Nursery trays and handling mechanisms therefor

A nursery tray having a plurality of cells in a predetermined array with each said cell having an open upper face, cell wall means converging toward a lower face of the cell, and an opening in said lower face of each said cell, said nursery tray further having two opposed end walls and two opposed side walls, said nursery tray being further characterised by:

• (i) said end walls having a plurality of slots with each said slot being aligned with a space between a respective two of said cells and each said slot having an open end at a lower edge of said end walls;
• (ii) a lower edge of said side walls depending below the lower edge of said end walls;
• (iii) at least one stiffening rib extending through said cell array generally parallel to said side walls having a lower edge coplanar with the lower edges of said side walls;
• and
• (iv) the openings in said lower face of the cells being located above the lower edges of said side walls and said at least one stiffening rib.

A nursery tray having a plurality of cells in a predetermined array with each said cell having an open upper face, cell wall means converging toward a lower face of the cell, and an opening in said lower face of each said cell, said nursery tray further having two opposed end walls and two opposed side walls, said nursery tray being further characterised by:

• (i) said side walls having a plurality of slots with each said slot being aligned with a space between a respective two of said cells and each said slot having an open end at a lower edge of said side walls;
• (ii) a lower edge of said end walls depending below the lower edge of said side walls;
• (iii) at least one stiffening rib extending through said cell array generally parallel to said end walls having a lower edge coplanar with the lower edges of said end walls;
• and
• (iv) the openings in said lower face of the cells being located above the lower edges of said end walls and said at least one stiffening rib.

A nursery tray having a plurality of cells in a predetermined array with each said cell having an open upper face, cell wall means converging toward a lower face of the cell, and an opening in said lower face of the cell, said nursery tray further having two opposed end walls and two opposed side walls, said tray being characterised by:

• (i) said end walls having a plurality of spaced slots with each said slot being aligned with a space between a respective two of said cells and each said slot having an open end at a lower edge of said end walls;
• (ii) a lower edge of said side walls depending below the lower edge of said end walls;
• (iii) at least one stiffening rib extending through said cell array generally parallel to said side walls having a lower edge coplanar with the lower edges of said side walls, said side walls and said at least one stiffening rib having end regions at their lower edges that are spaced inwardly from said end walls;
• (iv) at least one side wall stiffening rib means connecting each said side wall to an adjacent cell wall means intermediate said end walls;
• and
• (v) at least one end wall stiffening rib means connecting each said end wall to an adjacent said cell wall means intermediate said side walls.

A nursery tray having a plurality of cells in a predetermined array with each said cell having an open upper face, cell wall means converging toward a lower face of the cell, and an opening in said lower face of the cell, said nursery tray further having two opposed end walls and two opposed side walls, said tray being further characterised by:

• (i) said side walls having a plurality of spaced slots with each said slot being aligned with a space between a respective two of said cells and each said slot having an open end at a lower edge of said side walls;
• (ii) a lower edge of said end walls depending below the lower edge of said side walls;
• (iii) at least one stiffening rib extending through said cell array generally parallel to said end walls having a lower edge coplanar with the lower edges of said end walls, said end walls and said at least one stiffening rib having end regions at their lower edges that are spaced inwardly from said end walls;
• (iv) at least one side wall stiffening rib means connecting each said side wall to an adjacent cell wall means intermediate said end walls;
• and
• (v) at least one end wall stiffening rib means connecting each said end wall to an adjacent said cell wall means intermediate said side walls.