Carry-out tray

Sept. 10, 1968

3,400,875

M. J. COE

CARRY-OUT TRAY

Filed Sept. 2, 1966

Sheets-Sheet 1

<img file="US3400875A_D0001.tif" />

Sept. 10, 1968

M. J. COE

CARRY-OUT TRAY

Filed Sept, 2, 1966

3,400,875

Sheets-Sheet 2

<img file="US3400875A_D0002.tif" />

<img file="US3400875A_D0003.tif" />

M. J. COE

CARRY-OUT TRAY

Sept. 10, 1968

Filed Sept. 2, 1966

3,400,875

Sheets-Sheet 3

<img file="US3400875A_D0004.tif" />

Sept. 10, 1968

3,400,875

M. J. COE

CARRY-OUT TRAY riled Sept, s, 1966

Sheets-Sheet 4

<img file="US3400875A_D0005.tif" />

United States Patent Office

3,400,875

Patented Sept. 10, 1968

2

3,400,875 CARRY-OUT TRAY Merrill J. Coe, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor to Brown Company, Kalamazoo, Mich., a corporation of Delaware

Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 576,991

Claims. (Cl. 229—28)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A serving tray formed of an integral blank comprising a top panel, side panels, a bottom panel formed of bottom panel members adhesively affixed to each other at an overlapping common margin, the top panel being suitably cut to provide a plurality of receptacle openings and having longitudinal struts struck therefrom at some of the receptacle openings, and adhesive tabs struck from an overlapping margin of one of the bottom panel members and adhesively affixed to the ends of the longitudinal struts.

The present invention relates to a carry-out or serving tray of paperboard or like material formed of an integral blank having a bottom formed of a pair of bottom members overlapping and adhesively affixed together at ²⁵their edges, and having longitudinal vertical struts struck from beverage cup openings provided in the top panel of the tray, and is more particularly concerned with means for affixing the struts to the tray bottom.

Carry-out trays are used extensively by concessionaires θθ for mass spectator events such as football games, baseball games, and the like. Such trays are also used for carrying food and beverages from roadside stands to customers seated in automobiles, as at so-called “drive-ins”. The primary requirement for such a tray is that it be re- ^3olatively inexpensive, since it is generally intended that the tray be discarded after a single use. Consequently, it is generally the practice to fabricate such trays of paperboard or other inexpensive material of construction. However, although the tray must be inexpensive, it must still ⁴⁰be sufficiently sturdy to withstand the various forces tending to deform it in the course of normal use. Further, the tray must be provided with several compartments adapted to receive and retain beverage containers, as well as to act as receptacles for food items such as sandwiches, pota- ^4otoes prepared in various forms, and so on. It is further necessary that the tray be so constructed that it may be maintained in flat position for easy storage in restricted spaces, and that it be readily erectable from the folded form. It is of foremost importance that, once erected, the ⁰tray remain in erected condition during use.

Cartons have been disclosed in the prior art having many of the desirable features enumerated above. Such cartons are provided with a bottom panel formed of a pair _rrof bottom panel members over-lapped and adhesively affixed together at their edges. Longitudinal struts for connecting the top panel with the bottom panel are struck from the top panel in forming the beverage cup openings. The struts are generally affixed to the bottom panel by means of tabs hingedly connected at the end of the struts. ⁶⁰By providing suitable openings or recesses in the upper bottom panel member, the tabs on the strut may be adhesively affixed to the bottom panel at the same glue line used to connect the two bottom panel members together. Although it is suitable for many purposes, this structure has some disadvantages for certain applications. For example, since it is necessary to form both the strut and the 5 hinged tab from the beverage cup opening, the size of the strut is somewhat limited, thereby limiting the maximum distance between the top and bottom panels of the try.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved carry-out or serving tray which may be con_1Q strutted from paperboard. It is a further object to provide such a tray which may be constructed from a single integral blank. It is further an object to provide a tray of the type described which can be stored in flat and folded condition, and subsequently readily erected immediately 15 prior to use, particularly by means of automatic, semiautomatic, or manual machinery. It is an additional object to provide such a tray which has improved strength and rigidity to withstand the rigors of normal use. It is still another object to provide such a tray which, when once 2o erected, remains locked in erected condition. It is an additional object of the present invention toi provide a carryout or serving tray formed of an integral blank having a bottom panel comprised of bottom panel members overlapping at a common margin and adhesively affixed to each other at the margin. It is a further object to provide a carry-out tray of the type described having longitudinal struts struck from material of the top panel partially removed to define the beverage cup openings. It is a primary object to provide means independent of the longitudinal struts for connecting the struts to the bottom panel of the carton. Still other objects will become apparent to one skilled in the art. The accomplishment of the foregoing and additional objects will become more fully apparent hereinafter.

The invention in its preferred embodiment is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an integral blank suitable for use in erecting and constructing a carry-out tray according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of a partially erected tray.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a completely constructed and erected tray prepared from the blank of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 4—4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 5—5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken at the line 6—6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an integral blank suitable for the erection and construction of a carry-out tray according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the erected carton of FIG. 7 taken at a position similar to that of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an integral blank suitable for the erection and construction of a carry-out tray according to still another embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken at a position similar to that of FIG. 5.

Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the invention, wherein all of the parts are numbered and wherein the same numbers are used to refer to the same parts throughout.

In a preferred form, the tray of the invention is con3,400,875 structed from an integral blank as illustrated in FIG. 1, and comprises a top panel 1, side panels 2 and 3, and complementary bottom panel members 4 and 5. The enumerated panels are hingedly connected together along score lines 6, 7, 8, and 9. The bottom panel members 4 and 5 5 are provided with push-out openings 10, 11, 12, and 13 to permit articles such as the ends of ice cream cones to be seated therein, or to permit the use of a finger to aid in retrieving a beverage cup from the erected tray.

The top panel 1 is suitably cut and scored to provide beverage cup or container receiving openings 14, 15, 16, -and 17, having compression sectors 18-29, which serve to retain the beverage cups or containers and prevent their falling out. The beverage cup openings 16 and 17 are also cut to provide longitudinal struts 30 and 31 which are 15 in turn cut to provide compression sectors 32 and 33. The top panel 1 is also cut and scored to provide transvers; partitions 36 and 37 having hinged feet 38 and 39. The transverse partitions are provided with retaining protuberances 40, '41, 42, and 43. The side panels 2 and 3 are 20 provided with detent-forming doors 44, 45, 46, and 47 positioned to receive and retain the protuberances 40, 41, 42, and 43, respectively, when the partitions 36 and 37 are erected in place.

The bottom panel member 5 is provided with adhesive 25 tabs 48 and 49 adhesively affixed to the longitudinal struts 30 and 31, respectively. The bottom panel member 4 is provided with recesses 50 and 51 which have no function with regard to the carton structure, but which permit the tabs 48 and 49 of an adjacent carton blank to be 30 nested therein, thereby conserving paperboard material during the cutting process.

The bottom members 4 and 5 are provided with end wall members 55, 56, 57, and 58, hingedly connected thereto. Each pair of end wall members is glued together 35 to. form end walls. The end walls are provided with dovetail tabs 59, 60, 61, and 62 which are engaged and retained in detent recesses 63, 64, 65, and 66. The inner corners of the end panels are provided with retaining protuberances 67, 68, 69, and 70 adapted to be received 40 in and retained by detent slits 71, 72, 73, and 74, respectively.

In erecting the carry-out tray of the present invention, the inside surface at the edge of the bottom panel member 4 and the inside surfaces of the tabs 48 and 49 are _4gprovided with an adhesive. Since the tabs 48 and 49 are at an edge of the bottom panel member 5, the adhesive may be applied thereto by means of a continuous roller applicator. In prior art cartons where a tab is taken from a central portion of the bottom member, spot gluing 50 must be carried out which greatly complicates the gluing process. The bottom panel member 5 is then folded at the score line 9 until the tabs 48 and 49 engage and are adhesively affixed to the longitudinal struts 30 and 31, respectiveley. The bottom panel member 4 and the side 55 panel 2 are then folded over at the score line 7 and adhesively affixed at the edge of the bottom panel member 4 to the edge of the bottom panel member 5. The carton is now in the form of a folded tube and may be stored or shipped in this condition, thereby conserving space, θθ Alternatively, an adhesive may be applied in a single operation to the tabs 48 and 49 and to the adjacent border of the 'bottom panel member 5 at the outer surface thereof. When the bottom panel member 5 is then folded over against the top panel 1, the tabs 48 and 49 may be in- 65 serted beneath the struts 30 and 31, thereby becoming adhesively affixed thereto. Subsequently the bottom panel member 4 is folded over and adhered to the adhesivecontaining edge of the bottom panel member 5. This embodiment permits the entire adhesive to be applied with 70 a single sweep of the adhesive applicator.

The carton formed by either method is further erected by opening the tube, as shown in FIG. 2. The transverse partitions 36 and 37 are first positioned by depressing them downwardly until they assume a vertical position 75 with the feet 38 and 39 in engagement with the bottom of the carton. The protuberances 40, 41, 42, and 43 are inserted in the spaces provided by pushing the detent doors 44, 45, 46, and 47 outwardly, thereby locking the transverse partitions in place. The end walls 55, 56, 57, and 58 are then folded in place, with the tabs 59, 60, 61, and 62 engaged and locked within the recesses 63, 64, 65, and 66, respectively, and the protuberances 67, 68, 69, and 70 engaged and locked within the detent slits 71, 72, 73, and 74. As a result, an extremely strong and rigid carry-out tray is formed. FIG. 3 illustrates the completely erected carton. Since the end walls are arranged in inclined position and at an acute angle with respect to the top panel, less paperboard is utilized. Cut-outs 75, 76, 77 and 78 are provided in the end walls at the receptacle openings to permit cups of relatively large diameter to be inserted therein without being impeded by the inclined end walls, as shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, recesses 38« and 39« are provided at one end of the feet 38 and 39. Although these recesses have no function in the structure of the tray itself, they facilitate erection of the carton on automatic machinery by permitting a sprag comprising a part of the machinery to enter through the opening resulting from the recesses and to support the bottom of the tray when the trays are erected into an open tube from a flat folded tube, thereby preventing buckling and failure of the erecting operation. The automatic machinery additionally includes -an additional pair of sprags which extend through the beverage cup openings 14 and 15, further contributing to the support of the tray during the erecting operation.

A somewhat modified embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 7-10. The basic structure of the tray is similar to that of the first embodiment shown and described. However, the major difference comprises a modification in the means for affixing the longitudinal struts to the bottom of the carton. For the sake of clarity, where the structures remain the same, the numerals used in their designation remain the same as those used in FIGS. 1-6.

Referring to FIG. 7, an integral blank is shown similar to that of FIG. 1. However, whereas bottom panel member 5 adhesive tabs 48 and 49 extend beyond the edge of the panel member in the previous embodiment, in the embodiment of FIG. 7 the margin at the edge of the panel member 5« is cut and scored to provide adhesive tabs 48« and 49α formed completely within the boundary of the margin of the panel member. Slots 90 and 91 are provided to permit the struts 30 and 31 to nest therein and to become affixed to the tabs 48« and 49«. Since the tabs 48« and 49α are fromed from the bottom member 5« proper, it is no longer necessary to have the slots 50 and 51 of FIG. 1 to permit nesting in order to conserve paperboard. The carton of FIG. 7 is erected in a manner similar to that of FIG. 1. In one method, adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the margin at the edge of the lower bottom panel member 4«, and spot adhesive is applied to the inner surface of the tabs 48« and 49«. The carton is then assembled into the form of a flat tube in normal manner. Alternatively, a continuous strip of adhesive may be applied at the outer surface of the upper bottom panel member 5« covering both the margin of the panel member and the outer surface of the tabs 48« and 49«. The bottom panel member 5« is then folded over and the struts 30 and 31 inserted above the tabs 48« and 49«. The lower bottom panel member 4« is then folded over and affixed to the edge of the upper bottom panel member 5a. The advantage of this method of assembly is that a single glue strip can 'be laid down over both the margin of the bottom panel member 5a and the tabs 48« and 49« and the entire carton assembled ‘by means of a single glue strip. The formed folded tube may then be erected in normal fashion to form a tray having the structure shown in cross-section in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate still another embodiment of the invention. Here again the general structure is similar

3,400,875 to that of the carton of FIGS. 1-6. However in this embodiment the adhesive tabs 486 and 496 are struck from the lower bottom panel member 4b at the overlapping margin of the edge thereof. Additionally, recesses 836 and 846 are provided in the overlapping margin of the 5 upper bottom panel member 56 to permit the struts 30 and 31, respectively, to be inserted therein and to engage the tabs 486 and 496 when the carton is being erected. This embodiment has the advantage that a single strip of adhesive may be applied across the margin at the edge ₁₀of the lower bottom panel member 46 which also provides adhesive to the tabs 486 and 496, thereby simplifying the erection process.

In erecting the carton of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 and 10, the bottom panel member 56 is first folded over 15 against the top panel member with the struts 30 and 31 engaging the recesses 836 and 846, respectively. The bottom panel member 46, after adhesive has been applied at the margin thereof additionally covering the tabs 486 and 496, is then folded over and its margin adhesively 20 affixed to the margin of the upper bottom panel member 56, and the tabs 486 and 496 are simultaneously adhesively affixed to the ends of the struts 30 and 31, respectively. After the adhesive has set, the tray is further erected in a manner substantially identical to that described with 25 regard to FIGS. 1-6, to form a tray having a cross-section shown in FIG. 10.

Although the various embodiments of the invention have been shown and described with regard to a particular type of tray having end walls, the invention may also 30 be used with trays having various other structures. The only requirement is that the bottom panel be made up of two panel members having their edges overlapping and adhesively affixed to each other at a common margin, and vertical longitudinal struts struck from beverage cup ³⁵openings. Instead of utilizing end walls for rigidizing the tray, other known structures may be utilized, as for example those having the traverse partitions provided with slits or slots engaging extending portions of the longitudinal struts, or trays wherein the ends of transverse ⁴⁰partitions engage the side walls of the tray. Moreover, the relationship between the tabs such as 48, 49, 48α, 49α, 486 and 496 in relation to the struts 30 and 31 may be varied so that they may be adhesively affixed to either the outer surface or the inner surface of the struts. Fur- 45 ther, the direction in which the struts 30 and 31 face the bottom panel member 5, 5α or 56 may be varied. In the embodiments shown the struts in the unerected blank extend in the direction of the bottom panel member 5, 5α, or 56. Alternatively, they may extend in the direction of 50 the bottom panel members 4, 4α, 46, in which case the relationship of the adhesive tabs, the struts, and the recesses 836 and 846 are modified slightly in order to provide proper registry when the blank is being glued and erected.

The structure of the present invention utilizing adhesive 55 tabs struck from the common margin of the bottom panel members has a number of advantages over prior art structures. For example, by eliminating the adhesive tabs hingedly connected to the struts 30 and 31 in some prior art structures, the length of the struts is not limited to ⁶⁰the same degree, since now the strut may be struck from the entire area of the beverage opening, without the necessity for additionally providing the adhesive tabs at the ends thereof. The present structures also have an advantage over structures wherein adhesive tabs are struck ⁶⁵from a central portion of a unitary bottom panel in that it is not necessary in the present structure to spot glue the tabs, but the tabs may be continuously applied with adhesive either in the same strip provided to glue the bottom panel members together or, in the case of the embodiments '^υof FIGS. 1-6, by a separate adhesive applicator positionet at the other margin of the blank. Further, in the embodiments which strike the tabs completely within the margin of the bottom panel members, the amount of ma- 75 terial required to form the blank is reduced. The present structure may be utilized to form erected carry-out trays which readily lend themselves to be constructed and erected with automatic machinery.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction, operation, or exact materials or embodiments shown and described, as obvious modifications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.