BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In transporting many food items, such as apples, the items are placed in trays which are then stacked in liner boxes. The liner boxes come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, depending on the type of food being transported. For example, liner boxes for transporting apples may come in"kilo packs, "which are liner boxes including two layers of trays, or the apples may be transported in"bushel boxes,"which hold a greater number of trays-in some cases, five or six trays. Once the liner boxes are packed with the trays of fruit, the liner boxes are covered with cover boxes. The cover boxes may include printed indicia of the grower and/or the packer. The fruit is then ready to be transported for distribution.

The length and width of the trays are the same as the liner boxes in order to maximize the number of items that can be stored within each liner box. This makes placing trays in or . removing trays from the liner box difficult. To make the movement of the trays into or out of the liner boxes easier, some existing trays have been manufactured with finger holes in the sides. The finger holes are cutouts in the middle of two opposed sides of the flats that allow a user to slip a finger in and grip the underside of the tray.

Cutting finger holes out of the tray, however, jeopardizes the integrity of the tray, increasing the likelihood that the tray could bend or break, which is unsatisfactory. To alleviate this problem, some existing trays include finger holes that are placed in opposing corners thereof. This placement of the finger holes does not affect the general structural stability of the tray and allows users to grasp the tray for easy lifting into and out of the liner box. Changes in the design of some existing liner boxes, however, introduced gussets into the corners to create a more stable liner box. These gussets extend into the finger holes of the tray, making the finger holes inoperable as such.

Thus, there is a need for a liner box and methods of using or forming liner boxes that addresses one or more of the shortcomings with existing liner boxes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A liner box for transporting at least one tray includes a base. Extending upwardly from and integrally connected with the base is a plurality of walls. The plurality of walls includes a first wall and a second wall opposing the first wall. Each of the first and second walls includes a generally vertical opening for grasping and lifting at least one tray from the liner box by a user's hands or fingers.

The above summary of the present invention is not intended to represent each embodiment, or every aspect, of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the liner box according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the liner box according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cover box according to one embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS Turning now to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a liner box 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown. The liner box 10 may be constructed of cardboard and includes a base 12 and a plurality of walls 14,16, 18,20. It is contemplated that the liner box may be made of other materials such as plastic. The plurality of walls is integrally connected and extends upwardly from the base 12 toward a top of the liner box 10.

Stacked inside the liner box 10 are trays 22a, 22b. Two trays 22a, 22b are shown for demonstrative purposes only. It is contemplated that there may be more or less trays stacked

in the liner box 10 depending on the use. For example, when transporting apples, it is often common to use two trays in the liner box. Alternatively, it is also common when transporting apples to stack five, six, or more trays. According to one embodiment, the trays <BR> <BR> 22a, 22b include sockets 24 for holding the items being transported (e. g. , fruit) and a lip 26 for grasping the trays 22a, 22b. In the present embodiment, the lip 26 of the trays extends around the entire perimeter of the trays 22a, 22b. It is contemplated that the lip may extend only partially around the perimeter of the tray.

As shown in this embodiment, two opposing walls 14,18 each include a generally vertical opening or slot 28, 30. The openings 28, 30 extend from near the top edge of the <BR> <BR> liner box 10 (e. g. , top edge 18a) to near the bottom edge 12 of the liner box 10 (e. g. , bottom edge 18b) and are wide enough to fit a finger into the opening 28,30 to grasp the lip 26 of the top tray 22a. It is desirable for the openings 28, 30 to have a width that allows a user's hand to grasp the top tray 22a. The openings 28,30 are shown as being generally rectangular in shape, but it is contemplated that the openings may be formed in other shapes, such as oval or any other shape that allows access of a hand or a finger, for example. It is also contemplated that the openings 28,30 may have sizes different from that depicted in FIG. 1. The openings 28,30 desirably have a length that allows a user to grasp the lip 26 of the uppermost tray 22a and the lip 26 of the bottommost tray 22b. The user can then grasp each of the trays 22a, 22b for easy placement into or removal from the liner box 10. Also, because the openings 28,30 do not extend to either the top edge 18a or the bottom edge 18b of the liner box 10, the structural integrity of the liner box 10 is not compromised. In some embodiments, the generally vertical openings 28,30 are from about 3 to about 5 inches wide and extend from about 0.5 to about 1 inch below the top of the liner box 10 to about 0.5 to about 1 inch above the bottom edge 18a of the liner box 10. More specifically, the openings 28,30 are approximately 4 inches wide and extend from approximately 0.75 inches below the top of the liner box 10 to about 0. 75 inches above the bottom edge 18b of the liner box 10.

Although in this embodiment, the openings 28,30 are shown as being perpendicular to the liner box 10, it is also contemplated that other generally vertical orientations are contemplated. For example, the openings 28,30 may extend from near the bottom edge 18b to the top edge 18b of the liner box 10 in a generally vertical fashion or a substantially

vertical fashion. For example, the opening may extend upwardly at a 60 degree or 75 degree angle relative to the bottom edge 18b of the wall.

One use of the present invention will now be described. The items to be shipped are placed into the sockets 24 of the trays 22a, 22b. After the trays 22a, 22b are filled, the user desirably grasps the lip 26 of the tray 22a on opposing sides and places the tray 22a into the liner box 10. While the tray 22a is being placed into the liner box 10, each of the user's fingers or hands fits through one of the generally vertical openings 28,30, allowing the user to slide the tray 22a down to the bottom of the liner box 10. When the tray is completely loaded, a cover box (FIG. 3) may be placed on the liner box 10. Cover boxes often include printed indicia of the manufacturer or grower of the goods being shipped and provide protection for at least the top tray.

According to one process, when a user desires to remove the tray 22a, the user removes the cover box (if it is included). Then, the user places one of his fingers or hands into each of the generally vertical openings 28, 30, grasps the lip 26 of the tray 22a, and then lifts the tray 22a to the top and out of the liner box 10. Shown in FIG. 1 is a hand 29, but it should be understood that fingers may also be used to lift the tray 22a out of the liner box 10. By providing the generally vertical openings 28,30 on the liner box, the structural integrity of the tray 22a is retained. It is desirable to use a lip that extends around the entire perimeter to reduce the likelihood of bending or breaking the tray 22a.

Turning now to FIG. 2, another embodiment of a liner box 100 is shown. In this embodiment, the four walls 120,140, 160,180 meet at corners 320,340, 360,380. The corners 320,340, 360,380 include respective gussets 400,420, 440,460. The gussets 400, 420,440, 460 provide further structural support to the liner box 100. Because liner boxes are often stacked on top of one another during transport, it is desirable to prevent or inhibit the liner boxes from bending during shipping, or the items being transported may be bruised or otherwise damaged. The gussets 400,420, 440,460 extend into the inside of the liner box 10 to provide this support. Corners of the trays 220a, 220b, 220c may be cut to be flush with the gussets 400,420, 440,460.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the two opposing walls 140,180 each include two generally opposable vertical openings 280a, 280b, 300a, 300b. These openings are generally thinner (from about 0.5 to about 2 inches wide each) and allow the user to slide two or more fingers into the liner box 100 for removal or insertion of the tray 220a from or into the liner

box 100. The number of openings may vary from that depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is also contemplated that all four of the walls 140,160, 180,200 can include the generally vertical openings 280,300 for the insertion and/or removal of trays. Also, in some embodiments, the liner boxes may not be rectangular, but may be other types of polygonal shape (e. g., triangular, hexagonal, pentagonal, etc. ), as well as non-polygonal shape.

While the present invention has been described with reference to one or more particular embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments and obvious variations thereof is contemplated as falling within the spirit and scope of the claimed invention, which is set forth in the following claims.