Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
  • B65D71/70—Trays provided with projections or recesses in order to assemble multiple articles, e.g. intermediate elements for stacking
  • B65D71/72—Trays provided with projections or recesses in order to assemble multiple articles, e.g. intermediate elements for stacking formed by folding one or more blanks, the articles being inserted in openings in a wall

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a food preparation and distribution tray.
• the present invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively, to a food preparation and distribution tray for baked products such as muffins, cakes, scones and other such products that are made by depositing a product mixture into "cups", such as paper "patty” cups and baking the products in an oven.
• the present invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively, to a baking tray that is suited to the manufacture of large and small numbers of such products in commercial operations.
• the present invention relates particularly, although by no means exclusively, to a baking tray that can be manufactured from carton board using conventional in-line cutting, folding and gluing machinery.
• the food preparation and distribution tray of the present invention is not confined to use in food baking applications and can be used in other applications.
• One such application is the preparation and distribution of cold-set desserts.
• Another problem is that there is a significant amount of labour-intensive product double handling associated with removing muffins from metal baking trays and packaging the muffins for distribution to commercial outlets. In addition to being labour intensive, inevitably, there is a risk of damaging the muffins in the process of carrying out this packaging step. Product damage to consumable products such as muffins is a serious issue from a commercial viewpoint.
• the present invention provides an alternative baking tray.
• the food preparation and distribution tray of the present invention is adapted to receive and support cups, such as paper "patty" cups, for preparing food products.
• the tray has a plurality of openings for receiving cups.
• the tray also includes and is characterised by a support means for supporting the sides of the cups at two or more spaced-apart heights of the cups. The sides of the cups are not otherwise supported.
• the cups are positioned in the openings and the sides are supported at two or more heights of the cups by the support means .
• the support means may, in effect, suspend the cups above a base of the tray.
• the tray may be formed so that the cups are supported by the tray base and the support means.
• a food preparation and distribution tray for receiving and supporting cups, such as paper "patty” cups, for preparing food products, which tray includes a plurality of openings for receiving cups and a means for supporting the sides of the cups at two or more spaced- apart heights of the cups.
• the food products may include products such as muffins, cakes, scones and other such products that are baked in an oven.
• the food products may include products non-baked food products such as cold desserts.
• the above described tray has a number of important advantages over other trays known to the applicant.
• One advantage is a result of being able to support the sides of cups at two or more spaced-apart cup heights. Supporting the sides of cups at two different cup heights prevents outward bulging of the cups as products bake (and thereby expand) in the cups. This is an advantage because outward bulging can hinder the removal of cups containing baked products in the cups from baking trays, and can result in damage to the products in the course of removing the products from trays. It is also an advantage because outward bulging can detract from the overall appearance and therefore commercial value of the products.
• the tray can be used as part of the packaging of baked products for distributing the products from a manufacturing operation to commercial outlets.
• a further advantage which is related to the previous advantage, is that the tray can be used to display the food products at commercial outlets, thereby avoiding handling of the products at the commercial outlets.
• a further advantage is that the tray can be reused to prepare further products. This is an important advantage in situations where re-packaging of baked ) or cold-set) products is necessary - for example to meet orders for products that require fewer than the number of products in the trays.
• the support means for the sides of the cups includes an upper wall and a lower wall of the tray, with the walls having aligned openings that define the tray openings for receiving the plurality of cups and supporting the sides of the cups at two or more heights of the cups.
• the upper and lower walls are parallel.
• the tray may include more than two walls with aligned cup-supporting openings. However, it is believed that two appropriately positioned walls should provide sufficient support in most situations.
• the upper wall is adapted to support the cups at a position that is 2/3 of the height of the cups.
• the lower wall is adapted to support the cups at a position that is 1/3 of the height of the cups .
• the cups include an open top end, a base, and downwardly and inwardly tapering sides.
• the sides of the cups may be corrugated.
• the openings in the upper wall are larger than the openings in the lower wall.
• the tray is a box-type construction.
• the upper wall forms an upper wall of the box.
• the lower wall may form a lower wall of the box.
• the tray includes a base wall that forms a base wall of the box and the lower wall is positioned between the upper and base walls.
• the tray includes side walls.
• At least one of the side walls includes openings to allow air to circulate into and from the tray.
• the openings in the side walls are formed to allow hot air to circulate into and from the tray to facilitate baking of products in the cups .
• the tray includes end walls .
• At least one of the end walls includes openings to allow air to circulate into and from the tray.
• the openings in the end walls are formed to allow hot air to circulate into and from the tray to facilitate baking of products in the cups.
• the tray includes downwardly depending legs to space the lower wall of the tray above a base surface.
• one of the legs is a downward extension of one of the side walls.
• the tray includes internal partitions that space apart the upper and lower walls.
• At least one of the side and end walls extends above the plane of the upper wall to form a barrier at least partially around the periphery of the tray to protect product baked in the tray.
• both side walls and both end walls include upward extensions that define a peripheral barrier around the upper wall of the tray.
• the tray is formed from carton board.
• the carton board includes a coating of a non-stick material on at least an outer surface of the tray.
• the carton board includes a coating of a heat resistant material on at least an outer surface of the tray in situations in which the tray is intended for use in baking food products.
• the tray may be formed from a carton board blank that is cut, folded and glued to form a tray preform that includes (a) a sleeve having a plurality of panels that form at least the upper, lower, and side walls of the tray and (b) flaps extending from the ends of the sleeve that form the end walls of the tray.
• the tray preform is manufactured in a flat form to facilitate packaging and transportation of the preform and can be erected into the tray as required.
• the flaps include locking tabs that can engage the upper, lower, and side walls or are otherwise formed to form the end walls of the tray.
• the panels of the sleeve include a panel that forms the base wall of the tray.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a tray in accordance with the present invention illustrating the upper wall and one side wall of the tray;
• Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tray illustrating the upper wall and one end wall of the tray;
• Figure 3 is a section through the line 3-3 of Figure 2 ;
• Figure 4 is a perspective view of the tray illustrating the lower wall and one side wall of the tray;
• Figure 5 is a side view of the tray
• Figure 6 is an end view of the tray
• Figure 7 is a top plan view of a preform of the tray shown in Figures 1 to 5; and Figure 8 is a top plan view of a blank for forming another embodiment of a tray in accordance with the present invention.
• the tray is essentially a rectangular carton board box that includes an upper wall 3, a lower wall 5, side walls 7, and end walls 9.
• the upper and lower walls 3, 5 define a means for supporting the sides of each cup at different heights of the cups.
• the upper walls 3 include six openings 11 for receiving cups (not shown) for baking muffins.
• the lower walls 5 also include six openings 13 that are aligned with the upper openings 11 for receiving the cups (not shown) .
• the spacing between the upper and lower walls 3, 5 and the size of the openings 11, 13 is selected so that:
• the upper wall 3 supports the cups around the circumference of the cups at locations that are approximately 2/3 of the height of the cups;
• the lower wall 5 supports the cups around the circumference of the cups at locations that are approximately 1/3 of the height of the cups .
• the basis of the selection of these locations is to provide support for the cups to prevent outward bulging of the cups as product mix, such as muffin mix, bakes in the cups .
• the side and end walls 7, 9 include a series of openings 15 to enable hot air to flow into and from the tray to facilitate efficient heat transfer to the product mix in the cups.
• the applicant has found that, in the absence of such openings, the tray can act as an insulator to a certain extent and result in slower baking times compared with trays that have the openings .
• the tray may be formed with openings (not shown) in the upper wall, other than the openings 11, for further improving hot air circulation.
• openings have one potential drawback in that the openings may facilitate a loss of product mix as baking progresses in the cups and are not preferred on this basis.
• the tray also includes legs 17 that lift the lower wall 5 clear of a base surface.
• the legs 17 are provided around the edge of the lower wall .
• One side of the tray is formed with a continuous leg 17 that extends along the length of the side. This leg is provides stability for the tray and contributes to the rigidity of the tray.
• the other side of the tray has a corresponding upstanding "leg" which forms an upward extension 21 of the side wall above the plane of the upper wall 3.
• This side wall extension also contributes to the rigidity of the tray and provides a convenient glue region in the manufacture of the tray.
• the side wall extension forms a partial barrier around the upper wall 3 and can thereby shield the parts of baked products that extend above the upper wall.
• the remaining legs 17 of the tray are downwardly depending tabs .
• the tray also includes a series of internal tabs 19 that are connected to the upper and lower walls 3, 5 and assist in maintaining the selected spacing between the upper and lower walls 3, 5.
• Each tab 19 is integrally formed with one of the inboard legs 17.
• the preferred embodiment of the tray shown in Figures 1 to 6 is manufactured from a carton board blank on a conventional cutting, folding and glueing machine.
• the carton board blank is cut, folded and glued to form a tray preform that includes a sleeve and flaps extending from opposite ends of the sleeve, as shown in Figure 7.
• the sleeve has six panels that are separated by fold lines.
• the panels form the upper wall, 3, the lower wall 5 and the side walls 7 of the tray.
• the panels are marked A, B, C, D, E, and F in Figure 3.
• panels C and D are glued together to form the leg 17 on that side of the tray and the panels A and F are glued together to form the upstanding "leg" on that side of the tray.
• the flaps form the end walls 9 of the tray.
• the tray preform shown in Figure 7 is a flat unit that is suitable for packing and distributing a plurality of the preforms to retail outlets or commercial baking operations.
• the tray preform shown in Figure 7 can readily be erected into the tray shown in Figures 1 to 6 by manipulating the sleeve from the flat form shown in Figure 7 into a box-like form, with parallel upper and lower walls and parallel side walls, and folding the flaps inwardly to form the end walls of the tray.
• FIG. 8 A carton board blank for forming another, although not the only other, embodiment of a tray in accordance with the present invention is shown in Figure 8.
• the carton board blank is formed so that it can be folded and glued to form a tray preform that includes a sleeve and flaps extending from opposite ends of the sleeve.
• the preform can be erected to form a tray having parallel upper, lower and base walls, with the lower wall positioned between the upper and base walls, parallel side walls and parallel end walls, with the end walls having end flaps.
• the blank shown in Figure 8 includes (a) a central panel 31 that forms the upper wall of the tray, (b) a first outer panel 33 on one side of the central panel that forms the base wall of the tray, (c) a first intermediate panel 35 interconnecting the central and first outer panels 31, 33 that forms one of the side walls of the tray, (d) a second outer panel 37 on the other side of the central panel 31 that forms the lower wall of the tray, (e) a second intermediate panel 39 interconnecting the central panel 31 and the second outer panel 37, (f) outer edge panels 41, 43 that form part of the other side wall of the tray, and (g) end panels 45, 47 connected to opposite ends of the central panel 31 that form the end walls of the tray.
• the blank also includes a series of openings 49 in the central and second outer panels that form the aligned cup-receiving openings of the tray.
• the blank also includes a series of openings 51 in the first intermediate panel 35 and the outer edge panel 43 that form air circulation vents for the tray.
• the present invention is not limited to trays having upper and lower walls that define a means for supporting the sides of each cup at different heights of the cups, and the present invention extends to any suitable such support means.
• the present invention is not limited to trays having legs and to the location, type and number of legs shown in the Figures.
• the present invention is not limited to the particular shape of the tray, including the particular number and location of the openings for receiving baking cups, shown in the Figures.
• the present invention is not limited to trays having hot air circulation openings and to the location, type and number of these openings shown in the Figures .
• the present invention is not limited to trays that have upper and lower walls that support baking cups around the circumference of the cups at locations that are 2/3 and 1/3 of the height of the cups.
• the walls may be formed to support the cups at any suitable heights of the cups that provides adequate support against outward bulging of cups during baking of products in the cups.
• the tray is made from carton board, and it is convenient for the tray to be made from this material in conventional in-line cutting, folding and glueing machinery, the present invention is not so limited and the tray may be made from any suitable material by any suitable means.
• the present invention is not limited to trays for baking food products and extends to any food products that are prepared in "cups" .
• the present invention is not limited to trays having multiple cup support at different heights of the cups and, in its broadest terms, extends to arrangements in which the cups are supported at one height of the cups .

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Cartons (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)
• Packaging Frangible Articles (AREA)
• Devices For Warming Or Keeping Food Or Tableware Hot (AREA)
• Table Devices Or Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Publications (2)

Family

ID=30005087

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (11)

Families Citing this family (24)

Citations (4)

Family Cites Families (16)

• 2003
  • 2003-01-30 AU AU2003900386A patent/AU2003900386A0/en not_active Abandoned
• 2004
  • 2004-01-30 JP JP2006501341A patent/JP2006516393A/ja active Pending
  • 2004-01-30 EP EP04706575A patent/EP1594362A4/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-01-30 NZ NZ541514A patent/NZ541514A/en not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-01-30 US US10/543,551 patent/US20060278559A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-01-30 BR BRPI0407133-6A patent/BRPI0407133A/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-01-30 WO PCT/AU2004/000106 patent/WO2004066735A1/en active Application Filing
  • 2004-01-30 AU AU2004208445A patent/AU2004208445B2/en not_active Expired
  • 2004-01-30 CA CA002514408A patent/CA2514408A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2004-01-30 CN CNA2004800029112A patent/CN1741743A/zh active Pending
  • 2004-01-30 MX MXPA05008081A patent/MXPA05008081A/es active IP Right Grant
• 2005
  • 2005-07-20 ZA ZA200505858A patent/ZA200505858B/en unknown

Patent Citations (4)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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