GB2164634A - Trays for receiving articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A tray for receiving articles (C1 etc) comprises a pair of separable juxtaposed sleeves (S1, S2) folded from a single blank of sheet material and each including a top panel (16, 16a) having a plurality of apertures (64, 64a) for receiving the articles. Said top panels (16, 16a) of the sleeves are provided by a common panel section (12) weakened along a dividing line (14) to allow subsequent separation of the sleeves and removable tabs (26, 28) are provided for initiating the separation. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Article tray and a blank therefor This invention relates to an article tray for the packaging of a number of containers e.g. plastics cups filled with foodstuff, for storage, transport and eventual display and sale and to a blank for forming such a tray.

It is known, for example from US Patent No 4,053,099, to provide a tray in the form of a flat carton with openings in the top into which containers are inserted so they stand upright on the bottom of the tray and project above the tray. The trays disclosed in US Patent 4,053,099 take the form of a sleeve of foldable sheet material, comprising top and bottom walls hingedly joined by a pair of opposite side walls, the sleeve being closed at its ends by panels hinged to the top and bottom walls to form end walls of the tray. One of the end wall panels at each end of the tray includes a series of tabs which are disposed in overlapping abutting engagement with the topside of the tray to hold the sleeve in its tray-like configuration.

In the packaging industry, it is known to run the production lines with twenty cups per tray. The retail trade requires packages which are not only readily suitable for price-labelling, but also trays which are suitable for stacking on the shop shelves. The available shelf space is generally such that 20 unit packages are not suitable as a result of the large variety of different products to be displayed. A 10-unit package has been found to be better for this purpose so that the trays can be disposed in rows across the shelf thereby allowing a larger range of products to be displayed on a given shelf space.

The invention seeks to provide a tray which is of a type suitable to be used on existing production lines whilst meeting the above-mentioned requirements of the retail trade.

One aspect of the invention provides an article tray comprising a pair of separable juxtaposed sleeves formed from a single sheet of foldable material with sections providing for each sleeve a base panel, a top panel having a plurality of apertures for receiving articles and a pair of side panels, characterized in that the sections forming said top panels of the sleeves are provided by a common top panel, weakened along a dividing line to allow separation of the sleeves, and in that removable means are provided for maintaining said top panels fastened together.

Another aspect of the invention provides a onepiece blank for forming a tray comprising a pair of separable juxtaposed sleeves, the blank being made of sheet material and being formed with sections to provide for each sleeve, a base panel, a top panel having a plurality of apertures for receiving articles and a pair of side panels characterized in that the sections of the blank for forming said top panels of the sleeves are provided by a common panel section weakened along a dividing line to allow subsequent separation of the sleeves and wherein the blank is formed with removable means for fastening said top panels.

An advantage of the invention is that it makes it possible to provide a tray which can be used on existing production lines and thereafter separated into two self-contained packages.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank for making an article tray according to the invention, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of one end portion of the erected tray formed from the blank of FIG URE 1; Referring to the drawings, there is shown a onepiece blank 10 made of paperboard or similar foldable sheet material. The blank comprises a central section 12 which is weakened along a dividing line 14 to allow subsequent separation of two self-contained sleeves formed from the blank as described below. The central section provides top panel 16, 16a for the sleeves, one on each side of the dividing line.The blank is symmetrical about the dividing line and reference will now be made to the right hand side of the blank, like parts on the left side having like reference numerals with the addition of suffix "a".

The opposite ends of the top panel 16 are provided with top end closure flaps 18, 20 which are hinged to the top panel along interrupted fold lines 22 and 24, respectively. Likewise, top end closure flaps 18a, 20a are hinged to top panel 16a along interrupted fold lines 22a, 24a. End flap 18 is connected to end flap 18a by means of a tear-away tab 26 and similarly end flap 20 is connected to end flap 20a by tear-away tab 28.

The right hand side of the blank further comprises a first side wall panel 30 hinged to top panel 16 along fold line 32; a base panel 34; a second side wall panel 36 and a glue flap 38 hinged one to the next along parallel fold lines 40, 42 and 44 respectively. The opposite ends of the base panel 34 are provided with bottom end closure flaps 46, 48 which are hinged to the base panel along fold lines 50, 52, respectively.

A row of reinforcing flaps 'F' is stuck from base panel 32 in which each flap comprises a spacer leg 54 hinged to the base panel by fold line 56 and an anchoring tab 58 hinged to the spacer leg by a staggered fold line 60 and by which the reinforcing flap is secured to the underside of the top panel when the tray is formed. One edge of the spacer leg is formed with a short projection 62 as will be referred to hereafter.

The top panel 16 is formed with a row of partarcuate recesses 64 each of which has a straight edged peripheral portion to which is hinged a reinforcing panel 66 along fold line 68. Each reinforcing panel is provided by material which is left remaining during formation of its associated recess. Each recess 64 has an opposite peripheral edge portion which is formed as a pair of curvilinear rebates 70, 72 spaced closely by a nose portion 74 which extends towards but stops short of, the reinforcing panel. Each of the curvilinear rebates are shaped so as to conform closely to the periph eral wall of a container placed in a recess 64 of the completed tray and the curvilinear rebates of each recess are spaced such that neighbouring containers are held in close side by side relationahsip with the nose portion between them.

Each of the reinforcing panels 66 is formed with a locking aperture 76 defined by a pair of hinged tabs 78, 80 in which the nose portion of an adjacent reinforcing flap is engaged when the tray is formed.

In order to form the tray an application of glue is made to both the glue flaps 38 and 38a and to each of the anchoring tabs 58, 58a of the reinforcing flaps 'F' and 'Fa'. Thereafter, the blank is folded about fold lines 32, 40, 42, 44 and 32a, 40a, 42a and 44a so that the glue flaps 38 and 38a are brought into super-posed relationship with the undersides of the top panels 16 and 16a and secured thereto one on either side of the central dividing line, thereby to form two adjacent open-ended sleeves S1 and S2 (Figure 2). Also, all of the reinforcing flaps 'F' and 'Fa' are brought into an erected position so that the spacer legs 54 and 54a are perpendicular. Each anchoring tab is secured to the underside of a nose portion 74, 74a which is disposed directly above that tab.All the reinforcing panels 66, 66a are folded downwardly about fold lines 68, 68a and secured to an adjacent reinforcing flap by causing the short projections 62, 62a thereof to be inserted through the locking aperture 76, 76a of the reinforcing panel. The reinforcing panels are held in their downwardly folded position by frictional engagement between the hinged tabs 78, 80and 78a, 80a and the nose portion of the cooperating reinforcing flap. The reinforcing panels are sized such that the free edges thereof meet the base panels of the sleeves when the reinforcing panels are located in their downwardly folded positions. The interengaged reinforcing flaps and reinforcing panels gives the tray strength to resisting deformation from vertical loading.

In order to close the ends of the sleeves each of the bottom end closure panels 46, 46a and 48 and 48a is folded upwardly about its respective fold line 50, 50a and 52, 52a. Thereafter, the single end panels provided by the connected pair of top end closure panels 18, 18a and 20, 20a are folded downwardly about their respective fold lines 22, 22a and 24, 24a into overlapping relationship with the bottom end closure panels. In order to maintain the end closure panels closed, locking tabs 'T' in the top end closure panels are inserted into cooperating locking apertures 'A' formed in the bottom end closure panels. Further, projecting tongues 'p' provided at the free edges of the bottom end closure panels are inserted into registering slots 'S' formed along the interrupted fold lines between the top end closure panels and their associated top panels.

The sleeves S1 and S2 detachably are held together by the frangible dividing line and the tear away tabs 26 and 28 which connect together adjacent top end closure panels. When the tray is formed a portion of each of the tabs projects above the top of the tray so that is can be grasped easily for removal. The tabs tear along tear lines tl, t2; t3, t4 thereby breaking the connection at the ends of the tray whereafter the two sleeves can be separated by pulling them apart so that the dividing line breaks.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a pair of containers C1, C2 and C1a, C2a loaded into the adjacent sleeves of the tray.

Claims (12)

1. A one-piece blank for forming a tray comprising a pair of separable juxtaposed sleeves, the blank being made of sheet material and being formed with sections to provide for each sleeve, a base panel, a top panel having a plurality of apertures for receiving articles and a pair of side panels, characterized in that the sections of the blank for forming said top panels of the sleeves are provided by a common panel section weakened along a dividing line to allow subsequent separation of the sleeves and wherein the blank is formed with removable means for fastening said top panels.

2. A blank according to claim 1, further characterized in that said removable means comprise portions of the blank at opposed ends thereof which detachably connects together a pair of adjacent end panels each of which end panels is hinged to a respective one of said top panels.

3. A blank according to claim 2, further characterized in that said removable means comprise tear-away tabs, one at each end of the blank, re moval of which tabs leaves said sections connected together only by said dividing line.

4. A blank according to any of the preceeding claims, further characterized in that a reinforcing panel is hinged to a peripheral edge of each of said article receiving apertures.

5. A blank according to any of the preceeding claims, further characterized in that each base panel is provided with a foldable reinforcing flap sized for attachment to the associated top panel of each sleeve.

6. An article comprising a pair of separable junxtaposed sleeves formed from a single sheet of foldable material with sections providing for each sleeve a base panel, a top panel having a plurality of apertures for receiving articles and a pair of side panels, characterized in that the sections forming said top panels of the sleeves are provided by a common top panel, weakened along a dividing line to allow separation of the sleeves, and in that removable means are provided for maintaining said top panels fastened together.

7. An article tray according to claim 6, further characterized in that each sleeve includes end panels at opposed ends thereof which close the ends of the sleeve and in that said removable means are provided by said end panels.

8. An article tray according to claim 7, further characterized in that said removable means comprises a tear-away tab, detachably connecting together a pair of adjacent end panels which are hinged to respective top panels of the sleeves.

9. An article tray according to any of claims 6 to 8, further characterized in that the top panel of each sleeve includes a reinforcing panel hinged at a peripheral edge of each article receiving aperture and folded into engagement with the base panel of that sleeve.

10. An article receiving tray according to claim 9, further characterized in that the base panel sleeve includes a plurality of reinforcing flaps secured to the top panel of the sleeve and each reinforcing flap also being secured to a respective one of said reinforcing panels.

11. An article carrier according to claim 10, further characterized in that each of said reinforcing flaps is formed with a locking projection which is received in a locking aperture formed in an adjacent reinforcing panel.

12. An article tray according to any of claims 8 to 11, further characterized in that said top end closure panels are provided with locking means which cooperate with mating locking means provided in overlapping end closure panels hinged to the base panels of the sleeves.