Interlocking Nestable Article Holder

Abstract

An article holder is provided including a bottom panel, a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel, first and second side walls extending from side edges of the bottom panel, each side wall being coupled to the back wall along a rear edge each side wall, a front flange spanning between the first and second side walls along front edges of the first and second side walls, and a slot in the bottom panel extending from the first side wall to the second side wall. The first and second side walls are farther apart from one another at front edges of the first and second side walls than at rear edges of the first and second side walls and the slot is adapted to receive a front flange of another like article holder when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a non-provisional of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/806,421, filed Jun. 30, 2006, and is entitled to the benefit of the filing date thereof for all commonly disclosed subject matter.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The disclosure relates generally to magazine, file, and document holders, and more particularly to interlocking nestable holders for organizing and storing magazines, files, and other documents in an orderly fashion.

2. Description of Related Art

File folder racks and magazine holders are known in the art. These articles are typically configured to support a plurality of magazines, folders, documents, or the like adjacent one another and in a generally vertical or standing orientation. These types of storage products are, as a result, relatively tall in nature and relatively wide or deep in order to accommodate a desired width or length of magazine, file folder, or the like. Thus, such products occupy a substantial amount of shelf space when shipped, stocked and/or displayed for sale.

The consumption of relatively large amounts of retail shelf space by such products is problematic, as retail shelf space is extremely valuable and manufacturers compete vigorously for adequate shelf space to display their products. Any inefficient use of retail shelf space can lead to a manufacturer's products not being adequately displayed, as well as a reduction in the number of different products a manufacturer may be allowed to display in a given retail store.

Because the profit margin for these items can be relatively small, a means for packaging these items in a compact manner is important for reducing shipment and handling costs.

Typical magazine holders can only be stacked with one other identical holder by inverting one of the holders, rotating it 180 degrees, and placing it on top of and nesting it with the other of the holders. Holders stacked and nested in this manner are susceptible to movement relative to one another, and can be damaged. Thus, additional packaging materials, such as cardboard, Styrofoam, plastic film and the like must be utilized to prevent product damage from relative movement between such holders, such as scuffing or scratching during shipment and handling.

These types of holders are typically individually packaged or packaged in pairs for shipping. Upon being prepared to be displayed for sale, the products are then unpackaged by the retailer if packaged in pairs, further increasing handling labor.

Generally, these types of holders have included a relatively short front flange in an effort to prevent the articles from falling out of a front of these types of holders, while not unduly limiting the ability to nest the holders. However, such short front flanges of conventional article holders of this nature have been inadequate to prevent magazines, files, and other documents from falling forward, out of the holders intended to retain them.

SUMMARY

An article holder is provided including a bottom panel, a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel, first and second side walls extending from side edges of the bottom panel, each side wall being coupled to the back wall along a rear edge each side wall, a front flange spanning between the first and second side walls along front edges of the first and second side walls, and a slot in the bottom panel extending from the first side wall to the second side wall. The first and second side walls are farther apart from one another at front edges of the first and second side walls than at rear edges of the first and second side walls and the slot is adapted to receive a front flange of another like article holder when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

In another embodiment, the article holder includes a bottom panel, a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel, a pair of side walls extending from respective side edges of the bottom panel, and a front flange extending between front edges of the side walls, the front flange having a lower portion. The bottom panel includes a narrowed portion and the lower portion of the front flange is adapted to receive the narrowed portion of a bottom panel of another article holder when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

Likewise a method of staking article holders includes providing first and second article holders, aligning the first article holder with a storage space of the second article holder, aligning a front flange of the second article holder with a slot in the first article holder, and inserting the front flange of the second article holder into the slot in the first article holder, thereby forming a nested stack of article holders.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one example of an article holder constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the article holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the article holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a side view of the article holder shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the article holder shown in FIG. 1, including two pairs of side wall slots.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the article holder of FIG. 1, as nested with a like article holder;

FIG. 6 is a front plan view of the two nested article holders of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the two nested article holders of FIG. 5, taken along lines A-A of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the two nested article holders of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a top view of the two nested article holders of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the article holder of FIG. 1, as nested with four like article holders;

FIG. 11 is a front plan view of the five nested article holders of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the five nested article holders shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is a top view of the five nested article holders of FIG. 10

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of an article holder according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 15 is a side view of the article holder of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the article holder of FIG. 14, nested with a like article holder;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of an article holder according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a side view of the article holder of FIG. 17;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the article holder of FIG. 18, as nested with a like article holder;

FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of an article holder according to a fourth embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 21 shows a front elevational view of the article holder of FIG. 20.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally directed to an organizer or storage device, described herein as an article holder, or simply a holder, for storing and/or organizing articles such as magazines, file folders, documents, and the like in a generally upright, vertical orientation. The disclosed holders are both stackable and nestable with like holders. Furthermore, when stacked in a cascading fashion and nested, the disclosed holders are interlocked to prevent relative movement between the stacked and nested article holders.

Additionally, when on display for sale to consumers, a plurality of the stacked and nested holders occupy relatively little shelf space as compared to conventional holders of this type. By taking up less space, the stackable, nestable holders disclosed herein result in more efficient packaging for shipping and stocking, and during display for sale.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one example of a holder 20 constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure. The holder 20 is configured for storing and/or organizing articles such as magazines, documents, file folders, or the like in a generally vertical orientation.

The disclosed holder 20 in this example has a generally horizontally oriented bottom panel 22 and a rear panel or back wall 24. The back wall 24 in this example is coupled to and extends in a generally upward direction from a rear edge 26 of the bottom panel 22. The holder 20 also has a pair of spaced apart and opposed side walls or panels 28. Bottom edges of the side walls 28 in this example are coupled to respective side edges 30 of the bottom panel 22. The side walls 28 extend in a generally upward direction from the opposed side edges 30 of the bottom panel 22. The side walls 28 also have rear edges 33 coupled to respective side edges 32 of the back wall 24. The side walls 28 extend in a forward direction from the side edges 32 of the back wall 24.

In this example, a storage receptacle 31 is formed in the space above the bottom panel 22, forward of the back wall 24, and between the side walls 28. The gap between opposed front edges 34 of the side walls 28 above a forward edge 36 of the bottom panel 22 forms a front opening 38 for forward insertion and removal of articles in the storage receptacle 31. The gap between opposed top edges 40 of the side walls 28 forward of an upper edge 42 of the back wall 24 forms a top opening 44, also for insertion and removal of articles in the storage space 31. In this example, the entire top opening 44 and a substantial majority of the front opening 38 are clear and unencumbered. This may not be the case in other optional examples. As shown and described herein, a front flange 45 spans between the opposed side walls 28 and extends from the forward edge 36 of the bottom panel 22. However, the front flange 45 need not be connected to the bottom panel 22, but rather, the front flange 45 may be spaced apart from the bottom panel 22 if desired. In this case, the front flange 45 extends sufficiently from the forward edge 36 of the bottom panel 22 to provide a forward barrier to any article, magazine or document stored in the holder 20, thus preventing the articles, magazines or documents from unintentionally tumbling out of the holder 20.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of the holder 20 shown in FIG. 1. In this example, the holder includes a series of slots 46. These slots 46 extend between the side walls 28 along the bottom panel 22 and away from the bottom panel 22 a distance into the side walls 28 (FIGS. 1 and 4), but not completely to the top edges 40 of the side walls 28, thereby forming a top 47 in each slot 46. Generally, the slots extend into the side walls 28 a distance only slightly greater than a height of the front flange 45. The slots 46 of a given holder 20 receive front flanges 45 of like holders 20 disposed beneath the given holder 20 when a plurality of the holders 20 are stacked and nested. The slots 46 are generally uniformly spaced both to provide a stable stack of holders 20 during nesting and to provide a more pleasing appearance. Because of retail shelf depth constraints, it is recognized that there is a limit to the number of holders 20 which may be nested in this fashion. Thus, it is unnecessary for the entire depth of the holders 20 to be provided with slots 46 extending completely across the bottom panel 22. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the two slots 46a nearest the back wall 24 may only extend through a portion of the side walls 28 and slightly into the bottom panel, but not entirely across the bottom panel 22. These two rear-most slots 46a, would then be provided only to maintain an aesthetically pleasing appearance for the holder 20. The nesting feature will be discussed further hereinafter.

As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 the side walls 28 diverge away from one another from the back wall 24 towards the front flange 45, producing a storage area 31 that is wider near the front flange 45 than near the back wall 24. In this example, the side walls diverge from one another in a linear fashion. However, the divergence of the side walls may be in a curvilinear fashion if desired. The back wall 24 can include one or more optional openings or windows (not shown in the figures of this embodiment). The windows may extend a short distance upward from the rear edge 26 of the bottom panel 22. The windows may extend partly into the rear edge 26 of the bottom panel 22, if desired. The one or more openings or windows can be provided to create a desired aesthetic appearance. However, the openings or widows can also be incorporated to reduce overall weight of the holder 20, to provide a view to the rear edge of the contents stored within the receptacle 31, and/or to reduce cost per unit based on material reduction.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the side walls 28 each include top edges 40, bottom edges 56 which are coupled to the bottom panel side edges 30, and rear edges 58 which are coupled to the side edges 32 of the back panel 24. In this example, the top edges 40 are arched or upwardly curved so that the side walls 28 are higher near the back wall 24 than near the front flange 45. The arched top edges 40 permit a user of the holder 20 to view and to grasp an article such as a file folder or magazine that is stored in the receptacle 31 by either the top or front of the article. As will be evident to those having ordinary skill in the art, the contour of the top edge 40 can, however, vary from that disclosed in this example and need not provide such increased access to the articles unless desired.

The side walls 28 can also include one or more windows or openings (not shown in the figures of this embodiment). As with the widows in the back wall 24, the windows in the side walls 28 can also extend at least slightly into the edge of bottom panel 22. As will be evident to those having ordinary skill in the art, the windows can vary in configuration, contour, positioning, number, and the like, depending upon manufacturing considerations, the aesthetic appearance desired and/or other desired characteristics such as weight reduction, material cost savings, view of contents within the receptacle 31, or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 5-9, the holder 20 in this example can be stacked in a cascading fashion and nested with other like holders 120. The side walls 28, 128 diverge slightly away from one another from back to front. Thus, the storage receptacle 31 becomes wider toward the front opening 38, 138. The angle of divergence relative to a front to rear axis of the holder 20, 120 can vary. However, a minimum angle can be included to create a sufficient draft angle for part formation and for nesting, as well as to accommodate the material wall thickness of the walls. For example, the angle can vary up to about 5°-7° from about 1° or less.

Two of the holders 20, 120 are shown in FIGS. 5-9 in a forwardly stacked and nested configuration. The back wall 124 of one holder 120 is narrower than the front opening 38 of another like holder 20. Thus, one holder 120 can be lowered into the storage receptacle 31 of another holder 20. The front flange 45 of one (lower) holder 20 is inserted into one of the slots 146 of the other (upper) holder 120. The front flange 45 of the lower holder 20 contacts the top 147 of the slot 146 of the upper holder 120 when the upper and lower holders 120, 20 are stacked in a nested configuration. Thus, the front flange 45 acts as a nesting stop and prevents the upper and lower holders 120, 20 from becoming frictionally locked. The number of like holders 20, 120 of this construction that can be nested with one another is limited only by the number of slots 46, 146. As shown in FIGS. 5-9, a total of seven like holders of this example could be nested with one another because each holder has seven slots 146 in this embodiment.

The number of slots 46, 146 and the distance between the slots 46, 146 may vary based on particular needs. Each additional stacked holder only adds only a minimal amount of additional depth to the stack of holders. In particular, only the distance between the first slot and the front flange will lie outside of the holder immediately beneath in the stack of holders. Thus, the distance between the slots 46, 146, the front flange 45, 145, and the back wall 24, 214 may be adjusted based on the depth of a shelf upon which the stack of holders 20, 120 will be displayed for sale in a retail store. In one embodiment, the slots 46, 146 are spaced approximately 2″ apart. In the same embodiment, the distance between the first slot 46, 146, and the front flange 45, 145 is also approximately 2″. Adjusting the spacing between the slots 46, 146, and the front flange 45, 145 and the back wall 24, 124 based on as shelf depth makes maximum use of available display space.

FIG. 7 illustrates in cross section a side view of the stacked holders 20, taken along lines A-A of FIG. 6. As can be seen in this view, the front flange 45 acts both as a vertical nesting stop or nesting limiter and, in combination with the slots 46, 146, a forward nesting stop/interlock. As shown in FIG. 7, the bottom panel 22 bears against and is substantially parallel to the bottom panel 122. This arrangement provides a very stable stacked configuration while preventing frictional locking between walls of adjacent holders. Thus, the outer surfaces of stacked and nested holders are not subject to scuffing or scratching because they are not in contact with one another. Accordingly, the need for additional packing and/or protection between holders during shipping is eliminated while preserving a clean and unmarred appearance for each holder.

As shown in the top view of FIG. 9, full vertical nesting is permitted because the bottom panels 22, 122 of the holders 20, 120 are arranged parallel and adjacent to one another. The successive nested holders do not progressively tilt rearward, as they otherwise would tend to do if the slots 46, 146 were not provided. Because the side walls 28, 128 are prevented from frictionally locking due to the location of the slots 46, 146 and the front flanges 45, 145, the holders are also relatively easy to separate, even when fully nested.

FIGS. 10-13 show views similar to FIGS. 5-9 except that a stack of five like holders 20 are nested together.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show an alternate embodiment of the holder 220. In this embodiment, the front flange 245 is slanted rearward, toward the rear wall 224. Likewise, the slots 246 are also slanted toward the rear wall 224. The slots 246 are substantially parallel to the front flange 245. Thus, the slots 246 are slanted at approximately the same angle relative to the bottom panel 222 as the front flange 245. The nesting of article holders 220 according to this embodiment is similar to the nesting described above with respect to the holders 20 of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-12, except that once a top edge of the front flange 245 of a first holder 220 is aligned with a slot 246 of a second holder 220, the second holder 220 completes nesting by moving downward and forward to keep the front flange 245 of the first holder 220 aligned with the slot 246 of the second holder. The distance between the rearmost slot 246 and the back wall 224 is sufficient to align the front flange 245 of the first holder 220 with a respective slot 246 of the second holder because the point where the front flange 245 of the first holder is aligned with the slot 246 of the second holder is the point of closest relative position between the back wall 224 of the first holder 220 and the back wall 224 of the second holder. The back wall 224 may be angled in the same direction as the front flange 245 and the slots 246 if desired, as such tilting of the back wall 224 allows even greater clearance, allowing the second holder to be tilted rearward relative to the first holder 220, enabling a user to gain a better sight line for aligning the front flange 245 of the first holder with the slot 246 of the second holder.

FIG. 16 shows two like holders shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 nested together in a stack.

Similarly, FIGS. 17-19 show another alternate embodiment of the holder 320. However, the front flange 345 and the slots 346 of this embodiment are slanted forward, away from the back wall 324. Again, the slots 346 are arranged substantially parallel to the front flange 345, and are thus slanted at approximately the same angle relative to the bottom panel 322 as the front flange 345. Back wall 324 clearance for this embodiment is not an issue because the closest relative position between the back wall 324 of a first holder 320 and the back wall 324 of a second holder 320 is when the holders 320 are completely nested. For example, the top edge of the front flange 345 of a first holder 320 is aligned with a chosen slot 346 of a second holder. The second holder is then moved downwardly and rearwardly to complete nesting. The rear wall 324 may be angled in the same direction as the front flange 345 and the slots 346 if desired.

Complementary slots and front flange interactions are not the only way to provide interlocked nestable article holders. For example, an alternative design encompassed by the present disclosure is shown in FIGS. 20 and 21. In this embodiment, the front flange 445 includes a scallop-shaped top edge. The scallop-shaped top edge includes a lower portion 460 that is substantially coplanar with the bottom panel 422. Furthermore, the bottom panel 422 includes generally curved side edges 430 forming a generally hourglass-shaped bottom panel 422. A narrowed portion 462 of the bottom panel 422 may fit neatly in the lower portion 460 of the front flange 445 when two or more holders 420 are stacked in a nested configuration. In doing so, the scallop-shaped sides 464 of the front flange 445 prevent side to side or lateral movement between holders 420 when stacked with one another.

The holders can be made from any material desired, but in one example are formed from a wire mesh, with the front flange, a lower portion of the side walls, a lower portion of the rear wall, and the bottom panel comprising sheet metal. Alternatively, the entire holder may be made of molded plastic material. Other materials such as metal, wood, or the like can also be utilized and yet fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The mesh can be plastic molded, metal, or a combination thereof.

In one example, the article holders disclosed herein can be manufactured using an injection molding process. The materials utilized in one example can be commodity plastics such as polystyrene or polypropylene. However, many other materials may be suitable for forming the disclosed article holders. For example, other materials may include engineering grade plastic materials such as polycarbonate, ABS or TPE. Other commodity thermoplastics, or even further alternative materials such as metal, wood, organic materials, leather, glass, paperboard, or variations and combinations of these materials including fabrics and woven materials. Material selection may assist in creating a higher impact strength, flexibility, improved resistance to scratching or scuffing, or enhanced appearance. The material selection can be undertaken with the most important characteristics in mind for a given application. However, engineering plastics such as polystyrene or polypropylene also can reduce consumer cost.

As will be evident to those having ordinary skill in the art, features of the various embodiments disclosed herein can be mixed and combined with other features of the other embodiments.

Merchandisers and retailers of vertical orientation magazine and file holders typically provide shelf space and arrangements that vary from store to store and from retailer to retailer. Thus, a product configuration that is suitable for display in a shelf space at one store or retailer may not be suitable for a shelf space or display configuration at another. The disclosed article holders permit stacking and nesting of a large number of the products. The disclosed products or holders can thus be displayed, packaged, shipped, stocked, stored, and the like within a relatively small amount of shelf space.

By minimizing use of packaging and shipping space as well as optimizing store shelf space by utilizing the disclosed article holder configurations, one is able to ship and store a larger product volume per unit of available space. This creates more space within, an existing product display in a limited shelf storage space that was originally suited for a completely different product. This can increase revenue dollars for the retailer per square foot of shelf space.

Article holders for storing items such as magazines or file folders in a vertical orientation have not heretofore been designed for nestability in the manner disclosed herein. Some solutions have been devised, but these typically require that the article holders offered for sale be provided in several pieces and partially dismantled. Also, such products typically are packaged to protect the articles from being damaged by one another, such as by being scuffed, scratched, or the like while being shipped or while on display for sale.

In contrast, the disclosed article holder configurations may eliminate or significantly reduce the need for utilizing foam, paper, corrugated elements, poly bags, or other such packing materials. Instead, the disclosed article holders can be shipped, stored, and displayed in tightly nested stacks. The stacks will provide stability to the shipped, stored, and displayed products. The products can stand alone with limited or no packing materials in shipping containers or on a shelf storage space for sale, and yet be tightly packed to inhibit relative movement and thus damage.

Some other existing office products of the type described herein are capable of nesting, but only with one other like product. Further, the two products must be inverted or turned upside down and rotated 180 degrees relative to one another in order to nest with one another. These types of products, however, must still utilize additional packing to prevent the products from moving relative to one another, which would otherwise cause scuffing or scratching. Such known products do not typically optimize the use of shelf, shipping, and storage space to the degree that the disclosed article holders can accomplish. In one example, a known magazine holder can be inverted, rotated, and rested on top of an identical holder so that two of the products can be overlapped with one another. However, such an arrangement is limited to only two products being nested with one another.

The disclosed article holders substantially reduce the necessary space required for shipping, storage, and retail sale, all the while maintaining standard function for such products, i.e. storing magazines, file folders, or similar sized documents.

The disclosed article holders can be painted, decorated, or in-molded with labels, graphics, or other layers or accents. These additional design characteristics can be employed to protect the surfaces of the article holder or to enhance the decorative nature of the product. Combinations of materials can be utilized and assembled in any suitable way, including forming a plastic underbody product having a rubber over-molded on the plastic base material. Alternatively, metal parts can be mechanically fastened together or wood products can be covered with suitable decorative materials such as fabric, metal decorative and protective corner features, and the like.

Depending upon the materials selected, the manufacturing processes and methods used can also vary and be employed as needed. In one example, a plastic article holder disclosed herein can be molded using a simple two part mold. The draft angle of the side walls, front flange, and back wall can provide the necessary mold draft for easy formation and removal of parts from the mold cavities. Windows in the walls can be formed by providing shut-offs or surface-to-surface metal contact within the mold. By extending the windows into both the side and back walls and at least slightly into the bottom panel, the shut-off can be provided and yet permit easy mold separation and part removal.

The disclosed article holder configurations improve upon maximizing retail shelf space, accommodate variable shelf space configurations, and enhance product nesting for sale. The stacked products can be displayed and shipped without damage to the product due to scuffing, scrapping, and the like because the products will be nested, yet the exposed outer surfaces of the holders do not contact one another. Thus, additional packing can be negated. The disclosed article holders also provide multiple article access points so that a user can easily grasp materials stored within the holder at more than one location.

Additionally, freight cube size can be optimized and significantly reduced utilizing the disclosed article holder configurations. Products shipped in bulk can also be directly unloaded from the master carton or shipping box onto a shelf. No additional reorientation of the product may be necessary, making the merchandiser's handling of the product easier. The nested products also assist in retaining the displayed article holders on a retail shelf space. The products also look more organized when nested as disclosed herein. This reduces the amount of work required by the customer/merchandiser to keep the shelf display organized and arranged, while also permitting easy removal by the consumer of an individual article holder from a nested group of the holders for purchase. An organized shelf space, and ability to remove a given product, may effect the perception of the consumer and influence his or her decision to buy the displayed products.

Further, because more product can be displayed for sale in a given amount of shelf space, less restocking time and stocking space is necessary for the retailer. Having more product available for sale at any one time reduces the frequency of an item appearing to be out of stock. This can prevent a consumer from leaving the establishment to go elsewhere to find the desired product.

Although certain article holders for storing and organizing magazines, file folders, documents, and the like have been described herein in accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of the teachings of the disclosure that fairly fall within the scope of permissible equivalents.

Claims

1. An article holder comprising:

a bottom panel;

a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel;

first and second side walls extending from side edges of the bottom panel, each side wall being coupled to the back wall along a rear edge each side wall;

a front flange spanning between the first and second side walls along front edges of the first and second side walls; and

a slot in the bottom panel extending from the first side wall to the second side wall;

wherein the first and second side walls are farther apart from one another at front edges of the first and second side walls than at rear edges of the first and second side walls and the slot is adapted to receive a front flange of another like article holder when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

2. The article holder of claim 1, wherein the slot extends into the first and second side walls, thereby forming a side wall portion of the slot.

3. The article holder of claim 2, wherein the front flange is slanted rearward, toward the back wall, moving upward, away from the bottom panel.

4. The article holder of claim 3, wherein the side wall portion of the slot is slanted rearward, toward the back wall moving away from the bottom panel.

5. The article holder of claim 4, wherein the side wall portion of the slot and the front flange are slanted at approximately the same angle relative to the bottom panel.

6. The article holder of claim 2, wherein the front flange is slanted forward, away from the back, wall, in a direction away from the bottom panel.

7. The article holder of claim 6, wherein the side wall portion of the slot is slanted forward, away from the back wall in a direction away from the bottom panel.

8. The article holder of claim 7, wherein the side wall portion of the slot and the front flange are slanted at approximately the same angle relative to the bottom panel.

9. The article holder of claim 2, wherein the slot extends into one of the first side wall and the second side wall a distance greater than a height of the front flange.

10. The article holder of claim 1 comprising a plurality of slots.

11. The article holder of claim 10, wherein the plurality of slots are uniformly spaced apart.

12. The article holder of claim 11, wherein the slots are spaced approximately 2 inches from one another.

13. The article holder of claim 1 comprising a side wall slot in one of the first and second side walls that extends partially into, but not completely across, the bottom panel.

14. The article holder of claim 1, wherein the first and second side walls diverge from one another in a linear fashion from the back wall towards the front flange.

15. The article holder of claim 14, wherein the divergence of the first and second side walls from the back wall towards the front flange is in a range of approximately 1 degree to approximately 7 degrees.

16. The article holder of claim 1, wherein the first and second side walls diverge from one another in a curvilinear fashion from the back wall towards the front flange.

17. The article holder of claim 1, further comprising a window in the back wall.

18. The article holder of claim 1, further comprising a window in one of the first and second side walls.

19. The article holder of claim 1, wherein top edges of the first and second side walls are curved.

20. The article holder of claim 1, wherein the front flange is a nesting stop that contacts an upper edge of a slot of another article holder when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

21. The article holder of claim 1, wherein the back wall is angled forward, toward the front flange in a direction away from the bottom panel.

22. The article holder of claim 1, wherein the back wall is angled rearward, away from the front flange in a direction away from the bottom panel.

23. An article holder comprising:

a bottom panel;

a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel;

a pair of side walls extending from respective side edges of the bottom panel; and

a front flange extending between front edges of the side walls, the front flange having a lower portion;

wherein the bottom panel includes a narrowed portion and the lower portion of the front flange is adapted to receive the narrowed portion of a bottom panel of another article holder when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

24. The article holder of claim 22, wherein the bottom panel has an hourglass-shape.

25. The article holder of claim 22, wherein the front flange has a scallop-shaped top edge.

26. The article holder of claim 24, wherein the scallop-shaped top edge prevents lateral movement between like article holders when two or more article holders are stacked in a nested configuration.

27. The article holder of claim 22, wherein the lower portion of the front flange is substantially coplanar with the bottom panel.

28. A method of stacking two or more article holders comprising:

providing a first article holder comprising: a bottom panel; a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel; a pair of side walls extending from respective side edges of the bottom panel, each side wall being coupled to the back wall along a rear edge of the respective side wall; a front flange spanning between the side walls along respective front edges of the side walls; and a plurality of slots in the bottom panel extending from one side wall to the other side wall;

providing a second article holder comprising: a bottom panel; a back wall extending from a rear edge of the bottom panel; a pair of side walls extending from respective side edges of the bottom panel, each side wall being coupled to the back wall along a rear edge of the respective side wall; a front flange spanning between the side walls along respective front edges of the side walls; and a plurality of slots in the bottom panel extending from one side wall to the other side wall;

aligning the first article holder with a storage space of the second article holder;

aligning the front flange of the second article holder with a slot in the plurality of slots in the first article holder; and

inserting the front flange of the second article holder into the slot in the first article holder.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the step of inserting the front flange of the second article holder into the slot in the first article holder includes inserting the front flange of the second article holder into the slot in the first article holder until a top edge of the front flange of the second article holder contacts a top of the slot in the first article holder.