Tray and dolly assembly

• US 20020153682A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
• Original Assignee: Rehrig Pacific Company
• Inventors: Gruber, Robert V.
• Granted Patent: US 6,607,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/79.11
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2202/12 Boxes, Crates
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 2501/065 Plastics
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/006 for stacking objects like trays, bobbins, chains
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 3/16 vertically stackable
• CPC Class Codes: B62B 5/0083 Wheeled supports connected to the transported object

Abstract

A dolly and a tray and dolly assembly are provided. The dolly has a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with one or more features such that when the tray floor is received on the dolly floor, the feature interlocks the tray with the dolly. One feature is a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the dolly floor upper surface into openings in the tray floor to interlock the tray with the dolly. Another features is the presence of dolly side wall locking portions configured to abut and mate with corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portions on the tray to interlock the dolly with the tray.

Claims

1. A tray and dolly assembly comprising:

a dolly having a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the upper surface; and

a tray having a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with a plurality of openings, the tray having a pair of opposed side walls wherein when the tray floor is received on the dolly floor, the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings to interlock the tray with the dolly.

2. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of casters supporting the dolly floor.

3. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 2 wherein the dolly floor is rectangular in shape and has four comers, and wherein the plurality of casters is four casters with a caster located proximate each comer of the dolly floor.

4. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 1 wherein the plurality of openings in the tray floor extend through the tray floor.

5. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 4 wherein the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings but does not extend beyond the tray floor upper surface.

6. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 5 wherein the tray floor comprises a lattice structure defining the plurality of openings.

7. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 6 wherein the protruding members are diamond shaped.

8. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 6 wherein the dolly floor is rectangular in shape and defines a central opening.

9. A tray and dolly assembly comprising:

a dolly having a floor with upper and lower surfaces, and a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a locking portion; and

a tray having a floor with upper and lower surfaces, the tray having a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a bottom locking portion,

wherein each dolly side wall locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion on the tray to interlock the dolly with the tray.

10. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 9 wherein each tray side wall has a top locking portion, and wherein each tray side wall top locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion of a next tray to allow a stack of trays to be placed on the dolly with adjacent trays interlocked with each other.

11. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 10 further comprising:

a plurality of casters supporting the dolly floor.

12. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 11 wherein the dolly floor is rectangular in shape and has four comers, and wherein the plurality of casters is four casters with a caster located proximate each comer of the dolly floor.

13. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 10 wherein each dolly side wall locking portion has a plurality of inwardly extending locking portions.

14. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 13 wherein each tray side wall top locking portion includes a plurality of inwardly extending locking portions that are shaped substantially the same as the dolly side wall locking portion inwardly extending locking portions.

15. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 13 wherein each dolly side wall locking portion has a middle trapezoidal inwardly extending locking portion.

16. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 15 wherein each tray side wall bottom locking portion has a middle trapezoidal recess.

17. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 16 wherein each dolly side wall locking portion further has a pair of outside triangular inwardly extending locking portions.

18. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 17 wherein each tray side wall bottom locking portion further has a pair of outside recesses.

20. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 19 further comprising:

a plurality of casters supporting the dolly floor.

21. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 19 wherein the plurality of openings in the tray floor extend through the tray floor.

22. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 21 wherein the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings but does not extend beyond the tray floor upper surface.

23. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 22 wherein the tray floor comprises a lattice structure defining the plurality of openings.

24. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 23 wherein the protruding members are diamond shaped.

25. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 19 wherein each dolly side wall locking portion has a plurality of inwardly extending locking portions.

26. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 25 wherein each tray side wall top locking portion includes a plurality of inwardly extending locking portions that are shaped substantially the same as the dolly side wall locking portion inwardly extending locking portions.

27. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 25 wherein each dolly side wall locking portion has a middle trapezoidal inwardly extending locking portion, and a pair of outside triangular inwardly extending locking portions.

28. The tray and dolly assembly of claim 27 wherein each tray side wall bottom locking portion has a middle trapezoidal recess, and a pair of outside recesses.

19. A tray and dolly assembly comprising:

a dolly having a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the upper surface, and a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a locking portion; and

a tray having a floor with upper and lower surfaces and with a plurality of openings, the tray having a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has a bottom locking portion and a top locking portion,

wherein each dolly side wall locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion on the tray to interlock the dolly with the tray such that the plurality of protruding members extends into the plurality of openings, and wherein each tray side wall top locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion of a next tray to allow a stack of trays to be placed on the dolly with adjacent trays interlocked with each other.

29. A dolly assembly for receiving a tray having a tray floor, the dolly assembly comprising:

a dolly having a rectangular floor with upper and lower surfaces, the dolly having a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the upper surface, wherein the plurality of protruding members is adapted to extend into a plurality of openings in the tray floor when the tray floor is received on the dolly floor to interlock the tray with the dolly.

30. A dolly assembly for receiving a tray having a tray floor, the dolly assembly comprising:

a dolly having a rectangular floor with upper and lower surfaces, the dolly having a pair of opposed side walls wherein each side wall has an inwardly extending locking portion, wherein each dolly side wall locking portion is configured to abut and mate with a corresponding tray side wall bottom locking portion on the tray to interlock the dolly with the tray.

31. The dolly assembly of claim 30 wherein the dolly further comprises:

a plurality of protruding members extending upwardly from the upper surface, wherein the plurality of protruding members is adapted to extend into a plurality of openings in the tray floor when the tray floor is received on the dolly floor to further interlock the tray with the dolly.