AU2004235601B2 - Container - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract Container A food container 1, e.g. for bakery products, is moulded from thermoplastic material and comprises a tray 2 and cover 3. The tray 2 and cover 3 are hinged together, and a label 15, e.g. a product identification label, is 10 taped across the tray 2 and cover 3 opposite to the hinge to seal the container closed. The tray 2 includes a wall member 6 that overlaps with an end region 12 of the cover 3 to such an extent that access to the container contents is substantially inhibited without breaking the label seal 15 or leaving a sign of access (e.g. buckling of the tray and/or cover). Thus, the container 1 is tamper resistant/tamper evident, and enables a greater confidence in the integrity of the contents. 20 [Fig. 1] H:\ju1ia1\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 Al 6b I'6 IHc 17- 17 6c 6 6b -66 77 Lij 7 2-2< iis

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): VISY INDUSTRIAL PLASTICS PTY LTD Invention Title: CONTAINER The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 Container The present invention relates to a container having a tray 5 and a cover moulded from a plastic or other suitable material. Containers of the above type have particular application within the food industry, and are particularly useful as a 10 container for food products retailed through food stores, supermarkets and the like. Such containers can for example be used to package bakery products, such as cakes, pastries and the like, especially those that are freshly baked, or produce such as fruit or vegetables. Although it will be 15 convenient hereinafter to describe the invention in this context, it will be understood that the container of the present invention is not limited to such applications and may be used for packaging in various non-food applications. 20 It is known to package freshly baked cakes and pastries within moulded thermoplastic containers that have a tray for supporting the baked goods and a domed cover for enclosing the goods, the cover generally being transparent for display purposes. Various considerations need to be taken into 25 account when designing such packaging, including the strength of the container, for stacking and handling, material costs and so forth. Another consideration is the susceptibility of the container to tampering and this is particularly important for containers used to package food 30 products for sale in supermarkets and other retail outlets where the container is readily accessible to interference. It would be desirable to provide a container that, through its various new features, can provide a number of advantages 35 addressing some of these issues. Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. it should not be taken as an admission that any 3 of the material formed part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia on or before the priority date of the claims herein. 5 In one aspect, the present invention provides a thermoformed container moulded from a plastic material, the container including: a tray having a base portion for supporting a product, a rim portion about the periphery of the tray; and 10 a cover configured for engagement with the tray so as to enclose the product, the tray and the cover being joined together by at least two fastening elements; said rim portion of the tray including an upstanding wall member, said cover having an end region which is 15 disposed outwardly of and in overlapping contact with the wall member when the container is closed, said wall member and said end region overlapping to such an extent that, when the container is closed, access to the container contents without leaving a sign of access is substantially inhibited 20 by said fastening elements and by virtue of said overlap. The present invention contrasts with known containers of the tray and cover design in that such containers, if having a rim wall at all, would have one of minimal height, which is 25 sufficient only to provide a coupling between the tray and cover, but which is insufficient to prevent access to the closed container without leaving an indication of some sort that access has occurred. 30 Thus, for efficiency and simplicity, a tray and cover will often only be fastened together at a few points around their peripheries. In such designs, it would be a simple matter to flex the cover and/or tray apart between the fastening points to such a degree that the contents of the container 35 could be accessed and tampered with, such as by pushing a finger or some implement between the cover and base. This access can be achieved without breaking the container 3a fastenings and without leaving any evident indication that the contents may have been compromised. In contrast, trays embodying the invention include a wall 5 -4 member of an extended height, greater than that necessary merely to achieve coupling between the tray and its cover. This provides the containers with a number of advantages, including the addressing of concerns with respect to 5 tampering. Thus, by providing an extended wall member and cover end region overlap, the tray and the adjacent cover end region are reinforced and become more difficult to flex. 10 Furthermore, due to the need to negotiate the extended overlap of the wall member and the end region, the extent to which the cover and base must be flexed in order to gain access to the contents of the container is increased thereby making it more difficult for a person to access 15 the container contents undetected. Indeed, depending on the configuration provided, a successful attempt at accessing the container contents would result in either breakage of a fastening between the 20 tray and the cover or a severe buckling of the container sides, such that it would be evident to a merchant or purchaser that the goods had been compromised. The wall member may be formed by moulding the rim of the 25 tray into an inverted U-shaped configuration. The wall member thus formed would have an inner wall and an outer wall and a top end linking the two walls. In embodiments described further below, the inner and outer walls may be of the same height, or the outer wall may be of lesser 30 height than the inner wall. This latter design allows the container to rest on the base of the tray, rather than on the lower edge of the outer wall. The wall member provides the tray with a dish-type 35 configuration which will assist in locating the product on the tray. As the wall member of the tray is of a substantial height, reinforcing ribs or the like may need H:\ju1ia1\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 -5 to be provided in the wall member. In the case of the above-defined configuration, the ribs may be provided on the inner and/or on the outer wall of the wall member. This helps to provide a strong container. Also, an 5 additional possible advantage of having ribbing on the base wall which fits the ribbing that is on the end portion of the cover is that it helps 'guide' the cover on to the base. The extra interference between the base wall ribbing and lid ribbing therefore gives guidance, strength 10 and also possibly reduces airflow because it gives a tighter seal. The rim of the tray and the end region of the cover may each be terminated in a lip portion. CThe lip portion help 15 to locate the tray and cover in position and strengthen the container design. The wall member and the end region are preferably configured to be in face to face contact when the 20 container is closed, since such a configuration increases the security of the container and creates a form of seal between the parts thereby reducing air access to the container when closed. In this regard, the adjacent faces of the wall member and the end region are of substantially 25 flat configuration. Where an extended wall member is provided, the flat configuration facilitates the opening of the container in a simple manner after the fastening, such as a label, is legitimately broken. Engaging profiles between the two surfaces could make opening 30 difficult, and require higher opening forces. By providing substantially flat surfaces, opening is made simple, whilst the wall member can still provide a useful tamper deterrent and air seal. 35 It has been found that for containers sized for the packaging of food produce, such as for cakes or pastries or the like, an overlap of at least about 15 mm will H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 6 provide a sufficient tamper deterrent. An increased overlap at least about 18 mm will provide further security, while an overlap extending up to about 30 mm may provide added protection. It is thought, however that 5 a maximum overlap of about 25 mm should provide the protection required in most cases. Preferably the tray and cover are joined together by one or more, and preferably two or more fastening elements. 10 The fastening elements may include any fastening element such as a moulded hinge, an adhesive sticker or mechanical devices such as cooperating moulded projections and depressions which operate in a manner similar to a "press-stud". 15 In one embodiment, the container is formed as a one-piece moulding with the tray and cover hinged together at one or more points. The hinge connection provides a first (hinged) fastening point between the tray and cover, and a 20 second fastening may be provided e.g. at a point on the container opposite to the hinged connection. The second fastening may take any suitable form, such as tape, a staple or the like, but one suitable fastening is an adhesive label of the sort that is commonly applied to 25 products to provide product information and machine readable codes such as bar codes. Such a label may be adhered to the container so as to overlap both the tray and the cover, thereby fastening the two together and sealing the contents. 30 This aspect of the invention thus takes advantage of the need to provide a label with information about the product. Instead of placing the label on the top of the cover, as is generally the practice, the label can be used 35 as a fastening element. Thus, a hinged container with the extended wall member is able to form a tamper-resistant or tamper-evident package merely by the addition of a label H:\julia1\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 that must in any case be applied to the container. In this way a tamper-resistant/tamper-evident container can therefore be provided with minimal additional effort 5 In another embodiment, the end region of the cover and the wall member of the tray are configured to provide a stepped portion. Thus, the cover may include a top portion and a wall depending therefrom that includes the cover end region, the end region including a step 10 extending outwardly from the wall and a skirt depending downwardly from the step to define the overlapping portion of the closure. This arrangement makes access to a container's contents 15 even more difficult, as a person would need not only to negotiate the wall member/cover overlap, but would also need to negotiate the step portion, requiring an even greater separation of the cover and wall member, and a greater likelihood of distortion of the container and/or 20 damage to the fastening element, such as tearing of the label. The step of the cover will usually lie over the top end of the tray wall member, with the skirt extending down about 25 a side of the wall member. In one form, the top end of the tray wall may be of an extended width, with the step of the cover being of a similar width. Thus, the width of the step is greater than that necessary to provide a return in the tray material to define the wall member 30 during moulding. The greater the width of the step, the harder tampering is made. The step may have a width of between 10 - 25 mm. The use of a step may allow for a smaller wall member 35 height. The wider the step, the smaller the wall member may be to give equivalent tamper evidence. These two factors combine with each other to create difficulty for a H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 8 person to gain access to the inside of the package. The wider the step width and the taller the wall height the more tamper resistant the container will be although practical considerations will dictate a limit to the 5 maximum wall height beyond which increased benefit will be outweighed by design and cost considerations. In one embodiment, the width of the step increases with the distance from a corner of the container or from a 10 fastening point between the tray and cover. Thus, the step may have a profile that curves, such as in an outwardly convex manner, between fastening points and/or in the case of a polygonal tray, corners of the container, the step being widest at a midpoint between fastening 15 points and/or corners. This feature recognises that the further a point is from a fastening point or a corner of the container, the easier it is generally to flex the cover and base apart at that point. By increasing the step width away from corners and/or fastening points, 20 integrity is increased without needing a step of increased width fully along a side, which'could be aesthetically unappealing. As well as the step configuration, the wall member and 25 cover end region could also be configured with other complex profiles that resist finger access or the like. In one possible embodiment, the wall member and cover could include rib and groove arrangements. These could be in the form of one or more beads and grooves or the like, 30 and may be provided towards the top end of the wall member. The rib and groove arrangement could also help hold the tray and cover together, such as in a snap-fit fashion. 35 The step, which may be generally of flat shape, could itself provide a further complex profile, by including the rib and groove arrangement in the top end of the wall H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 9 member and in the step of the cover. This may have the advantage over ribs and grooves in the side of the wall member, in that it may be easier to open the container when legitimately wishing to do so after breaking the 5 fastening means or label. In one embodiment, the end region of the cover extends over an outer surface of the wall member, so that an inner surface of the end region overlaps with an outer surface 10 of the wall element member, and so that the wall member is within the cover when the container is closed. The end region and outer surface of the wall member may taper outwardly towards the base. This allows for ease of 15 closing and opening, and for removal of the -container from its forming mould. The container may be of any suitable shape. The cover may for example be generally circular or oval, and have a 20 single continuous depending side, or may have a number of sides, such as triangular, square, rectangular, hexagonal or octagonal. The tray is configured correspondingly to co-operate with the cover. More sides can be advantageous, as the sides will then generally be of 25 shorter length. This makes tampering more difficult, as shorter lengths make flexure of the cover and tray along the sides more difficult. Also, the hoop strength of the container will generally increase. 30 The end region of the cover may be of different shape to a main product-housing portion of the cover. For example, the cover may comprise a domed portion, e.g. of circular cross-section, whilst the end region may have a polygonal, e.g. square or rectangular, shape, so as to e.g. more 35 easily provide a stepped configuration with the wall member of the tray. H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 10 In one particularly preferred form, the container is of elongate design with a pair of opposed long sides and a pair of opposed shorter sides. In this design, fastening points may be provided along the long lengths, e.g. at the 5 midpoints thereof. Preferably, a hinge may be provided along one long side, and a fastening, may be placed along the other long side, such as at the midpoint thereof. This design thus requires the application of e.g. only one fastening, whilst considerably limiting any access to the 10 container contents. Thus, the shorter sides are inherently more difficult to prise apart, without the need for fastenings, whilst the longer sides are made more difficult to prise apart by the provision of the hinge and fastening element, such as a label or press-stud type 15 arrangement. Indeed, in one embodiment, the hinge extends along the full length of a container side, thereby making any attempt to open the container on that side impossible. It 20 could also, however, alternatively comprise a number of discrete spaced hinge portions along its length, or a single hinged portion midway along the side, opposite to the attachment point. 25 One design of an elongate container includes the use of a curved step portion along each of the shorter sides of the container. This provides for a more tamper-resistant design with pleasing aesthetics. 30 The container may be of any suitable size. The cover may be suitably reinforced, e.g. by reinforcing ribs, as may the tray. The base portion of the tray may be substantially planar for receiving the food product thereon. The tray and cover may be made of any suitable 35 materials, e.g. PET or other thermoformable polymeric materials. H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 11 Preferably the step (where provided) on top of the wall is the strongest / thickest part of the container but the sides of the walls are also relatively thick / strong. The end region of the cover may be the next strongest / thickest 5 part of the lid. Therefore, when these two strong parts of the container overlap, it is the thickest section of the "tray" and the "cover" joining together adjacently to stop tampering with the contents of the container. 10 The cover and tray may be made by any suitable moulding process, e.g. vacuum or pressure moulding. The container is suitably moulded as a one-piece unit. In another aspect, the present invention provides a 15 container moulded from a thermoplastic material, the container including: a tray having a base portion for supporting a product, and a rim portion about the periphery of the tray, a cover configured to co-operate with the tray so as to enclose the 20 product, the tray and the cover being joined together by at least two fastening elements; said rim portion of the tray including an upstanding wall member, said cover having an end region that lies adjacent and overlaps the wall member when the container is 25 closed, said end region being of stepped configuration to overlie said wall member, said overlap, fastening elements and said stepped configuration together inhibiting unauthorised access to the container when closed. 30 It should be noted that any of the features mentioned above in relation to any of the above aspects may be combined with any of the other features mentioned above, as appropriate. Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, 35 by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the - 12 generality of the preceding description of the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a partly sectioned side elevation of 5 a container in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a partly sectioned top plan view of the container of Fig. 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional detail of an 10 alternative container embodiment; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional detail of another container embodiment; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail of a further container embodiment; 15 Figure 6 is a partly sectioned side elevation of a container in accordance with another embodiment; Figure 7 is a top plan view of the container of Fig. 6; and Figure 8 is a top plan view of another container 20 embodiment Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a circular food container 1 includes a tray 2 and a cover 3 that co-operate to enclose a food product, such as a bakery product, e.g. a cake, 25 pastries or the like. The tray 2 has a base portion 4 on which the food product is supported and a rim portion 5 about its periphery that includes a circular wall member 6 of a substantially U 30 shaped configuration, and a lip 7. The rigidity of the base portion 4 is increased by ribs 8 that may be of circular and/or radial design. The wall member has an outer wall 6a, an inner wall 6b and a top end 6c connecting the inner and outer walls to define the U 35 shaped configuration. The cover 3 has a top portion 9, a depending wall 10 with H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 13 reinforcing ribs 11, an end region 12, and a lip 13. The tray 2 and cover 3 are moulded together as a one-piece unit from a thermoplastic material, such as PET, and are 5 connected together at a hinge 14, so that the cover 3 can be pivoted closed over the wall member 6 of the tray 2 such that the lips 7 and 12 engage one another and the end region 12 overlaps and contacts the outer wall 6a, so as to enclose a product such as a cake within the container 10 1. In order to seal the container 1, an adhesive label 15 is applied to the container 1 over both the cover 3 and the tray 2. The label 15 is preferably placed in a position 15 that is directly opposite to the hinge 14. The label 15 may include information on the enclosed product, such as product identification, price details, ingredients, a bar code and the like. 20 The wall member 6 of the tray 2 is designed to be of a height such as to provide a substantial overlap between the outer wall 6a of the wall member 6 and the inner surface of the end region 12 of the cover 3, when the two abut together on closing of the container 1. 25 This wall height and overlap provide an impediment to tampering. The U-shaped structure of the wall member 6 increases the rigidity of the tray 2 and the abutting cover so that flexure is made more difficult, whilst the 30 overlap of the wall member 6 and end region 12 means that a large amount of flexure is required for a person's finger or the like to pass between the two to gain access to the inside of the container. 35 Thus, the height of the wall member 6 and its overlap with the end region 12 of the cover wall 10 is chosen such that in order for a person to tamper with the packaged goods, H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 14 e.g. by forcing a finger between the tray 2 and cover 3, they would need to either break the seal provided by the label 15 or distort the package in a gross enough manner that the tampering would be evident in the buckling or the 5 like of the tray and/or cover or the partial or complete tearing of the label. Thus, inspection of the container 1 would allow a person to determine whether the contents of the container had 10 been compromised. This then provides reassurance to both a merchant and customer as to the integrity of the product being sold. The embodiment also takes advantage of the fact that a 15 label 15 must be provided on the container (usually on the top of the container in the prior art). Thus, by providing a high wall member and a suitable cover/tray overlap, the container is able to provide a tamper resistant or tamper-evident package merely by the addition 20 of a label that must in any case be applied to the container. It has been found in practice that a wall member/end region overlap of at least about 15 mm provides a useful 25 and effective tamper-resistant/tamper-evident container, with a minimum height of about 18 mm being preferred. A maximum height of about 25 to about 30 mm is suggested. 30 It will be noted that the wall member 6 and the end region 12 have substantially flat surfaces in their overlapping regions. This allows for ease of opening of the cover 3 when legitimate access to the container contents are required, e.g. after breaking of the seal provided by the 35 label 15. It will be appreciated however that the surfaces in the overlapping regions could be ribbed if this is thought desirable in a particular application. H:\ju1ia1\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 15 Figs. 3 to 5 show possible variations to the tray wall member 6 and cover end region 12 that may be made to the container design and that could be implemented in the 5 container of Figures. 1 and 2 or Figures 6, 7, and 8. In Fig. 3, the end region 12 of the cover 3 is of a stepped configuration. Having a flat outwardly extending portion 16 which rests on the top end 6c of the wall 6, 10 and a skirt 17 depending downwardly therefrom. This provides an extra degree of resistance to tampering, as a person must not only force their way past the overlap between the end region 12 and the wall member 6, but must also negotiate the step 16, which would require extra 15 distortion of the tray 2 and cover 3. Fig. 4 shows a similar arrangement to that of Fig. 3, except that the top end 6c of the wall member 6 is of extended width, that is, of greater width than that merely 20 required to provide a return in the tray periphery for the forming of the wall member 6. This extra width thus provides the tray and cover with an extended stepped configuration that provides extra resistance to tampering. 25 Although the step of Figs. 3 and 4 may be provided in a circular manner about the container shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it could also be provided by forming the end region 12 and tray 2 so that they have a square or rectangular shape in plan. Thus, the cover 3 would have a main domed 30 portion for housing the food product, which could be of circular shape, and an end region 12 of a square shape. The step in Fig. 3 or 4 may be of any suitable width, with larger widths providing greater protection. Preferably, 35 the width is between about 10mm - 25mm. When determining the width, consideration should be given to ensure a good internal package size with respect to external package H:\julial\keep\Speci\P5520.doc 30/11/04 - 16 size, so that the step width is not excessive. Fig. 5 shows a wall member 6 having a bead 18 running about the outer wall 6a for engagement with a recess 19 in 5 the inner face of the end region 12. This arrangement, as with the step 16, again provides a complex profile that necessitates a large distortion in the tray and/or cover in order to access the container contents without breaking the seal of the label 15. It therefore further mitigates 10 against the possibility of undetected access to the container contents. The bead and groove are preferably provided towards the top of the wall member 6, as this can provide for easier 15 opening of the container when legitimate access to the contents are required on breaking the seal of the label 15. The bead 18 and groove 19 may be continuous about the wall 20 member 6 and end region 12, or may be formed as a number of spaced apart beads and grooves. Alternate complex profiles are also possible, besides the step and the bead and groove. 25 Also, both the step.and the bead and groove could be provided in the same wall member to provide extra integrity. For example, the bead and groove could be provided in the top end 5c of the wall member 5. 30 Figs. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the present invention, in which the tray 2 and cover 3 are of an elongate design with two opposing long sides, and two opposing short sides. 35 In this embodiment, it will be noticed that the wall member 6 of the tray 2 has an inner wall 6b of greater H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 17 height than the outer wall 6a. This ensures that the container 1 rests on the base 4 of the tray 2 rather than on the wall member 6, and provides a pleasing dish-like appearance. The inner wall 6b has reinforcing ribs 20 5 moulded therein. As in the first embodiment, the outer wall 6a and the end region 12 of the cover contact one another face to face and overlap to a sufficient degree to inhibit access to 10 the contents of the container 1 without breaking a fastening, or leaving a sign of tampering, such as buckled walls. Also, a step 21 is provided along each of the short sides 15 of the container 1. This step 21 is similar to that of Fig. 4, but the step 21 increases in width towards the midpoint of the two sides. Thus, it has a profile viewed from above that is outwardly convex thus using the benefit of 'hoop' or radial strength. 20 The increase in width of the step 21 towards the midpoint provides the container with extra tamper resistance. Normally, the further a point is from a corner of the container or from a fastening point, the easier it becomes 25 to flex the tray and cover apart. The increase in width of the step 21 compensates for this, without requiring the step to have a constant large width along its length. The container 1 has a hinge 14 along the full length of 30 one of the long sides, and a label 15 at the midpoint of the.other long side. Thus, access is restricted completely along the hinge, and is prevented along the front by the label 15 that divides the long side into two shorter lengths either side of the label 15. 35 The design of this container is particularly good for preventing undetected tampering. The tray wall member 6 H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 18 and its overlap with the cover end region 12 impede access to the container contents, as before, but this is augmented by the elongate aspect of the container, which provides a pair of stiff short sides (that are further 5 protected by the steps 21) and a pair of long sides that include fastenings therealong (the hinge 13 and label 15). The hinge 13 need not extend completelyalong the side of the container, and need not be continuous. It could be 10 replaced by a shorter hinge opposite the label 15 or by a number of hinges along the length of the side, without causing detriment to the design. The container may take other shapes besides those 15 mentioned above, and may have any suitable number of sides. Generally, the more sides that are provided, the greater the resistance to tampering, as the sides are made shorter and stiffer. Also, corners give extra stiffness to the structure and can increase the hoop strength. 20 Fig. 8 shows another embodiment, in which the container has an octagonal form with eight sides. In this embodiment, a hinge 14 is provided along one side, and a pair of labels 15 are shown on the two sides of the 25 container that are adjacent the side opposite to the hinge. Of course, these could be replaced by a single label directly opposite the hinge side. More than one label can also be provided on any of the 30 other containers shown, or cooperating projections and depressions could be included on parts of the tray and cover which overlap, although this can take more time and so is not preferred. 35 As mentioned above the increased overlap between the wall member 6 and the end region 12 in the above designs also has the advantage that air may be better excluded from the H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04 - 19 containers, which may help to keep the contents fresh and increase shelf life sufficiently to provide an economic advantage to the user. 5 It is to be understood that various alterations, additions and/or modifications may be made to the parts previously described without departing from the ambit of the present invention, and that, in the light of the above teachings, the present invention may be implemented in a variety of 10 manners as would be understood by a person skilled in the art. In particular the container may have a deep tray and a very shallow cover, or alternatively the container may be inverted so that the features described above, which appear on the tray may be located on the cover, and vice 15 versa. Similarly, while the container will in most instances be moulded from a suitable plastic, such as a thermoplastic, eg PET, the container could be moulded from a suitable biodegradable material such a starch-based material 20 H:\julial\keep\Speci\P55205.doc 30/11/04

Claims (24)

1. A thermoformed container moulded from a plastic material, the container including: a tray having a base portion for supporting a product, a rim portion about the periphery of the tray; and a cover configured for engagement with the tray so as to enclose the product, the tray and the cover being joined together by at least two fastening elements; said rim portion of the tray including an upstanding wall member, said cover having an end region which is disposed outwardly of and in overlapping contact with the wall member when the container is closed, said wall member and said end region overlapping to such an extent that, when the container is closed, access to the container contents without leaving a sign of access is substantially inhibited by said fastening elements and by virtue of said overlap.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the container is of one piece construction, the tray and cover being hingedly connected, the hinged connection being one of said fastening elements.

3. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the container is sealed closed by at least one label taped across the tray and cover, said label being at least one of said fastening elements.

4. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the wall member has a height such that the overlap between the wall member and the end region of the cover is of at least about 15 mm.

5. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the wall member has a height such that the overlap between the wall member and the end region of the cover is of at least about 18 mm. 21

6. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the overlap is of less than about 30 mm.

7. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the overlap is of less than about 25 mm. 5

8. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the end region of said cover is disposed outwardly of said wall member so that the wall member is enclosed by said cover.

9. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the wall member includes an inner wall upstanding from the base 10 portion and an outer wall depending from the inner wall, said end region overlapping said outer wall.

10. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the wall member has an inner wall and an outer wall, and wherein the inner wall is of greater height than the outer wall. 15

11. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the wall member has a top edge having a width greater than that required to provide a return in the tray material.

12. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the cover includes a stepped portion for co-operation with a top edge 20 of the wall member.

13. The container of claim 12, wherein the stepped portion is from about 10 to about 25 mm wide.

14. The container of claim 12, wherein the stepped portion has increased width at points further from a fastening point 25 and/or a corner point.

15. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the container is elongate and has two opposed long sides and two opposed short sides. 22

16. The container of claim 14, wherein the container has a hinge along one of said long sides, said hinge being one of said fastening elements.

17. The container of claim 15 or 16, wherein the cover end 5 region and tray wall member have a stepped portion along the two short sides.

18. The container of claim 16, wherein the stepped portions are wider at points further from the corners of the container. 10

19. The container of claim 16 or 17, wherein the stepped portion is outwardly convex.

20. The container of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the container is substantially circular in configuration.

21. The container of any preceding claim, wherein the 15 portions of the wall member and end region that overlap are substantially flat in configuration.

22. The container of any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the wall member and end region include a rib and groove arrangement. 20

23. A container moulded from a thermoplastic material, the container including: a tray having a base portion for supporting a product, and a rim portion about the periphery of the tray, a cover configured to co-operate with the tray so as to enclose the 25 product, the tray and the cover being joined together by at least two fastening elements; said rim portion of the tray including an upstanding wall member, said cover having an end region that lies adjacent and overlaps the wall member when the container is 30 closed, said end region being of stepped configuration to overlie said wall member, said overlap, fastening elements 23 and said stepped configuration together inhibiting unauthorised access to the container when closed.

24. A container substantially described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or any one of Figures 3 to 5 or Figures 6 5 and 7 or Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings. VIP PLASTIC PACKAGING PTY LTD WATERMARK PATENT & TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS P30662AU00