FR3066482A1 - IMPROVED FOOD TRAY - Google Patents

Abstract

The tray (1), intended to contain foodstuffs, comprises: • A container (2) comprising a bottom (21), a peripheral side wall (22) extending from the bottom and an opening (25) facing the fund ; • A cover (4; 140) sealed on the side wall and closing the opening; • A removable lid (3) cooperating with the peripheral side wall to cover the opening, the peripheral side wall comprising an internal flange (24) extending over a periphery of the container and at a distance from a top (222) of the peripheral side wall, the lid being sealed on the internal flange.

Description

IMPROVED FOOD TRAY

The invention relates to a tray intended to contain foodstuffs, of the type comprising a container, a cover and a lid.

Currently, a food tray has a container in which food is received, such as compote or fruit puree. Once filled, the container is closed with a seal which is welded or glued to a peripheral top of a side wall of the container. Then, a cover is clipped onto said peripheral top, sandwiching the cover between said peripheral top and the cover. Cooperation between the cover and the container is then only possible on a peripheral external face of the container, the cover forming a simple elastic banding. Under these conditions, the seal between the outside and the inside of the container is ensured by the seal sealed on the peripheral top of the side wall of the container.

In addition, to gain access to the foodstuffs contained in the container, a user, after having removed the cover, peels the lid. This peeling of the cover has the effect of leaving irregular thickening on the peripheral apex. These extra thicknesses are glue and / or pieces of a lower outer layer of the cover. If all the foodstuffs have not been removed from the container, the user reposition the cover by clipping. However, the seal is no longer optimal because the simple elastic strapping of the cover on the container does not ensure and sufficiently secure this seal. In addition, due to the presence of the previous extra thicknesses which impede good cooperation between the cover and the peripheral top of the container, this seal is even more degraded. This is aggravated if the cover has been partially peeled since the latter is again sandwiched between the cover and the peripheral apex without being sealed on the portion which has been previously peeled from the cover.

An object of the invention is to provide a food tray of the aforementioned type which allows to maintain an optimal seal allowing the preservation of foodstuffs remaining in the container after opening.

To this end, there is provided, according to the invention, a tray, intended to contain foodstuffs, comprising:

• A container comprising a bottom, a peripheral side wall extending from the bottom and an opening facing the bottom;

• A seal sealed on the side wall and closing the opening;

• A removable cover cooperating with the peripheral side wall to cover the opening, the peripheral side wall having an internal rim extending over a periphery of the container and at a distance from a top of the peripheral side wall, the cover being sealed on the internal rim ..

Thus the presence of an internal sealing rim of the cover on the side wall of the container located at a distance from the top of the side wall makes it possible to no longer have the cover sandwiched between the cover and the top of the side wall. . This allows optimal sealing between the lid and the container of the tray, after opening.

Advantageously, but optionally, the tray according to the invention has at least one of the following additional technical characteristics:

- The rim extends parallel to a plane of the opening;

- the cover has a line of weakness dividing the cover into two adjacent zones;

each of the zones has an associated opening tab;

the container has a peripheral tab projecting from an external face of the peripheral side wall, substantially in line with the internal rim;

the peripheral tab extends towards the bottom of the container the cover has an internal tab extending opposite an internal face of a part of the peripheral side wall located between the top of the side wall and the rim, when the cover is positioned on the container;

the cover has an external peripheral skirt extending opposite a part of an external face of the peripheral side wall situated between the top of the side wall and the rim, when the cover is positioned on the container;

- The outer peripheral skirt extending opposite the peripheral tab; and,

- The container and the cover comprise complementary bosses for retaining the cover on the container.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description below of an embodiment of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

- Figure 1 is a three-dimensional view of a food container according to the invention;

- Figure 2 is a sectional view of the container of Figure 1;

- Figure 3 is a top view of the lid of the tray of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the lid of the tray of Figure 1;

- Figure 5a is a detailed sectional view of a periphery of the lid of the tray of Figure 1; and,

- Figure 5b is a detail view in section, in the plane of a stiffening rib, of a periphery of the cover of the tray of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, we will describe in detail a food tray 1 according to the invention. The food container 1 according to the invention comprises a container 2 intended to contain a quantity of foodstuffs, such as purees or fruit and vegetable compotes. Other foodstuffs may be provided.

The food container 1 according to the invention further comprises a cover 3 and a cover 4 which can close the container 2.

The container 2 has a bottom 21 and a peripheral side wall 22 extending from the bottom 21. The peripheral side wall 22 ends in a top 222. At this top 222, the peripheral side wall 22 delimits an opening 25 which s extends opposite the bottom 21 of the container 2. At a distance from the top 222, the peripheral lateral wall 22 has an internal rim 24. Here, the internal rim 24 extends parallel to a plane of the opening 25 which is parallel to a plane of the bottom 21 of the container 2. In an alternative embodiment, the internal rim 24 has an inclination with the plane of the opening 25. The internal rim 24 cuts the peripheral side wall 22 into two parts 221 and 226. The first part 221 is located between the internal rim 24 and the top 222 of the peripheral side wall 22. The second part 226 is located between the internal rim 24 and the bottom 21. The first part 221 is offset 100 resists from the second part 226 a width of an orthogonal projection of the internal flange 24 in the plane of the opening. The first part 221, in addition to the top 222, comprises an internal face 223 and an external face 225. The external face 225 comprises a retaining boss 224 located, here in the vicinity of the top 222. On the other hand, the container 2 comprises a peripheral tab 27 which projects from an external face of the peripheral side wall 22, substantially in line with the internal rim 24. Here, the peripheral tab 27 extends from the peripheral side wall 22 at a junction between the internal rim 24 and the first part 221 of the peripheral side wall 22. The peripheral tab 27 extends, here, towards the bottom 21 of the container 2. The peripheral tab 27 has an external face 271 which, here, extends the external face 225 of the first part 221 of the peripheral lateral wall 22. The peripheral tab 27 ends in a peripheral end 28. Rigidizing ribs 272 connect the peripheral tab 27 to the second me part 226 of the peripheral side wall 22. These stiffening ribs 272 are distributed over the periphery of the container 2. Their role is to stiffen the peripheral tab 27 in order to limit a deformation of the latter during the positioning of the cover 3.

Finally, the bottom 21 of the container 2 comprises a foot 221 in the form, here, of a tongue projecting from a bottom face of the bottom 21 and along a curve substantially parallel to a periphery of the bottom 21.

The cover 3 comprises a central part 33 surrounded by a depression 34, itself surrounded by a raised peripheral rim 35. Along an outer periphery of the peripheral rim 35, the cover 3 comprises a peripheral skirt 32. The peripheral skirt 32 delimits, externally, a receiving cavity 351. The peripheral skirt 32 has an internal face 322 facing the cavity reception 351. In the vicinity of a bottom of the reception cavity 351, the peripheral skirt 32 includes a retainer boss 321 which projects in projection from the internal face 322. This retainer boss 321 is complementary to the retainer boss 224 of the container 2. Internally, the receiving cavity 351 is delimited by an internal tongue 31 of the cover 3. The internal tongue 31 projects from the peripheral rim 35 and facing the peripheral skirt 32. The tongue internal 31 has a face 310 facing the receiving cavity 351. The internal tongue 31 has a height less than a height of the first part 221 of the side wall peripheral rale 22 of the container 2. On the other hand, the peripheral skirt 32 has a height substantially equivalent to a height of the first part 221 of the peripheral side wall 22 and of the peripheral tab 27 of the container 2. With reference to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the cover 3 comprises stiffening ribs 36 distributed over the periphery of the cover. These stiffening ribs 36 allow the internal tongue 31 to be stiffened. The stiffening ribs 36 project from:

- The peripheral rim 35 in the same direction as the internal tongue 31; and,

- The internal tab 31 towards the depression 34 of the cover 4.

On the other hand, the stiffening ribs 36 have a lower edge 361 which, once the cover 3 is in place on the container 2, the cover 4 being in place sealed on the latter, comes opposite said cover 4.

Now, with reference to FIG. 3, we will describe the cover 4 of the food tray 1 according to the invention. Here illustrated in Figure 3, the cover 4 has an edge 41 defining a shape corresponding to a shape of the container at the inner rim 24, here a substantially rectangular shape.

The cover 4 is separated into two adjacent zones 42 and 43 delimited by a line of weakness

44. Each of the adjacent zones 42, 43 has respectively an opening tab 432 and

431 associated. Here area 42 is more important than area

43. The line of weakness is oriented substantially at 45 ° relative to the sides of the edge 41 between which the line of weakness 44 extends. The opening tongue 431 associated with the zone 43 of smaller surface has an internal edge 146 which is in the extension of the line of weakness 44. This allows, during an opening to peel only the zone 43 of the cover 4 without peeling the area 42, the cover tearing along the line of weakness 44.

In Figure 4 is illustrated an alternative embodiment of a cover 140 of the food tray 1 according to the invention.

The cover 140 differs essentially from the cover 4 previously described by the fact that the line of weakness 44 is replaced by a cutting primer 144 in the extension of the internal edge 146 of the opening tongue 431 associated with the area 43 smaller area. Thus, during an implementation of the opening tongue 431 to open the food tray 1 according to the invention, the cutting initiator 144 will produce a tear which will propagate substantially along the line in phantom 145. Note that the cutting leader 144 has a length such that, once the seal 144 is sealed on the internal rim 24, the cutting leader 144 extends completely opposite the internal rim 24, without exceeding this last.

We will briefly describe the assembly and use of the food tray 1 according to the invention.

Once the container 2 of the food tray 1 according to the invention filled with foodstuffs, the cover 4 is put in place. To this end, the edge 41 of the cover 4 is positioned in abutment on the internal rim 24 of the container 2 of the food tray according to

1'invention.

A sealing operation is then carried out according to techniques known per se such as bonding or heat sealing. Then the cover 3 is placed on the container 2. For this, the first part 221 of the wall the peripheral lateral wall 22, the top 222 is in peripheral lateral support 22 of the container 2 is introduced into the receiving cavity 351 until 'that the retainer boss 224 is found above the retainer boss 321 of the cover 3. Once the cover 3 is in place on the container 2, the face 310 of the internal tongue 31 is supported on the internal face 223 of the first part 221 of on the bottom of the receiving cavity 351 and the internal face 322 of the peripheral skirt 32 extends opposite the external face 225 of the first part 221 of the peripheral side wall 22 and opposite of the external face 271 of the peripheral skirt 27, the latter being in part in abutment on the internal face 322 of the peripheral skirt 27. The retaining bosses 224 and 321 cooperate with each other to retain and hold the cover 3 in place on the container 2. Such cooperation between the cover 3 and the container 2 ensures optimum sealing.

Once in place, a free end of the internal tab 31 is positioned above the seal 4 sealed on the internal rim 24 of the container 2.

It should be noted that once filled and closed as previously described, the food trays 1 according to the invention can be stacked one on the other, the foot 211 of the food tray 1 according to the upper invention being supported in the depression 34 of the food tray 1 according to the lower invention.

It should be noted that thanks to such a structure of the food container 1 according to the invention which has just been described in detail, the latter is perfectly inviolable before use (due to the presence of the sealed lid) and perfectly sealed after use (due to the lid which no longer interferes with the seal and the surface of the side wall of the container on which the seal is sealed). Current trays have either of these features, but not both at the same time.

Of course, it is possible to make numerous modifications to the invention without going beyond the scope thereof.

Claims (10)

1. Tray (1), intended to contain foodstuffs, comprising: • A container (2) comprising a bottom (21), a peripheral side wall (22) extending from the bottom and an opening (25) facing the bottom; • A seal (4; 140) sealed on the side wall and closing the opening; • A removable cover (3) cooperating with the peripheral side wall to cover the opening, characterized in that the peripheral side wall has an internal rim (24) extending over a periphery of the container and at a distance from a top ( 222) of the peripheral side wall, the cover being sealed on the internal rim. 2. Tray according to claim 1, characterized in that the rim extends parallel to a plane of the opening. 3. Tray according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cover (4) has a line of weakness (44) dividing the cover in two adjacent zones (42,43). 4. Tray according to claim 3, characterized in that each of the zones has an associated opening tab (432,431). 5. Tray according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the container comprises a peripheral tab (27) projecting from an external face of the peripheral side wall, substantially in line with the internal rim. 6. Tray according to claim 5, characterized in that the peripheral tab extends towards the bottom of the container. 7. Tray according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cover comprises an internal tongue (31) extending opposite an internal face (223) of a part (221) of the side wall device located between the top of the side wall and the rim, when the lid is positioned on the container. 8. Tray according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the cover comprises an external peripheral skirt (32) extending opposite a part (225) of an external face of the peripheral side wall located between the top of the side wall and the rim, when the lid is positioned on the container. 9. Tray according to claim 8 and one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in that the external peripheral skirt extending opposite the peripheral tab. 10. Tray according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the container and the cover comprise complementary retaining bosses (224,321 of the cover on the container.