Improvements in trays for containing eggs, fruit or other articles

Abstract

 A tray (1) for containing eggs, fruit or other relatively fragile articles is of generally square shape in plan and is thermo-formed, as a thin-walled product, from plastics sheet material. It comprises rows and columns of article-receiving pockets (2) defined by hollow upstanding bosses (5,6), each pocket being interconnected with adjacent pockets by deep, generally V-shaped channels (11) extending between adjacent bosses. These channels form the underneath of the tray into a grid-like configuration in which the outsides of the pockets (2) are joined to adjacent pockets by the hollow webs formed by the channels. This grid-like configuration serves to provide the tray with strength and rigidity and enables articles, such as eggs, to be carried in the thin-walled plastics tray without the tray collapsing or folding when it is held at its edges.

Description

Background of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to trays for containing eggs, fruit or other articles and, more particularly, to such trays of the type which are moulded from plastics material and comprise a multiplicity of,article-receiving pockets disposed in an array of rows and columns in the tray. Trays of this type may be used for packaging, storing and transporting large quantities of eggs, fruit or other relatively fragile articles and must be stackable, when loaded with the articles, so as to avoid damage to the articles and permit the trays to be handled in loaded stacks.

[0002] Such plastics trays have many advantages over conventional moulded pulp trays. They are reusable to a much greater extent than moulded pulp trays. They are washable so that they can be cleaned before re-use to avoid contamination by defective or broken articles previously contained in the trays, and they do not lose their strength when dampened by liquid excreted by defective or broken articles or otherwise. However, in order to be commercially viable and compete with conventional pulp trays, trays moulded from plastics material, such as plastics foil or sheet material, must have a thin walled construction. Hitherto, the constructions utilised for thin walled plastics trays have, when loaded, lacked the strength and rigidity required for handling either singly or in a stack. This has proved especially so with regard to the normally commercially used "Keyes" type of egg trays designed to hold, conventionally, thirty eggs per tray, the difficulty in handling such egg-filled trays increasing when stacked one on top of the other. Moreover, the egg-receiving pockets utilised in prior trays have not been entirely satisfactory for separately containing all sizes of eggs commercially marketed and, when the trays are filled, for preventing side-to-side knocking together and damaging of the eggs during handling and transit.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to alleviate the problems experienced with prior moulded plastics trays and to provide a tray construction which may be thermo-formed, as a thin walled plastics product, from plastics sheet material with the desired strength and rigidity.

[0004] To this end, the invention consists in a tray of the type described above for containing eggs, fruit or other articles, which is thermo-formed from plastics sheet material and comprises rows and columns of article-receiving pockets defined by hollow upstanding boss portions of the tray, each pocket being interconnected with at least one adjacent pocket by a deep, generally wedge or V-shaped channel extending between adjacent upstanding boss portions.

[0005] Preferably, the channels are of such a depth that the bottoms of the channels are disposed at a level at or adjacent the bottoms of the pockets and the channel bottoms are substantially coplanar.

[0006] Preferably, all the pockets or the majority of the pockets are interconnected with each adjacent pocket by such a V-shaped channel, whereby the hollow upstanding boss portions defining the pockets are formed into rows and columns of individual hollow bosses. With this preferred construction, the underneath of the tray has a grid-like configuration in which the outsides of the pockets are joined to adjacent pockets by the hollow webs formed on the underneath of the tray by the channels, these hollow webs defining square compartments of the grid-like configuration. The latter serves to provide the tray with considerable strength and rigidity and enables relatively heavy articles, such as eggs, to be carried in the thin-walled tray, and the tray to support a stack of like trays, without the tray collapsing or folding when it is held at its edges. With such a construction, the tray retains its strength even when formed from plastics sheet material as thin as 10 or 11 thou thick (approximately 250 or 280 microns) and enables increased ease and safe handling of one or more filled and stacked trays.

[0007] Conveniently, the rows and columns of article-receiving pockets comprise odd and even numbers of substantially identical pockets, whereby a plurality of like trays, loaded with articles can be stacked one on top of the other, with the bottoms of the pockets of an upper tray resting on the tops of the bosses of the adjacent lower tray, by orienting the upper tray at right angles to the lower tray. When so stacked, the upper tray does not rest on the articles in the lower tray, with consequent risk of damage to the articles, and the underneath hollow webs formed by the channels in the upper tray span the channels in the lower tray, closely adjacent to the tops of the bosses of the lower tray, so as to provide partitions between the articles in the pockets in the lower tray and prevent the latter from touching or knocking together.

[0008] Opposite sides of the tray parallel to the rows or columns having the greater number of pockets may have marginal, ledge portions, formed below the rim of the tray, joining the adjacent bosses to the sides and serving as ledges on the underneath of the tray, at opposite sides thereof, by which the tray may be manually lifted. These ledge portions may be formed with stiffening webs extending between the sides of the tray and the adjacent bosses, and may be moulded, particularly at their central parts where they are intended to be lifted, with additional stiffening and gripping configurations to facilitate handling of the tray.

[0009] When unloaded and oriented similarly with respect to one another, the trays may be stacked in internested relation for the purposes of storage and transportation and supply to automatic packing machinery. To prevent the internested trays from wedging together and facilitate separation of the trays, the trays advantageously are formed with reverse tapered stacking shoulders.

[0010] Whilst the construction according to the invention is particularly suitable for producing a rectangular tray adapted to contain a relatively large quantity of eggs, fruit or other articles, it will be apparent that the same construction can, with advantage, also be applied to trays for carrying smaller numbers of articles, for example, to the tray part of an eggbox which is moulded in one piece with a hollow cover part and is hinged thereto so that the cover part can be folded about the hinge from an open position to a closed position in which it is inverted over the tray part and closes the open, upper ends of the pockets therein.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] In order that the present invention may be more readily understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an egg tray constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is an underneath plan view of the tray,

Fig. 3 is a section along the line III-III of Fig. 2 illustrating the tray containing eggs and stacked with a like tray, and

Fig. 4 is a side view of the tray.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment

[0012] Referring to the drawings, the egg tray 1 is a one piece moulding of plastics foil or sheet material. For example, conveniently, it is fluid pressure-formed or vacuum-formed from high impact polystyrene or polyvinyl chloride. It is of generally square shape in plan and comprises a multiplicity of egg-receiving pockets 2 formed in an array of mutually parpandicular rows and columns. There are six egg-receiving pockets in each row parallel to the sides 3 of the tray and five in each column parallel to the sides 4, so that the tray is capable of containing thirty eggs.

[0013] The pockets 2 are defined by rows and columns of hollow, upstanding boss portions 5 which, with the exception of the boss portions 6 moulded along the sides 4 of the tray, are truncated, pyramid-like bosses having seven sides or faces. The boss portions 6 are formed as half- bosses projecting inwardly from the sides 4, and the bosses 5 adjacent the sides 3 are connected to the adjacent sides 3 by ledge portions 7, as will hereinafter be more fully described. The tops 8 of all the bosses are substantially level with the rim 9 of the tray, which is moulded with a stiffening flange 10.

[0014] With the exception of six pockets 2a in the central part of the tray, each of the egg-receiving pockets 2 is connected to all the immediately adjacent pockets by deep wedge or V-shaped or -sectioned channels 11 extending between the bosses. The pockets 2a in the central part of the tray are also connected to adjacent pockets by such V-shaped or -sectioned channels, except the central pocket 2a in the same row. The latter is separated by a hollow web or partition 12 which defines a space 13 in the underneath of the tray required to permit the tray to be used with automatic egg collection and packing machinery. The channels 11 are formed to such a depth that their bottoms 14 are at a level closely adjacent to the bottoms of the pockets 2,2a. These channel bottoms are formed by a narrow flat strip of material, rather than an apex, and are disposed in substantially the same horizontal-plane. By reason of the pyramidal shape of the bosses 5, the channels are longer at their bottoms 14 than adjacent their tops. The faces or sides of the bosses defining the sides of the channels may be moulded with hollow stiffening ribs 15. The faces of the bosses defining the pockets are plane, save for small stiffening ribs 16 adjoining the pocket bottoms.

[0015] Along its sides 4, the tray is moulded with the ledge portions 7 which connect the adjacent hollow bosses to the sides of the tray. The ledge portions 7 are formed below the rim 9 of the tray and the top portions of the adjacent bosses are connected to the sides 4 by hollow stiffening webs 17 formed up from the ledges. At their central parts, the ledges have raised portions 18 moulded with depressions or cavities 19 to provide for local stiffening of the ledges and form convenient lifting points for the tray to facilitate manual handling. At opposite sides of the raised central portions 18, the rim 9 of the tray is formed with rebates 20 which are required in order to permit the tray to be used with automatic egg collection and packing machinery.

[0016] The deep channels 11 interconnecting the egg-receiving pockets form the underneath of the tray (see Fig. 2) into a grid-like configuration in which the outsides 21 of the pockets are joined to adjacent pockets by hollow webs 22 formed by the channels, these webs defining the square compartments of the grid configuration. The grid-like configuration of the underneath of the tray serves to strengthen and rigidify the tray and prevent it from folding or collapsing when carrying a full load of eggs and when lifted by its edges, particularly at the central lifting parts 18, and either by itself or with a stack of trays.

[0017] Like trays 1 may be stacked in internested relation for storage and transit and feeding into automatic egg packing machinery, when oriented in the:same position with respect to one another, that is, with the rows and columns of pockets 2 in adjacent trays of a stack disposed parallel with one another, respectively. In this position, the internested trays are prevented from wedging or jamming together by small reverse tapered stacking shoulders 23 moulded in the rim 9 along the sides 4 of the tray. When the individual trays are filled with eggs and are stacked, the upper tray 1a (see Fig. 3) is turned so that it is oriented at right angles to the lower tray 1, that is, with the columns of pockets in the upper tray parallel to the rows of pockets in the lower tray. With this orientation, the bottoms 24 of the pockets in the upper tray la rest on the tops 8 of the bosses 5 in the lower tray 1 to retain the trays spaced apart and prevent the upper tray la from resting on and damaging the eggs in the lower tray, and the hollow webs 22 formed, on the underneath of the upper tray, by the channels 11 in the upper tray, prevent the eggs in the lower tray from knocking together and, perhaps, cracking or breaking.

[0018] Whilst a particular embodiment has been described, it will be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. For example, trays may be constructed in a similar manner to that described above so as to contain greater or smaller quantities of eggs.

Claims

1. A tray (1) for containing eggs, fruit or other articles,which is of rectangular shape in plan and comprises a multiplicity of article-receiving pockets (2,2a) disposed in an array of rows and columns in the tray, characterised in that the tray is thermo-formed from plastics sheet material, the rows and columns of article-receiving pockets (2,2a) are defined by hollow upstanding boss portions (5,6) of the tray, and each pocket is interconnected with at least one adjacent pocket by a deep V-shaped channel (11) extending between adjacent upstanding boss portions.

2. A tray as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottoms (14) of the channels (11) are substantially coplanar and said channels are of such a depth that their bottoms are disposed at a level adjacent the bottoms of the pockets (2,2a).

3. A tray as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each, or each of a majority, of the pockets (2) is interconnected with each adjacent pocket by a V-shaped channel (11), whereby the upstanding boss portions (5,6) defining said pockets are formed into rows and columns of individual bosses, and wherein said V-shaped channels form the underneath of the tray into a grid-like configuration in which the outsides (21) of the pockets are joined to adjacent pockets by hollow webs (22) formed by the channels (11), said hollow webs (22) defining rectangular compartments of the grid-like configuration.

4. A tray as claimed in claim 3, wherein the individual bosses (5) have a truncated pyramidal shape with opposed sides of adjacent bosses forming the sides of the channels (11).

5. A tray as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4., wherein the rows and columns of pockets have an odd and even number of similar pockets, respectively, whereby a like tray is stackable on top of said tray with the bottoms of the pockets of the upper tray resting on the tops (8) of the bosses of the lower tray when the upper tray is oriented at right angles to the lower tray.

6. A tray as claimed in claim 5, wherein opposite sides (3) of the tray parallel to the rows or columns having the greater number of pockets are formed with marginal, ledge portions (7) joining the adjacent row of bosses to said sides, said ledge portions being disposed below the rim of the tray and serving as ledges on the underneath of the tray, at opposite sides thereof, by which the tray can be manually lifted.

7. A tray as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including stacking shoulders (23) for preventing the tray from wedging in a like tray when stacked in internested relation therewith.

8. A tray for containing eggs, fruit or other articles, constructed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawing