EP0439221A1

EP0439221A1 - Combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products

Info

Publication number: EP0439221A1
Application number: EP91200078A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hendricus Bernardus Thomas Marinus; Adrianus Laurentius Josephus Tabbers
Original assignee: BOERS VLEESWAREN BV
Current assignee: BOERS VLEESWAREN BV
Priority date: 1990-01-16
Filing date: 1991-01-16
Publication date: 1991-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2011-01-16
Also published as: DE69103537T2; DE69103537D1; EP0439221B1; IE61895B1; NL9000102A; PT96500A; IE910141A1

Abstract

A combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products, comprising a flat tray-like receptacle (1) with a cover sheet (3) of transparant material fastened on its top, means being provided in the top region for suspension of the receptacle in a display case. According to the invention the bottom (5) of the tray, as seen along an axis going through the center of the suspension means, is sloping upwardly towards at least one side of the tray, whereby the surface if the sloping bottom portion (5b) is provided with protuberances (8) which form surface unevennesses.

Description

The invention relates to a combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products, comprising a flat tray-like receptacle with a cover of transparent material fastened on its top, means being provided in the top region for suspension of the receptacle in a display case.
Such packages are known. The substantially reactangular, flat-bottomed tray, which has a uniform depth, is usually made by vacuum-forming of a transparent plastics material, such as polyethylene. The cover sheet, which is also made of a suitable plastic material, is heat-sealed on the flange-like tray top. A hole is provided in the center of a flanged top portion at a short side of the tray, through which a hook or pin may be inserted. Packages of this type are widely used for displaying products in a suspended position within refrigerated display cases in stores. Thereafter, upon removal of the cover sheet, such packages are used by the consumer as a dish up tray on the table.
It is a disadvantage of the well-known Package in it suspended position that the usually slack products tend to sag out into the lower part of the suspended tray, which affects an adequate presentation of the products.
In accordance with the invention this drawback is in that the bottom of the tray, as seen along an axis going through the center of the suspension means, is sloping upwardly towards at least one side of the tray, whereby the surface of the sloping bottom portion is provided with protuberances which form surface unevennesses.
Preferably the bottom is sloping upwardly at least in the direction opposite to the suspension means.
As a result of the bottom sloping towards the lowermost rim portion of the tray in the suspended position of the latter and due to the decreasing depth of the tray related therewith, the slice package contained in the lower region of the suspended tray will get more effectively trapped between the bottom and the cover sheet. This, in combination with the anti-slide effect of the protuberances on the bottom surface, will prevent a slice package within a tray covered by a cover sheet from sliding across the bottom of the tray when transferring the latter from a horizontal position into a suspended or upright position, and consequently will keep said package fixed in the position in which it was filled into the receptacle (tray). This guarantees an optimal presentation.
Preferably the protuberances are formed by ribs extending substantially transversally to the axis through the center of the suspension means. In a practical embodiment these ribs are formed by the successive steps of the stepwise sloping bottom.
In accordance with another feature of the invention impressions are made in the bottom adjacent the tray sidewall turned away from the suspension means and positioned on both sides of the axis through the center of the suspension means, said impressions extending downwardly up to the maximum tray depth. The bottoms of these impressions, which hardly affect the supporting surface for the products, constitute supporting means which provide the required stability for the tray when in use as a dish up tray on a horizontal (table) surface. Moreover these impressions may serve as support means for displaying the tray on a shelve in a slanting position.
It is to be noted that US-A-3,671,271 discloses a package for sliced luncheon meat, comprising a rectangular tray having a bottom provided with rib-like protuberances. This well-known tray, however, does not have suspension means, but is designed to be slided into a box which has a window. Moreover there is no bottom portion which is sloping upwardly towards a side of the tray.
An upwardly sloping bottom portion is provided with the paint roller pan disclosed in CA-A-1,187,045, which pan has also a flange with a suspension eye for suspension in the empty position. The upwardly sloping bottom portion is situated beyond the proper (paint) receptacle and merely serves as a striker surface for the paint roller upon having immersed the latter within the proper receptacle.
The invention will be hereinafter further explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the package according to the invention;
fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line II-II in fig. 1, with the package in a suspended position and
fig. 3 shows a plan view of a modification of the package of fig. 1.

The package shown in fig. 1 and 2 is a rectangular tray 1 which is made e.g. by vacuum forming of a suitable plastics material, such as polyethylene; flanges 2 are laterally extending from the upper sidewall edges of this tray. A cover sheet made of a suitable transparent plastics material, preferably polyester, is indicated at 3 and functions to close the tray 1 after the meat products (not shown in the drawing) have been put therein. The fastening of the cover sheet 3 is usually taking place by heat sealing, whereby a layer of polyethylene is put in the respective marginal portions of the polyester cover sheet 3. An opening 4 is provided in the middle of one of the short sidewall flanges 2, through which a pin or suspension hook may be inserted. Fig. 2 shows the tray in a suspended position by a cross-sectional view through an axis going through the suspension point. The uppermost portion 5a of the bottom 5, which is disposed closest to the suspension opening 4, has the usual flat form and extends parallel to the plane of the sidewall flanges 2. The lowermost bottom portion 5b, however, has a stepped figuration, such that the tray depth is decreasing stepwise as seen in the lowermost short sidewall of the tray.
The successive steps 6 constitute ribs 7, which function as an anti-slide means on the meat package laid onto the respective bottom portion 5b. Besides shoulders 8 are formed, which may serve as supporting surfaces for the lower edges of thinner sub-packages, which have been superimposed in a mutually overlapping fashion so as to obtain a still more attractive presentation.
At the short sidewall turned away from the suspension means 4 the bottom 5 is provided with two impressions 10 located in the respective corners of the tray, which impressions extend up to a tray depth, which is equal to the depth as measured between the cover sheet 3 and the flat bottom portion 5a. These impressions hardly interrupt the supporting surface for the luncheon meat products but on the other hand provide for the required stability when the tray is put on a horizontal (table) surface as a dish up tray. The bottom portion 5 may also be provided with protuberances or ribs respectively so as to also apply an anti slide effect on the uppermost portion of the luncheon meat package within the tray. These protuberances or ribs respectively may be formed, if desired, by having the bottom portion 5 sloping upwardly towards the upper side of the tray along at least a portion of the width of the tray.
In the modification according to fig. 3 the successive steps 6' have an arcuate form, so that the ribs and shoulders obtained thereby have a corresponding arcuate shape. Such an embodiment may be advantageous for round slices of luncheon meat.

Claims

A combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products, comprising a flat tray-like receptacle with a cover sheet of transparent material fastened on its top, means being provided in the top region for suspension of the receptacle in a display case, characterized in that the bottom of the tray, as seen along an axis going through the center of the suspension means, is sloping upwardly towards at least one side of the tray, whereby the surface of the sloping bottom portion is provided with protuberances which form surface unevennesses.
A package according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom is sloping upwardly at least in the direction opposite to the suspension means.
A package according to either of claims 1-2, characterized in that the protuberances are formed by ribs extending substantially transversely to the axis through the center of the suspension means.
A package according to claim 3, characterized in that the ribs are formed by the successive steps of the stepwise sloping bottom.
A package according to claim 4, characterized in that the steps are arranged in an arcuate pattern.
A package according to either of claims 1-5, characterized in that impressions are made in the bottom adjacent the tray sidewall turned away from the suspension means and positioned on both sides of the axis through the center of the suspension, means, said impressions extending downwardly op to the maximum tray depth.