GB2255767A

GB2255767A - Container of variable volume

Info

Publication number: GB2255767A
Application number: GB9110315A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Taylor; Martin Phillip Nott; Martin David John Clarke
Original assignee: CLARKE PACKAGING Ltd
Current assignee: CLARKE PACKAGING Ltd
Priority date: 1991-05-13
Filing date: 1991-05-13
Publication date: 1992-11-18
Anticipated expiration: 2011-05-13
Also published as: GB2255767B; GB9110315D0

Abstract

A container particularly suitable for prepared foodstuffs, such as a cooked fowl, is formed from a sheet of plastics material and comprises a lower container portion (3) and an upper container portion (2) joined by an integral hinge (4). Each container portion (2, 3) has a respective flange (6, 9) which is formed with a plurality of corrugations (6a, 9a). The two flanges (6, 9) can overlap with one another when the container portions (2, 3) are relatively moved about the hinge (4) to a closed condition of the container and the corrugations (6a, 9a) can interengage with one another as retention means, the plurality of corrugations (6a, 9a) allowing the flanges (6, 9) to engage at any one of a plurality of relative positions whereby the volume of the container is adjustable. <IMAGE>

Description

CONTAINER FOR AN ARTICLE OR ARTICLES The invention relates to a container for an article or articles.

The invention has particular though not exclusive application to a container for prepared foodstuffs.

Foodstuffs preparation is increasingly becoming an operation conducted in a factory rather than in a domestic situation. Prepared foodstuffs require specialised containers in which they can be marketed and transported both by the seller and by the purchaser.

According to the invention a container for an article or articles comprises a sheet of plastics material formed to define an upper container portion and a lower container portion joined by an integral hinge about which the upper container portion and the lower container portion are relatively movable between an open position of the container and a closed position of the container, each of the upper container portion and the lower container portion having at a position thereof remote from the hinge a respective flange which extends generally parallel to an arc of radius about the hinge at that position and each flange having a plurality of corrugations therein whereby the two flanges can overlap one with the other with the corrugations interengaging as retention means, the plurality of corrugations in the flanges allowing the flanges to interengage at any of a plurality of relative positions of the upper container and the lower container portion whereby the volume of the closed container is adjustable.

Thus the volume of a container can be adjusted to suit the size of the contents to be contained therein. Where the contents are animal or vegetable products rather than manufactured products the size is likely to vary and if it is desired to have the upper container portion contacting the contents to prevent the contents moving within the container during transport of the container it is important that the container be of variable size. Thus the container may for example be designed to contain a cooked fowl and the upper container portion and the lower container portion may each have inwardly projecting indentations formed therein to provide ribs to contact the fowl at spaced positions. The invention allows fowl of a variety of sizes securely to be packed in a single size container due to the variation allowed by the retention means.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a container according to the invention in a closed position; Figure 2 is a plan view to a reduced scale of the container of Figure 1 in an open position; Figure 3 is a side view of the container of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a sectional detail to an enlarged scale showing edge portions of the container of Figures 1 to 3.

Referring to the drawings, a container 1 comprises an upper container portion 2 and a lower container portion 3 joined by an integral hinge 4. The container 1 shown is intended for packing a fowl, particularly a cooked and prepared chicken, and each portion 2, 3 thereof in plan view has the shape of a triangle upon a rectangle.

In side view the upper portion 2 has a domed upper wall and the lower portion 3 tapers from a small height to a greater height in a direction away from the hinge 4 to a position which corresponds to the apex of the triangle when viewed in plan.

The upper portion 2 has all around its open peripheral edge a flange 6 which is generally vertical and tapers in height from a small size to a large size in a direction away from the hinge 4. An outwardly directed horizontal flange 7 is provided at the lower edge of the flange 6.

The lower container portion has a horizontal flange 8 at its open peripheral edge and at the outer edge of the flange 8 a downwardly depending generally vertical flange 9 which increases in depth in a direction away from the hinge 4. At the lower edge of the flange 9 is an outwardly directed horizontal flange 10. The hinge is actually provided between the flanges 7 and 10.

Upon movement of the upper container portion 2 relative to the lower container portion 3 from the open position of Figures 2 and 3 to the closed position of Figure 1, the generally vertical flange 6 on the portion 2 overlaps the generally vertical flange 9 on the portion 3.

At positions remote from the hinge 4, the flanges 6 and 9 are corrugated as shown at 6a and 9a. The corrugations 6a and 9a can interengage to retain the upper container portion 2 in engagement with the lower container portion 3. Multiple corrugations, for example four corrugations in the portion 6a and four corrugations in the portion 9a may be provided whereby the upper container portion 2 is engageable with the lower container portion 3 in several different relative positions. The overall height and thus the overall volume of the enclosed container is thus variable in accordance with the height of the contents of the container over which the upper container portion 2 is closed.

Reinforcing formations indicated at 11 and 12 may be provided in the portion 2 and the portion 3 generally forming inwardly projecting ribs to make contact with the contents of the container to retain such contents in position and prevent movement within the container.

After the desired contents have been placed in the container and the upper container portion closed down onto the lower container portion sufficiently to engage the upper container portion with the contents, a label could be secured across the portions 6a and 9a of the container 1 to seal the container so that it could not be opened without it being obvious that it had been opened.

The container 1 is advantageously formed of a transparent plastics material such as rigid P.V.C. polythene or polystyrene by vacuum deep drawing plastics sheet.

Venting apertures may be provided in the upper container portion and/or the lower container portion, preferably in the flange 8 of the lower container portion.

Additional corrugated portions may be provided at lateral portions of the flanges 6 and 9.

Claims

1. A container for an article or articles comprising a sheet of plastics material formed to define an upper container portion and a lower container portion joined by an integral hinge about which the upper container portion and the lower container portion are relatively movable between an open position of the container and a closed position of the container, each of the upper container portion and the lower container portion having, at a position thereof remote from the hinge, a respective flange which extends generally parallel to an arc of radius about the axis of the hinge at that position and each flange having a plurality of corrugations therein whereby the two flanges can overlap one with the other with the corrugations interengaging as retention means, the plurality of corrugations in the flanges allowing the flanges to interengage at any of a plurality of relative positions of the upper container and the lower container portion whereby the volume of the closed container is adjustable.

2. A container according to claim 1, in which the container is designed to contain a cooked fowl and the upper container portion and the lower container portion each have inwardly projecting indentations formed therein to provide ribs to contact the fowl at spaced positions.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which each flange is part of an overall flange which extends, for the respective container portion, from one side of the hinge to the other side thereof around the edge of the respective container portion.

4. A container according to claim 3, in which the overall flange increases in height in a direction away from the hinge.

5. A container according to claim 3 or claim 4, in which the overall flange of the upper container portion is connected at its upper edge to the remainder of the upper container portion and has a flange at its lower edge which is perpendicular to the overall flange and is outwardly turned.

6. A container according to any one of claims 3 to 5, in which the overall flange of the lower container portion has a flange at its upper edge which is perpendicular to the overall flange and connects the overall flange to the remainder of the lower container portion and a flange at its lower edge which is perpendicular to the overall flange and is outwardly turned.

7. A container for an article or articles substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.