A tray for paper

Abstract

 The present invention relates to a stacking tray for paper or stationary which can adopt a plurality of stacking positions with similar trays.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a tray for paper or other stationery items such as are commonly used in offices where several trays are stacked together.

[0002] It is well known in the art to provide tray assemblies where an upper tray is directly over an underneath tray and held in this position by means of risers supporting the upper tray. The risers fit into sockets provided on the upper and lower trays.

[0003] Alternatively it is known to provide trays which directly stack upon one another wherein the top edge of the cycles of the underneath support the base of the upper tray. Normally the stretched out configuration is adopted when the lower tray and the upper tray are directly in line with one another. However, a staggered stack configuration is also known where the upper tray is set back from the front edge of the lower tray.

[0004] It is known for trays to offer up to two of the above configurations.

[0005] The present invention seeks to provide a tray which can be assembled with other trays into multiple configurations.

[0006] According to the present invention there is provided a tray for paper comprising a generally planar base with a side wall extending upwardly from adjacent to the peripheral edge of the base, the side wall only extending around the part of peripheral edge of the base, the tray including stacking means arranged to allow the tray to stack with a similar tray in a plurality of stacking configurations including (a) one forward stacking position selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a straight stack configuration where the base member of the tray is supported upon a top edge of the wall member of said similar tray and the base of said similar tray is directly subjacent to the base of the tray;

(ii) a tiered stack configuration where the base of said similar tray is directly subjacent to the base of the tray with the tray being supported on risers that are insertable into the stacking means of the tray and the similar tray;

(iii) a staggered stack configuration where the tray is supported on the top edge of the wall member of the similar tray and the base of the tray only partly overlies the base of said similar tray; and

(iv) a reverse stack configuration where the tray is orientated directly above the similar tray and rotated 180° in the plane of the base compared to the similar tray; and (b) one alternate stacking configuration selected from the group consisting of:

(iv) said reverse stack configuration; and

(v) a ninety degree stack configuration with the tray arranged above the similar tray and rotated 90° in the plane of the base compared to the similar tray;

   and wherein the forward stacking configuration and the alternate stacking configuration are different stacking configurations and do not consist of the straight stacking configuration and the reverse stack configuration alone.

[0007] The tray according to the present invention thus offers at least two different configurations which have not previously been known together. The straight and reverse stacking configurations are not the only configurations of any tray according to the present invention as in some tray designs these configurations may be substantially the same at least as far as the stacking means is concerned. The trays of the present invention do not nest together. Thus the present invention provides an elegant assembly which is practical in use.

[0008] Furthermore, allowing for a tray to adopt multiple configurations has a cost advantage to the manufacturer as they do not need to manufacture different tray assemblies to cater for people requiring different configurations. The present invention also benefits users because a single tray may be joined with other trays into different assemblies and so the user can change between different assemblies without needing to purchase new trays.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stacking means includes a rib formed on an underside of the base and an opening formed on said top edge of the side wall directly in line with the rib, wherein the rib is arranged to fixedly engage in the opening in the top edge of said similar tray in the straight stack configuration. This provides a simple way to provide the straight stack configuration whilst providing a way in which the stack is secure against movement in all directions of the plane. In previous tray assemblies, engagement normally takes place on the exterior surface of tray structures.

[0010] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, said opening in the top edge is sized to fixedly receive a riser and the underside of the base includes a socket arranged to fixedly receive said riser, the socket being adjacent to the rib. Thus the stacking means for the straight stack position and the tiered stack position are formed together. This provides a neat arrangement of the various engagement means.

[0011] According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the stacking means includes a fin with a notch cut therefrom, said notch being arranged to fixedly locate the tray on the top edge of the side wall in the staggered stack configuration. Thus this embodiment provides a simple way to provide the staggered stack configuration.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the fin is located adjacent to the rib and the fin is connected to rib by veins to strengthen the rib and the fin from movement in the plane of the base. Again this has the advantage that the various stacking means are combined in the same feature of the tray thus providing a neat arrangement. Also in this way the fin is used to strengthen the rib, or vice versa making the assemblies more rigid.

[0013] Normally the stacking means will comprise at least two locating elements spaced apart on the underside of the base. This would normally be required for stability of the assembly.

[0014] The tray will often be substantially rectangular and in this case the side wall will normally extend around three sides of the rectangle leaving one side open for matter to be put into the tray. In this case the two locating elements will be arranged on opposite edges of the base to give natural stability to the stack.

[0015] Preferably, where the two locating elements are used on the rectangular tray, the locating elements comprise one of said fins. The staggered stack position then comprises the upper tray being moved backward over the lower tray until the notch in the fin is over the back wall of the lower tray. This provides a simple way to provide a secure staggered stack position.

[0016] Further the additional two locating means are normally provided on the open edge of the tray. This is to provide stability at the front part of the assembly. In this case the fins on the additional locating element do not need the notch to engage the rear wall. However, a notch could be provided if this could be desired.

[0017] It is preferred in the present invention that the top edge of the side wall remains unnotched. This has the advantage that there is less chance of clothing or other articles catching on the tray.

[0018] In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the stacking means is arranged so that any all engagement between surfaces occurs on surfaces of the side wall facing the interior of the base. This has the advantage of presenting a smooth surface on the exterior of the tray to make it less likely for clothing or other articles to catch on the tray.

[0019] In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the ribs and/or fins are elements curved in the plane of the base. In this way each of the elements provides in a simple way means to secure the tray against sliding in two or more directions.

[0020] It is preferred if the tray is stackable in at least three configurations, more preferably at least four configurations and most preferably five configurations.

[0021] The tray is normally formed from a plastics material, e.g. polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylene. It is preferred if the tray is formed by injection moulding.

[0022] The trays will preferably form an assembly comprising at least two of the trays.

[0023] According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of forming a tray including the step of moulding, e.g. injection moulding, a tray according to any one of the embodiments described above.

[0024] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1

shows a top perspective view of a tray according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2

shows the a bottom perspective view of the tray of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3

shows a top plan view of the tray of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4

shows a bottom plan view of the tray of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5

shows an assembly of the trays of Fig. 1 in a straight stack configuration;

Fig. 6

shows an assembly of the trays of Fig. 1 in a tiered stack configuration;

Fig. 7

shows an assembly of the trays of Fig. 1 in a staggered stack configuration;

Fig. 8

shows an assembly of the trays of Fig. 1 in a reverse stack configuration;

Fig. 9

shows an assembly of the trays of Fig. 1 in a ninety degree stack configuration.

[0025] Figs. 1 to 4 show a tray 10 of the present invention. The tray 10 comprises a generally planar base 12 of generally rectangular outline and as seen most clearly from Fig. 3.

[0026] As can be most clearly seen from Figs. 1 and 3, the base 12 has a side wall 14 extending upwardly from about its periphery on three sides of the rectangle. The area of the base 12 adjacent to the fourth side of the rectangle slopes generally downwardly. A depression 16 is formed on the top surface of the base 12 to assist when extracting articles placed in the tray.

[0027] The depression 16 is bisected by the line from which the base 12 slopes downwardly towards the fourth side of the rectangle. The top surface of the base 12 slopes slightly downwardly from the said bisecting line towards the side wall portion opposite the fourth side rectangle. This assists with preventing items placed in the tray 10 from accidently falling out of the tray 10.

[0028] The side wall 14 has a top edge 18 which is generally smooth without any cut outs or notches made therein. The side wall 14 has four double wall sections 20 each with an opening 22 formed therebetween. The openings 22 form part of the stacking means explained in more detail hereinafter.

[0029] As can be seen most clearly from Figs. 2 and 4, the side wall 14 extends past the base 12 to form a lip about the undersurface of the base 12. The double wall sections 20 of the side wall 14 also extend past the base 12. A rib 26 extends adjacent to each of the double wall sections 20.

[0030] A socket 28 is formed adjacent to each of the ribs 26. Each socket 28 arranged to fit a riser 62.

[0031] A fin 30 is formed parallel to each of the ribs 26. The two fins 30 furthest from the fourth side have notches 32 formed therein. Each fin 30 is joined to the adjacent rib 26 by three veins 34 which strengthens the rib 26 and the fin 30. It is noted that the fins and the ribs to not have to be the illustrated shape.

[0032] Two elements 36 are formed on the undersurface of the base 12 adjacent to the edge of the opposite the fourth side.

[0033] The rib 26 of one tray 10 engages with the opening 22 of another similar tray 10, as can be seen from Fig. 5, to form a tray assembly 50. Each rib 26 is formed in a curve which allows the rib 26 to prevent movement in two directions in the plane of the base. This forms the straight stack 50 configuration.

[0034] As can be seen clearly from Fig. 6, the riser 62 is inserted in to each socket 28 of one tray 10 and is inserted in to each opening 22 on a similar tray 10. This forms the tiered stack 60 configuration.

[0035] As can be seen clearly from Fig. 7, the staggered stack 70 configuration is formed by the notches 32 of a tray 10 being fitted on to the side wall 14 on the edge furthest from the fourth side of a similar tray 10.

[0036] As can be seen clearly from Fig. 8, the reverse stack 80 configuration is formed by rotation of the middle tray 10 shown in Fig. 5. The same elements engage with one another as in the configuration of Fig. 5. This reverse stack configuration is enabled by the symmetrical arrangement of the stacking means as can be seen most clearly from the plan views of Figs. 3 and 4.

[0037] As can be seen most clearly from Fig. 9, the ninety degree stacking configuration 90 is achieved by rotating the middle tray of Fig. 5 by 90 degrees. The fins 30 nearest the fourth edge of the upper tray 10 locate of the side wall 14 of the lower tray 10. The elements 38 of one tray 10 cooperate with the openings 22 of a similar tray 10 to stablise this ninety degree configuration 90. The elements 36 are shown to be straight in the illustrated embodiment, but these elements could be formed in any desirable shape. e.g. a curve.

[0038] Although Figs. 5 to 9 show assemblies with two or three trays, it will be appreciated that any of the assemblies can contain two or more trays 10. Normally the number of trays does not exceed six trays.

[0039] It will be appreciated that the shape of the base of the tray could be formed of nearly any shape with the appropriate adjustments to the shape and arrangement of the various parts of the stacking means. However, for some shapes it may not be possible to incorporate the reverse or ninety degree stacking configurations. For example these two configurations will be hard to implement on non-rotationally symmetrical trays. This is well within the capabilities of the person skilled in the art.

[0040] The trays of the present invention will normally be made from a material such as a plastics material. It is preferred if the tray is formed by injection moulding as this is a convenient manufacturing technique for producing items such as trays which are normally produced in batches of at least several hundred. Preferred materials for injection moulding are polystyrene, polypropylene and polyethylene.

[0041] Generally, the present invention relates to a stacking tray for paper or stationary which can adopt a plurality of stacking positions with similar trays.

Claims

1. A tray for paper comprising a generally planar base with a side wall extending upwardly from adjacent to the peripheral edge of the base, the side wall only extending around the part of peripheral edge of the base, the tray including stacking means arranged to allow the tray to stack with a similar tray in a plurality of stacking configurations including (a) one forward stacking position selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a straight stack configuration where the base member of the tray is supported upon a top edge of the wall member of said similar tray and the base of said similar tray is directly subjacent to the base of the tray;

(ii) a tiered stack configuration where the base of said similar tray is directly subjacent to the base of the tray with the tray being supported on risers that are insertable into the stacking means of the tray and the similar tray;

(iii) a staggered stack configuration where the tray is supported on the top edge of the wall member of the similar tray and the base of the tray only partly overlies the base of said similar tray; and

(iv) a reverse stack configuration where the tray is orientated directly above the similar tray and rotated 180° in the plane of the base compared to the similar tray;

and (b) one alternate stacking configuration selected from the group consisting of:

(iv) said reverse stack configuration; and

(v) a ninety degree stack configuration with the tray arranged above the similar tray and rotated 90° in the plane of the base compared to the similar tray;

   and wherein the forward stacking configuration and the alternate stacking configuration are different stacking configurations and do not consist of the straight stacking configuration and the reverse stack configuration alone.

2. A tray according to claim 1, wherein the stacking means includes a rib formed on an underside of the base and an opening formed on said top edge of the side wall directly in line with the rib, wherein the rib is arranged to fixedly engage in the opening in the top edge of said similar tray in the straight stack configuration, and optionally wherein said opening in the top edge is sized to fixedly receive a riser and the underside of the base includes a socket arranged to fixedly receive said riser, the socket being adjacent to the rib.

3. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stacking means includes a fin with a notch cut therefrom, said notch being arranged to fixedly locate the tray on the top edge of the side wall in the staggered stack configuration.

4. A tray according to claim 2 and claim 3, wherein:

a) the fin is located adjacent to the rib and the fin is connected to rib by veins to strengthen the rib and the fin from movement in the plane of the base; and/or

b) the ribs and/or fin are elements curved in the plane of the base.

5. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the stacking means comprises at least two locating elements spaced apart on the underside of the base, and/or the base is substantially rectangular, and the side wall extends around three sides of said rectangle.

6. A tray according to claim 5, wherein the said two locating elements are arranged on opposite edges of the base with side walls thereabove.

7. A tray according to claim 3 and claim 6, wherein each of the locating means comprise one of said fins and optionally wherein the stacking means further includes an additional locating means on each of the said opposite edges of the base, and further optionally wherein the additional locating means are generally similar to the first-said locating means apart from the fin being unnotched.

8. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims: a) wherein the top edge of the side wall is unnotched, and/or b) wherein the stacking means is arranged so that all engagement between surfaces occurs on surfaces of the side wall facing the interior of the base, and/or c) wherein the tray is not slidable in the plane of the base when in a stacking configuration; and/or d) wherein the tray is stackable into at least three of the stacking configurations, preferably at least four of the stacking configurations and more preferably five of the stacking configurations; and/or e) wherein the tray comprises a plastics material, and optionally wherein the plastics material comprises polystyrene, polypropylene or polyethylene; and/or f) wherein the tray is injection molded.

9. An assembly comprising at least two of the trays according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

Drawing