Stabilizing Tray For Shipping and Display Stacked Containers

Abstract

A stabilizing tray for shipping and displaying stacked containers has a plurality of indexing openings through its bottom wall for receiving the necks of subjacent containers so that the necks of containers in a lower tray extend into recessed bottoms of containers in an upper tray. The bottom wall of the tray around the openings rests on shoulders of subjacent containers, and indexing notches around the edges of the indexing openings engage with protrusions on the containers to uniformly orient the containers. In one embodiment interlocking tabs and openings in adjacent walls hold the tray in erected configuration, and in another embodiment flaps on the ends of some of the walls are adhered to adjacent walls to hold the tray in erected configuration. The tray front wall has a reduced height and the back wall has an increased height to obscure date codes on the containers.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001]This invention relates to trays for shipping containers and displaying them at a point of sale. More particularly, the invention relates to a shipping and display tray that stabilizes the containers when they are stacked, and that discourages removal of containers from other than the top layer in a stack of the containers.BACKGROUND ART [0002]Containers of liquid products such as bottled water, milk, cleaning products, and the like, are commonly sold in containers having a capacity of one gallon. These larger containers typically are shipped in returnable steel carts or in returnable plastic crates. At the point of sale, the containers generally are removed from the carts or crates for display and sale to the consumer. This method requires shelf space and increased labor and cost for the retailer, as well as increased cost for shipping and storing the carts and crates.[0003]In some instances, the containers are stacked in layers in a paperboard shipping box tha...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is a system for shipping and displaying containers of products such as milk jugs and water bottles. The system is inexpensive and easy to use, while still providing a neat and stable display. The containers are discouraged from being picked from lower layers in a stack, and the system ensures that all containers are oriented in a uniform direction with their labels facing outward. The system includes a low-depth tray with interlocking engagement between containers in adjacent layers, as well as means for ensuring horizontal stability and uniform orientation of the containers. The tray is designed to carry the weight of the stacked containers, and the front wall of the tray is cut down for improved visibility and access, while the back wall has an increased height to discourage damage to the containers. The design also provides control over shopper access to the containers and works in conjunction with the container, pallet, and plastic stretch wrap to create a sustainable and organized display.

Problems solved by technology

This method requires shelf space and increased labor and cost for the retailer, as well as increased cost for shipping and storing the carts and crates.

While this arrangement frees up shelf space and eliminates the need for steel carts or returnable plastic crates, it does not result in an attractive display.

Moreover, visibility of the product and access to it is less than desirable.

The use of such a large number of corrugated parts in the construction of these open systems increases their cost and complexity, both in terms of material requirements and labor in setting them up and using them.

Further, these systems lack horizontal stability and the containers of product generally do not face in a uniform direction, reducing the visual appeal of the display.

Moreover, the flat separator pads are susceptible to being crushed by the shrink wrap.

Additionally, consumers can easily pick product from layers other than the top layer in the stack, potentially making the stack unstable and making it look picked over.

Conventional systems for shipping and displaying containers of product such as, for example, one-gallon milk jugs, water bottles, and the like, thus are expensive to make and use, do not provide adequate or optimum display of the containers at the point of sale, enable consumers to pick containers from lower layers in a stack of the containers displayed for sale, thereby making the display appear picked over and making the stacks unstable, and do not have any means for assuring that the containers are all oriented in a uniform direction with their labels facing outward.

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