US20040188365A1

US20040188365A1 - Shelving to hold pizza cartons

Info

Publication number: US20040188365A1
Application number: US10/800,889
Authority: US
Inventors: Antonio Forte
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-25
Filing date: 2004-03-15
Publication date: 2004-09-30
Also published as: EP1462033A1

Abstract

Shelving to hold pizza cartons which is made up of various elements (A), for holding of the cartons (S), set alongside each other, or of a single element (B), containing a multiple stecking stacking zone, where these elements present on all sides, apart from the frontal zone, on the bottom and on the cover, protection walls (1,2,3,4) and carton (S) containment, while the frontal zone presents L-shaped profilings (6) and/or T-shaped profilings (12) for cartons (S) containment, where the profiles (6, 12) show include cuts (7) in the lower part and/or recesses (17) in the central zone, useful for the extraction of the cartons from below below and/or from the centre center of the shelf. The shelving also includes eventually presents a cupboard (27) for the containment of the packs of flat punched cartons useful for the preparation of the cartons by the user and presents a suitable table for preparing the cartons and for introducing the pizza in the cartons (S).

Description

TEXT OF THE DESCRIPTION

As is well known, the production of takeaway pizza i.e. pizza to hand over to customers or to deliver to the door, has really spread. For this service packaging is necessary, which in practice is a carton to contain and protect the pizza during transport.

There is, however, a problem at the pizzeria where it is not possible to conveniently stack such cartons that are usually piled up in any available spot with the inconvenience that removal of a carton generally causes the pile to topple causing considerable problems to everyone.

To avoid these problems it is known U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,258 which discloses a pizza box storage and a dispensing assembly. This pizza box storage includes a pair of telescoping structures, the lower of which is provided with a lower dispensing opening to permit grasping and withdrawal of a single pizza box therethrought. However this pizza box storage presents a very complicated construction which increases considerably the costs.

It is also known U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,866, which discloses a display storage and dispensing rack for package, which includes partitioning elements to enclose packages of any selected size, the partitioning elements being insertable in opposely paired upper and lower grooves.

Besides there are also known the GB Patent No. 294 803 and the DE Patent No. 1 226 484 which disclose container and display stands for article or package in form of cigars, biscuits, sweets, chewing-gums etc.

This invention aims to better the known pizza box storages and dispensing assemblies so that they permit simple and economic structure and it envisages shelving aimed at containing the cartons, in orderly piles and that allows the ensuing removal of the various cartons to be filled with ease and without disturbing the piles.

The invention in word is illustrated, in the preferable way, in the attached drawings, where: [0007]
FIG. 1 shows the front view of the shelving subject of the invention, made up of the various elements placed together, [0008]
FIG. 2 shows the cross-section of the shelving across X-X of FIG. 1, [0009]
FIG. 3 shows the front view of the shelving as a single body, [0010]
FIG. 4 shows the cross-section across Y-Y of the shelving in FIG. 3, [0011]
FIG. 5 shows the prospective view of example shelving as per FIG. 2, [0012]
FIG. 6 shows the side view of one L-shaped leg of a shelf, [0013]
FIG. 7 shows the top view of the leg as per FIG. 1, [0014]
FIG. 8 shows the central and vertical cross-section of the bottom and cover with the resting edge lateral to the legs, [0015]
FIG. 9 shows the view from below of the bottom of FIG. 3, [0016]
FIG. 10 shows the assemblage of the cover fitted with the edging with L-shaped legs, [0017]
FIG. 11 shows the assemblage of the flat cover with the L-shaped legs, [0018]
FIG. 12 shows a prospective view of example shelving obtained by assembling of the legs with the cover and flat bottom, [0019]
FIG. 13 shows a prospective view of a shelf of double height, [0020]
FIG. 14 shows a shelf with lower cupboard suitable to house the flat, punched cartons.[0021]
With reference to the aforesaid FIGS. 1 and 2, the shelving is made up of various placed near stand alone elements A, of such dimensions as to contain the cartons S piled up on one another and beside one another according to the storage requirements for the cartons. [0022]
Each element A is fitted with a bottom [0023] 1, lateral walls 2, back wall 3 and cover 4, while the frontal zone 5 stays open and where suitable L-shaped profiles 6 are envisaged to hold the cartons stacked inside the shelf element. The lower zone of these L-shaped profiles has a recess 7, in such way as to create a slightly larger opening than the dimensions of the carton S, so as to allow ensuing extraction from below of the successive cartons S, while the other cartons S conveniently move down, held by the L-shaped profile 6.
According to FIGS. 3 and 4, the shelving is made up of a single shelf B including for example three stacking zones. This shelving B envisages [0024] lateral walls 8, rear wall 9, bottom 10 and cover 11.
On the front of the shelving B, there appear L-shaped lateral elements [0025] 6, similar to those of FIGS. 1 and 2, as well as T-shaped elements 12, suited to hold the cartons in a transversal and longitudinal sense.
It is also possible to create shelvings formed by various single shelf (A) or various multiple shelf (B) or by an ensemble of single shelves (A) and multiple shelves (B) superposed one on the other. [0026]
Thus arranged, it is clear that the cartons S placed in a pile inside this shelving A or B, are well placed and protected; they also allow easy removal at the moment of boxing and transport of the pizza. [0027]
With reference to the aforesaid FIGS. [0028] 6 to 13 an L-shaped leg is indicated to hold the corners of the cartons S receiving the take away pizzas, useful for the creating of a shelf together with the bottom 14 and the cover 15. The front L-shaped legs 13 have cuts 16 in the lower part useful for the extraction of the cartons S as per FIG. 12 or the legs 13 present also cuts 17 useful further extraction of the cartons S from the central zone of the shelf of double height, fitted with a fixed or extractable central dividing shelf 18 as per FIG. 13.
The bottom [0029] 14 and the cover 15 may have a rim 19 of lateral rest either outside or inside the legs 13 and the reciprocal fixing may be carried out by bonding means 20, such as screws, bolts, rivets etc. inserted laterally as per FIG. 10.
In FIG. 12 the [0030] flat cover 21 and the flat bottom 22 are shown resting on the extremities of the legs 13 and with fixing by way of bonding means such as screws, bolts, rivets etc. inserted vertically as per FIGS. 11 and 12.
FIG. 12 shows in a prospective view a [0031] shelf 24 of limited height with removal of the cartons from below, while FIG. 13 shows a shelf 25 with double height that envisages removal of the cartons from below and from the middle. This shelving may be used alone and the multiple shelving can be obtained by placing numerous single shelf units alongside each other.
It is also possible to arrange rectangular shelving containing more piles of cartons and in that case, besides the L-shaped legs as in FIGS. 6 and 7, T- shaped [0032] central legs 12 are also envisaged. The wings of the T serve to contain the corners of the cartons of two adjacent piles. The front T-shaped legs are fitted with cuts 16 or 17 useful for the extraction of the cartons. These T-shaped legs are already clarified in FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 14 shows shelving [0033] 26 fitted in the lower part with a cupboard 27 suitable to house the packs of the flat punched cartons useful to prepare the cartons by the user. The shelves described may have feet 28 of any nature and conformation of resting on the ground or on counters or they may be fitted with revolving casters 29 which make moving of the shelves easier.
Besides each shelf or the ensemble of shelves present a suitable table for preparing the cartons and for introducing the pizza in the cartons (S). [0034]
All the shelving described can have lateral and back walls and possibly front ones for protection from dust and these may be in any material such as wood, metal, plastic, possibly transparent such as Plexiglas, or any other convenient material. [0035]
Naturally the device according to this invention, may undergo variations and adaptations on the basis of the various possible needs, bearing in mind that the shelving can take on various dimensions according to the dimensions and shapes of the pizzas and the relative cartons to be delivered. [0036]
The shelving described may receive the piles of square-bottom cartons as described but also of circular shape to take round pizzas. [0037]

Claims

1-11. (Canceled)

12. Shelving to hold pizza cartons, comprising a single body including a plurality of adjacent carton stacking zones, the single body including side and rear walls providing an enclosure which is open at a frontal zone, a bottom wall and a cover, the frontal zone having L-shaped frontal profiling elements and T-shaped profiling elements which contain cartons in the stacking zones, the L-shaped and T-shaped profiling elements each having a lower part which is cut away to create an extraction space for a lowermost carton from a stack of cartons in the enclosure element, while upper cartons stacked thereon move down at each removal of the lowermost carton and remain neatly stacked.

13. Shelving according to claim 12, wherein the shelving is comprised of a plurality of stacking zones placed at least one of:

a) near one another, and

b) superposed on one another.

14. Shelving according to claim 12, wherein the shelving is an ensemble comprised of a plurality of stacking zones placed at least one of:

a) near one another, and

b) superposed on one another.

15. Shelving according to claim 12, wherein the frontal L-shaped profiling elements further include recesses in a central zone thereof for the extraction of the cartons from a center of a shelf of considerable height, in addition to the cut away lower portions.

16. Shelving according to claim 12, wherein the frontal T-shaped profiling elements further include recesses in a central zone thereof for the extraction of the cartons from a center of a shelf of considerable height, in addition to the cut away lower portions.

17. Shelving according to claim 16, further comprising a fixed partition placed at a position lower than the recesses in the central zone.

18. Shelving according to claim 16, further comprising a removable partition placed at a position lower than the recesses in the central zone.

19. Shelving according to claim 12, further comprising a cupboard below the carton stacking zones for the containment of packs of flat punched cartons, useful for the preparation of the cartons by a user.

20. Shelving according to claim 12, further comprising a table for preparing the cartons and for introducing pizza in the cartons.

21. Shelving according to claim 12, further comprising fixed feet secured at the bottom wall for resting on a surface to support the shelving.

22. Shelving according to claim 12, further comprising revolving casters secured at the bottom wall for resting on a surface to support the shelving in a movable manner.

23. Shelving according to claim 12, wherein the walls and cover of the shelves are made from a material selected from the group consisting of metal, wood and plastic.

24. Shelving according to claim 12, further comprising a front protection wall which is transparent.

25. Shelving according to claim 12, wherein at least one of the walls and the cover is transparent.