Tray for berry baskets, with clips and cover sheet

Claim 2

The combination of a paperboard container structure having bottom, side and end walls, and a molded plastic resilient coupling clip, comprising: a container end structure having generally vertical inner and outer end walls spaced by a predetermined distance, and a top end wall joining the upper edges of said end walls, said top end wall formed with a longitudinally elongated, centrally located entrance slot having end edges, and a molded plastics coupling clip comprised of a vertically disposed frame of generally rectangular outline and generally planar opposite sides receivable downwardly with a relatively close fit into said container end structure through said slot, resiliently inwardly bendable legs normally depending substantially vertically from the lower corners of said frame, the lower extremities of said legs having toes projecting oppositely from one another to a normal spacing distance exceeding the length of said slot, said legs being resiliently bendable toward one another on said frame to a contracted position permitting entrance of said toes into said slot, and said toes underlying said top end wall beyond opposite ends of said slot upon resilient expansion of said contracted legs following entrance through said slot.

Claim 3

The subject matter of claim 1, including also a rectangular paperboard cover sheet releasably fastenable to a top container of stack of the containers by said coupling clips.

Claim 4

The subject matter of claim 2, including outstretched arms on said legs shortly above said toes.

Claim 5

The subject matter of claim 3, wherein said outstretched arms are slightly up-tilted.

Claim 6

The combination of at least two rectangular paperboard containers adapted to be stacked on one another, each having a bottom, sides and ends, coupling clips interconnecting said containers in a stack, and a rectangular paperboard cover sheet adapted for releasable fastening to a top container of a stack of the containers by said coupling clips, the ends of said containers each embodying generally vertical inner and outer end walls spaced by a predetermined distance, and horizontal top end walls joining the upper edges of said inner and outer end walls, said top end walls formed with longitudinally elongated, centrally located entrance slots for said clips, said slots having end and longitudinal edges, coupling clips comprised of generally vertically disposed members received downwardly into the space between said inner and outer end walls via said entrance slots, and having container engaging and lifting elements on the lower extremities thereof, said coupling clips having normally erect and coplanar non-bendable upper portions positionable above said upper edge portions of the inner end walls of the container through an angle approaching a right angle, said rectangular paperboard cover sheet overlying and seated on said top end walls of a top container of a stack of the containers, said cover sheet having recesses positioned and dimensioned to receive said non-bendable portions of said coupling clips, and said recesses having bottom and end edges corresponding generally to and generally registering with said longitudinally elongated entrance slots in said top end walls of said containers.

Claim 7

The combination of at least two rectangular paperboard containers adapted to be stacked on one another, each having a bottom, sides and ends, coupling clips interconnecting said containers in a stack, and a rectangular paperboard cover sheet adapted for releasable fastening to a top container of a stack of the containers by said coupling clips, the ends of said containers each embodying generally vertical inner and outer end walls spaced by a predetermined distance, and horizontal top end walls joining the upper edges of said inner and outer end walls, said top end walls formed with longitudinally elongated, centrally located entrance slots for said clips, said slots having end and longitudinal edges, coupling clips comprised of generally vertically disposed members received downwardly into the space between said inner and outer end walls via said entrance slots, and having container engaging and lifting elements on the lower extremities thereof, said coupling clips having normally erect and coplanar non-bendable upper portions positionable above said upper edge portions of the inner end walls of the container through an angle approaching a right angle, said rectangular paperboard cover sheet overlying and seated on said top end walls of a top container of a stack of the containers, said cover sheet having recesses positioned and dimensioned to receive said non-bendable portions of said coupling clips, and said recesses having bottom and end edges corresponding generally to and generally registering with said longitudinally elongated entrance slots in said top end walls of said containers.