Stackable load bearing tray
AssigneeIPL Inc.
InventorsMaurice Beauchamp, Michel Lanoue
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Abstract
The disclosure herein describes a stackable tray which is formed of a body of rigid plastic material with a bottom wall integrally formed with opposite side walls and front and rear walls; each side wall is provided with an upper edge flange which is engageable in a recessed area defined in the lower edge of a superposed similarly constructed tray. The location of the recessed area with respect to the upper edge flange is such as to force outwardly the side walls during stacking engagement thus causing internal stresses in the bottom wall which counteract the sagging which occurs when loads are supported on the bottom wall.
Claims8
A stackable tray comprising a body formed of a rigid plastic material and consisting of a bottom wall integrally formed with opposite side walls and opposite front and rear walls, said front wall defining an access area to allow removal of articles from said bottom wall when said tray is in superposed stacked relationship with similarly constructed trays;
- each said side wall having an upper edge defining an upstanding flange and a lower edge including a recessed area to receive therein the upper edge flange of a similarly constructed tray disposed therebeneath;
- said recessed area, prior to stacking engagement, extending in a vertical plane slightly offset outwardly relative to a vertical plane including said upper edge flange whereby, during stacking, said upper edge flange forcingly engages in said recessed area causing an outward movement of said side wall to thereby counteract sagging of said bottom wall due to the weight of articles placed thereon.
A stackable tray as defined in claim is wherein the height of each said side wall is greater than the height of said front and rear walls and wherein the distance between said side walls is greater than the distance between said front and rear walls whereby the trays are nestable with each successive tray being disposed at 90.degree. relative to one another.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.