Disposable serving tray

Claim 2

A tray component suitable for quick assembly with a stiffening member to form a desirable tray suitable for serving food and articles to airplane passengers and the liKe, said component being of relatively uniform thickness and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim comprising walls joined at their upper edges and being of generally inverted Ushaped cross section comprising inner and outer peripheral walls of equal height and diverging outwardly at their open side, whereby several of said components are stackable one above the other with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral walls of said inverted U-shaped rim having integrally formed at the lower edge thereof a flat horizontal, outwardly extending flange portion, the lower surface of which is coplanar with a lowermost surface portion of said bottom, and means for quickly attaching a flat, separately formed stiffening member to said flange along at least two opposite sides of the bottom of the outer peripheral wall of the said outer peripheral rim of said component to bear against said bottom, whereby said peripheral rim and said bottom will each coact with said stiffening member to stiffen said tray.

Claim 3

A tray component suitable for quick assembly with a stiffening member to form a desirable tray suitable for serving food and articles to airplane passengers and the like, said component being of relatively uniform thickness and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim being of generally inverted U-shaped cross section and comprising inner and outer walls joined at their upper edges and diverging outwardly on their open side whereby several of said components are stackable one above the other with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral walls of said inverted U-shaped rim having integrally formed at the lower edge thereof a flat horizontal, outwardly extending flange portion, the lower surface of which is substantially coplanar with a lowermost surface portion of said bottom, said flange at each of two opposite sides of said component having at the outer edge thereof a downwardly projecting wall which at the lower edge thereof has an inwardly extending flange, said flanges cooperating with said downwardly projecting wall and forming two channels having inwardly directed openings facing each other to slidably receive two opposite side edges of a separately formed flat stiffening member of sufficient size to span the space between said channels and enter therein, whereby said stiffening member will coact with both said outer rim and said bottom to stiffen said tray component.

Claim 4

A tray component suitable for quick assembly with a stiffening member to form a desirable tray suitable for serving food and articles to airplane passengers and the like, said component being of relatively uniform thickness and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim being of generally inverted U-shaped cross section and comprising inner and outer walls joined at their upper edges and diverging outwardly on their open side whereby several of said components are stackable one above the other with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral walls of said inverted U-shaped rim having integrally formed at the lower edge thereof a flat horizontal, outwardly extending flange portion, the lower surface of which is substantially coplanar with a lowermost surface portion of said bottom, said flange at each of two opposite sides of said component having at the outer edge thereof a downwardly projecting wall which at the lower edge thereof has an inwardly extending flange, said flanges cooperating with said downwardly projecting wall and forming two channels having inwardly directed openings facing each other to slidably receive two opposite side edges of a separately formed flat stiffening member of sufficient size to span the space between said channels and enter therein, whereby said stiffening member will coact with both said outer rim and said bottom to stiffen said tray component.

Claim 5

A tray according to claim 1 wherein the lower surface portions of said flange and said bottom of the plastic component has thereon a film of nontacky, pressure-sensitive adhesive adapted to cooperate with and adhere to a film of nontacky thermoplastic adhesive on a stiffening element.

Claim 6

A tray according to claim 1 wherein the thermoplastic material is a vinyl resin.

Claim 7

A disposable tray suitable for serving food and the like to airplane passengers comprising two separately formed components, one of said components being an article-receiving component shaped of thin thermoplastic vinyl resin to a form to receive articles therein, and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim being of generally inverted U-shaped cross section and comprising inner and outer peripheral walls of the same height joined at their upper edges and diverging outwardly at the open side whereby several of said components are stackable, one above the other, with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral wall of said inverted U-shaped rim being downwardly extending and having integrally formed at the loweR edge thereof an outwardly extending horizontal flange, the lower surface of which is coplanar with a lower surface portion of said bottom, another of said components being a generally flat stiffening component and being attached to said rim bearing against the bottom surface of said flange thereof and against said lower surface portion of said bottom portion, whereby said stiffening component coacts both with said bottom portion and with said rim and said flange thereof to stiffen the tray.

Claim 8

A disposable tray suitable for serving food and the like to airplane passengers comprising two separately formed components, one of said components being an article-receiving component shaped of thin thermoplastic vinyl resin to a form to receive articles therein, and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim being of generally inverted U-shaped cross section and comprising inner and outer peripheral walls of the same height joined at their upper edges and diverging outwardly at the open side whereby several of said components are stackable, one above the other, with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral wall of said inverted U-shaped rim being downwardly extending and having integrally formed at the loweR edge thereof an outwardly extending horizontal flange, the lower surface of which is coplanar with a lower surface portion of said bottom, another of said components being a generally flat stiffening component and being attached to said rim bearing against the bottom surface of said flange thereof and against said lower surface portion of said bottom portion, whereby said stiffening component coacts both with said bottom portion and with said rim and said flange thereof to stiffen the tray.

Claim 9

A disposable tray suitable for serving food and the like to airplane passengers comprising two separately formed components, one of said components being an article-receiving component shaped of thin thermoplastic vinyl resin to a form to receive articles therein, and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim being of generally inverted U-shaped cross section and comprising inner and outer peripheral walls joined together at their upper edges and diverging outwardly at their open sides whereby several of said components are stackable, one above the other, with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral wall of said inverted U-shaped rim being downwardly extending and having integrally formed at the lower edge thereof an outwardly extending horizontal flange, the lower surface of which is coplanar with a lower surface portion of said bottom, said flange at each of two opposite sides of said article-receiving component having at an outer edge thereof a downwardly projecting wall which at the lower edge thereof has an inwardly extending flange, said outwardly and inwardly extending flanges cooperating with said downwardly projecting wall to form two channels having inwardly directed openings along opposite sides of said article-receiving component, another of said components being a generally flat stiffening member of sufficient size to span the space between said channels and to enter the openings of said channels, whereby said stiffening member coacts with both said bottom portion and said rim through said flanges to stiffen said tray.

Claim 10

A disposable tray suitable for serving food and the like to airplane passengers comprising two separately formed components, one of said components being an article-receiving component shaped of thin thermoplastic vinyl resin to a form to receive articles therein, and comprising an upstanding outer peripheral rim surrounding an article-receiving bottom portion, upstanding portions of said rim being of generally inverted U-shaped cross section and comprising inner and outer peripheral walls joined together at their upper edges and diverging outwardly at their open sides whereby several of said components are stackable, one above the other, with upstanding portions of a lower tray component disposed in upstanding portions of an upper similar component, the outer peripheral wall of said inverted U-shaped rim being downwardly extending and having integrally formed at the lower edge thereof an outwardly extending horizontal flange, the lower surface of which is coplanar with a lower surface portion of said bottom, said flange at each of two opposite sides of said article-receiving component having at an outer edge thereof a downwardly projecting wall which at the lower edge thereof has an inwardly extending flange, said outwardly and inwardly extending flanges cooperating with said downwardly projecting wall to form two channels having inwardly directed openings along opposite sides of said article-receiving component, another of said components being a generally flat stiffening member of sufficient size to span the space between said channels and to enter the openings of said channels, whereby said stiffening member coacts with both said bottom portion and said rim through said flanges to stiffen said tray.

Claim 11

The tray of claim 5 wherein said stiffening element is of lower density than said article-receiving element.

Claim 12

The tray of claim 5 wherein one surface only of said stiffening component has a dried film of pressure-sensitive adhesive thereon and a lower surface of the article-receiving component has a dried film of cooperating adhesive thereon.

Claim 13

The tray of claim 5 wherein said stiffening element is chipboard.