GB2450929A

GB2450929A - A collapsible tray

Info

Publication number: GB2450929A
Application number: GB0713621A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Stringer
Original assignee: Linpac Allibert Ltd; Linpac Materials Handling Ltd
Current assignee: LA 2012 Ltd
Priority date: 2007-07-12
Filing date: 2007-07-12
Publication date: 2009-01-14
Also published as: GB0713621D0

Abstract

A tray 1 according to the present invention includes a base 2, end panels 4a, 4b connected to the base 2, a back panel 6, and a further panel 8 selectively moveable between first and second positions in which it forms, respectively, a front wall or a top wall of the tray 1. Each end panel 4a, 4b includes a top corner section 10 to which the upper end panel 4b is hingedly connected and to which the back 6 and further 8 panels are pivotally connected. An additional moving panel 9 for closing a gap remaining between the further panel 8 and the back panel 6 may also be provided.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

A TRAY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

I. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a tray, and particularly, but not exclusively to a foldable tray that may be used to display products.

2. Description of Related Art

Trays are commonly used in shops to display goods, but may also be used for transporting goods. Conventional display trays are typically a box or crate having a portion of the box or crate "cut-out", or having a smaller panel on one side. The "cut-out" or smaller panel allows a product installed in the display tray to be viewed by customers.

A problem with the conventional display trays is that they are available in only one configuration, and can only be used with a certain product or for a particular location. The shape and size of products and shelving units in shops vary considerably, thus, it is commonly necessary for many different types of display trays to be used for different products and/or different shelving units and locations. The different display trays are not usually compatible with each other and cannot be stored in a space efficient manner. This leads to problems of having to find storage space for all the different kinds of display trays.

There is a need for a display tray allowing display of various products in a variety of configurations.

Some display trays are made from wood, metal or a plastics material and are meant to be re-used. Other, disposable display trays, can be made from cardboard, or any other suitable material that is disposable. However, if the display trays are non-disposable they usually require large amounts of storage space when not being used and may be costly to transport. If disposable display trays are used, large amounts of waste material are created and they are not environmentally friendly.

Accordingly it is preferred that the display tray is capable of being stored in a space efficient manner and having low transportation costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made with the aim of solving the above problems.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention there is provided a tray including a base, end panels connected to the base, a back panel, and a further panel selectively moveable between first and second positions in which it forms, respectively, a front wall or a top wall of the tray. I.

Preferred features of the tray according to the invention are set forth in claims 2 to 12.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tray in the folded state in accordance with preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tray being extended from the folded state in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tray in the non-folded state in a first configuration in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the display tray shown in figure 3 loaded with products in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the display tray in the non-folded state in a second configuration in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

Figures 6A and 6B are perspective views of the display tray in the non-folded state in a third configuration in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

Figures 7A and 7B are perspective views of the display tray showing the second front panel in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

Figures 8A and 8B are plan views of the hinges in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiment described below is in relation to a typical arrangement for a tray able to be used as a foldable display tray, although it will be appreciated that other embodiments will fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows a display tray I including a base 2, lower end panels 4a, upper end panels 4b, a back panel 6, a further, front panel 8 and corner sections 10. The display tray I is shown in the folded position. When in the folded position the display tray takes up very little space, allowing the display tray to be stored in a space efficient manner. The display tray I is preferably 1 5 constructed from a plastics material, although other materials such as metal and wood would be suitable. Although the display tray I is shown as being made from solid panels, the panels may be perforated and/or have windows allowing viewing of the products inside the display tray. The panels may also have ribbing for strengthening or for allowing easy handling. The lower end panels 4a are connected to the base 2 by lower hinges 12. The upper end panels 4b are connected to the lower end panels 4a by middle hinges 14, and to the corner sections 10 by upper hinges 16. This is more clearly shown in Figure 2. Hinges 12, 14 and 16 may be formed integral to the base 12, end panels 4a, 4b and corner sections 10, or they may be separately formed and connected to the respective panels using suitable fixing means. The back panel 6 and front panel 8 are pivotally connected to the corner sections 10 by hinges 18 and 20, respectively. Hinges 18 and 20 may be formed in a similar manner to hinges 12, 14 and 16. The hinges 12, 14, 16 and 18 may be formed by insertion of a rod along the axis of rotation of the hinge, while hinge 20 is formed by cylindrical projections from the corner sections 10 projecting along the axis of rotation. Details of the hinges are discussed in more detail below with reference to Figures 8A and 8B.

Figure 2 shows the display tray I in a semi-folded state. The display tray I is opened into the erected non-folded state by lifting, or pulling, the back panel 6, front panel 8 and corner sections 10.

As shown in Figure 3 once the end panels 4a and 4b have been extended fully the back panel 6 can rotate through the interior of the tray through 900 and lock against the end panels 4a and 4b. The front panel 8 may either rotate 90 through the interior of the tray or rotate 270 around the outside the of the tray. The front panel 8 may also lock against the end panels 4a and 4b. Figure 3 shows the first configuration of the display tray in which the first panel 8 forms the front wall of the tray; this is called the transit configuration. In this configuration, products 22 are loaded into the display tray for transportation as shown in Figure 4. Carrying handles 24 may be provided on the side of the end panels 4a and/or 4b, to allow easy handling and transportation. Figure 4 shows the dimensions of the tray labelled as height H, length L and width W. Figure 5 shows the second configuration of the display tray I in which the front panel 8 forms a top wall of the tray; this is called the first face on display configuration. From the transit configuration shown in Figure 3, the front panel 8 is rotated 2700 outside of the tray so that the sides of the product 22 can be easily viewed. In Figures 6A and 6B the display tray is rotated to show the third configuration; called the second face on display configuration.

This configuration may suit a particular product and/or shelve location more than the second configuration. Although only three different configurations have been shown, other possibilities are possible, for example, from the first configuration shown in Figure 3, the back panel 6 may be rotated through 270 through the outside of the display tray I to display the products 22 from the other side of the tray.

Figures 7A and 7B show a preferred embodiment where the front panel 8 includes an additional second front, moveable, panel 9. Second front panel 9 may be either slideably movable parallel to the plane of the front panel 8, or it may be hingedly attached (not shown) to the front panel 8. The second front panel 9 may close a gap remaining between the front panel 8 and the back panel 6 on the one hand or a gap between the front panel 8 and the base 2 on the other. Figure 7A shows the second front panel 9 it its first position and a gap formed between the bottom of the front panel 8 and the back panel 6. Figure 7B shows the second front panel 9 in its second position *1 and the gap, shown in Figure 7A, covered. The gap arises when the side dimensions of the tray are different. For example, if the height H of the tray is smaller than the width W, the front panel 8 is the same size as that of the height H of the tray, and the tray is in the second configuration, a gap will be formed between the front panel 8 and back panel 6 as shown in figure 7A.

Similarly a gap may be formed between the bottom of the front panel 8 and the base 2 when the tray is in the first configuration, if the front panel 8 is the same size as the width W, and the height H of the tray is larger than the width W. Preferably the front panel 8 is dimensioned so that the gap is only formed in one of the first or second configurations.

Figures 8A and 8B show greater detail of the preferred configuration of the hinges 18 and 20. For the hinge 18 a rod 30 is inserted through holes in the upper end panel 4b and the corner sections 10. The centre of the rod 30 acts as the rotational axis of the hinge. For the hinge 20, a projection 32 serves a similar function to the rod 30. The remaining hinges may be fashioned in a similar manner. The rod 30 may be fabricated from metal, or any other suitable strong material.

The embodiments described above provide the advantage that the display tray has at least three configurations allowing it to be easily adapted to different products and/or different display locations. This will allow the display tray to be adapted for use with a variety of products and shelve locations. More particularly the tray may be easily adaptable to display a product from the top of the tray or from the front of the tray depending upon the position of the front panel. In addition, the display tray may be easily folded into a small and compact size that is easy to store and transport. This will reduce the space required for storage and will reduce the transportation costs.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be appreciable that various modifications and alterations might be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention should therefore be measured in terms of the claims which follow.

Claims

1. A tray (1) comprising a base (2), end panels (4a, 4b) connected to the base (2), a back panel (6), and a further panel (8) selectively moveable between first and second positions in which it forms, respectively, a front wall or a top wall of the tray.

2. A tray (1) according to claim 1, wherein the tray (1) is in a transportation configuration when the further panel (8) forms the front wall of the tray.

3. A tray (1) according to claim 1, wherein the tray is in a face-on display configuration when the further panel (8) forms the top wall of the tray.

4. A tray according to claim 1, wherein the further panel (8) is connected to a top portion of each of the end panels and is moveable either through the interior or the outside of the tray when moving between the first position and second positions.

5. A tray (1) according to claim 1, wherein the tray (I) is foldable for storage.

6. A tray (1) according to claim 5, wherein the end panels each include a lower end panel (4a) and an upper end panel (4b) hingedly connected to each other.

7. A tray (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the further panel (8) is pivotable between said first and second positions.

8. A tray (1) according to claim 6, wherein each end panel further includes a top corner section (10) to which the upper end panel is hingedly connected and to which the back and further panels (6, 8) are both pivotably connected.

9. A tray (1) according to any of claims 5 to 8, wherein the back panel (6) is moveable from a first position, forming a back wall of the tray, to a second position, parallel to the base, to allow the tray to be folded.

10. A tray (1) according to any preceding claim further comprising an additional moving panel (9) for at least closing a gap remaining between the further panel (8) and the back panel (6) on the one hand or a gap remaining between the further panel (8) and the base (2) on the other.

II. A tray (1) according to claim 10, wherein the further panel (8) is dimensioned so that the gap is only formed in one of said first and second positions.

II

12. A tray (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the tray (1) is fabricated from a plastics material.

13. A tray (1) substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.