US3924734A

US3924734A - Expandable display tray

Info

Publication number: US3924734A
Application number: US555697A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jeffrey M Gardner; William M Pilz
Original assignee: Container Corp
Current assignee: Container Corp; Smurfit Kappa Packaging Corp
Priority date: 1975-03-05
Filing date: 1975-03-05
Publication date: 1975-12-09
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-09

Abstract

An open-top tray for shipping and displaying articles of merchandise which can be expanded by moving the side walls away from each other.

Description

I Umted States Patent [191 [111 3,9

Gardner et a]. Dec. 9, 1975 [5 EXPANDABLE DISPLAY TRAY 2,953,244 9/1960 Phillips 206/44 R Inventors: J y M Gardner, W ea e n; 3,737,094 6/1973 Beaver et a]. 206/44 R William M. Pilz, Eldridge, Iowa [73] Assignee: Container Corporation of America, Primary ExaminerGeorge E. Lowrance Chicago, Ill. Assistant Examiner-Douglas B. Farron [22] Filed: Mar. 5, 1975 A ttorney, Agent, or Flrm-Carpenter, Ost1s &

Lindberg [21] Appl. No.: 555,697

[52] US. Cl 206/44 R; 206/72; 229/DIG. 3;

229/30; 229/41 R [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. B65D 5/52; B65D 1/34; B65D 5/20 [58] Field of Search 206/44 R, 72, 45.15; An p n-t p tr y f r shipp ng and displaying arti les 229/DIG, 3, 30, 41 R of merchandise which can be expanded by moving the side walls away from each other [56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1,909,474 5/1933 Keppler 206/44 R T l6 l8 2 I \2 24 i I is I I J I i l 2 9 US. Patent Dec. 9, 1975 EXPANDABLE DISPLAY TRAY SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a tray-type container which may be used to package relatively heavy articles of merchandise, such as books, for shipment, and which can thereafter be expanded to a greater width for display purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide an open-top, expandable, tray-type container which may be assembled from a flat blank of sheet material, such as paperboard or the like, without the need of stapling, gluing, or taping.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide, in a container of the type described, an end and side wall construction including expansion flap members interconnecting end and side walls which permits the end walls to be moved away from each other to make the tray wider when desired.

These' and other objects of the invention will be apparent from an examination of the following description and drawing, wherein:

DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tray-type container embodying features of the invention, as shown in a retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, but with the container shown in an expanded position; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank of sheet material from which the container illustrated in the other views may be formed.

It will be understood that, for purposes of clarity, certain views may have been intentionally omitted from certain views where they are believed to be illustrated to better advantage in other views.

Referring now to the drawing for a better understanding of the invention, it will be seen that the novel tray-type shipping container embodying features of the invention, which is indicated generally at T in FIGS. 1 and 2, may be formed from a unitary blank of sheet material, such as foldable paperboard, as indicated generally at B in FIG. 1 of the drawing.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, container T is in the form of an open-top tray including a generally rectangular bottom wall 10, a pair of front and

rear side walls

12 and 14, respectively, a pair of end walls 16, and a pair of vertical partitions 18, all of which are foldably interconnected to form a box-like structure open at the top.

Referring now to FIG. I of the drawing, it will be seen that front wall 12 includes a pair of outer and

inner panels

12a and 12b which are hingedly interconnected at their upper edges by a relatively narrow, elongated top panel 12c. Front wall outer panel 12a is hingedly attached to a forward edge of bottom wall along a fold line 11, and top panel 120 is hingedly attached along its outer and inner edges to

panels

12a and 12b along

fold lines

13 and 15, respectively. At its free lower edge, outer panel 12b is provided with a projection or extension 17 which is disposed to be received within a recess or depression 19 located in bottom wall 10 immediately adjacent fold line 11.

Rear side wall ,14 also includes a pair of outer and inner panels 14a and 14b, respectively, which are hingedly interconnected at their upper edges by a relatively narrow top panel 14c. Outer panel 14a is hingedly attached at its lower edge to a rear edge of bottom wall 10 along fold line 21. Top panel is hingedly attached at its outer and inner edges along

fold lines

23 and 25 to the upper edges of outer and inner panels 14a and 14b, respectively. At its free or lower edge, inner panel 14b is provided with a projection or extension 22 which is adapted to be received within a recess or depression 27, presented by bottom wall 10 immediately adjacent fold line 21.

It will be noted that rear wall inner panel 14b and top panel 14c are of slightly less width than outer panel 14a and that there is provided in outer panel 14a on both sides of its attachment to top panel 14c a pair of locking tabs 24, each of which are defined by a pair of spaced, preferably irregularly shaped cut lines 26 extending from the upper edge of panel 14a downward to a hinge line 28 on which the locking tab is hingedly attached to outer panel 14a. The purpose of locking tabs 24 will be described later in the Specification. Rear wall outer panel 14a may be provided with a pair of preferably circular recesses 29 located at the opposed side edges thereof, and the purpose of these recesses will also be described later in the Specification.

Each of the end walls 16 of the container also includes a pair of outer and inner panels 16a and 16b, respectively, which are interconnected at their upper edges by a relatively narrow top panel 160. Outer panel 16a is hingedly attached on fold line 31 to an adjacent side edge of front wall outer panel 12a, and end wall top panel 16c is hingedly attached at its outer and inner edges to the upper edges of outer and inner end wall panels 16a and 16b along fold lines 33 and 35, respectively.

Hingedly attached at one edge along a fold line 37 to a lower edge of each end wall outer panel 16a is a connecting panel 38. Each connecting panel 38 is disposed to overlie a marginal portion of bottom wall 10, when the container is in an erected condition, and has hingedly attached to an opposed parallel edge along fold line 39, a vertical partition 18 which extends between the front and rear side walls of the container when the carton is in an erected condition.

Each, end wall inner panel 16b is provided along its free lower edge with an extension or projection 32 which is adapted to be received within a recess or depression 36, presented by connecting panel 38 immediately adjacent fold line 37. In order to provide for the expansion of the container by moving the end walls away from each other, there is provided an expansion member which includes a main flap 40 which is hingedly attached at its lower edge along fold line 41 to an end edge of related connecting panel 38. Hingedly attached to another edge of main flap 40 along fold line 43 is a front corner flap 42. Hingedly attached to the opposed side edge of main flap 40 along a fold line 45 is first rear corner flap 44. Hingedly attached to an opposed edge of first rear corner flap 44 along a fold line 47 is a second rear corner flap 46. At the upper edge of second rear corner flap 42 there is presented a cut-away portion or recess 48, the purpose of which is described later in the Specification.

It will be understood that the novel tray-type container herein may be assembled or erected either manually or automatically without the use of any glue, staples, or tape, because all of the parts have interlocking connections with each other.

tive to bottom wall 10. Panels 16a are then folded inwardly 90 relative to panel 12a, so that panels 38 overlie marginal portions of bottom wall 10. This completes set-up of both ends of the container. Panel 12b is then folded downwardly 180 with its projection 17 being received in recess 19 in bottom wall 10, thus, locking the front wall in position. Panel 14a is then folded upwardly 90 relative to bottom wall and panel 14b is folded downwardly 180 with its projection 22 being received within recesses 27 of bottom wall 10 to lock the rear wall in position, with

flaps

40, 44, and

46 being sandwiched between panels 14a and 14b. Partition panel 18 is then folded upward at a 90 angle relative to connecting panel 38 and the container is now in a completely assembled or erected'condition and is in the closed or retracted position and may be filled with articles of merchandise, such as books, for

shipping. After the articles have been shipped'in the container, and it is desired to expand the container for display purposes, the end walls 16 may be moved outwardly from the center of the container either by pulling directly on the end walls or by grasping the flaps 40 in the areas of the recesses 29 provided in the rear wall outer panel 14a. When the tray has been expanded to a position where the recesses 48 in flaps 46 are in alignment with lock tabs 24 on rear wall outer panel 14a, the lock tabs may be folded over and inserted into recesses 48 to provide an interlocking connection and thereby prevent further outward movement of the end walls of the tray. Thus, it will be seen that there is provided in the invention, a novel tray-type container of relatively simple design and construction which is entirely selfcontained, so that it can be erected without any additional securing means, such as glue, staples, or tape,

and which may be moved from a retracted to an expanded position and locked in such position for display purposes if so desired.

We claim:

1. In an expandable shipping and display tray, formed of a unitary blank of foldable paperboard or the like, the combination of:

a. a bottom wall and opposed pairs of front and rear side walls and end walls foldably interconnected to form a box-like structure open at the top;

b. said side and end walls each including a pair of inner and outer panels;

c. at least one expansion member including:

i. a first flap interposed between the panels of an end wall;

ii. a second flap slidably interposed between the panels of a side wall for movement between a tray retracted position, wherein substantially all of said second flap is disposed within said side wall, and a tray expanded position, wherein only a distal portion of said secondflap is positioned within said side wall;

d. lock means detachably interconnecting said second flap and said side wall when the former is in said tray expanded position.

2. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said expansion member includes a connecting panel overlying said bottom wall and having one side edge foldably connected to a lower edge of said end wall outer flap and having another side edgefoldably connected to a lower edge of a flap of said expansion member.

3. A tray according to claim 2, and including a vertically disposed partition element foldably connected at its lower edge to and upstanding from a side edge of said connecting panel.

4. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said lock means includes a lock tab foldably connected to said side wall outer panel and engageable with a recess in said expansion member second flap.

5. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said end walls are parallel to each other when the tray is in its retracted position and diverge from one of said sidewalls when the tray is in its expanded position.

Claims

1. In an expandable shipping and display tray, formed of a unitary blank of foldable paperboard or the like, the combination of: a. a bottom wall and opposed pairs of front and rear side walls and end walls foldably interconnected to form a box-like structure open at the top; b. said side and end walls each including a pair of inner and outer panels; c. at least one expansion member including: i. a first flap interposed between the panels of an end wall; ii. a second flap slidably interposed between the panels of a side wall for movement between a tray retracted position, wherein substantially all of said second flap is disposed within said side wall, and a tray expanded position, wherein only a distal portion of said second flap is positioned within said side wall; d. lock means detachably interconnecting said second flap and said side wall when the former is in said tray expanded position.

2. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said expansion member includes a connecting panel overlying said bottom wall and having one side edge foldably connected to a lower edge of said end wall outer flap and having another side edge foldably connected to a lower edge of a flap of said expansion member.

5. A tray according to claim 1, wherein said end walls are parallel to each other when the tray is in its retracted position and diverge from one of said siDe walls when the tray is in its expanded position.