Bakery tray having an adjustable merchandising window

Abstract

An open top bakery tray that is stackable and nestable on trays of like design. The tray has a generally rectangular configuration including a bottom wall, end walls and sidewalls. One of the walls is cut away to define a merchandising window to facilitate the removal of materials from the tray and the viewing and inspection of such materials and the tray further includes a gate moveable between an open position in which the window is unobstructed to allow free access to the tray and a closed position in which the gate extends across the window to preclude the inadvertent displacement of merchandise from the tray.

1 . An open top bakery tray that is stackable and nestable on trays of a like design, the tray having a generally rectangular configuration including a bottom wall, end walls and sidewalls, characterized in that: 
 one of the walls is cut away to define a merchandising window to facilitate the removal of materials from the tray and the viewing and inspection of such materials; and    the tray further includes a gate moveable between an open position in which the window is unobstructed and a closed position in which the gate extends across the window.    
   
   
       2 . A tray according to  claim 1  wherein the gate is mounted for sliding movement between its open and closed positions.  
   
   
       3 . A tray according to  claim 1  wherein the gate is mounted for pivotal movement between its open and closed positions.  
   
   
       4 . A tray according to  claim 1  wherein: 
 the sidewalls have upper edges that are spaced below upper edges of the end walls; and    the merchandising window is defined in one of the sidewalls.    
   
   
       5 . A tray according to  claim 4  wherein a merchandising window is defined in each sidewall and a gate is provided in association with each window.  
   
   
       6 . A tray according to  claim 4  wherein: 
 the window extends across only a portion of the one sidewall and leaves a solid portion of the one sidewall adjacent the window; and    the gate is mounted for sliding movement between an open position in which it is received in a slideway defined by the solid wall portion and a closed position in which it extends from the slideway across the window.    
   
   
       7 . A tray according to  claim 3  wherein: 
 the window extends across a major portion of the one wall and opens upwardly; and    the gate is pivotal along a lower edge thereof to a lower edge of the window and pivots upwardly as it moves from its open to its closed position.    
   
   
       8 . An open top bakery tray that is stackble and nestable on trays of a like design, the tray having a generally rectangular configuration including a bottom wall, end walls and sidewalls, characterized in that: 
 the sidewalls have upper edges that are spaced below upper edges of the end walls;    one of the sidewalls is cut away to define a merchandising window opening in the upper sidewall edge to facilitate the removal of materials from the tray and the viewing and inspection of such materials; and    the tray further includes a gate moveable between an open position in which the window is unobstructed and a closed position in which the gate extends across the window.    
   
   
       9 . A tray according to  claim 8  wherein the gate is mounted for sliding movement between its open and closed positions.  
   
   
       10 . A tray according to  claim 8  wherein the gate is mounted for pivotal movement between its open and closed positions.  
   
   
       11 . A tray according to  claim 8  wherein a merchandising window is defined in each sidewall and a gate is provided in association with each window.  
   
   
       12 . A tray according to  claim 8  wherein: 
 the window extends across only a portion of the one sidewall and leaves a solid portion of the one sidewall adjacent the window; and    the gate is mounted for sliding movement between an open position in which it is received in a slideway defined by the solid wall portion and a closed position in which it extends from the slideway across the window.    
   
   
       13 . A tray according to  claim 12  wherein another merchandising window is provided in the other sidewall extending across only a portion of the other sidewall and leaving a solid wall portion of the other sidewall adjacent the other window.  
   
   
       14 . A tray according to  claim 13  wherein the window in the one sidewall is positioned in opposition to the solid wall portion of the other sidewall and the window in the other sidewall is positioned in opposition to the solid wall portion of the one sidewall.  
   
   
       15 . An open top bakery tray that is stackable and nestable on trays of a like design, the tray having a generally rectangular configuration and including: 
 a planar bottom wall having opposite end edges and opposite side edges;    end walls extending upwardly from the opposite end edges of the bottom wall and defining upper edges;    sidewalls extending upwardly from the opposite side edges of the bottom wall and defining upper edges that are spaced below the upper edges of the end walls;    a merchandising window in each sidewall opening in the upper sidewall edge to facilitate the removal of materials from the tray and the viewing and inspection of such materials; and    a gate for each window moveable between an open position in which the respective window is unobstructed and a closed position in which the gate extends across the respective window.    
   
   
       16 . A tray according to  claim 15  wherein each gate is mounted for sliding movement between its open and closed positions.  
   
   
       17 . A tray according to  claim 15  wherein each gate is mounted for pivotal movement between its open and closed positions.  
   
   
       18 . A tray according to  claim 16  wherein: 
 each window extends across only a portion of the respective sidewall and leaves a solid portion of the respective sidewall adjacent the window; and    each gate is mounted for sliding movement between an open position in which is received in a slideway defined by the solid wall portion of the respective sidewall and a closed position in which it extends from the slideway across a respective window.    
   
   
       19 . A tray according to  claim 17  wherein: 
 each window extends across a major portion of the respective sidewall and opens upwardly; and    each gate is pivotal along a lower edge thereof to a lower edge of the respective window and pivots upwardly as it moves from its open to its closed position.    
   
   
       20 . A tray according to  claim 18  wherein each gate comprises a bar and each slideway opens at an outboard end thereof in a respective end wall to allow insertion of the gate into the slideway.