90{20 {11 stackable and nestable tray

Claim 1

In a nesting and stacking tray for bakery goods and the like comprising a rectangular bottom wall having a pair of opposed parallel end walls extending upwardly from opposite ends thereof, upper stacking rail means along the upper edge of each end wall, lower stacking rail means along the lower edge of each end wall complementary with said upper stacking rail means so as to enable said tray to be slidably supported on a like tray for generally horizontal movement in the direction of extent of said end walls into a stacked position of vertical alignment and to be stably supported in said stacked position against substantial horizontal movement in any direction out of said stacked position, said tray including opposed side walls of a horizontal extent greater than the horizontal extent of said end walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall between said side walls, said side walls having nesting surface means formed in the upper portion thereof for supporting a like tray disposed in a 90* horizontally rotated orientation in a nested position therein when said tray is empty to a depth permitting said tray to support another like tray in said stacked position thereon above the tray nested therein, the improvement which comprises said bottom stacking rail means extending downwardly from each end wall below said bottom wall and having a recess formed in the lower central portion thereof defining floor engaging structures on opposite sides thEreof, each of said recesses being of a size to receive a hand truck or the like therein when said tray is supported on a floor or the like by said floor engaging structures, each of said floor engaging structures including transversely spaced inner and outer rail portions having straight lower surfaces for engaging a floor or the like to support said tray thereon, an integral outer wall portion extending transversely from the outer edge of said outer rail portion in generally flush relation to the exterior surface of the associated side wall and an integral inner wall portion extending transversely between said inner and outer rail portions at a position spaced inwardly of the associated side wall, each pair of inner and outer rail portions defining with the associated inner and outer wall portions an upper rail portion receiving pocket, said upper stacking rail means including a pocket entering rail portion extending upwardly from each end wall at positions spaced vertically above each pocket thereof and a central rail portion extending upwardly from each end wall between the pair of pocket entering rail portions associated therewith, each of said pocket entering rail portions including a cam surface extending upwardly and inwardly from the associated side wall and an inwardly spaced inwardly facing generally vertically extending stop surface, each of said inner and outer wall portions having lower rail engaging surfaces spaced slightly above the straight lower surfaces of the associated inner and outer rail portions, the common interior surface of each inner wall portion facing outwardly and extending generally vertically for engaging a stop surface of a corresponding pocket entering rail portion of a like tray when disposed in stacked relation thereon.