Disposable chute trays

• US 9,481,520 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abtec, Inc. (Aries Electronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Abtec, Inc. (Aries Electronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sinclair, William S.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARP, WILLIAM RAY
• Application Number:
  US14/798,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20160009495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 193/2.D, 193/2.R
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 11/023 for articles

Abstract

A foldable and disposable chute trough and base blanks wherein said base can be folded to provide an angled support for said trough and wherein said trough detachably secures to said base at a single pivot point and can thus be replaced once soiled.

Claims

1. A collapsible chute comprising:

a. a supporting blank and a trough blank that can be folded and selectively secured together;

b. said supporting blank comprising a four sided-base panel and four further panels, one attached to each of the four sides of the base panel, wherein the four panels define a rear panel, a front panel and two side panels and wherein the base panel has a rear tab-receiving slot pair positioned at the edge between the base panel and the rear panel and a front tab-receiving slot pair positioned at the edge of the front panel and the base panel;

wherein said slots extend through the blank;

c. wherein the two side panels are mirror images of one another and each comprises a side support attached to the base panel and then attached to the side support is a front side support and rear side support;

wherein the side supports are folded to be perpendicular to the base panel and the front and rear side supports are further folded perpendicular to the side supports, wherein the side supports are positioned adjacent to the tab-receiving slots;

d. wherein said rear panel is foldably attached to the base panel and comprises a back base and a back base support, wherein the back base is attached to the base panel and back base support is foldably attached to the back base;

wherein the back base support comprises a pair of tabs connected to the end of the back support and the back support folds over and onto the back base at a fold line and over the rear side supports, previously folded;

wherein the tabs engage with the rear tab receiving slots engaging the rear panel and rear side supports;

e. wherein said front panel is foldably attached to the base panel and comprises a front base which is attached to the base panel and front base support which is foldably attached to the front base;

wherein the front base support comprises a pair of tabs connected to the end of the front support and the front support folds over and onto the front base at a fold line and over the front side supports, previously folded;

wherein the tabs engage with the front tab receiving slots engaging the front panel and front side supports;

f. the trough blank having a base having four sides with the rear side having a pair of tab-receiving slots extending through the trough base and three rails foldably attached to said trough base, wherein two of the rails are substantially parallel side rails and the third rail is foldably attached to the rear side of the trough base;

wherein the side rails each comprise a rail flap and a rear side rail flap, wherein the side rails fold at the fold line connecting the side raise to the base to define an angle with the base and positioning the rear rails perpendicular to the side rails;

wherein the third raid comprises a first rear panel, and a second rear panel, having two notched tabs wherein the first rear panel and the second rear panel are folded over one another and secure between the two panels, the rear side rail flaps, wherein the notched tabs engage and push through the tab-receiving slots in the trough base and extend beyond the bottom side of the trough base; and

g. wherein the two notched tabs from the trough are selectably engaged to the rear tab receiving slots in the base.

2. The chute of claim 1 further comprising a coating provided on the trough base and rails.

3. The chute of claim 2 wherein the coating imparts fire resistance to the trough.

4. The chute of claim 2 wherein the coating imparts a reduced friction surface to the trough.

5. The chute of claim 1 further comprising a supporting mass;

wherein said supporting mass can be selectively attached to said supporting blank to increase the weight of the supporting blank for stability and support.

6. The chute of claim 1 being composed primarily of cardboard.

7. The chute of claim 1 being composed primarily of plastic.

8. A pair of blanks for a collapsible chute comprising:

a. a supporting blank and a trough blank;

wherein the blank is folded to define a supporting base and the trough blank is folded to define a trough wherein the trough can be selectively secured to said supporting base;

b. said supporting blank having a four-sided base comprising a two panel back support, a two panel front support, and two side supports, each of which having three panels, and having two rear tab-receiving slots defined at the edge of the four-sided base and the back support and two front tab-receiving slots at the edge of the four-sided base the front support and;

wherein the back two panels fold over one another and form the back support and wherein the front two panels fold over one another and form the front support; and

wherein the side supports, having three panels, are folded such that the first side panel, attached to the four-sided base is folded perpendicular to the four-sided base and the two additional panels are folded to be perpendicular to the four-sided base and the now folded sides;

c. wherein the tab-receiving slots are holes disposed in the four-sided base at the joint between the four-sided base and the back support and the four-sided base and the front support;

wherein disposed of on one panel of each of the front support and the back support are tabs that secure into said tab-receiving slots in the four-sided base to secure the front and back supports together and also secure the two additional side panels between the front and back supports, thus defining a four-sided base;

d. the trough blank comprising three rails attached at one side to four-sided trough base, leaving no rail attached to the front side of the trough base;

wherein two of the rails are substantially parallel side rails each having a side rail and a rear side rail and the third rail being a rear rail having two panels;

wherein the side rails are folded up at the point of attachment to the base and the rear side rail is folded perpendicular to the side rails;

wherein the rear rail comprises notched trough tabs to secure the two rear rail panels together when the rear rail panels are folded over one another at a fold line between the two panels and compress the two rear side panels between the two rear panels; and

wherein the notched trough tabs extend through beyond the bottom of the trough base; and

e. wherein the notched trough tabs are selectably attached to the supporting base in the rear tab-receiving slots.

9. The blanks of claim 8 further comprising a coating provided on the trough base and rails.

10. The blanks of claim 9 providing added durability to the trough.

11. The blanks of claim 9 providing fire resistance to the trough.

12. The blanks of claim 9 imparting a reduced friction surface to the trough.

13. The blanks of claim 8 further comprising a mass;

wherein said mass can be selectively attached to said blank to increase the weight of said blank.

14. The blanks of claim 8 being composed primarily of cardboard.

15. The blanks of claim 8 being composed primarily of plastic.

16. A kit comprising at a set of blanks defining at least two trough and at least one supporting base, wherein

a. the supporting base and a trough can be selectively secured to said supporting base;

b. said supporting base comprising a four-sided base, a rear panel having a back and a back support, a front panel having a front and a front support, and two side panels;

wherein the back and back support and front and front support fold over one another to define the rear and front panels, and the side panels having a side and a rear and front side support;

c. wherein there are two pairs of tab-receiving slots, one disposed in the four-sided base at the joint between the four-sided base and the back and the other pair disposed of between the four-sided base and the front;

wherein the front support and the back support comprise corresponding tabs that secure into said holes in the four-sided base to secure the front and back supports together;

wherein the support base is formed by folding the side panels to be perpendicular to the four-sided base and folding each of the rear and front side panels perpendicular to the side panels and then folding the back and front panels over one another and securing the tabs within the tab receiving slots thereby securing the rear and front side panels between the rear and front panels;

d. the trough blank comprising three rails attached at one side to a four-sided trough base;

wherein two of the rails are substantially parallel side rails and the third rear rail is made up of two panels folded over one another and is substantially perpendicular to the side rails;

wherein the third rail comprises a pair of notched tabs wherein by folding the rear two panels over one another, the tabs can be secured into corresponding tab-receiving slots in the trough base to secure the two panels together and wherein the tabs extend through beyond the bottom of the trough base;

e. wherein the trough tabs are selectably attached to the supporting base in the holes in base at the rear joint; and

f. wherein the kit provides for a replaceable trough when the first trough is solid or damaged through use.

17. The kit of claim 16 further comprising at least one advertising image positioned on at least one face of the trough.

18. The kit of claim 16 further comprising at least one advertising image positioned on at least one face of the supporting base.