Shipping and display tray

Abstract

A tray (10, 40, or 50) for shipping, displaying and vending containers of product has side walls (12, 13 or 12′, 13′), end walls (16, 17 or 16′, 17′), an open top, and a bottom wall (11). The sidewalls have an open center portion (15) through which product (P) held in the tray is easily visible and accessible for removal from the tray. The end walls have first and second laminated end wall panels (21 and 22, 23, or 57, 58 and 70, 71), and in one embodiment the sidewalls have laminated sidewall flaps (59, 60 and 62, 63), forming double-wall constructions. A full-height reinforcing divider (18, 19 or 18″, 19″) extends vertically along an inner surface of each end wall substantially midway of the width thereof to reinforce the tray and prevent it from telescoping into another tray when they are stacked. The dividers at opposite ends of the tray are spaced from one another, defining a large opening between them through which product may be removed through the front from the back of the tray without having to lift the product, whereby product can be removed from the back of the tray through the front when multiple trays are stacked on top of one another.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60 / 636,086, filed Dec. 14, 2004.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This invention relates to containers, and more particularly to a tray for shipping and displaying consumer products. BACKGROUND ART [0003] Many consumer products are shipped from a manufacturer or distributor to a point of sale in containers that permit the product to be left in the container and displayed at the point of sale. This is especially true of products displayed and sold in large warehouse or club-type stores, wherein the product is commonly left in the shipping container. These containers must have sufficient strength to stack them on top of one another and to withstand handling, and they also desirably are constructed so that the product can be easily seen while it remains in the container. Easy access to and removal of the product from the container by a consumer is also a desirable feature. [0004] Some prior art containers m...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007] The present invention is a container or tray for shipping and displaying product at a point of sale, wherein the tray has good stacking strength, can be stacked without nesting or telescoping into one another, provides good visibility of

Problems solved by technology

The consumer is then frequently left with the task of removing the divider panels, and/or sale of the product may be discouraged if the divider panel is left in place and the product is not readily visible and accessible.

This, obviously, is not possible or practical when containers are stacked on top of one

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