FR2947252A1 - Plastic tray for accommodation of e.g. fruits, has peripheral wall provided with upper edge at which protection film is sealed, where wall has ventilation openings located in vicinity of upper edge and opened in upper edge - Google Patents

Abstract

The tray has a base (1) and a peripheral wall (2) constituting package volume for packaging fresh products e.g. fruits and vegetables, where the wall has an upper edge (3) at which a protection film (5) is sealed. The wall has ventilation openings (4) located in vicinity of the upper edge. The openings are opened in the upper edge. The film has peripheral cuts (6) located at an emerging level of the openings.

Description

Niche trays

The present invention relates to a tray of plastic material having a bottom and a peripheral wall constituting an open volume in the upper part for IC packaging of fresh fruits and vegetables, the wall having an upper rim surmounted in protective film closing said volume. The use of filming results from the desire to overcome the cover that could equip this type of tray, especially for environmental purposes. Given the constraints related to the products contained in these trays, it is necessary that they, once closed by the plastic film, are not impervious to flow delàir so that some part of Il'ir interior is renewed especially for to prevent the decomposition of products and to maintain their freshness. This is particularly the case for trays sealed with films sealed on their upper rim, preventing any passage to this level. Thus, the sealed trays today are for example closed by a film comprising perforations ensuring a passage of Ilàir in order to recycle the internal gas mass. Most often, it slips micro-perforated films, and that is to say films that have undergone a particular treatment to distribute uniformly said micro-perforations on the entire film. The actual sealing is then performed on the periphery of the upper rim of the tray, generally by a heat sealing process or the like, in one or more steps which actually cause the film to stick to an upper flat surface of the tray provided for this effect. The object of the invention is to improve the ventilation possibilities of trays thus capped.

For this purpose, according to Iilhvention, the peripheral wall of the tray has ventilation holes located in the vicinity of the upper rim. Linked is therefore to ensure primarily the ventilation function not by the upper film thermo-sealed to the tray, but by the body of the tray itself. Economically, this solution is advantageous to the extent that the trays molds must simply be designed in a different way taking into account the aforementioned characteristic, which does not involve more work at the time of the work. Initial studies on the shapes of trays and molds. According to one possibility, the above-mentioned ventilation openings may open into the upper rim. In this case, the thermo-sealing of the film is not done on the entire periphery, but only on the portions of the upper flange which are arranged between the various orifices.

According to one possible variant, the sealed film may also have peripheral cutouts located at the openings opening out of the wall, which further increases the ventilation capabilities of the tray. The relative shapes of the opening openings and peripheral cutouts may of course be different, and there may be an offset therebetween. In a possible geometrical configuration, the ventilation openings in the tray may be rectangular in shape, thereby forming a jaggle in the upper rim. Such a form nlibst course not mandatory, but it leads to manufacturing molds simpler to design, especially when the side walls of the crenellations are slightly inclined. Similarly, in one possible configuration, the peripheral cut-outs made in the film may be rectangular in shape, realizing a second alias oriented in a horizontal plane. In the case of a tray with a rectangular base, which is therefore provided with a four-sided peripheral wall, it is possible to provide only one orifice per face, and consequently to seal at the corners of the tray. This limited sealing in its extent can lead to further increase manufacturing savings. The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the figures for which: Figure 1 is a side view of a tray according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view from above; and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of such a tray provided with a film having peripheral cutouts.

Referring simultaneously to the three figures, the container of the invention comprises a bottom (1) and a peripheral wall (2) surmounted by a peripheral edge (3) in which slots (4) are formed, the lateral sides of which are inclined, in particular for technical reasons for demolding the tray after manufacture.

These crenellations (4) are in fact the ventilation holes, allowing a flow to pass from the inside of the tray to the outside and vice versa to recycle the interior to maintain the products contained in the tray (fruits, vegetables) in a healthier atmosphere. The upper surface of the peripheral flange (3) is flat, so as to allow film sealing, as is shown for example in FIG. 3. The small lateral sides of the tray are also provided with crenels, so that the entire the periphery comprises, at relatively regular intervals, such release slots. Only the rounded angular parts are devoid of it. The film (5) which is fixed on the peripheral rim (3), and which appears in FIG. 3, is provided with peripheral cutouts (6) which, in this example, are located at the level of the crenellations (4). Said ventilation orifices (6) therefore have a horizontal portion, increasing their ability to pass through a flow of air to better ventilate the products contained in the interior of the tray. The film (5) used is a thermo-sealable film stuck on the upper part of the tray. In the invention, the ventilation function is therefore at least partially transferred to the container itself, involving a modification during the initial design of the mold. The example illustrated by the figures can not be considered exhaustive of the invention, which also encompasses shape variants, for example for slots, cuts in the film and / or their respective positioning.

Claims (7)

REVENDICATIONS1. Tray made of plastic material having a bottom (1) and a peripheral wall (2) constituting a volume for packaging eg fruit, said wall (2) having an upper rim (3) on at least a portion of which is sealed a film of protection (5), characterized in that the wall has ventilation openings (4) located in the vicinity of the upper rim (3). 2. Tray according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said orifices (4) open into the upper rim (3). 3. Tray according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the film (5) sealed has cutouts (6) located at the openings (4) opening out of the wall (2). 4. Tray according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said cutouts (6) are peripheral. Tray according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that said orifices (4) are rectangular in shape and provide a notch in the upper flange (3) of the wall (2). 6. Tray according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the cutouts (6) of the peripheral film (5) are rectangular and perform a horizontal aliasing. A tray according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a bottom (1) of rectangular shape and a wall (2) with four faces, a single orifice (4) being provided by the face.