Container

May 30, 1961

2,986,320

H. C. NICHOLLS ET AL

CONTAINER

Filed March 28, 1960

Sheets-Sheet 1

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Λ — II

INVENTORS Herbert C, Nicholls _BY Oliver Huisheere / Attys

May 30, 1961 h. c. nicholls etal 2,986,320

CONTAINER Filed March 28, 1960 4 Sheets-Sheet 2

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INVENTORS

Herbert l Nicholls

Oliver Huisheere

Attys,

May 30, 1961

2,986,320

H. C. NICHOLLS ETAL

CONTAINER

<img file="US2986320A_D0003.tif" />

H. C. NICHOLLS ETAL 2,986,320

CONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4

May 30, 1961

Filed March 28, 1960

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<img file="US2986320A_D0005.tif" />

INVENTORS Herbert C. Nicholls _nv Oliver Huisheere

Attys,

United States Patent Office

2,986,320

Patented May 30, 1961

2,986,320

CONTAINER .

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Herbert C. Nicholls and Oliver Huisheere, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., assignors to Consolidated Water Power &amp; Paper Company, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin

Filed Mar. 28,1960, Ser. No. 17,949 ¹⁰

Claims. (Cl. 229—6)

This invention relates to improvements in containers. 15 More particularly, the present invention pertains to a functional container adapted for blast-freezing of poultry and other frozen foods and comprises essentially a tray into which the freshly prepared or other product is placed and the trays adapted to be stacked with similar trays one 20 above the other in a freezing room, after which a conventional type of telescopic cover is adapted to be placed on the tray and the package is ready for shipping.

For this purpose the sides and ends of the tray should be open so as to facilitate blast-freezing of the product 25 when the trays are stacked one upon the other, good ventilation from both sides and ends of the tray solving a problem which up to now led to restrictive positioning of trays on pallets and palletized trays within the freezer.

In accordance with the present invention, the tray is 30 provided with four triangular corner posts, all three sides of the triangular posts being of full depth, the container being further constructed and arranged of corrugated paperboard in a manner whereby the triangular posts have vertical corrugations to achieve excellent stacking. 35 qualities.

It is a particular object of the present invention to form a tray of the class described of a ,unitary sheet of corrugated paperboard cut and scored and adapted to be erected to form a wholly self-interlocked container body 40 without the requirement for securing means such as adhesives, taping, metal stitching or stapling, and without the necessity for jigs of any kind for setting up, the arrangement being characterized . by self-locking members which form a rigid and collapse-proof tray when 45 properly set up.

A further object of the present invention, is to provide a tray having outermost smooth surfaces without projections, so that a telescopic complementary cover may be easily engaged thereover without catching on projections 50 to thereby facilitate packaging. and form a secure assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention, relate to details of construction, arrangement of parts, and the economies thereof, as will be apparent from the 55 following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the assembly of the present invention, i.e., its characterizing tray enclosed by a conventional telescopic cover; and ⁰⁰

Fig. 2 is a perspective exploded view of the assembly in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a plurality of the characterizing trays of the present invention in stacked relationship with each other and disposed on a pallet.

Fig. 4 is a development of the blank for forming the characterizing tray component and is a plan view thereof from the inner face.

Fig. 5 is a perspective fragmentary view of the comer portion of the blank of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 5 with one of the end walls vertically extended to the bottom or central panel.

Fig. 7 is a progressive perspective view similar to that of Fig. 6 showing, an outer side wall and its integral postforming components partially erected; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are further consecutive views progressing from Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the characterizing tray of the present invention in erected position.

Fig. 11 is a section on the line 11—11 of Fig.1.

Fig. 12 is a section on the line 12—12 of Fig.11.

Fig. 13 is a section on the line 13—13 of Fig.11,

Fig. 14 is a section on the line 14—14 of Fig.12.

Fig. 15 is a section on the line 15—15 of Fig.12.

Fig. 16 is a section on the line 16—16 of Fig.11.

Referring to the drawings, particularly to Fig. 4, the blank shown, which is suitably composed of corrugated paperboard, comprises a rectangular center or bottom panel 10, a pair of opposed outer end walls 11,11 hingedthereto on lines 12, 12, each carrying an inner end wall panel 13 hinged thereto on the dual scored fold line 14, the dual score line being provided so that the panel. 13 may be folded against and to plane parallel relationship with the panel 11. It will be noted that the panel 13 while of equal height with the panels 11 is of lesser length and is severed on a vertical line at each end as at 15, leaving relatively short flaps 16, 16 which remain hinged to the outer end wall· panel 11 on a score line 14', these flaps 16 each being provided with an end cutout as at 17 for a purpose that will hereinafter be explained.

The panels 13 further comprise at their outermost longitudinal edges one or more tongues 18 adapted for reception in the slots 19 formed in the panel 10 adjacent its score line 12 and adapted for reception of the tongues 18 when the panels 13 are folded against the panels 11. The panels 13 and 11 can also be formed with one or more matching hand-hold openings 20^21 adapted to be aligned in the panels 13, each folded against the panels 11 to facilitate handling of the set-up tray.

Hinged to the opposed sides of panel 10 on the score lines 22 are the outer side wall panels 23, 23, each of which carries an inner side wall panel 24 hinged thereto on the dual fold line 25 whereby the panel 24 may be.· folded against the panel 23 and its tongues 26 engaged in the apertures or slots 27 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the inner end wall panels 13. Here, also, the panel 24 is of substantially equal height to the adjacent portion of the panel 23 but of lesser width, being separated therefrom by lines of severance or slots 28, 28, leaving the end portions 29 of each of the panels 23 of a greater height than that of the remaining portion of the panel when the inner panel portion 24 is folded thereover in set-up condition.

This; panel, portion 29 provides a first panel or component of a triangular corner post when the panel 23 is erected vertically as shown in Fig. 7, and has a panel 30 extending laterally therefrom and hinged thereto on the line 31 forming a second panel of the corner post and adapted to overlie an outer end wall panel as shown in the progressive view of Fig. 7. This panel 30 is in turn partially hinged on the line 32 and partially severed at the line of severance or slot 33 from a third panel 34 which is adapted to extend obliquely across the corner of the carton and between the first and second panels when the end wall panel 11 is disposed in a slot 33 as shown by the details of Figs. 7 and 8.

The third corner facing 34 is further provided with a locking tab 35 reversely hinged , thereto on the line 36, said tab 35 being adapted, to be disposed between a side end portion of. inner.side wall panel 24 and outer side wall panel 23 when the tongues of panel 24 are engaged in the slots 27, normally completing the interlocked as9,986,820 sembly of the tray. As will be apparent, the inner end wall panels 13 are not essential other than for reinforcement and for providing a strong hand-hold. However, the tabs 16 are essentially in erected position in that they provide an interlock or abutment within the comer posts, retaining them in vertical position.

In the ararngement shown and when these are present, the tabs 16 are first folded down against the panels 11, the slot 28 being sufficiently wide to receive the double material as shown in the progressive view of Fig. 7 in setting up the tray, and after the side wall panels 23 have been erected vertically. As further shown in the view of Fig. 8, the tab 16 is grasped at the finger opening or arcuate cut 17 and elevated, so that it extends in plane parallel relationship to the second corner post panel 30, after which the third panel 34 can be disposed obliquely with its tab 35 against panel 23 and thereafter panels 24 locked down.

As will appear from Fig. 10, the post panels 30 are integral and continuous with the outer side wall panels 23 and the post panels 30 smoothly overlie the outer end wall panels 11 without break from top to bottom. Further, the oblique third faces 34 terminate wholly within the tray so that there are no outer projections. As will be further apparent, the tray becomes firmly locked in set-up position without the aid of any staples, stitches, tapes, or adhesive means. The comer components of the tray are also formed in a manner whereby the corrugations extend vertically, and these posts are reinforced by the tabs 16 erected within them so that they may be conveniently stacked on one another upon their posts and upon a device such as the pallet 37 as shown in Fig. 3.

In view of the unencumbered arrangement of the posts and tray side walls, it will be apparent that a conventional cover 38 comprising a top 39, end walls 40 and side walls 41, may be completely and quickly and conveniently disposed in a close fit over the tray to enclose its posts and sides before shipping.

Although we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made in the details thereof and in the scope of the appended claims.