AU2018211256A1

AU2018211256A1 - Moulded pizza box

Info

Publication number: AU2018211256A1
Application number: AU2018211256A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Luke Pasquale Sammartino; Keith Leigh Stoikos
Original assignee: Hot Stuff Packaging Pty Ltd
Current assignee: Hot Stuff Packaging Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2017-08-01
Filing date: 2018-08-01
Publication date: 2019-02-21
Also published as: AU2018102241A4

Abstract

Abstract A moulded pizza box, including a base portion and a lid portion configured to be positioned in a closed configuration to define an internal space for receiving a pizza, the closed configuration defining internal and external surfaces and an upward and 5 downward orientation for each of the base portion and the lid portion. The base portion has a central area and an upwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area formed from a generally planar sheet with a plurality of integrally moulded depressions creating a plurality of upwardly projecting formations on the inner surface of the base portion central area, and ventilation apertures provided in the lid portion. The formations are 10 configured to create a gap between the planar sheet and the base of a pizza positioned therein allowing air to circulate underneath the pizza in the pizza box and for hot air to escape out of the ventilation apertures. fN~r 1

Description

Moulded pizza box

Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to a moulded pizza box.

Background of the invention

Typically boxes for carrying hot pizzas are made from corrugated cardboard.

They are delivered flat to a restaurant and need to be folded to create their shape. This can be time-consuming for restaurant workers.

Cardboard pizza boxes also tend to lose their structural integrity after holding a hot pizza for a short amount of time. The steam from the hot pizza creates sweat that 10 soaks into the base and lid, making them soggy. The longer a pizza sits in a box the soggier the box becomes. The increase in online ordering means that delivery times have generally increased, resulting in soggy boxes being delivered to a customer.

It’s standard practice for multiple pizza boxes to be stacked on top of each other during delivery, which increases the chance of the box becoming soggy due to the multiplied heat. There is also an issue with stacked pizza boxes sliding around during delivery and also when multiple boxes are carried by a customer.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an alternative moulded pizza box that at least ameliorates one or more of the above mentioned problems associated with standard cardboard pizza boxes.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not an acknowledgment or suggestion that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be understood, regarded as relevant, and/or combined with other pieces of prior art by a skilled person in the art.

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Summary of the invention

Accordingly, the present invention provides a moulded pizza box, including:

a base portion and a lid portion configured to be positioned in a closed configuration to define an internal space for receiving a pizza, the closed 5 configuration defining internal and external surfaces and an upward and downward orientation for each of the base portion and the lid portion;

the base portion having a central area and an upwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area having at least one integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation on the outer surface;

the lid portion having a central area and a downwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area having at least one integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation;

wherein formation(s) in the lid portion central area are shaped and positioned to receive within them a corresponding downwardly projecting formation of a base portion central area of another pizza box stacked on top of the lid portion, preventing lateral movement of one pizza box with respect to the other; and whereby the corresponding formations are configured to create a gap between the central areas of stacked pizza boxes allowing air to circulate underneath each of the pizza boxes in a stack of pizza boxes.

The downwardly projecting formations in the lid and base may be rings about the central area. The formation in the lid may be stepped in size to accommodate different sized bases stacked on top. Additionally or alternatively, the downwardly projecting formations may be created as a plurality of depressions in the central area.

The outer surface of the base portion central area can include a plurality of integrally mould depressions creating a plurality of upwardly projecting formations on the inner surface of the base portion central area. The base upwardly projecting formations raise the base of the pizza positioned therein, allowing airflow underneath.

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Ventilation apertures may be provided in the base portion and/or the lid portion. The ventilation apertures can be provided in one or in a selection of downwardly projecting formations in the lid portion or may be provided in the peripheral wall. Ventilation apertures can also be provided in a selection of upwardly projecting 5 formations in the base portion and/or one or in a selection of downwardly projecting formations in the base portion. Preferably, the ventilation apertures in the base portion are located on an opposite side of the pizza box to the ventilation apertures in the lid portion.

The pizza box can be made from a moulded fibre, such as paper pulp, bamboo 10 pulp or other suitable mouldable fibre.

The base depressions are preferably shaped similar to an egg crate. The base depressions may be hexagonal shaped, although it will be appreciated that any suitable shape may be used. The lid may include corresponding depressions that create the lid formations. Advantageously, the depressions have inwardly inclined walls to facilitate stacking and removal.

In an embodiment, the location of the depressions in the lid portion and the base portion are spaced apart across the surface so that pizza boxes of different overall sizes can stack on top of each other and engage with the depressions in an underlying lid irrespective of overall size.

>0 The lid portion and the base portion can be joined by an integrally moulded hinge. The integrally moulded hinge is preferably able to be torn separating the lid portion and the base portion. Opposing the hinge may be a form of closure, such as an open slot and a tongue that engages within it to keep the lid closed. Alternatively, the lid and base may be separate and can be coupled by a plurality of spaced closures.

Advantageously, the lid portion is able to be opened to lie adjacent the base portion, with the peripheral walls allowing the nested stacking of multiple open pizza boxes. Alternatively, the lid may be inverted and stacked in a base, or a pile of lids may be stacked together and a separate pile of bases may be stacked together, where the lid and base are not integrally formed.

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The outside shape of the pizza box is preferably circular; however it will be appreciated that the invention may apply to pizza boxes of a variety of shapes.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a moulded pizza box, including:

a base portion and a lid portion configured to be positioned in a closed configuration to define an internal space for receiving a pizza, the closed configuration defining internal and external surfaces and an upward and downward orientation for each of the base portion and the lid portion;

the base portion having a central area and an upwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area formed from a generally planar sheet with a plurality of integrally moulded depressions creating a plurality of upwardly projecting formations on the inner surface of the base portion central area;

ventilation apertures provided in the lid portion;

wherein the formations are configured to create a gap between the planar sheet and the base of a pizza positioned therein allowing air to circulate underneath of the pizza and for hot air to escape out of the ventilation apertures.

Preferably, ventilation apertures are provided in both the central area of the base portion and the central area of the lid portion, the ventilation apertures in the base portion being located on an opposite side of the pizza box to the ventilation apertures in the lid portion; whereby, two or more pizza boxes can be stacked in alternating orientations with ventilation apertures in the base portion of a pizza box being positioned on the same side as the ventilation apertures in the lid portion of an underlying pizza box, such that ventilation flows from the lowermost pizza box through to the uppermost pizza box in a stack.

Preferably the lid portion has a central area and a downwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area having at least one integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation on the inner surface of the lid portion central area.

The downwardly projecting formations in the lid and base may be rings about the central area. The formation in the lid may be stepped in size to accommodate different

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2018211256 01 Aug 2018 sized bases stacked on top. Additionally or alternatively, the downwardly projecting formations may be created as a plurality of depressions in the central area.

Advantageously, at least one of the formations in the lid portion central area is shaped and positioned to receive within it a corresponding downwardly projecting 5 formation of a base portion central area of another pizza box stacked on top of the lid portion, preventing lateral movement of one pizza box with respect to the other.

The ventilation apertures can be provided in a selection of downwardly projecting formations in the lid portion. Ventilation apertures can also be provided in a selection of upwardly projecting formations in the base portion and/or in a selection of downwardly 10 projecting formations in the base portion.

Brief description of the drawings

Further aspects of the present invention and further embodiments of the aspects described in the preceding paragraphs will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective exploded view of a pizza box according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective cross-sectional view of four pizza boxes stacked together;

Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the stack of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a pizza box according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a side view of the pizza box of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the pizza box;

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional perspective bottom view of the pizza box;

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional perspective top view of the pizza box;

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Figure 9a is a side cross-sectional view of two pizza boxes stacked together;

Figure 9b is an enlarged view of the interlocking of two pizza boxes stacked together;

Figure 10 is a perspective view ofthe pizza box with the lid partially open;

Figure 11 is a close up view of the inside of the base;

Figure 12 is a close up view of the inside of the lid;

Figure 13 is a side cross-sectional view of two pizza boxes stacked together with representative pizzas inside;

Figure 14 is a top view of the pizza box with the lid fully open;

Figure 15 is a side view of the pizza box with the lid fully open;

Figure 16 is a side view of a stack of twenty pizza boxes with the lid fully open; and

Figure 17 is a perspective view ofthe stack of Figure 16.

Detailed description ofthe embodiments

Figure 1 shows a moulded pizza box 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The pizza box illustrated is generally circular, but it will be appreciated that aspects of the present invention can equally apply to pizza boxes moulded in other shapes for example hexagonal, octagonal or rectangular.

The pizza boxes are created with a base portion 12 and a lid portion 14 that are separable from each other. The base portion 12 has a central area 20 surrounded by an upwardly projecting peripheral wall 22 that extends at an outwardly inclined angle and ends in a lip portion 24. Similarly the lid portion 14 has a central area 26 surrounded by a downwardly projecting peripheral wall 28 that extends at an outwardly inclined angle and ends in a lip portion 30. In a closed configuration, the base portion 12 and lid portion 14 create an internal space for holding pizza, with the lip portions 24, 30 abutting to seal about the edges. Closures in the form of projecting tabs 18 can be inserted into the gap between locking tabs 19 on the lid to secure the lid closed.

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The central area 20 of the base portion is formed from a generally planar sheet and has at least one integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation, in this embodiment in the form of a peripheral ring or channel 35. Channel 35 creates a circle shaped foot 37 (see Figure 2) raising the planar sheet 34 off the underlying surface to allow airflow.

The planar sheet 34 also has a plurality of integrally moulded internal depressions 36 creating a plurality of downwardly projecting formations 38 on the outer surface 40 (see Figure 3). The outer surface 40 may also include a plurality of integrally moulded external depressions 42 creating upwardly projecting formations 44 on the 10 inner surface.

The central area 26 of the lid portion 14 is also formed from a generally planar sheet with an integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation. In this embodiment, the lid formation is stepped rings 53a, 53b, 53c.

The purpose of the various depressions and formations are varied but a common 15 purpose is to provide structural strength and rigidity to the pizza box. Upwardly projecting base formations 44 are evenly spread across a central area 20 and their upper generally flat surfaces 56 hold the pizza base above the sheet 34 creating an air gap or ventilation pathway below the pizza base.

The downwardly projecting base formations 38 are also evenly spread across the >0 central area 20, although there are generally fewer downwardly projecting formations 38 and more upwardly projecting formations 44. The downwardly projecting base formations 38 provide rigidity to the base and prevent sagging.

The circular foot 37 is sized to be received in an underlying lid ring 53a, 53b or 53c, depending on the size of the respective boxes. This nesting allows two pizza boxes to be stacked on top of each other, interlocking stacked pizza boxes and preventing lateral movement with respect to each other. Stacked pizza boxes can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. Ventilations slits 66 are provided to allow hot air to escape. This slits are provided in the walls 28, so that ventilation can still occur when boxes are stacked.

A second embodiment of pizza boxes according to the present invention is shown in Figures 4 to 17. Like reference numerals are used for like parts, preceded by a

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Ί’. The pizza boxes 110 of this embodiment are also created with a base portion 112 and a lid portion 114. However they are connected together by integrally formed hinge

116, being a foldable web as shown in greater detail in Figure 14.

The base portion 112 has a central area 120 surrounded by an upwardly 5 projecting peripheral wall 122 that extends at an outwardly inclined angle and ends in a lip portion 124 (see Figure 7). Similarly the lid portion 114 has a central area 126 surrounded by a downwardly projecting peripheral wall 128 that extends at an outwardly inclined angle and ends in a lip portion 130. In a closed configuration, the base portion 112 and lid portion 114 create an internal space 132 for holding pizza, with the lip I0 portions 124, 130 abutting to seal about the edges. A closure in the form of a projecting tab 118 can be inserted into an open slot 119 (as seen in Figure 10) to secure the lid closed.

The central area 120 of the base portion is formed from a generally planar sheet 134 with a plurality of integrally moulded internal depressions 136 creating a plurality of downwardly projecting formations 138 on the outer surface 140. The outer surface 140 may also include a plurality of integrally moulded external depressions 142 creating upwardly projecting formations 144 on the inner surface 146.

The central area 126 of the lid portion 114 is also formed from a generally planar sheet 148 with a plurality of integrally moulded external depressions 150 creating a ’0 plurality of downwardly projecting formations 152 on the inner surface 154.

Similar to the first embodiment, upwardly projecting base formations 144 are evenly spread across a central area 120 and their upper generally flat surfaces 156 hold the pizza base above the sheet 134 creating an air gap or ventilation pathway below the pizza base. The downwardly projecting lid formations 152 prevent the lid from sticking to the top pizza surface. This space above the pizza on the inside of the lid also allows for the placement and storage of a cutlery pack on the inner surface. The cutlery pack could be held in place by moulded formations (not shown) or a piece of tape for example.

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The downwardly projecting base formations 138 are also evenly spread across the central area 120. The locations of the downwardly projecting formations 138 directly align with the depressions 150 in the lid.

The depressions are formed in a shape similar to an egg carton, being hexagonal 5 openings 158 (see Figure 14) that have downwardly projecting walls 160 made up of six inwardly inclined facets that terminate at an end 162. The outside of the formations follow the same shape as the depressions, with the inclined walls 160 allowing a formation to nest within a depression, whilst being easily removed. This nesting allows two pizza boxes to be stacked on top of each other with base formations 138 aligning I0 with and nesting within lid depressions 150, interlocking stacked pizza boxes and preventing lateral movement with respect to each other. Stacked pizza boxes can be seen in Figures 9a, 9b. You can see from the detail in Figure 9b that the inclined walls 160a of the lid are shallower than the inclined walls 160b of the base, with walls 160b being more upright. This improves the ability to remove stacked boxes without the 15 formations 138 getting stuck in depressions 150. The shallower height of the lid walls 160a means that base formations 138 don’t fully nest within depressions 150. This creates an air gap 164 between sheet 134 of the base and sheet 148 of the lid, allowing air to flow between stacked pizza boxes, which minimises sweating.

In addition to allowing air to flow around the pizza boxes, airflow is also ’0 encouraged between stacked pizza boxes such that heat from the bottom most box passes into the overlying box. This encourages the movement of air to prevent sogginess whilst also minimising loss of heat from the stack. This is achieved through the strategic location of ventilation apertures. A selection of depressions 150a that are located towards one side of the pizza box lid include apertures 166 that are cut out from a facet of inclined wall 168a. Two apertures 166 may be cut out of opposing facets within the same depression 158, as best shown in Figure 14.

Additional ventilation apertures 68 are cut out from a facet of inclined wall 160c of upward formations 144 in the base. These base ventilation apertures 168 are located towards the opposite side of the pizza box to the apertures in the lid, as best illustrated in Figure 10 and Figure 14. Similar to the lid, two base apertures 168 may be cut out of opposing facets within the same formation 144. In an alternative embodiment, the base

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2018211256 01 Aug 2018 ventilation apertures may be provided in the downward formations 138, or in both downward and upward formations.

The positioning of apertures in the base towards one side and the positioning of apertures in the lid towards the other side, results in edge to edge heat preservation 5 within a pizza box. Air is required to travel from one side of the pizza box to the other. This slows down the transfer of heat as the air passes around the pizza base 170.

When the lid is closed, pizza boxes can be stacked on top of each other in an alternating orientation, such that an upper box is rotated 180° to the lower box and then stacked. This positioning places the apertures in the base ofthe upper box on the same I0 side as the apertures in the underlying lid. It will be appreciated that the locations ofthe apertures may differ to those illustrated. The base apertures and lid apertures may either directly line up or may be slightly offset from each other. In a non-illustrated embodiment, where the base apertures are provided in the downward formations 138, the corresponding lid apertures may be provided in the depressions that these same 15 downward formations sit within when stacked. Thus, the flow from one box into the other is direct.

Figure 13 shows an embodiment of two stacked pizza boxes 110 whereby air enters base aperture 168, following arrow A, and passes under pizza base 170 towards the opposite side of box 110. The air then flows through lid aperture 166 and via gap >0 164 a short distance to the nearest base aperture 168. The air then passes under the second pizza base 170 to the opposite side lid aperture 166. This tortuous path slows down airflow. This reduces heat loss, whilst minimising sweating within the box. The result is a less soggy box. The embodiment illustrated shows five lid ventilation aperture pairs 166 and five base ventilation aperture pairs 168. However, it will be appreciated that this number may vary depending on the location of the apertures, their size and the size of the pizza box. It will also be appreciated that as the lid depressions 150 are spaced over the full surface of the central area, a pizza box of a smaller size can also be stacked on top of a larger pizza box and the base formations of the small pizza box will still engage in the lid depressions. The present invention allows for secure stacking of pizza boxes of varied sizes in a single stack.

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It will also be appreciated that the downward base depressions 136 conveniently catch dripped food such as oil and cheese, reducing the likelihood of the sheet 134 becoming soggy. The ventilation apertures could be located in the upward or downward base depressions, but may be seated a small distance above the bottom so there is no leakage from the box.

Figure 14 shows how the lid portion 114 sits with respect to the base portion 112 when in the open position. This is the condition in which the pizza box is moulded, as further shown in Figure 15. A two-part mould would be used to form the shape using known moulding techniques for fibre pulp. The fibre may be paper pulp or another I0 resource such as sugarcane pulp, weed pulp or woodchip pulp. It is preferable that the fibre used is 100% recycled and biodegradable. It will also need to be a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) approved material for food use.

The pizza boxes 110 can be stacked together in this open form as shown in Figures 16 and 17. The nest-ability of the pizza boxes in the open condition is provided by the outwardly inclined peripheral walls 122, 128. This allows a large number of boxes to be shipped together taking up very little space, whilst being readily usable without requiring construction in store.

As previously discussed, the hinge 116 is a web connecting the lid portion and bass portion, as best shown in Figure 14. The hinge may include a weakness line or the ’0 fold may in turn create a weakness line, enabling the lid and base to be pulled apart such that they can become serving plates.

It will be understood that the invention disclosed and defined in this specification extends to all alternative combinations of two or more of the individual features mentioned or evident from the text or drawings. All of these different combinations constitute various alternative aspects of the invention.

Claims

1. A moulded pizza box, including:

a base portion and a lid portion configured to be positioned in a closed configuration to define an internal space for receiving a pizza, the closed configuration 5 defining internal and external surfaces and an upward and downward orientation for each of the base portion and the lid portion;

I0 the lid portion having a central area and a downwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area having at least one integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation;

wherein formations in the lid portion central area are shaped and positioned to receive within them a corresponding downwardly projecting formation of a base portion central area of another pizza box stacked on top of the lid portion, preventing lateral

15 movement of one pizza box with respect to the other; and whereby the corresponding formations are configured to create a gap between the central areas of stacked pizza boxes allowing air to circulate underneath each of the pizza boxes in a stack of pizza boxes.

2. A moulded pizza box according to claim 1, wherein the downwardly projecting 20 formation in the base portion is a peripheral ring creating a circular ring.

3. A moulded pizza box according to claim 1, wherein the downwardly projecting formations in the base portion are created from a plurality of depressions on the inner surface of the base.

4. A moulded pizza box according to claim 2, wherein additional downwardly

25 projecting formations in the base portion are created from a plurality of depressions on the inner surface of the base portion.

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5. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the outer surface of the base portion central area includes a plurality of integrally moulded depressions creating a plurality of upwardly projecting formations on the inner surface of the base portion central area.

5

6. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein ventilation apertures are provided in the base portion and/or the lid portion.

7. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein ventilation apertures are provided in peripheral walls of the lid portion.

8. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein ventilation

I0 apertures are provided in a selection of downwardly projecting formations in the lid portion.

9. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein ventilation apertures are provided in a selection of upwardly projecting formations in the base portion.

15

10. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein ventilation apertures are provided in a selection of downwardly projecting formations in the base portion.

11. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein ventilation apertures are provided in both the base portion and the lid portion and the ventilation

20 apertures in the base portion are located on an opposite side of the pizza box to the ventilation apertures in the lid portion.

12. A moulded pizza box according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pizza box is made from a moulded fibre, such as paper pulp.

13. A moulded pizza box according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the depressions are

25 hexagonal shaped.

14. A moulded pizza box according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the location of the depressions in the lid portion and the base portion are spaced apart so

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2018211256 01 Aug 2018 that pizza boxes of different overall sizes can stack on top of each other and engage with the depressions in an underlying lid irrespective of overall size.

15. A moulded pizza box according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outside shape is circular.

5

16. A moulded pizza box, including:

I0 the base portion having a central area and an upwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area formed from a generally planar sheet with a plurality of integrally moulded depressions creating a plurality of upwardly projecting formations on the inner surface of the base portion central area;

ventilation apertures provided in the lid portion;

15 wherein the formations are configured to create a gap between the planar sheet and the base of a pizza positioned therein allowing air to circulate underneath the pizza in the pizza box and for hot air to escape out of the ventilation apertures.

17. A moulded pizza box according to claim 16, wherein ventilation apertures are provided in both the central area of the base portion and the central area of the lid

20 portion, the ventilation apertures in the base portion being located on an opposite side of the pizza box to the ventilation apertures in the lid portion;

whereby, two or more pizza boxes can be stacked in alternating orientations with ventilation apertures in the base portion of a pizza box being positioned on the same side as the ventilation apertures in the lid portion of an underlying pizza box, such that

25 ventilation flows from the lowermost pizza box through to the uppermost pizza box in a stack.

18. A moulded pizza box according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the lid portion has a central area and a downwardly projecting peripheral wall, the central area having at

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2018211256 01 Aug 2018 least one integrally moulded downwardly projecting formation on the inner surface of the lid portion central area.

19. A moulded pizza box according to claim 18, wherein the formation in the lid portion is shaped and positioned to receive within it a corresponding downwardly

5 projecting formation of a base portion central area of another pizza box stacked on top of the lid portion, preventing lateral movement of one pizza box with respect to the other.

20. A moulded pizza box according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the downwardly projecting formations in the lid portion and base portion are rings about the

I0 central area, the rings in the lid portion being stepped in size to accommodate different sized base portions stacked on top.