with a cap of a lower level beverage container may partially nest with or engage with a recess or depression in the bottom of an upper beverage container if stacked one beverage container on top of the other. Some embodiments of a stackable beverage tray  10  may take advantage of the recesses or depressions in the bottoms of beverage containers by allowing the caps of beverage containers in a lower level of stackable beverage tray  10  to partially or fully punch or pierce through the perforations  3  of an upper level stackable beverage tray  10  causing the perforations  3  to separate or partially separate, and further allowing caps of the beverage containers of the lower level to engage with or nest with the recesses or depressions in the upper stacked beverage containers. 
         [0040]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an upper beverage tray  23  and lower beverage tray  25  similar to stackable beverage tray  10  described above may hold a plurality of beverage containers  15 , each of which may have a crimped cap  16  or other suitable top portion. The beverage containers  15  in the upper beverage tray  23  may be held in substantial alignment with, and remain stable on top of, the lower beverage tray  25  due to the crimped caps  16  of the lower beverage containers  15  engaging perforations  3  that may be on the main bottom panel  11  of upper beverage tray  23 . Further, the surface of the tops of the beverage containers  15  stored in the lower beverage tray  25  may project above the edge of the lower beverage tray  25  and may serve as a substantially planar supporting surface for the stacking of the upper beverage tray  23  on top of the lower beverage tray  25 . The crimped caps  16  of the beverage containers  15  held in the lower beverage tray  25  may engage the main bottom panel  11  of the upper beverage tray  23  in the vicinity of the perforations  3 , causing the perforations  3  to fully or partially deform, and further causing the tops of the beverage containers  15  of lower beverage tray  25  to fully or partially puncture or punch through the main bottom panel  11  of upper beverage tray  23 . This engagement at or near the perforations  3  allows the tops of the lower beverage containers  15  to stabilize and align the upper beverage tray  23  with the lower beverage tray  25 . Of course, the upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25  and associated perforations  3  may be adaptable for use with beverage containers with pour spouts, cork seals, or any other suitable top portion. Additionally, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other items or objects may be held in lower beverage tray  25  that may have protrusions suitable for engaging perforations  3  on main bottom panels  11  of upper beverage tray  23 . For example, upper beverage tray  23  and lower beverage tray  25  may hold a plurality of cone-shaped perfume bottles, tapered wine bottles, liquid soap containers, or any other suitable item or good. 
         [0041]    Still referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , based on the material characteristics of upper beverage tray  23 , the weight of the beverage containers  15  contained therein, and the geometry of the caps of the beverage containers  15  in lower beverage tray  25 , the beverage trays  23 ,  25  may be designed such that beverage containers  15  with flanged or flared-out tops held in a lower beverage tray  25  may be allowed to partially punch through or pierce the perforations  3  of an upper beverage tray  23 , but not to fully penetrate or punch through the main bottom panel  11  of the upper beverage tray  23 . Limiting the flanged or flared-out crimped caps  16  from fully penetrating or punching through the main bottom panel  11  of an upper beverage tray  23  may prevent the flanged or flared-out crimped caps  16  from snagging or catching parts of the upper beverage tray  23  when unloading, transporting, or stacking and thus may reduce or eliminate any typical damage that may be caused from flanged or flared-out crimped caps  16 . 
         [0042]      FIG. 5  illustrates upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25  that may hold beverage containers  15 , each of which may have a twist-off crown cap  17 . As discussed previously, there are many methods for providing stability for upper beverage trays  23  that are stacked on top of lower beverage trays  25 . For example, shrink wrap  21  may be applied about upper beverage tray  23 , or lower beverage tray  25 , alone or in combination, to further provide stability for upper beverage tray  23  stacked on top of lower beverage tray  25 . A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other methods or devices may be used to provide stability for upper beverage trays  23  that are stacked on top of lower beverage trays  25 , including but not limited to adhesive tape, plastic wrap, straps, braces, plastic sheets, heat shrink, or any other suitable method or device. 
         [0043]      FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate that various items may be stored in, and different items may be stacked using, the stacked beverage trays. For example, beverage containers  15  may be stored in upper beverage tray  23 , stacked on top of wine bottles  19  stored in lower beverage tray  25 . In some embodiments, upper beverage tray  23  and lower beverage tray  25  may be different sizes and shapes to accommodate different items. Lower beverage tray  25 , for example, may be wider to hold larger bottles while upper beverage tray  23  may be narrower to hold smaller items. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that an upper beverage tray  23  may still be stacked on top of a lower beverage tray  25  even though the upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25  are not uniform in size or shape. Additionally, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various tops of items stored in the lower beverage tray  25  may project above the edge of the lower beverage tray  25  and may serve as a substantially planar supporting surface for the stacking of the upper beverage tray  23  on top of the lower beverage tray  25 .  FIG. 4  illustrates crimped caps  16 ,  FIG. 5  illustrates twist-off crown caps  17 , and  FIGS. 6 and 7  illustrate a cork  20 , all of which may serve as a substantially planar supporting surface for the stacking of the upper beverage tray  23  on top of the lower beverage tray  25 . 
         [0044]    Still referring to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , caps of the beverage containers  15  or wine bottles  19  held in the lower beverage tray  25  may engage main bottom panel  11  of the upper beverage tray  23  in the vicinity of the perforations  3 , causing the perforations  3  to fully or partially deform, and further causing the tops of the beverage containers  15  or wine bottles  19  of lower beverage tray  25  to fully or partially puncture or punch through the main bottom panel  11  of upper beverage tray  23 . This engagement at or near the perforations  3  allows the tops of the beverage containers  15  or wine bottles  19  and the perforations  3  to stabilize and align the upper beverage tray  23  with the lower beverage tray  25 .  FIG. 6  illustrates one embodiment wherein lower level wine bottles  19 , each of which may have a cork  20 , partially punches through or partially pierces perforations  3  in an upper beverage tray  23 , however the tops of the lower level wine bottles  19  do not fully puncture or punch through the main bottom panel  11  of upper beverage tray  23 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 6 , the partially punctured perforations  3  may engage or lock with recesses or depressions  9  in upper level beverage containers  15 , and thereby stabilize and align the upper beverage tray  23  with the lower beverage tray  25 .  FIG. 7  illustrates another embodiment wherein lower level beverage containers  15 , each of which may have a crimped cap  16 , may fully penetrate or punch through perforations  3  in an upper beverage tray  23 , and the caps  16  of the lower level beverage containers  15  may fully punch through the main bottom panel  11  of upper beverage tray  23 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , both the perforations  3  and the caps  16  of the lower level beverage containers  15  may engage or lock with recesses or depressions  9  in upper level wine bottles  19 , and thereby stabilize and align the upper beverage tray  23  with the lower beverage tray  25 . Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the perforations  3  on a stackable beverage tray  10  may be designed to allow various degrees of frangibility and puncturing depending upon the use of the stackable beverage tray  10 . Additionally, the degree of frangibility of the perforations  3  on an upper beverage tray  23  may be modified to be adaptable to any suitable beverage container, or any suitable recess or depression  9  on a beverage container  15  or other item. 
         [0045]    In some embodiments, stackable beverage trays may be designed to allow the upper beverage tray  23  to easily separate from the lower beverage tray  25  while unloading or lifting the upper beverage tray  23  from the lower beverage tray  25  in order to protect both the stackable beverage trays and the caps or protrusions of beverage containers  15  or other items. Perforations  3  may be made in fiberboard or other material that may easily separate from the main bottom panel  11  of an upper beverage tray  23  if, for example, the perforations  3  snag or catch on protrusions from a lower level stacked item. For example, a crimped cap  16  on a lower level beverage container  15  may engage perforations  3  on the upper beverage tray  23  such that the perforations  3  tightly grip the crimped cap  16 . In this embodiment, when lifting the upper beverage tray  23  from the lower beverage tray  25 , the perforations  3  on the upper beverage tray  23  may partially or fully separate from the main bottom panel  11  of the upper beverage tray  23  while continuing to grip the lower level crimped caps  16 . Of course, the separation of the perforations  3  from the main bottom panel  11  of the upper beverage tray  23  may not affect the load capacity or integrity of the upper beverage tray  23 . Also, partial or full separation of the perforations  3  from an upper beverage tray  23  may occur during loading, shipping, transporting, or other similar activity if the caps or protrusions of the lower level beverage containers  15  or other items snag or catch perforations  3  on the upper beverage tray  23 . A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that perforations  3  on an upper beverage tray  23  may be adaptable to prevent damage to other types of caps or protrusions on the tops of beverage containers  15  or other items. 
         [0046]      FIG. 8  illustrates one embodiment wherein beverage containers  15  or other items need not be aligned with perforations  3  on a stackable beverage tray  10 . A user may want to offset perforations  3  on a stackable beverage tray  10  to enable various stacking configurations for supporting, storing, transporting, or carrying the stackable beverage trays  10 . For example, some beverage containers  15  may have certain characteristics, such as a peculiar shape or weight distribution, that make them difficult to stack. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the perforations  3  on a stackable beverage tray  10  may be configured to enable proper weight distribution of various stacked beverage containers  15 . Of course, perforations  3  on a stackable beverage tray  10  may be configured to enable stacking of any suitable beverage container  15  or item with various characteristics other than weight distribution. 
         [0047]      FIG. 9  illustrates upper beverage trays  23  and lower beverage trays  25  stacked on top of each other, holding various beverage containers  15 . Additionally,  FIG. 9  illustrates an alternative embodiment of stacking the upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25 . Referring back to  FIG. 3 , the upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25  may be stacked in a manner whereby the end flaps  7 , end panels  13 , and main bottom panel  11  of the lower beverage trays  25  substantially align with the end flaps  7 , end panels  13 , and main bottom panel  11  of the upper beverage trays  23 .  FIG. 9  illustrates an embodiment wherein the upper beverage trays  23  are stacked in a staggered manner from the lower beverage trays  25  such that upper beverage trays  23  are offset from lower beverage trays  25 . This embodiment may allow better stability when stacking certain beverage containers  15  or other items. Of course, stackable beverage trays  10  may be stacked in any manner suitable for a particular beverage container  15  or other item, or for any suitable purpose. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that stacking upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25  in a truck may require a different stacking configuration than stacking upper and lower beverage trays  23 ,  25  in a warehouse, for example. 
         [0048]    Although various exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown and described. Therefore, the scope of the invention is intended to be limited solely by the scope of the claims that follow, considering the doctrine of equivalents.