Adjustable tray

Abstract

 A tray for receiving articles comprising a base (9) and upstanding side walls (10), the side walls are provided with a plurality of dovetail shaped grooves (11) which are open at their upper ends. Parting or division boards (2, 3) are provided, the main board (2) having dovetail tenons (22) which locate in aligned grooves (11) in a pair of opposite side walls. The main board (2) is also provided with dovetail shaped grooves (21) intermediate its ends and in addition further boards (3) are provided having dovetail tenons (32) at their ends respectively for engagement at one end in a groove (21) in the main board and at the other end in a groove (11) in a side wall (10).

Description

[0001] This invention relates to a tray for accommodating articles such for example as items of medical equipment including medicines, or office equipment and more particularly to a tray which incorporates adjustable parting or division boards.

[0002] Trays are known which incorporate adjustable parting or division boards but the method of locating the boards within the tray has not been satisfactory in that it has proved possible to dislodge the boards in use thereby allowing the contents of the individual sub-compartments created by the boards, to mix together.

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a tray of the kind specified in an improved form.

[0004] According to the invention a tray for receiving articles comprises a base and side walls extending upwardly therefrom, at least one main parting board located in the tray to divide the tray into compartments to receive articles of a particular type, characterised in that the side walls are formed on their inner surfaces with a plurality of dovetail grooves extending upwardly away from the base and the or each parting board is provided at its ends respectively with dovetail tenons which can be engaged within aligned grooves in the opposite side walls.

[0005] An example of a tray in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the tray,

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part of the tray seen in Figure 1 with the parts positioned prior to assembly,

Figure 3 is a plan view of part of the tray seen in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the tray showing articles located in the compartments, and

Figure 5 is an elevation of a support for a plurality of trays.

[0006] Referring to the drawings the body 1 of the tray is formed as an injection moulding from synthetic resin material and has a base 9 and upstanding side walls 10. At their edges remote from the base the side walls have flanges 12 and on the outer surfaces each side wall has a step 13 so that the lower portion of the outer surface of each side wall is stepped back thereby enabling a tray to be stacked on top of a similar tray.

[0007] The inner surfaces of the side walls 10 are formed with a plurality of spaced dovetail grooves 11 which extend perpendicularly from the base 9. The ends of the grooves adjacent the base are spaced from the base by a short distance and the grooves at their other ends, are open. Moreover, the grooves in the opposite side walls are aligned with each other.

[0008] In order to divide the tray into compartments, division or parting boards 2, 3 are provided. The parting board 2 in the example has a length substantially equal to the longer sides of the tray and is provided intermediate its ends, with a plurality of dovetail grooves 21 on each side. At its ends respectively the board 2 is provided with dovetail tenons 22. The grooves 21 are formed in the intermediate portion of the parting board and are aligned on opposite sides of the board. Moreover, when the tenons 22 are inserted into the aligned grooves 11 in the shorter sides 10 of the tray, the grooves 21 in the parting board are aligned with the grooves 11 in the longer sides of the tray. As with the grooves 11, the grooves 21 have open upper ends and their lower ends adjacent the base 9 are spaced from the base by the same distance as the grooves 11.

[0009] When the parting board 2 is in position the tray is divided into two compartments and the division of these two compartments into sub-compartments is provided by the parting boards 3. These are supplied in different lengths and have dovetail tenons 32 at their opposite ends. The appropriate length of parting board 3 is chosen so that one of the tenons 32 can be engaged in a groove 11 in one of the longer side walls and the other tenon 32 engaged in the corresponding groove 21 in the parting board 2. The parting boards 3 since they are secured to the parting board 2 by the tenons and also to the side walls, provide reinforcement for the parting board 2 and since all the parting boards have at least one end secured to a side wall of the tray the risk of the boards becoming detached in the use of the tray for example due to lateral pressure exerted by the contents of the sub-compartments, is minimised.

[0010] It will be appreciated that more than one slotted parting board 2 may be employed if so required and that instead of having a length substantially equal to the longer sides of the tray it or they, may have a length substantially equal to the shorter sides of the tray. Figure 5 of the drawings shows how using the flanges 12, a plurality of trays can be supported in a wheeled frame W.

Claims

1. A tray for receiving articles comprising a base (9) and side walls (10) extending upwardly therefrom and at least one main parting board (2) located in the tray to divide the tray into compartments to receive articles of a particular type, characterised in that the side walls (10) are formed on their inner surfaces with a plurality of dovetail grooves (11) extending upwardly away from the base (9) and the or each parting board (2) is provided at its ends respectively with dovetail tenons (22) which can be engaged within aligned grooves (11) in the opposite side walls (10).

2. A tray according to Claim 1, characterised in that the grooves (11) have open ends remote from the base (9) of the tray.

3. A tray according to Claim 2, characterised in that the or each main parting board (2) is formed with a plurality of dovetail grooves (21) on its opposite side walls and by at least one further parting board (3) having dovetail tenons (32) at its opposite ends for engagement within aligned grooves in the main parting board (2) and a side wall (10).

Drawing