US 3,958,711 A · Egg tray

Abstract

Egg trays for containing and transporting eggs in successive layers. Each tray comprises an array of staggered egg-supporting skirts disposed in transverse and longitudinal rows. Each row of skirts occupies a sequentially alternating upper and lower plane. The skirts are formed by a series of integrally connected, tubular receptacles made from a semirigid molded plastic. Each skirt is so shaped that the upper perimeter of the skirt is adapted to receive the pointed end of an egg and retain it in a stable position during handling and tilting of the tray. Lateral support for the eggs on the perimeter of the tray when it is tilted from the horizontal is provided by a plurality of upstanding lugs and fingers spaced around the periphery of the tray. Each tray also has at least three vertical support pedestals located in the interior portion of the tray for holding a tray in stacking arrangement immediately above it. The upper end of each pedestal terminates in the same horizontal plane and is located above the topmost end of the eggs when situated in the skirts. Acting as a male member, the upper end of each support pedestal is adapted to engage a socket in the lower end of the support pedestal in the tray immediately above it. The lower ends of each support pedestal and the base of the socket in each pedestal occupy, respectively, the two closely spaced horizontal planes. The socket recess is adapted to receive and interlock with the upper end of the corresponding support pedestal of the tray below, thus providing lateral support as well as vertical support for each tray in stacked arrangement.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A unitary egg tray comprising:

a plurality of integrally connected egg-holding tubular receptacles arranged in transverse and longitudinal rows in said tray, said tubular receptacles in each row being staggered with respect to the tubular receptacles in the immediately adjacent parallel rows on either side of it, said transverse amd longitudinal rows of tubular receptacles occuppying in alternate sequence an upper horizontal plane and a lower horizontal plane, said tubular receptacles being of uniform size and shape at their upper perimeter so that they can receive and abut the lower midportion of an egg, each said receptacle having an orifice at its lower perimeter of such size and shape to provide clearance between the orifice and the lowermost part of the pointed tip of an egg nested in the receptacle, whereby each receptacle is adapted to hold in stable position eggs of varying size distribution,
leg means positioned at two parallel opposed sides of said tray to support the tray, said leg means protruding to aa support level slightly below the horizontal plane tangent to the bottom of the lowermost egg tip held in said tray and also below the lowermost part of the receptacles;
stacking means protruding above the tubular receptacles in the upper plane of the tray for supporting and releasably interlocking with an adjacent tray disposed in such closely-spaced horizontal relation immediately above it so that the upper tray will not contact eggs in the lower tray;
and
socket means on the underside of said tray adapted to receive the stacking means of a downwardly adjacent lower tray, said socket means being above the support level of said leg means.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Egg tray

Life of this patent

Egg tray

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10