Patent ID: 8727121

Claim:
A thin-walled unitary plastic tray for holding a plurality of food items, the tray comprising: a) a central portion comprising a plurality of recesses, a plurality of posts and a plurality of abutment members; b) each recess of the plurality of recesses configured to receive at least one of a plurality of food items and the plurality of recesses includes a first set of recesses arranged in a first row extending in a first lateral direction and a second set of recesses arranged in a second row extending parallel to the first lateral direction and spaced apart from the first row in a second lateral direction that is generally orthogonal to the first lateral direction; c) the plurality of posts being separate from and laterally spaced apart from the plurality of recesses and disposed laterally between the plurality of recesses, each post extending generally upwardly from a bottom end to an upper end spaced above the bottom end in a third direction that is generally orthogonal to both the first and second lateral directions, the plurality of posts comprising a first set of posts disposed on a first side of a lateral axis extending parallel to first lateral direction and a second set of posts disposed on a second side of the lateral axis laterally opposite the first side; d) the plurality of abutment members being separate from and laterally spaced apart from the plurality of recesses, the abutment members interspersed laterally between the recesses and the posts, each abutment member comprising a downward facing abutment surface, the plurality of abutment members comprising a first set of abutment members disposed on the first side of the lateral axis and opposing the second set of posts and a second set of abutment members disposed on the second side of the lateral axis and being laterally offset from the first set of abutment members and opposing the first set of posts; and the first set of posts and the first set of abutment members disposed between the first row and second row in the second lateral direction and the plurality of posts and the plurality of abutment members arranged such that: i) when the tray is in a first orientation relative to a like second tray the plurality of posts on the tray are aligned with and can nest within a second plurality of posts on the second tray to allow vertically collapsed nesting of the second tray onto the first tray; and ii) when the tray is in a different, second orientation relative to the second tray the upper ends of the plurality of posts each abut a respective one of a plurality of second downward facing abutment surfaces on the second tray to support the second tray above the plurality of recesses and allow vertically expanded stacking of the second tray above the first tray.