GB2056262A - A container - Google Patents

Abstract

A stackable container 1 Fig. 2, comprises a tray 3 and a lid 2 locatable on the tray 3 to close the container. The tray 3 is nestable with other such trays and includes an inner wall 16 extending upwardly and slightly outwardly from a base 11 of the tray 3 to a ridge 13 at the top of the inner wall 16 and an outer wall 10 extending downwardly and slightly outwardly from the ridge 13. The lid 2 is nestable with other such lids and includes a rim 7 extending downwardly and slightly outwardly of a top panel 6 and conforming to the outer wall 10 at the ridge 13 for locating the lid 2 on the tray 3. The rim is dimensioned to fit peripherally around the inner wall adjacent the base when the lid is placed upside- down under the tray, Fig. 5. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A container The present invention relates to containers and in particular though not exclusively to meal containers for use on aeroplanes. It is also suitable, for example, for meal containers used elsewhere and for containers for cosmetics.

A problem with a lidded air-line meal container is shortage of space in the aeroplane on which to put the lid. A known container consists of a tray with a lid which fits down around the peripheral walls of the tray to the base level of the tray. One possible position to place the lid when the meal is to be eaten from the tray is under tray.

Whichever way up the lid is placed under the tray, the tray is unsatisfactorily held above the support surface at the full height of the relatively flimsy lid.

In practice the user has to find somewhere else to put the lid.

The object of the invention is to enable the lid to be stowed upside down under the tray.

Hereinafter various terms are used such as "upwardly", "downwardly", "top", "base", "upside-down" whose connotation may change with changing orientation of the object in question. It is to be understood that these terms are used in respect of normal orientation of the object in question.

According to the invention there is provided a stackable container comprised of a tray and a lid locatable on the tray to close the container; the tray being nestable with other such trays and including an inner wall extending upwardly and slightly outwardly from a base of the tray, a ridge at the top of the inner wall and an outer wall extending downwardly and slightly outwardly from the ridge around at least part of the periphery of the tray; the lid being nestable with other such lids and including a rim extending downwardly and slightly outwardly of a top panel and conforming to the outer wall at the ridge for locating the lid on the tray, the rim being dimensioned to fit peripherally around the lower wall adjacent the base when the lid is placed upside-down under the tray with the base on or slightly above the top panel.

Preferably the container is of thermo-formable plastics material, though other materials, such as aluminium foil for the tray may be used.

The preferred method of making the tray and the lid is vacuum or pressure forming. However other methods may be used for instance injection moulding. The preferred material is high impact polystyrene for the tray and transparent polycarbonate for the lid. Other materials may be used, for instance expanded polystyrene which would preferably be injection moulded.

In vacuum or pressure forming, where preferably both male and female moulds are used, it is usual for the moulds to have an appreciable degree of taper, which provides the nestability of the trays and the lids. In the tray it is convenient for the film level to coincide with the level of the film prior to moulding. Consequently the tray will generally have a full depth outer skirt extending downwardly from the top of the wall to the base level and slightly outwardly (in accordance with the taper) to define a peripheral cavity around the tray between the wall, also known as the inner wall, and the outer skirt. The cavity tapers upwards and is open at the bottom to receive the rim of the lid with the outer skirt extending around the rim when the lid is upside-down under the tray. Where a full depth outer skirt is not used, i.e.

the film level is not coincident with the base level, the cavity will be of correspondingly reduced height and the rim may or may not extend into the cavity when the rim is around the lower portion of the inner wall. The median between these alternatives is in a container where the film level in the tray is spaced above the base level by half the total height of the closed container from base to top panel, and the film level in the lid is spaced below the level of the top panel by half the said height. The free edges of the tray on the wall and of the lid on the rim at the respective film levels rest with the lid edge on the tray edge when the lid is closing the tray and with the tray edge on the lid edge when the lid is upside down under the tray.

In the arrangement just described the free edge of the tray forms a ledge for supporting the free edge of the lid. It is generally convenient for this ledge to be present even if the film level in the tray is below the ledge. It is also convenient for the skirt and inner wall to extend higher than the ledge, at least around part of the periphery of the tray to a ridge which may abut the underside of the top panel or the underside of a ledge in the rim. Where there is no such higher ridge, the ledge on the tray may be continued in to the inner wall in the form of a ridge. Where there is a higher ridge horizontal location of the lid may be provided by fitment of the rim around the outer skirt in the region between the ledge on the tray and the higher ridge.

Whatever the arrangement, it is of course important that the rim should be dimensioned to fit around the lower portion of the inner wall.

Although the top panel of the lid may be flat, it will be usual to provide protrusions or a central indentation for registering with the base of a tray stacked on the lid. This may mean that the weight of the open container with the lid upside-down underneath will be borne by such protrusions.

Usually the weight of the tray will be transmitted to the lid by abutment of the base with the top panel. However it may be taken by abutment of the free edge or a ledge on the rim with a ledge or free edge of the tray. It is also envisaged that the outer skirt may extend below the base of the tray to take the weight thereof.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific container in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view from above of the container, with its lid in position on its tray to close the container; Figure 2 is a perspective view similar to that of Figure 1 with the lid spaced above the tray to show details of the tray; Figure 3 is an underneath view of the tray; Figure 4 is a section on the line lV-IV in Figure 3 of the tray with the lid shown both spaced above the tray and in chain dotted lines in its position closing the container and also in dashed lines another lid on which the tray is stacked; and Figure 5 is a section on the line IV--IV in Figure 3 of the tray with the lid shown upside-down both spaced below the tray and in chain dotted lines in its position immediately underneath the tray.

Referring to the drawings, the container 1 comprises the lid 2 and the tray 3. In Figure 1, the lid can be seen with its free film-level edge, which forms a lip 4, resting on a ledge 5, see Figure 2. A top panel 6 of the lid is connected to the lip 4 by a rim 7 which has a peripheral ledge 8. At the four corners of the top panel there are stacking protrusions 9.

Below the ledge 5 on the tray an outer skirt 10 extends down to terminate at the level of the base 11 (Figure 4) of the tray with a free film-level edge in the form of a turned out lip 12. At the ends of the tray, the outer skirt extends upwardly of the ledge 5 to a high ridge 13, which is carried around the corners of the tray. It does not continue along the long sides of the tray to assist comfortable access by the user to contents in variously shaped compartments 14 in the tray. At the long sides the ledge 5 is continued inwards as a ridge 1 5. From the inner edge of this ridge 1 5 and the high ridge 13 an inner wall 16 extends, at least in the compartments 14 to the base level 11 of the tray.

As may be seen in Figure 4, the outer skirt 10, the inner wall 16, inter-compartment walls 17 and the rim 7 of the lid are all slightly sloped from the vertical in accordance with the taper of the vacuum forming moulds with which the tray and the lid were made. The rim 7 conforms to the outer skirt between the ledge 5 and the high ridge 13 for positive horizontal positioning of the lid.

The ridge 13 abuts the underside of the ledge 8 of the lid. Also shown in Figure 4 in dashed lines is a lid 2' on which the tray is stacked with the stacking protrusions 9' locating around the bottom of the inner wall 16 at the corners of the tray.

The outer skirt 10 and the inner wall 16 define an upwardly tapering cavity 1 8 which is open at the level of the base 11. When the lid is placed upside-down under the tray, as shown in Figure 5, the rim 7 of the lid extends into the cavity to peripherally surround the lower portion of the inner wall 16. In this example, the lip 4 on the rim comes into abutment with the underside of the ledge 5 and the top panel 6 of the lid comes into contacts with the underside of the base 1 This is brought about by positioning the ledge 5 at half the height of the container. With the lid upsidedown underneath the weight of the tray is borne by the stacking protrusions 9, bearing on a support surface 19. Logitudinal positioning of the lid below the tray is provided between the lip 4 and the outer skirt 10 at the ledge 5 at the ends of the tray. Lateral positioning is also provided in the same manner, but in addition the rim 7 between the top panel and the ledge 8 on the lid closely fits the inner wall 1 6 at the long sides of the tray. In contrast, the rim 7 is spaced from the inner wall 1 6 at the ends of the tray as may be seen in Figure 5.

In addition to the possible stowage of the lid under the tray, the lid of the above described container has advantage over the lid arrangement which is present practice wherein for the above described tray, the rim of the lid would have extended on down from the ledge 5, if provided, to the lip 12. The actual lid 2 in not having to be drawn so far during moulding will have a more rigid rim where the same thickness of material is used, or a thinner material can be used for a rim of similar rigidity.

Claims (11)

1. A stackable container comprised of a tray and a lid locatable on the tray to close the container; the tray being nestable with other such trays and including an inner wall extending upwardly and slightly outwardly from a base of the tray, a ridge at the top of the inner wall and an outer wall extending downwardly and slightly outwardly from the ridge around at least part of the periphery of the tray; the lid being nestable with other such lids and including a rim extending downwardly and slightly outwardly of a top panel and conforming to the outer wall at the ridge for locating the lid on the tray, the rim being dimensioned to fit peripherally around the lower wall adjacent the base when the lid is placed upside-down under the tray with the base on or slightly above the top panel.

2. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the outer wall extends downwardly to the level of the base.

3. A stackable container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the outer wall includes a ledge extending around the tray intermediate the top of the ridge and the base, and the rim includes an out-turned edge which rests on the ledge when the container is closed.

4. A stackable container as claimed in claim 3 wherein the height of the ledge is such that the edge of the rim rests on the underside of the ledge when the lid is placed upside down under the tray.

5. A stackable container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the ridge is higher at two ends of the tray than at intermediate portions thereof.

6. A stackable container as claimed in claim 5 as appendent to claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the ledge is coincident with the ridge at the said intermediate portions.

7. A stackable container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the rim of the lid has a ledge at a height to rest on the top of the ridge of the tray when the container is closed.

8. A stackable container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the top panel of the lid has stacking protrusions or a central indentation for registering with the base of another such tray when stacked on the lid.

9. A stackable container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the base of the tray is subdivided into a number of individual compartments.

10. A stackable container as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the lid and the tray are vacuum or pressure moulded of thermo-formable plastics material.

11. A stackable container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.