Container for the shipment and display of a product

Abstract

A container for the shipment and display of a product includes a corrugated plastic sleeve that is selectively enclosed by a pair of opposing plastic trays. The sleeve includes four adjacent panels that together define open top and bottom ends. Alignment tabs are formed on the top and bottom ends of the sleeve and fittingly protrude into complementary slots in each tray to help retain container in an assembled condition. Each tray includes a rectangular plate and an outer continuous wall which protrudes from the peripheral edge of the plate at an obtuse angle, which enables multiple trays to be arranged as a nested stack. A plurality of thru-holes is provided in the sleeve for ventilation and is arranged so that select thru-holes in adjacent panels axially align when the sleeve is collapsed into a flattened condition, thereby facilitating the stacking of used sleeves onto posts for subsequent cleaning.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A container for the shipment and display of a product, the container comprising:
 (a) a sleeve having an open top end and an open bottom end; and   (b) a pair of opposing trays releasably mounted on the top and bottom ends of the sleeve, each of the pair of opposing trays comprising a plate having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a peripheral edge, each of the pair of opposing trays additionally comprising a continuous outer wall formed on the inner surface along the entirety of the peripheral edge;   (c) wherein the continuous outer wall extends away from the inner surface at an obtuse angle relative thereto.   
     
     
         2 . The container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the continuous outer wall extends away from the inner surface at an angle of approximately 97 degrees. 
     
     
         3 . The container as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the continuous outer wall extends away from the inner surface at a height greater than 1 inch. 
     
     
         4 . The container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the continuous outer wall includes an inner surface, an outer surface, and a top edge. 
     
     
         5 . The container as claimed in  claim 4  wherein a plurality of handles projects out from the top edge of the continuous outer wall in a coplanar relationship relative thereto. 
     
     
         6 . The container as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the sleeve is constructed as a unitary member with four adjacent panels. 
     
     
         7 . The container as claimed in  claim 6  wherein the sleeve is adapted to be selectively collapsed into a flattened condition. 
     
     
         8 . The container as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the sleeve comprises a first set of alignment tabs formed onto and extending outwardly away from the open bottom end and a second set of alignment tabs formed onto and extending outwardly away from the open top end. 
     
     
         9 . The container as claimed in  claim 8  wherein each set of alignment tabs includes one tab formed onto and extending outwardly away from a corresponding panel. 
     
     
         10 . The container as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the plate of each tray is shaped to include a plurality of slots, the plurality of slots being dimensioned to fittingly receive one of the first and second sets of alignment tabs when the container is in an assembled state. 
     
     
         11 . The container as claimed in  claim 10  wherein a plurality of projections is formed on the bottom surface of each tray, the projections facilitating the stacking of multiple trays in a nested condition. 
     
     
         12 . The container as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the sleeve is shaped to include a plurality of thru-holes. 
     
     
         13 . The container as claimed in  claim 12  wherein at least one of the plurality of thru-holes is formed in each panel of the sleeve. 
     
     
         14 . The container as claimed in  claim 13  wherein a selection of the plurality of thru-holes in adjacent panels axially align when the sleeve is collapsed into its flattened condition. 
     
     
         15 . The container as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the sleeve includes at least one slot formed along each of the open top end and the open bottom end of each panel.