Stackable and reversible trays for storing drawing sheets, paper stock, and the like

• US 5,318,182 A
• Filed: 12/06/1991
• Issued: 06/07/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Diversified Industries Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Liberty Diversified Industries Incorporated
• Inventors: Martin, David J., Bergquist, Richard K., Thorud, Stanley R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOY, JOSEPH MAN
• Application Number:
  US07/804,121
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 206/509, 220/604, 220/605, 220/606, 220/627, 220/626
• US Class Current: 206/509
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 63/02 specially adapted for storing drawings or the like filing of suspended drawings B42F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 87/0207 Stackable racks, trays or shelf units
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/34 Trays or like shallow containers B65D81/3813 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 21/0213 Containers presenting a continuous stacking profile along the upper or lower edge of at least two opposite side walls

Abstract

A stackable tray for paper stock, drawings sheets, or the like comprising a bottom panel, opposing side walls extending upwardly from the bottom panel along the side edges thereof, and front and walls extending upwardly from the bottom panel along the front and rear edges thereof. The front wall is comprised of a pair of spaced apart front wall segments defining an opening traversing substantially the length of the tray. The walls define a top ledge extending upwardly and a bottom ledge extending downwardly. The top and bottom ledges are sized and positioned so that the top ledge of one tray is received within and bounded by the bottom ledge of a like tray when the trays are stacked, or vice versa. The bottom panel defines a plurality of recesses aligned in rows and columns. A cross brace traverses each tray and is received within a recess formed in the underside of the bottom panel. The walls and bottom panel are molded to form inner and outer shell segments with a hollow cavity therebetween, with the lower shell segment of each square recess extending upwardly adjacent to the upper shell segment of the bottom panel. The trays may be stacked with the openings facing the same or opposing directions relative to one another. Each tray will support a large weight of paper stock without flexing or bending to obstruct the opening of a tray lower in the column, and without breaking or becoming dislodged.

Claims

1. A tray which may be stacked with a like tray in a vertical column said tray and said like tray each being molded from a plastic material, said tray comprising:

a bottom panel, said bottom panel having a pair of opposing side edges, a front edge, and a rear edge defining a periphery of the tray, said bottom panel being generally planar and being oriented generally horizontally, said bottom panel defining a bottom of the tray;

a pair of opposing side walls, each of said pair of opposing side walls being connected to and extending generally upward from said bottom panel and positioned adjacent to a one of said pair of opposing side edges of said bottom panel;

a rear wall, said rear wall being connected to and extending generally upward from said bottom panel and positioned adjacent to said rear edge of said bottom panel, said pair of side walls and said bottom panel defining an opening, said pair of side walls, said rear wall, and said bottom panel defining an interior region and a top of the tray, said bottom panel, said pair of side walls, and said rear wall each include an inner shell segment and an outer shell segment confronting and spaced apart from said inner shell segment by a cavity;

an interlocking mechanism, said interlocking mechanism including a projecting portion extending upwardly from the top of the tray or downwardly from the bottom of the tray, said interlocking mechanism further including a receiving portion sized and positioned along said top of the tray or said bottom of the tray so as to operatively cooperate with said projecting portion of said interlocking mechanism,

whereby the tray may be placed on top of and in contact with the like tray such that the bottom panel of the tray and the opposing side walls and rear wall of the like tray substantially enclose the like tray except for the opening defined thereby, and whereby the projecting portion of the interlocking mechanism of the tray will closely confront and operatively communicate with the receiving portion of the interlocking mechanism of the like tray to prevent the tray and the like tray from moving horizontally relative to one another.

2. The tray of claim 1 further comprising:

a front wall, said front wall including a pair of front wall segments, each of said pair of front wall segments being spaced apart from one another and disposed adjacent to one of the opposing side edges of the bottom panel, the opening being disposed between said pair of front wall segments and above the bottom panel.

3. The tray of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the top ledge is curved and wherein at least a corresponding portion of the bottom ledge is similarly curved.

4. The tray of claim 1 wherein the opposing side walls are spaced apart from one another a distance of approximately 42".

5. The tray of claim 1 wherein the rear wall is spaced apart from the front edge of the bottom panel a distance of approximately 32".

6. The tray of claim 1 wherein the bottom panel has a generally planar surface defining a plurality of recesses therein.

7. The tray of claim 6 wherein the plurality of recesses are disposed in an array of generally parallel aligned rows and columns.

8. The tray of claim 1 wherein the tray is fabricated as an integral unit.

9. The tray of claim 8 wherein the tray is molded from ultra high molecular weight high density polyethylene.

10. The tray of claim 1 wherein the opening of the tray and the opening of the like tray may be oriented facing in opposite directions relative to one another when the tray is stacked on the like tray.

11. The tray of claim 1 wherein the bottom panel has a generally planar surface defining a plurality of recesses therein, said plurality of recesses each being defined by the outer shell segment of the bottom panel.

12. The tray of claim 11 wherein the outer shell segment of each recess extends upwardly to a point generally proximate to the inner shell segment of the bottom panel.

13. The tray of claim 1 wherein the tray further includes a cross brace said cross brace being connected to the bottom panel and extending across the tray, said cross brace further preventing the bottom panel from bending proximate to the interior region or the opening of the like tray when a stack of paper stock or drawings sheets is placed within the interior region of the tray.

14. The tray of claim 13 wherein the bottom panel further defines a transverse recess extending generally across the bottom panel between the opposing sides of the tray generally proximate to the opening, said transverse recess receiving at least a portion of the cross brace therein such that the cross brace contacts the like tray on which the tray is stacked in the vertical column proximate to the opposing side walls thereof.