Spillage-of-contents-resistant foldable tray

• US 10,524,447 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ronald Mark Tayebi
• Original Assignee: Ronald Mark Tayebi
• Inventors: Tayebi, Ronald Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Demeree, Christopher R
• Application Number:
  US15/731,566
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 2291081, 229186, 22911706, 22911714, 229103, 229112, 229114, 229117, 22911705, 119168, 119498, 206747, 493104, 493311
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0125 Foldable or collapsible litter boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/3642 the secured corners presenting diagonal, bissecting or similar folding lines, the central panel presenting no folding line
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4266 Folding lines, score lines, crease lines
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/46128 two opposite closure flaps being provided with handle elements which are in contact with each other

Abstract

A nestable foldable disposable tray is disclosed which features a cavity comprising a base and an outwardly slanted continuous wall. A set of fold lines in the base and the surrounding wall causes the tray to collapse inwardly when closed and gives the contents of the tray a lateral displacement which makes the tray resistant to spillage of its contents while it is being folded.

Claims

1. A spillage-of-contents-resistant foldable tray 1 comprising a cavity 13, a right handle 18 and a left handle 19,

said cavity 13 being defined by and comprising a rectangular base 2 and a continuous outwardly slanted wall 12 surrounding said base 2, said cavity 13 having a trapezoidal-shape front view, a trapezoidal-shape side view and a rectangular-shape top view, thereby rendering said foldable tray 1 nestable, said base 2 comprising a rectangular right portion 3 having an upper surface, a rectangular left portion 4 having an upper surface and a rectangular middle portion 5 having an upper surface and being located between said right portion 3 and said left portion 4 of said base 2,

said right portion 3 and said middle portion 5 being joined together by a right common fold line 6 and said left portion 4 and said middle portion 5 being joined together by a left common fold line 7,

said continuous slanted wall 12 comprising, successively, an outwardly slanted right short side 8, an outwardly slanted rear long side 9, an outwardly slanted left short side 10 and an outwardly slanted front long side 11,

said outwardly slanted rear long side 9 comprising, successively, i) a right rigidly held triangular segment 24, ii) an immediate right adjacent triangular segment 25 joined to said right rigidly held triangular segment 24 at fold line 35, iii) a middle segment 26 joined to said immediate right adjacent triangular segment 25 at fold line 36, iv) an immediate left adjacent triangular segment 27 joined to said middle segment 26 at fold line 37 and v) a left rigidly held triangular segment 28 joined to said immediate left adjacent triangular segment 27 at fold line 38,

said outwardly slanted front long side 11 comprising, successively, i) a left rigidly held triangular segment 30, ii) an immediate left adjacent triangular segment 31 joined to said left rigidly held triangular segment 30 at fold line 42, iii) a middle segment 32 joined to said immediate left adjacent triangular segment 31 at fold line 41, iv) an immediate right adjacent triangular segment 33 joined to said middle segment 32 at fold line 40 and v) a right rigidly held triangular segment 34 joined to said immediate right adjacent triangular segment 33 at fold line 39,

said continuous outwardly-slanted wall 12 being joined to said base 2, successively;

i) at right base short line 14 joining said outwardly slanted right short side 8 and said right portion 3, ii) at rear base long line 15 joining said rear outwardly slanted long side 9 and said right portion 3, said middle portion 5 and said left portion 4, iii) at left base short line 16 joining said left outwardly-slanted short side 10 and said left portion 4, and iv) at front base long line 17 joining said outwardly-slanted front long side 11 and said left portion 4, said middle portion 5 and said right portion 3, thereby forming, successively, i) right front rigid corner line 20, joining said outwardly slanted front long side 11 to said outwardly slanted right short side 8, ii) right rear rigid corner line 21, joining said outwardly slanted right short side 8 to said outwardly slanted rear long side 9, iii) left rear rigid corner line 22, joining said outwardly slanted rear long side 9 to said outwardly slanted left short side 10, and iv) left front rigid corner line 23, joining said outwardly slanted left short side 10 to said outwardly slanted front long side 11, and

said right handle 18 being joined to said right short side 8 at top edge 45 of said right short side 8, and said left handle 19 being joined to said left short side 10 at top edge 46 of said left short side 10,

thereby,

upon placing a substantially-uniform-depth layer of cat litter granules 51 in said cavity 13, pushing said middle segment 26 of said rear long side 9 and said middle segment 32 of said front long side 11 to rotate towards the interior of said cavity 13, and lifting said handles 18 and 19 in order to close said tray 1, said rear immediate right adjacent segment 25, said rear immediate left adjacent segment 27, said front immediate left adjacent segment 31 and said front immediate right adjacent segment 33, also automatically rotate inwardly towards the interior of said cavity 13 and cause said cat litter granules 51, adjacent to said rear long side 9 and adjacent to said front long side 11, to acquire a displacement component L parallel to said lateral axis of symmetry 44 of said tray 1 in addition to their displacement component A parallel to said longitudinal axis of symmetry 43 of said tray 1, caused by lifting said handles 18 and 19 and bringing them closer to each other in order to close said tray 1, thus causing said granules 51 acquire a resultant displacement R towards said central zone 50 and accumulate with a greater pile height at said central zone 50 of said base 2 and, thus, said litter granules 51 would be prevented from spilling out of said tray 1, over said long sides 9 and 11.