GB2270067A - Stackable trays - Google Patents

Abstract

Stackable trays have means (11, 14, 17, 19, 14', 21) for forming a stack, the members of which can be either directly in vertical juxtaposition or vertically spaced apart by spacers or staggered horizontally or a combination of these. <IMAGE>

Description

STACKABLE TRAYS This invention relates to stackable trays.

These find particular utility in offices and stockrooms. To allow for the reception in different trays of different categories of paper or stock, a stack of trays is assembled, all of the trays being in principle identical.

Stackable trays for these purposes have been known for a very long time and include trays which stack directly one upon the other in a vertical stack, which stack by means of spacers between adjacent trays in the vertical stack or which are horizontally offset in relation to each other from the vertical, so as to form a staggered stack.

The present trays have the capacity to be stacked directly vertically above each other either by means of spacers or by means of direct superposition upon each other; and when they are in direct superposition, they are positively positioned relative to each other by an inter-engagement defining a relative horizontal position. Furthermore in a preferred embodiment the inter-engagement means define at least two different discrete relative horizontal positions in one of which a vertical stack is formed and in one or more of the others of which vertically staggered stacks are formed.

In a preferred embodiment this horizontal positioning is achieved by having means for the reception of a vertical spacer between the trays received in respective sockets on the trays, one of the sockets being defined by a projection and the other of the sockets being introduced by a cup, the cup and the projection being inter-engagable in the absence of the spacer to define the relative horizontal position of the respective trays.

At least one of the trays preferably has a plurality of horizontally spaced apart sockets at least two of which have a projection or cup, so that the definition of a relative horizontal position of the two trays may be achieved at horizontal relationship(s) different from that adopted between the trays when the spacers are engaged.

In this way we allow for the formation of a stack of trays of which the members can be either directly in vertical juxtaposition or spaced apart by spacers vertically or staggered horizontally or combinations of these, all with identical trays and spacers adapted to be received in the sockets of the trays.

A particular embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a side view of the embodiment; Figure 2 is a plan view; Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on the planes 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure 4 shows two trays directly juxtaposed vertically; Figure 5 shows the two trays directly juxtaposed with horizontal staggering; and Figure 6 shows the two trays with spacers interposed between them.

In Figures 1 and 2 we see a rectangular tray 1 suitable for example for office or stockroom use. It is made of moulded plastics material and has an open front 2, side walls 4 and 5 and a rear wall 6.

The floor 7 of the tray may be perforated and/or have raised or angled areas in known fashion.

Side walls 4 and 5 have a top flange 8 and, near the open front taper downwardly at 9.

Along each side of the tray a series of projections and sockets is provided.

The details of these are seen more clearly in Figure 3.

A buttress 10 projects beyond the side walls 4 and 5 and extends downwardly beyond the level of the bottom of the floor 7 to form a projection 11 which can act as a foot for the tray. The projection 11 is of a cross-sectional dimension the same as or less than that of the buttress 10 and contains within it a socket 12 of smaller cross-sectional dimension.

At the level of the top flange 8 of the wall the buttress 10 merges into a flange 13 thicker and wider than flange 8 where there is a cup 14 leading to a socket 15. Cup 14 is of the same cross-sectional dimension as projection 11 and socket 15 is of the same dimension as socket 12.

Spaced along the flange 13 is a further cup 14' of the same dimensions as cup 14.

At the rear end of the tray a buttress 16 continues downwardly like buttress 10 into a projection 17 which can act as a foot for the try and containing a socket 18 and has at its uppermost end a cup 19 leading to a socket 20, the cross-sectional dimension of projection 17 being the same as that of cup 19 and of socket 18 being the same as that of socket 20. Buttresses 16 are not set out laterally so far as buttress 10 such that the sockets 18, 20 are generally aligned within the thickness of the wall 4.

Below the floor 7 and spaced from the projection 17 by the same amount as cup 14' is spaced from cup 14 is a stud 21 which is the segment of a cylinder so that its planar face is laterally outer and is flush with the inner face of the wall 4 Although these elements have been described on one side of the tray only, exactly corresponding elements are provided on the other side. Normally all of the projections and sockets will be cylindrical, but other shapes are possible.

Figure 4 shows how two identical trays 1 may be directly juxtaposed one upon the other in a vertical stack. In this conformation, projection 11 on the upper tray fits into and engages snugly with cup 14 on the lower tray and projection 17 on the upper tray fits into cup 19 of the lower. Stud 21 fits inside the side wall 4. The positive engagement between the projections on the one hand and the cups on the other assure a fixed horizontal relationship between the adjacent trays. Obviously, this form of stacking can be continued for as many trays as are necessary.

An alternative is seen in Figure 5. Here to achieve a horizontally displaced configuration, projection 11 of the upper tray is received in cup 14' of the lower and stud 21 of the upper in cup 19 of the lower. Again there is positive definition of the relative horizontal position of the two abutting trays. Even though studs 21 do not fully occupy the diameters of the respective cups 19 there is still no possibility of lateral displacement at that position because of the provision of the pair of studs 21 engaging mutually nearer side walls of the pair of cups 19.

If it is desired to space the trays further apart vertically, spacer rods 22, 23 e.g. of metal may be provided and used as seen in Figure 6. These rods are received in sockets 15 and 20 of the lower tray and in sockets 12 and 18 of the upper, so that a spaced vertical stack is formed. Clearly it is possible to provide sets of spacers of different lengths so as to allow for various vertical spacings within a given stack.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. Stackable tray including means for forming a stack of said trays by directly superposing them upon each other and the trays including means for forming a stack of said trays by spacers engageable with those means.

2. Stackable tray according to claim 1 wherein when the trays are in direct superposition they are positively positioned relative to each other by an inter-engagement between them defining a relative horizontal position.

3. Stackable tray according to claim 2 wherein said inter-engagement means define at least two different discrete relative horizontal positions.

4. Stackable tray according to claim 3 wherein one of the different discrete relative horizontal positions forms a vertical stack and one or more of the others forms a vertically staggered stack.

5. Stackable tray according to any of claims 2, 3 or 4 wherein the horizontal positioning is achieved by the means for the reception of a said spacer.

6. Stackable tray according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one of the means engageable by the spacers is a socket within a projection and the other of the means is a socket within a cup, the cup and the projection being inter-engageable in the absence of the spacer to define the relative horizontal position(s) of the respective trays.

7. Stackable tray according to any of the preceding claims wherein the trays are made of a plastics material.

8. An assembly of stackable tray according to any of claims 1 to 7 wherein the spacers are plain rods.

9. An assembly according to claim 8 wherein the rods are of metal.

10. Stackable trays substantially as herein described with reference to the embodiment herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.