DE202014100317U1 - Container for food packaging - Google Patents

Abstract

Container for packaging food comprising: a) a box (1) with a bottom (3) and side walls (5) which project upwards from the bottom (3) and form a cavity (7) for receiving the food and an opening for the Define access to the cavity (7); b) a lid (13) which can be brought into engagement with the side walls (5) of the box (1) in order to close the cavity (7) of the box (1); wherein the box (1) and the lid (13) have engaging elements (11; 23) for releasably connecting the box (1) and the lid (13), characterized in that the box (1) and the lid (13 ) have corresponding flanges (21; 25) on their circumferences, which are in engagement with one another in a closed position in order to allow the lid (13) and the box (1) to be connected to one another by a weld seam (27) and thus the To close the cavity (7) of the box (1), the cover (13) in the closed position taking up an opposite position from the position in which the cover (13) can be detachably connected to the box (1).

Description

• a) eine Box mit einem Boden und Seitenwänden, die vom Boden aufwärts abragen und einen Hohlraum zur Aufnahme der Lebensmittel bilden sowie eine Öffnung für den Zugang zum Hohlraum definieren;
• b) einen Deckel, der mit den Seitenwänden der Box in Eingriff gebracht werden kann, um den Hohlraum der Box zu verschließen;

wobei die Box und der Deckel Eingriffselemente aufweisen, um die Box und den Deckel lösbar zu verbinden, wobei insbesondere die Box derart ausgestaltet ist, dass der Boden einer anderen Box zu Stapelzwecken in den Hohlraum der Box durch deren Öffnung eingesetzt werden kann.The invention relates to a container, in particular a plastic container for packaging food, comprising:

• a) a box with a bottom and side walls which project upwardly from the bottom and form a cavity for receiving the food and define an opening for access to the cavity;
• b) a lid engageable with the sidewalls of the box to close the cavity of the box;

the box and the lid having engagement members for releasably connecting the box and the lid, in particular the box being configured such that the bottom of another box may be inserted into the cavity of the box through the opening thereof for stacking purposes.

Plastic containers for packaging food are widely used in the consumer business, for example, to pack food such as mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. The plastic containers are easy to manufacture, easy to use and handle, lightweight and recyclable.

However, complicated in such a plastic container, the connection between the box and lid designed to close the inner cavity. If the connection is a disposable or disposable connection, there are simple solutions in the prior art in which the box and the lid are welded, for example at defined locations, such that these connections can be broken relatively easily to gain access to the contents of the container Receive container. However, if the lid and box are to be resealable so that the container can also be used as a storage box at home to store leftover food, the connection becomes more complicated. A complicated combination in combination with various design constraints that may be caused by the manufacturing process makes the prior art compounds unsatisfactory.

It is therefore an object of the invention to improve the connection between the lid and box of a plastic container for packaging food.

This object is achieved by a container of the type mentioned above, characterized in that the box and the lid have at their peripheries corresponding flanges, which engage in a closed position with each other to allow the lid and the box by a To connect weld together and thus to close the cavity of the box, the lid in the closed position relative to the position in which the lid is detachably connectable to the box, occupies an inverted position. The opening of the box and the lid may for example have a polygonal shape. Further preferably, the flanges of the box and the lid are spaced apart when the lid is releasably connected to the box.

The above object is further achieved in a container of the type mentioned, in which the box is designed such that the bottom of another box can be used for stacking purposes in the cavity of the box through the opening, thereby
the side walls comprise at least one projection extending outwardly from the cavity to act as a spacer element which determines the extent to which the other box can be inserted into the box when stacked,
that the side walls further comprise at least one recess acting as an engagement element, which corresponds to the at least one projection and is arranged on the opposite side of the projection of the side walls, and
in that the lid comprises at least one closing element acting as an engaging element associated with the at least one recess of the box, the closure element of the lid and the at least one recess of the box being formed so as to be engageable with each other to engage the lid Box in the first closed position releasably connect.

Again, the bottom and the opening of the box and the lid may have a substantially polygonal shape. In this case, the at least one projection and the at least one corresponding recess of the box are arranged at a corner of the box. According to a preferred embodiment it is provided that a projection and a corresponding recess are provided at each corner of the box. In this case, the lid may have an engaging member at each corner which is engageable with the corresponding recess of the box to releasably connect the lid to the box.

As already stated above, the container may be further characterized in that the box and the lid have at their peripheries corresponding flanges which engage with each other in a closed position to allow the lid and the box to be welded together connect and thus close the cavity of the box, with the lid in the closed position relative to the position in which the lid is detachably connectable to the box occupies an inverted position.

The flanges of the box and the lid may be spaced apart when the lid is detachably connected to the box. Further, the engagement element of the lid when stacking a plurality of lids act as a spacer element that defines the minimum distance between two stacked lid.

The present invention is based on the insight that the outwardly projecting projection of the box, which is intended for stacking purposes, can also be used for connection purposes by forming a recess in the back of the projection into which an engaging or closing element of the lid can intervene to produce a releasable connection.

The boxes and lids are usually made in various machines, transported to a packaging location where the boxes are loaded with the respective items, i. Food, filled and then the lids are connected to the boxes to close the boxes. The filled containers are then transported to be sold to the end user if necessary. During transport from the place of manufacture to the packaging site, the boxes and preferably also the lids are advantageously stacked to minimize the space required, which saves on transport costs, but nevertheless allows the boxes and lids to be handled in batches.

For this purpose, the boxes are designed such that the bottom of a box can be inserted into the cavity of another box through the opening, it being preferred that the boxes are kept at a distance from each other when stacked to prevent the boxes from being stacked Keep boxes together and allow people or machines to handle the boxes to easily separate the boxes from each other. The same is true for similar reasons for the lids.

The side walls of the box of the plastic container according to the invention are provided with projections which act as spacer elements and the extent, i. Define the maximum extent to which a box can be used when stacking the boxes in another.

By providing wells on the cavity side - i. the inside - the side walls corresponding to the outwardly projecting projections, the recesses can be advantageously used to connect the lid to the box. The lid of the invention includes engaging or locking elements which are adapted to engage the corresponding recesses of the box to releasably connect the lid to the box and close the cavity of the box.

Such a releasable connection using a closure element and a recess may be characterized in that a deformation of the lid and / or the box is required to connect the lid to the box and / or to detach the lid from the box.

The recesses and corresponding closure members may be frictionally engaged with one another when the lid is connected to the box, i. the lid is clamped by the side walls of the box. Alternatively or additionally, it is possible that the deformation of the box or lid is required only when the connection or solution is made or dissolved, and that no or only minimal deformation remains after the connection or solution. The connection between the lid and the box can be based on a positive fit. The recesses and corresponding closure elements preferably have a complementary shape.

A challenge of the container according to the invention is to design the projections and depressions of the box and the corresponding engagement / closure elements of the lid so that two functions can be carried out simultaneously, namely to keep the boxes at a predetermined distance from each other during stacking and to make it possible To connect the lid with the box, where it may be important to set the force required to connect or disconnect the lid in a specific narrow area. If the force required is too small, the container may open undesirably during transport or use, but if the force required to release the lid from the box is too great, it may cause the elderly, especially children and / or disabled people may be difficult to open the container.

Depending on the use of the container of the present invention, the force required to connect and disconnect the box and lid may be sufficient for domestic use, but may not be sufficient to permit release of the lid from the box during transport of the container prevent. The box and lid are therefore designed so that an alternative connection between the box and lid can be made so that the total force to open the plastic container may be greater during transport. The alternative connection is preferably a one-time connection, so that after the opening the container for the first time, breaking the alternative connection, not using the alternative connection again, and making other detachable connections between the lid and the box possible only by using the recesses of the box and the corresponding closure elements of the lid.

The word "alternative" in this context means that the connections can not be made simultaneously and that the lid and box are connected either by the one-time connection or by use of the engagement members and the corresponding recesses.

The disposable connection is made by one or more welds between box and lid.

To facilitate box-to-lid welding, the box and lid include respective flanges at their respective peripheries, which are engageable with one another to allow the lid and box to be joined together by a weld to define the cavity of the box to close.

In order to easily combine the weld joint with the above-described connection via the recess and engagement elements, the cover can be used with respect to the box in two different closure positions. In a first closure position of the lid with respect to the box, the flanges of the box and lid may engage each other for the weld joint. In a second closure position of the lid with respect to the box, in which the lid assumes a position inverted relative to the first closing position, the closing elements can engage the corresponding recesses. Consequently, the lid can be provided on one side with a flange and on the opposite side with closure elements, wherein the lid is rotated depending on the connection to be used in a corresponding position.

An advantage of the container according to the invention is that only one element is required for two functions, which less restricts the design constraints and thus makes the design and manufacture of the container less complicated.

Another advantage is that there are two connectivity options that allow to optimize each type of connection for a specific purpose. For example, the weld joint may be optimized for transportation while the joint may be optimized over the recess / closure elements for home use.

In one embodiment, the box has a substantially constant wall thickness, so that the formation of the projections automatically forms the corresponding recesses.

In a further embodiment, the polygonal shape is rectangular or square, the square being considered a special case of the genus Rectangle.

The polygonal shape is not limited to having straight sidewalls in plan, but may be e.g. have concave or convex sidewalls, as long as an abrupt transition between two sidewalls, i. a corner exists, which resembles a polygonal shape.

In one embodiment, the plastic material from which the container is made allows the container to be made by thermoforming. Preferably, the plastic material allows the container to be manufactured using a thermoforming packaging machine. Suitable plastic materials are e.g. Thermoplastics such as polyethylenes, polypropylene, polystyrenes etc.

In one embodiment, the container is a thermoformed container, preferably a thermoformed plastic container, which is a rigid or semi-rigid plastic film structure with relatively robust walls, more advantageously of the type suitable for long term use by the consumer.

The box can alternatively be referred to as a shell.

The protrusions of the box, which act as spacers between the stacked boxes, are preferably provided in the upper region of the side walls, more preferably near the upper edge of the side walls.

In one embodiment, the protrusions acting as spacer elements between two stacked boxes are provided at a height such that when the protrusions of one box engage another box, lateral movements of said one box relative to said other box are prevented so that stacked boxes form a rigid or semi-rigid stack that can be easily handled.

In one embodiment, the lid is designed such that lids can be easily stacked. Preferably, it is possible to stack the lids such that the claimed space is minimized, and more advantageously such that lateral movement of one lid relative to another lid is prevented or minimized to a rigid or To form semi-rigid piles, which can be easily handled.

In the second closure position of the lid and box, the flanges are preferably spaced when the lid and box are connected together. This allows the space between the flanges to be used to easily engage the flange of the lid and / or the flange of the box to separate the lid and the box.

The invention also relates to a mold for forming a box as described above, preferably for thermoforming a box described above by deep drawing. The mold can alternatively be used to mold a box as described above by injection molding.

The invention further relates to a mold for forming a cover as described above, preferably thermoforming of a cover as described above by deep drawing. The mold may alternatively be used to form a lid as described above by injection molding.

The molds for the box and lid may be a negative or positive mold, and in the case of a negative mold, a sheet of material may be drawn into the cavity of the mold, and in the case of a positive mold, a sheet of material is drawn over the mold.

The invention further relates to a method for molding a plastic container according to the invention, wherein preferably a mold for thermoforming the box by deep drawing and / or a mold for thermoforming of the lid is used by deep drawing.

The invention also relates to a lid for a plastic container according to the invention.

The invention will now be described in a non-limitative manner with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals. In the drawing shows:

1 a side view of a box of a plastic container according to an embodiment of the invention;

2 a perspective view of the box 1 from underneath;

3 a side view of a stack of two boxes 1 ;

4 a perspective view of the box 1 from above;

5 a perspective view of a lid of the closing of the box 1 suitable is;

6 the box and the lid of each 1 and 5 in a first closed arrangement;

7 a perspective view of the box and the lid of the 1 respectively. 5 in a second closed arrangement;

8th a plan view of the second closed arrangement 7 ;

9 a cross-sectional view along the line AA of the second closed arrangement 7 ; and

10 a detail B of the second closed arrangement of 7 ,

The 1 shows a side view of a box 1 as part of a plastic container according to an embodiment of the invention. The 2 shows a perspective view of the box 1 out 1 from underneath. The plastic container is suitable for packaging food, ie mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.

The box 1 includes a floor 3 and sidewalls 5 from the ground 3 protrude upward to form a cavity for receiving food. The four side walls 5 define in this embodiment a rectangular in plan shape, as in the perspective view of 4 from the top, but the invention can be applied to any polygonal or polygon-like shape. Also will be in 4 shown that the cavity with the reference numeral 7 is designated.

The 1 further shows that the side walls 5 from the ground 3 project upwards and slightly outwards, leaving the opening of the cavity 7 at the top of the box 1 is greater than the size of the soil, which causes the soil 3 the box 1' for stacking purposes in the cavity 7 another box 1 can be inserted through the opening.

The floor 3 is not completely flat in this embodiment, but has a complicated shape, whereby ribs 4 on the ground 3 inside the cavity 7 arise. These ribs 4 can be used to advantage to the ground 3 to reinforce, without the wall thickness of the soil 3 To increase and / or to act as spacer elements to keep food off the ground and liquids, ie water, between the Take ribs, which may be convenient to separate the liquids and / or dirt from the food, if necessary / desired.

An example of a stack of two boxes 1 . 1' is in 3 shown. To the two boxes 1 . 1' to prevent them from being clamped together and a slight separation of the two boxes 1 . 1' to allow the boxes 1 . 1' also protruding outward projections 9 held at a predetermined distance D from each other, in the upper region of the side walls 5 in every corner of the rectangular boxes 1 . 1' are provided. The projections 9 act as spacer elements, thereby defining the maximum extent to which a box 1' when stacking in another box 1 can be used. The bottom of the tabs 9 the box 1' get into engagement with an upper side of the side walls 5 from box 1 ,

Although the example of 2 just a stack of two boxes ( 1 ; 1' ), the same applies to a stack with more than 2 Boxing, as each box prefers with corresponding protrusions 9 is provided.

Furthermore, it should be mentioned here explicitly that the present embodiment of the box in each corner a projection 9 has, but the use of a projection 9 can be enough to keep two boxes in the stack at a suitable distance from each other. In case of two protrusions 9 these are advantageously arranged on opposite sides of the polygonal shape.

If two or more protrusions 9 are used as spacer elements, these projections are expediently distributed along the circumference of the opening (evenly).

In this embodiment, the formation of the projections 9 primarily caused by making the box from a sheet of material of constant thickness, from the (automatic) formation of the corresponding recesses 11 (please refer 4 ) on the cavity side of the sidewalls 5 accompanied.

The 5 shows a perspective view of a lid 13 which is suitable to the cavity 7 the box 1 of the 1 to 4 to close. The lid 13 includes an upper surface 15 passing through an edge 17 and sidewalls 19 is limited, and down from the edge 17 extend to in a flange 21 which extends sideways to end.

Advantageously, the upper surface 15 a size similar to the size of the soil 3 the box 1 so that the ground 3 the box 1 on the upper surface 15 within the border 17 can be picked up from the edge 17 advantageously to be included such that lateral movement is prevented, whereby the easy stacking of filled and packaged containers is facilitated, wherein the lid 13 with the box 1 in a first closed arrangement of the container as in 6 connected where the lid 13 in a first closed position relative to the box 1 located.

The lid 13 has a similar polygonal shape in plan, ie in this embodiment, a rectangular shape, as through the side walls 5 the box 1 is defined. The lid 13 includes engagement or closure elements 23 at its corners, which engage with the corresponding recesses 11 the box 1 allow to the lid 13 with the box 1 releasably connect and so the cavity 7 the box 1 in a second closed arrangement of the container as in 7 shown to close in which the lid 13 in a second locked position with respect to the box 1 is, in which the lid occupies a relation to the first closed position rotated position.

In the first closed arrangement of 6 the flange arrives 21 of the lid 13 in engagement with a corresponding flange 25 the box 1 ,

The flange 25 the box is clearer in 4 to see. The two flanges 21 . 25 are in 6 interconnected by use of four welds at the locations indicated by the reference numerals 27 in the 4 and 5 Marked are. These four welds provide sufficient strength to hold the containers closed during shipping, but they allow a user to remove the lid from the box. After this removal, the welds can no longer be used, and consequently it is not possible to conveniently connect the lid and the box in the first closed position of the lid with respect to the box.

The advantage of the container according to this embodiment of the invention is that the lid 13 turned around and detachable with the box 1 can be connected by the shutter elements 23 the lid in conjunction with the wells 11 be brought in the box. The connection between the lid 13 and the box 1 in the second closed arrangement can be done for example by frictional contact or a snap connection.

The 8th shows a plan view of the second closed arrangement of in 7 shown container. The 8th clearly shows a line AA, which shows the sectional shape of the cross-sectional view of 9 indicating, as can be seen, how the closure elements 23 the lid with the wells 11 engage the box.

The 10 shows in more detail the part B from 9 , From this drawing it is clear that the closure element 23 of the lid 13 with the recess 11 in the sidewall 5 the box 1 engages where the angle of the side wall portion of the recess 11 is marked with the vertical by the reference symbol α, in such a way that the closure element 23 behind the said side wall portion of the recess 11 hooked, causing a deformation of the lid 13 and / or the closure element 23 and / or the side wall 5 is required to cover 13 from the box 1 to solve.

In this embodiment, the edge 17 of the lid 13 dimensioned so that it fits with the side wall 15 engaged when the lid 13 in the second closing position with respect to the box 1 is positioned and closes the cavity, whereby it in establishing a suitable connection between the lid 13 and the box 1 helps.

The plastic container according to the invention can be produced in a thermoforming process. The method of manufacturing the container may include a deep drawing step that includes a positive or negative mold.

Preferably, the box and / or the lid are made of a sheet of material.

While the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment shown in the drawings, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiment and the features described in combination herein may be used individually unless expressly stated locked out.

Claims (14)

Container for packaging food, comprising: a) a box ( 1 ) with a floor ( 3 ) and side walls ( 5 ) coming from the ground ( 3 protrude upward and a cavity ( 7 ) for receiving the food and an opening for access to the cavity ( 7 define); b) a lid ( 13 ), with the side walls ( 5 ) of the box ( 1 ) can be engaged to the cavity ( 7 ) of the box ( 1 ) to close; the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) Engaging elements ( 11 ; 23 ) to the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) releasably connect, characterized in that the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) at their peripheries corresponding flanges ( 21 ; 25 ) which engage with each other in a closed position to allow the lid (14) to be locked in position. 13 ) and the box ( 1 ) by a weld ( 27 ) and thus connect the cavity ( 7 ) of the box ( 1 ), the lid ( 13 ) in the closed position relative to the position in which the lid ( 13 ) detachable with the box ( 1 ) is connectable, occupies a reversed position. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom ( 3 ) and the opening of the box ( 1 ) as well as the lid ( 13 ) have a substantially polygonal shape. Container according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flanges ( 21 ; 25 ) of the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) are spaced when the lid ( 13 ) detachable with the box ( 1 ) connected is. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the box ( 1 ) is configured such that the ground ( 3 ) another box ( 1' ) for stacking purposes in the cavity ( 7 ) of the box ( 1 ) can be inserted through the opening. Container for packaging food, comprising: a) a box ( 1 ) with a floor ( 3 ) and side walls ( 5 ) coming from the ground ( 3 protrude upward and a cavity ( 7 ) for receiving the food and an opening for access to the cavity ( 7 define); b) a lid ( 13 ), with the side walls ( 5 ) of the box ( 1 ) can be engaged to the cavity ( 7 ) of the box ( 1 ) to close; the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) Engaging elements ( 11 ; 23 ) to the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) releasably connect, and whereby the box ( 1 ) is configured such that the ground ( 3 ) another box ( 1' ) for stacking purposes in the cavity ( 7 ) of the box ( 1 ) can be inserted through the opening, characterized in that the side walls ( 5 ) at least one projection ( 9 ) extending from the cavity ( 7 ) extends outwardly to act as a spacer element which determines the extent to which the other box (FIG. 1' ) when stacking in the box ( 1 ) can be used, that the side walls ( 5 ) at least one depression acting as an engagement element ( 11 ), which correspond to the at least one projection ( 9 ) and on the lead ( 9 ) opposite side of the side walls ( 5 ), and that the lid ( 13 ) at least one closure element acting as an engagement element ( 23 ), which of the at least one recess ( 11 ) of the box ( 1 ), wherein the closure element ( 23 ) of the lid ( 13 ) and the at least one depression ( 11 ) of the box ( 1 ) are formed so that they are engageable with each other to the Cover ( 13 ) with the box ( 1 ) releasably connect in the first closed position. Container according to claim 5, characterized in that the bottom ( 3 ) and the opening of the box ( 1 ) as well as the lid ( 13 ) have a substantially polygonal shape. Container according to claim 6, characterized in that the at least one projection ( 9 ) and the at least one corresponding recess ( 11 ) at one corner of the box ( 1 ) are arranged. Container according to claim 7, characterized in that at each corner of the box ( 1 ) a lead ( 9 ) and a corresponding depression ( 11 ) are provided. Container according to claim 8, characterized in that the lid ( 13 ) at each corner an engaging element ( 23 ) associated with the corresponding recess ( 11 ) of the box ( 1 ) is engageable to the lid ( 13 ) detachable with the box ( 1 ) connect to. Container according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) at their peripheries corresponding flanges ( 21 ; 25 ) which engage with each other in a closed position to allow the lid (14) to be locked in position. 13 ) and the box ( 1 ) by a weld ( 27 ) and thus connect the cavity ( 7 ) of the box ( 1 ), the lid ( 13 ) in the closed position relative to the position in which the lid ( 13 ) detachable with the box ( 1 ) is connectable, occupies a reversed position. Container according to claim 10, characterized in that the flanges ( 21 ; 25 ) of the box ( 1 ) and the lid ( 13 ) are spaced when the lid ( 13 ) detachable with the box ( 1 ) connected is. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the engagement element ( 23 ) of the lid ( 13 ) when stacking several covers ( 13 ) acts as a spacer element, the minimum distance between two superimposed lid ( 13 ) Are defined. Container according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the box ( 1 ) and / or the lid ( 13 ) are made of plastic. Container according to claim 13, characterized in that the box ( 1 ) and / or the lid ( 13 ) are produced by thermoforming.

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