Stacking drawer package

• US 8,517,250 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2008
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Paper Company
• Original Assignee: International Paper Company
• Inventors: Philips, Nicholas A
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEMEREE, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US12/140,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20090308779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,897 Days
• Field of Search: 229/125.125, 229/120.32, 229/125.001, 229/902, 229/906, 229/103.2, 229/147, 229/174, 229/919, 206/474, 206/464
• US Class Current: 229/125.125
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2585/366 Pizza
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/003 having ledges formed by extensions of the side walls B65D5/0045 and B65D5/0065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/38 Drawer-and-shell type containers

Abstract

A tray has a bottom panel, side and end panels and top shoulders at opposed ends of the tray. The tray is covered by a separate sleeve that extends across the top of the tray and down opposed sides and across the bottom of the tray. The trays may be stacked with an upper tray resting on the shoulders of the lower tray. The sleeve is a sleeve for the stack of trays with the side panels of the sleeve sized for different numbers of trays in the stack. There may be frictional tabs in the side panels of the tray or trays which have frictional engagement with the side panels of the sleeve.

Claims

1. A multi-layered container comprising

a stack of trays;

each tray comprising

a bottom panel,

front, back and side panels extending upwardly from the bottom panel, each of the side panels includes a pair of inner locking tabs spaced apart from one another;

horizontal shoulder panels attached to the upper edge of each of the front and back panels, the horizontal shoulder panels being in a plane parallel to the bottom panel, each of the horizontal shoulder panels includes a pair of outer locking tabs wherein the outer locking tabs engages with the corresponding inner locking tabs to hold the side panels and back panels in vertical position;

a separate parallelogram sleeve being sized for the stack of trays comprising

a top panel, a pair of rigid and un-creased side panels and a bottom panel,

the sleeve top panel being in surface contact with the horizontal tray shoulder panels (40, 48) to form multi-layered horizontal areas on a top side of the multi-layered container,

the sleeve side panels being congruent with the tray side panels,

the sleeve bottom panel being congruent with one or more of the tray bottom panels, and

a glue panel being attached to the top panel and glued to an outside of one of the un-creased side panels forming the sleeve which has a rectangular inner shape wherein the sleeve permits partially or fully removal of one of the stacked trays in a longitudinal direction.

2. A multi-layered container assembly comprising

at least two trays providing a top tray and a bottom tray, each tray comprising

a bottom panel,

front, back and side panels extending upwardly from the bottom panel, each of the side panels includes a pair of inner locking tabs spaced apart from one another;

horizontal shoulder panels attached to the upper edge of each of the front and back panels, the shoulder panels being in a plane parallel to the bottom panel, each of the horizontal shoulder panels includes a pair of outer locking tabs wherein the outer locking tabs engages with the corresponding inner locking tabs to hold the side panels and back panels in vertical position;

the trays being stacked with the upper tray resting on the shoulders of the tray beneath it,

a separate parallelogram sleeve being sized for a stack of trays comprising

a top panel, a pair of rigid and un-creased side panels and a bottom panel,

the sleeve top panel being in surface contact with the horizontal tray shoulder panels (40, 48) to form a multi-layered horizontal areas on a top side of the multi-layered container,

the sleeve side panels being congruent with the tray side panels,

the sleeve bottom panel being congruent with one or more of the tray bottom panels, and

a glue panel being attached to the top panel and glued to an outside of one of the un-creased side panels forming the sleeve which has a rectangular inner shape wherein the sleeve permits partially or fully removal of one of the stacked trays in a longitudinal direction.