Tray for securing a unit load

Abstract

Disclosed is a blank that is foldable into multiple configurations. The folded blank may be useful as a tray or cap to support a plurality of packages stacked to form a floor loaded unit load. In other embodiments the tray may be used to support a unit load stacked onto a pallet for storage and transport. The various tray configurations each have different dimensions to accommodate and secure a range of unit load dimensions.

1 . A folded tray comprising:
 a. a bottom panel having horizontal and vertical opposing edges;   b. a pair of side walls extending from the bottom panel and separated therefrom by first and second spaced apart and substantially horizontally oriented fold lines, each side wall further comprising a first and a second pair of slots, each slot having a first and a second end;   c. a pair of end walls extending from the bottom panel and separated therefrom by first and second spaced apart and substantially vertically oriented fold lines, each end wall comprising a first and a second end and a tab disposed at the first and second ends, each tab separated from the end wall by a third and fourth substantially horizontally oriented fold line;
 wherein each tab and each side wall is foldable along the first and second pair of horizontal fold lines and each end wall is foldable along the first and second pair of vertical fold lines such that each tab may be received by a slot. 
   
     
     
         2 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein each of the first slot ends terminates at a first or a second substantially horizontally oriented fold line separating the side wall from the bottom panel. 
     
     
         3 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein the third substantially horizontally oriented fold line is continuous with the first substantially horizontally oriented fold line separating the side wall from the bottom panel. 
     
     
         4 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein the fourth substantially horizontally oriented fold line is continuous with the second substantially horizontally oriented fold line separating the side wall from the bottom panel. 
     
     
         5 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein a portion of the end walls is separate from and discontinuous with the bottom panel. 
     
     
         6 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein the slots have a curvilinear portion, a substantially horizontally oriented linear portion and a substantially vertically oriented linear portion. 
     
     
         7 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein the first and second spaced apart and substantially horizontally oriented fold lines are spaced apart a distance from about 5 to about 10 cm and the first and second spaced apart and substantially vertically oriented fold lines are spaced apart a distance from about 5 to about 10 cm. 
     
     
         8 . The folded tray of  claim 1  wherein folding along first substantially horizontally oriented fold lines and first substantially vertically oriented fold lines results in a folded tray having a first surface area and wherein folding along second substantially horizontally oriented fold lines and second substantially vertically oriented fold lines results in a folded tray having a second surface area, wherein the second surface area is from about 5 to about 10 percent greater than the first surface area. 
     
     
         9 . A tray comprising:
 a. a substantially rectilinear bottom panel having horizontal and vertical opposing edges;   b. a pair of opposed side walls extending from the bottom panel; and   c. a pair of opposed end walls extending from the bottom panel;   wherein the side walls and end walls are foldable relative to the bottom panel to at least two fold positions such that at least a part of each folded wall defines a wall extending upwardly from the bottom wall and wherein folding of the walls to different fold positions varies the position of adjacent wall ends relative to each other; the end walls comprising tabs disposed at a first and a second end of the wall and separated therefrom by a pair of spaced apart substantially horizontal fold lines, the tabs engageable in at least two different position with slots disposed on the side walls when the walls are folded to their at least two folded positions.   
     
     
         10 . The folded tray of  claim 9  wherein the slots have a curvilinear portion, a substantially horizontally oriented linear portion and a substantially vertically oriented linear portion. 
     
     
         11 . The tray of  claim 9  wherein each slot has a first slot end that terminates at a first or a second substantially horizontally oriented fold line separating the side wall from the bottom panel. 
     
     
         12 . The folded tray of  claim 9  wherein a portion of the end walls is separate from and discontinuous with the bottom panel. 
     
     
         13 . The folded tray of  claim 9  wherein the pair of spaced apart and substantially horizontally oriented fold lines are spaced apart a distance from about 5 to about 10 cm. 
     
     
         14 . The folded tray of  claim 9  wherein first fold position results in a folded tray having a first surface area and wherein a second fold position results in a folded tray having a second surface area, wherein the second surface area is from about 5 to about 10 percent greater than the first surface area. 
     
     
         15 . A blank foldable into a tray comprising:
 a. a substantially rectilinear bottom panel having horizontal and vertical opposing edges;   b. a pair of opposed side panels extending from the bottom panel and arranged symmetrically about a centerline extending along a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the opposed side panels;   c. a pair of opposed end panels having first and second ends and tabs extending therefrom, the tabs having first and second longitudinal extending fold lines;   d. a first pair of longitudinal extending fold lines for folding the opposed side panels relative to the bottom panel;   e. a first pair of transversely extending fold lines for folding the opposed end panels relative to the bottom panel; and   f. a pair of slots disposed on each of the opposed side panels and spaced apart from one another in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the side panel and in a direction along a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.   
     
     
         16 . The blank of  claim 15  wherein the slots are shaped to receive the tabs. 
     
     
         17 . The blank of  claim 15  wherein the slots have a curvilinear portion, a substantially horizontally oriented linear portion and a substantially vertically oriented linear portion. 
     
     
         18 . The blank of  claim 17  wherein the substantially vertically oriented linear portion terminates at a longitudinal extending fold line. 
     
     
         19 . The blank of  claim 15  wherein the longitudinal extending fold lines and the transversely extending fold lines are spaced apart from one another substantially equal distances. 
     
     
         20 . The blank of  claim 19  wherein the fold lines are spaced apart a distance from about 5 to about 10 cm.