EP4197926A2

EP4197926A2 - Container for packaging food products

Info

Publication number: EP4197926A2
Application number: EP22209144.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giovanni VENE'; Roger Botti
Original assignee: Villani SpA
Current assignee: Villani SpA
Priority date: 2021-11-24
Filing date: 2022-11-23
Publication date: 2023-06-21
Also published as: EP4197926A3; IT202100005534U1

Abstract

A container for the packaging of food products, in particular cured meats or meat or fish or cheeses, comprising a tray (1), having an open-top shape, defined by a bottom (2), a plurality of side walls (3), by a perimeter edge (30) and comprising a protective sheet glued to the perimeter edge (30) which is provided with a flattened portion (5) with a predetermined surface area, the tray (1) being intended to accommodate a food product and being closed by the protective sheet, the flattened portion (5) including stamped indications (6) relating to the food product contained and/or the manufacturer.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a container for packaging food products, in particular cured meats or meat or fish or cheeses, etc.

PRIOR ART

Containers made of plastic material or the like are known in the industry for packaging food products, in the form of cold cuts: salami, cured and cooked ham, bresaola, mortadella and others, meat or fish or cheese, etc.
The aforementioned containers consist of trays of various shapes and sizes, these trays are generally made by thermoforming, starting from a sheet of thermoplastic material and are formed as open-top containers, closed at the top by a protective sheet made of at least partially transparent material to allow the user to view the content inside the container.
The food product is placed and laid at the bottom of these trays, contained laterally by side walls on upper ends of which the protective sheet for top closure is positioned and sealed; the protective sheet can then be removed at the time of use.
These containers of the known type have some drawbacks: opening the protective sheet can be difficult, the information relating to the product contained and/or to the producer, if found on the protective sheet, can be lost once the package is opened. Furthermore, if the information relating to the product contained and/or the producer is found on the bottom of the tray, such information may be difficult to access.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to improve the state of the art relating to a container for packaging food products which is simple and cost-efficient to produce. Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for packaging food products which is easy to open.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a container for packaging food products which keeps easily accessible the information relating to the product contained and other data also when opened.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a container for packaging food products according to claim 1 is described.
Dependent claims refer to preferred and advantageous embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further characteristics and advantages of this invention will be clarified in the detailed description of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of a container for packaging food products, illustrated only by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a top axonometric view of the container tray according to an embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom axonometric view of the container tray of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a top axonometric view of the container tray according to a variant of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a bottom axonometric view of the container tray of Figure 3; and
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view along the plane V-V of the container tray of Figure 3.

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

With reference to the accompanying figures, the numeral 1 generally designates a tray for a container for packaging food products, e.g. cured meats or meat or fish or cheeses, etc.
According to one version of the present invention, the food products found in the tray 1 can be in the form of cold cuts.
The tray 1, which has an open top shape, can be made of plastic material, or of biodegradable plastic material, or of paper material, or similar materials.
The tray 1 is closed at the top by a protective sheet (not shown) which is joined to the tray by means of food-grade glue or the like, and can comprise plastic material, or biodegradable plastic material, or food-grade paper, or similar materials, of a semi-transparent or transparent type, to allow the user to view the contents inside the container.
The tray 1 is defined by a bottom 2, by a plurality of side walls 3 and by a perimeter edge 30 for containing a food product (not shown).
In an embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the bottom 2 is of the corrugated type and comprises corrugations 4, for example rounded humps or the like, which are distributed according to a substantially constant pitch and arranged in a substantially oblique alignment with each other.
In more detail, the corrugations 4 have a constant height and develop a slight curvature C.
In the version of the present invention, illustrated in figures 3 and 4, the corrugations 4 also develop with a slight curvature C, featuring a greater height in the centre which gradually decreases at the corrugations ends.
In both versions the corrugations 4 form a support surface for the food product.
Thanks to the corrugations 4, the above-mentioned support surface has a shape which prevents or limits the sliding of the food product along the bottom and/or improves the presentation of the product, especially in the case of food product in the form of cold cuts.
The tray 1 can be obtained starting from a semi-finished item consisting of a substantially rectangular sheet, although not excluding alternative shapes depending on the type of food product to be contained.
An important feature of the present invention is given by the presence of a flattened portion 5 positioned on the perimeter edge 30 near a corner of the tray 1.
The above-mentioned flattened portion 5 has an extension with a predetermined surface area, having an approximately triangular shape.
The flattened portion 5 forms a grip handle for removing the protective sheet, facilitating the opening of the package.
According to non-illustrated embodiments of the present invention, the flattened portion of the perimeter edge has any profile and has the shape of an appendix which extends from the perimeter edge of the tray 1.
The flattened portion 5 can be stamped with indications 6 relating to the food product contained, e.g.: type, quantity, production date and expiry date, etc., and/or indications relating to the producer, e.g.: name, logo, address, etc.
The flattened portion 5 can be partially or completely covered with the protective sheet which, once detached and lifted, shows some stamped parts, e.g. the manufacturer's logo, creating a surprising effect.
The stamping of the flattened portion 5 can be achieved directly through a raised item obtained through the same step of forming the tray 1, therefore the container for packaging food products according to the present invention is simpler and more cost-efficient than conventional food containers that require an additional printing step or other similar steps.
Figure 5 shows a sectional view along the plane V-V of the tray of the container of figure 3 showing the reduced thickness of the material from which the tray 1 is built, this is made possible by the presence of the corrugations 4 which help stiffen the structure of tray 1, in particular the structure of the bottom of tray 1.
In this way, the container for packaging food products according to the present invention requires a minimum quantity of material for its manufacture, as it can be made from thinner material than solutions of the known type.
Therefore, once the food product contained in it has been consumed, the container for packaging food products according to the present invention is also cheaper to produce and easier to dispose of than solutions of the known type.
The embodiments of the container for packaging food products described above are subject to several modifications and variations within the scope of protection of the claims here below.

Claims

Container for the packaging of food products, in particular cured meats or meat or fish or cheeses, also in the form of cold cuts, comprising a tray (1), having an open-top shape, defined by a bottom (2), a plurality of walls sides (3), by a perimeter edge (30) and comprising a protective sheet glued to said perimeter edge (30), said perimeter edge (30) being provided with a flattened portion (5) with a predetermined surface area, said tray (1) being intended to accommodate a food product and being closed by said protective sheet, characterised in that said flattened portion (5) includes stamped indications (6) relating to the food product contained and/or the manufacturer.
Container according to claim 1, wherein said flattened portion (5) is partially or completely covered by said protective sheet, said protective sheet, once detached and lifted, showing some of the stamped parts of said flattened portion (5).
Container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said stamped indications (6) relating to the food product contained and/or the manufacturer include one or more of the following indications: type, quantity, production and expiry date of the food product contained, name of the manufacturer, logo, address.
Container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said flattened portion (5) has an approximately triangular shape and constitutes a grip handle for detaching the protective sheet, facilitating package opening.
Container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said flattened portion (5) has any profile, is shaped like an appendix extending from said perimeter edge (30) and constitutes a grip handle for detaching the protective sheet, facilitating package opening.
Container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said stamping of the flattened portion (5) can be achieved directly through a raised part obtained through the same forming step of the tray (1).
Container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said bottom (2) is of the corrugated type and comprises corrugations (4) distributed to a substantially constant pitch and arranged substantially obliquely aligned with each other.
Container according to the preceding claim, wherein said corrugations (4) have a constant height and develop with a slight curvature (C).
Container according to claim 7, wherein said corrugations (4) have a greater height in the middle which gradually decreases at the ends of the corrugations and develop with a slight curvature (C).
Container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said tray (1) comprises biodegradable plastic material, or paper material, or similar biodegradable materials.
Container according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said protective sheet is joined to said tray (1) by means of food-grade glue or the like, and can comprise plastic material, or biodegradable plastic material, or food-grade paper, or similar materials, of a semi-transparent or transparent type, to allow the user to view the contents inside the container.