GB2335414A

GB2335414A - A tray for containers

Info

Publication number: GB2335414A
Application number: GB9805597A
Authority: GB
Inventors: A J Carpenter
Original assignee: APAC ROWENA Ltd
Current assignee: APAC ROWENA Ltd
Priority date: 1998-03-18
Filing date: 1998-03-18
Publication date: 1999-09-22
Also published as: GB9805597D0

Abstract

A tray (10, figure 1) for a container which has a base and a top with a shoulder therebetween, has a substantially laminar body with two sides. One, upper, side is presented upwards in use and the other, lower, side is presented downwards in use. The upper side has defined therein a plurality of recesses, each recess 12 being operative to receive the base of a container 30, and the lower side has a plurality of formations (16, figure 1), each being suitable to be placed over the top of a container and rest on a shoulder of the container in use without impinging on the top. The tray may be used with containers of the pump action type 40.

Description

PW924UK 1 2335414 Title: A tray for containers This invention relates to a

tray for containers, particularly for containers having a valve or pump mechanism at one end thereof.

Containers are commonly used for the provision of cosmetics and substances, the containers being provided with either "aerosoP type or "pump-action" type dispensing apparatus. A container in either category has a top which, when depressed, will dispense the contents of the container.

In the case of a pump action type container, only a measured amount will be dispensed by each depression of the top, but the substance may be a liquid soap or a condiment and so spillage of such a substance is undesirable. In the case of an aerosol container, depression of the top will usually result in continuous supply of the contents of the container, until either release of the top or exhaustion of the contents. Therefore, in both cases, it is undesirable to allow the top to be depressed inadvertently, as this will lead to wastage of the contents of the container and possible soiling of surrounding articles.

In the past, the above problem has precluded the stacking of containers of the described type, without providing a complicated locking mechanism on the top of each container or an additional cap around the top. It is an object of the present invention to ameliorate the above described problems.

According to the invention, there is provided a tray for a container having a base and a top with a shoulder therebetween, the tray having a substantially laminar body with two sides, one, upper, side being presented upwards in use and the other, lower, side being presented downwards in use, the upper side having defined therein a plurality of recesses, each recess being operative to receive the base of a container, and the lower side having a plurality of formations, each being suitable to be placed over the top of a container and rest on a shoulder of the container in use without impinging on the top.

P00924UK 2 In that way, a tray can be used to support one or more containers in its recesses, and the tray can then be paced over one or more containers and be allowed to rest on the shoulders of those containers. the weight of the tray and the containers supported thereby will be borne by the shoulders of the containers below, and not by the tops of those containers. therefore, the tops of the containers below are unlikely to be depressed through the stacking of trays of containers above, and the likelihood of leakage and spillage will consequently be reduced.

In a preferred embodiment, the formation on the lower side defines a recess suitable to receive the top of a container in use.

The tray may be of plastics material. Preferably, the tray is pressed from a sheet of plastics material.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a tray in accordance with a specific embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows a plan view of the tray shown in figure 1; and Figure 3 shows a cross section of the tray shown in figures 1 and 2, along the line indicated by arrows 111-111 in figure 2, in conjunction with soap dispensing containers of known type.

A tray 10 is formed of a generally rectangular piece of plastics material, The piece of plastics material is pressed out to produce the tray, having various formations out of the plane of the original rectangle.

Referring in particular to figure 2, the tray comprises six compartments 12 arranged orthogonally in two rows of three. Each compartment 12 is generally circular, and has a PM924UK 3 ledge 14. In that way, the base of a bottle may be placed in the compartment in use, and allowed to rest on the ledge 14.

Radially inwardly of the ledge, the plastics material is moulded into a collar formation 16 having a base 18. The collar formation 16 is discontinuous, forming about two thirds of the circumferential extent of a tube. Accordingly, the collar 16 includes an opening 20.

Corresponding with the opening 20, each compartment 12 has a further depression 22 associated therewith, the depression 22 being spaced generally radially outwardly of the ledge 14. The depression 22 defines a wall 24 descending from the upper plane of the tray, and facing the opening 20 in the collar 16.

Referring now to figure 3 of the drawings, a cross section of the tray as described above is illustrated in combination with conventional bottles with pump action dispensers.

The base of one bottle 30 is shown located in a compartment of the tray, resting on the ledge 14. Moreover, the tray has been placed on another bottle 40. In practice, six bottles would be provided, preferably in a second tray the same as that illustrated, and the tray then placed over that second tray full of bottles.

As can be seen from figure 3, the base 18 of the collar 16 of the tray 10 rests on a shoulder 42 of the bottle 40, rather than the pump action dispenser 44 thereof. The pump adtion dispenser 44 is housed within the collar 16, and the dispensing nozzle arm 46 of the dispenser, which projects radially outwardly of the dispenser 44, projects through the opening 20. Moreover, the radially outward end of the dispensing nozzle arm 46 abuts against the wall 24 defined by the depression 22, for the purpose of locating the tray over the bottle securely.

As a result, it can be seen that the tray as described above is effective to allow bottles to be packed though force is not permitted to be applied to their tops.

APAC0924.UK 4

Claims

1. A tray for a container having a base and a top with a shoulder therebetween, the tray having a substantially laminar body with two sides, one, upper, side being presented upwards in use and the other, lower, side being presented dov-ards in use, the upper side having defined therein a plurality of recesses, each'recss being operative to receive the base of a container, and the lower side having a plurality of formations, each being suitable to be placed over the top of a container and rest on a shoulder of the container in use without impinging on the top.

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2. A tray according to claim 1 in which the formation on the lower side defines a recess suitable to receive the top of a container in use.

3. A tray according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the tray is of plastics material.

4. A tray according to claim 3 which tray is pressed from a sheet of plastics material.

5. A tray for a container substantially as herein described and with reference to the accompanying drawings.