GB2322120A - Containers - Google Patents

Abstract

A container e.g. for produce in a supermarket has a base wall (20) to which is secured a moisture absorbent layer of material (22). The material is retained by means of a perforated film (23) that is secured to the base wall by means of heat sealing. Unwanted moisture of fluid is removed from sight in the packaged product.

Description

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO CONTAINERS The present invention relates to containers, particularly, but not exclusively, of the kind that are used to package and display produce in a supermarket.

It is known for containers of the kind defined above to contain a moisture absorbent layer. Such layers are used for example to absorb traces of blood that egress from raw meat, or other fluids that emanate from packaged produce such as natural fats, cooking fats (in the case of cooked produce), or water. The moisture absorbent layer is generally in the form of a small rectangular piece of material that is placed in the base of the container under the produce being packaged. The layer is sometimes secured to the base of the container by means of a suitable adhesive.

Often the absorbent layers can become dislodged or lost during or after packaging and moisture such as unsightly blood from raw meats is visible to the potential purchaser.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantage.

According to the present invention there is provided a container having a moisture absorbent material, the material being retained under a perforated film secured to a wall of the container.

Preferably the film is heat sealed to the container wall but could alternatively be secured by adhesive.

The material may conveniently be secured to a base wall of the container.

The base wall of the container may be formed with a recess into which the moisture absorbent material is seated, the film being secured around the periphery of the recess.

Alternatively the base wall may have an upstanding wall formation to which the film is secured thereby defining an enclosure in which the moisture absorbent in received.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a plastics container with lid with a moisture absorbent layer shown in the inset; Figure 2 is a side view of the container of figure 1; Figure 3 is a sectioned side view of a first alternative embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 4 is a sectioned side view of a second alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in figures 1 and 2 there is shown a transparent plastics container 1 with lid 2, the container 1 having a base wall 3 and upstanding side walls 4. The container may alternatively be constructed from another material that is coated or laminated with a moisture resistant material such as plastics.

At the centre of the base wall 3 there is shown a rectangular layer of moisture absorbent material 4 which is well-known to this field. The layer 4 is retained on the base wall 3 by means of a perforated film 5 that is secured to base wall 3 by means of a heat seal 6 around its four edges. The film may be, for example, a transparent plastics material or a foil.

In figure 3, there is shown an alternative container 10 (lid removed) in which the base wall 11 is moulded with rectangular recess 12. The moisture absorbent layer 13 is received in the recess 12 and is sealed therein by means of a perforated film 14 that is secured by heat sealing or adhesive to the periphery 15 of the recess 12.

A further alternative is shown in figure 4. In this embodiment the base wall 20 is moulded with upstanding formations 21 that defines a rectangular wall in which the moisture absorbent layer 22 is received. The perforated film 23 is then sealed to an upper surface 24 of the rectangular wall 21, thereby enclosing the moisture absorbent layer 22.

The present invention permits the moisture absorbent layer to be inserted during the production of the container rather than in a packaging stage. It also provides for a cheap and simple arrangement for securing the moisture absorbent layer in the container so that it does not become dislodged during packaging.

Unwanted moisture such as unsightly blood from fresh meat is conveniently absorbed and retained by the moisture absorbent layer of material and is hidden from view under the packaged product.

It will be appreciated that numerous modifications to the above described design may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the layer of moisture absorbent material may be replaced by other known moisture absorbent substances such as granules of silica gel or the like. Moreover the container may be of any suitable configuration or shape. For example, it may be open-topped with the product being enclosed and sealed in the container by means of cling film or heat-shrink film.

Claims (7)

1. A container containing a moisture absorbent material, the material being retained under a perforated film secured to a wall of the container.

2. A container according to claim 1, wherein the film is heat sealed to the container wall.

3. A container according to claim 1, wherein the film is secured by adhesive.

4. A container according to claim 1,2 or 3, wherein the film is secured to a base wall of the container.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the base wall of the container defines a recess into which the moisture absorbent material is seated, the film being secured around the periphery of the recess.

6. A container according to claim 4, wherein the base wall has an upstanding wall formation to which the film is secured thereby defining an enclosure in which the moisture absorbent in received.

7. A container substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to figure 1 and 2, figure 3 or figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.