GB2337511A - Package for spherical fruit and vegetable products - Google Patents

Abstract

A package for fruit and vegetable products, in particular those which are spherical or similar in shape, comprises a container (10) for holding one or more fruit and vegetable products, which has a base element (12) and a lid element (14) which can be fitted together to form an inner cavity or chamber in the container that holds the fruit and vegetable products. The lower section (16) of the base element (12) defines at least one substantially hemispherical seat (18), designed to hold the lower portion of a fruit or vegetable product. The upper section of the base element (20) comprises an external wall consisting of side panels (22, 24, 26, 28) which protect and contain the upper portion of the product and which extend upwards from the lower section (16) of the base element (12).

Description

1 2337511 A container for spherical fruit and vegetable products is The

present invention relates to a container for fruit and vegetable products, in particular those which are spherical in shape, such as apples, persimmons, oranges and similar products.

The above-mentioned fruit and vegetable products are currently supported by packages simply comprising a base upon which the product rests, shaped so as to define seats that are generally hemispherical, in which the spherical fruit and vegetable products are placed. In order to hold the products on said support base, a plastic film is wrapped around both. This film effectively holds the product on the base, but does not provide the product with any protection against crushing due to package stacking or accidental impacts caused, for example, if the packages are dropped.

Packages for small fruit and vegetable products are also known, for example, for strawberries, cherries and similar, consisting of a substantially prismatic box-shaped container, in which the loose products are heaped. There is nothing to hold the 2 is products against the base, except the presence of the outer walls of the package and lateral contact with the other products heaped in the container. Thus, the products cannot be firmly held in this type of package, and are free to move around inside, striking the walls of the package and the other products in it when the package is handled.

Such impacts and crushing, to which the fruit and vegetable products are subjected in the abovementioned known packages, are extremely damaging to the product, since they start premature deterioration and decomposition processes.

Moreover, such impacts and crushing have a negative effect on product appearance and make it more difficult to sell them, leading to economic damage and waste for the fruit and vegetable producers and sales companies.

The aim of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a package for fruit and vegetable products which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and, in particular, to provide a package in which the fruit and vegetable products are firmly held and well protected.

Said aims are achieved with a package which has the characteristics indicated in claim 1.

3 is The secondary claims refer to special advantageous embodiments of the present invention.

The technical characteristics of the present invention, in accordance with the aims, are indicated in the claims herein, and the advantages are more clearly shown in the detailed description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, which represent an embodiment of the present invention, without limiting its scope of application, and in which:

- Figure 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the package according to- the present invention; - Figure 2 is a side view of the lid element of the container according to the present invention; - Figure 3 is a top plan view of the base element of the container - according to the present invention; - Figure 4 is a side view of only the base element of the container disclosed; - Figure 5 is a cross-section through line V - V in Figure 3 of the base element of the container disclosed; - Figure 6 illustrates a pile or stack of base elements made according to the present embodiment 4 of the invention, inserted inside one another.

A preferred embodiment of the package for fruit and vegetable products according to the present invention is illustrated in Figure 1. The package basically comprises a generally prismatic container 10 which holds one or more substantially spherical fruit and vegetable products. The container 10 comprises a base element 12 and a lid element 14, which can be fitted together to define an inner cavity or chamber which holds the fruit and vegetable products.

Figure 2 shows how the lid element 14 has the shape of an inverted tray, with a horizontal perimetral panel 13 which makes contact and engages with the base element 12 below, and from which a substantially vertical quadrangular perimetral wall 17 extends. At the corners there are recesses 19 which, together with the corresponding corner edges of the base element 12, form snap-in connections between the lid and the base element 12.

The lid 14 also has a tab 15 for gripping and handling the lid 14, which is used to open and close the container. The tab is extends substantially horizontally from one corner of the lower lip of the vertical wall 17.

Figures 3 to 5 also illustrate how the base element 12 basically comprises a lower section 16 defining hemispherical or bowl-shaped seats 18, designed to hold the lower portion of a spherical fruit or vegetable product, and an upper section 20 consisting of a quadrangular external wall 20 comprising lateral containment panels 22, 24, 26, 28 which protect the sides of the product in the container.

In the description below, the term hemispherical refers both to a bowlshaped and a hemispherical seat configuration.

As indicated, the side protection and containment panels 22, 24, 26, 28 extend upwards from the lower section 16 of the base 12, diverging slightly towards the top of the container,- and define an upper widening of the base element 12, at the point where the upper and generally wider portion of the fruit or vegetable product is held.

In order to create this widening effect, a connecting perimetral edge 30 is also envisaged on the base element. Said edge is substantially horizontal and connects the upper end of the lower section 16 to the lower end of the base element side protection panels 22, 24, 26, 28.

6 From the upper end of the side panels 28 there extends an external edge substantially horizontal, which defines and stop f or the container lid 14. The of said edge engage elastically, with connection, with the recesses 19 in providing a firm connection with the latter For resting the package on a surface, on the base 12, each hemispherical seat 18 for the fruit and vegetable products has a flat lower surface 34 with base stiffening ribs 36 which are preferably - as in the present embodiment parallel._Said ribs 36 also advantageously prevent the container from sliding.

As illustrated in Figure 3, a further advantageous feature is the positioning of the ribs 36, which prevent adjacent seats 18 from sliding, at right angles to one another.

The lower section 16 which defines the hemispherical seats 18 of the base element 12, in turn has a perimetral wall with a band 35, perimetral to the entire base element, which extends from the base of the flat connecting element 30, converging slightly towards the base, and at the corners of the base element connects to 22 24, 26, also 32, a support corners 33 a snap-in the lid 7 the circular bands 37, with arched profile, of the hemispherical seats 18. The lower edge of said circular band 37 is, in turn, integral with the circular edge of the respective flat lower support surface 34 of the seats 18.

As is particularly evident with reference to Figures 3 and 5, between the adjacent seats, the arched bands 37 define dividers 38, with a concave upper edge, formed by opposite and converging sheets 371 of the seats 18. Said dividers advantageously form stiffening ribs on the base 12 of the container.

Said dividers or stiffening ribs 38 are set at right angles to one another and converge at the centre of the container, at a raised portion 40 of the base, with a flat upper surface 41 and rhomboid cross-section, tapering slightly towards the top, from whose vertices the dividers or ribs 38 extend. The lateral faces 43 of the raised central portion 40 form arched support flaps which connect with the sheets 37 to create the hemispherical wall of the seat 18.

Each concave divider 38 has, on the side opposite that of the rhomboid central portion 40, a respective raised point 42 which, together with an 8 arched panel below 44 and the external band 35 attached to the latter, forms a channel 46 in the upper zone of the lower section of the container, between the point 42- and the wall 35, extending parallel with the corresponding lateral wall of the lower section, only in the central zone.

The configuration of the bottom of the base element 12 allows easy stacking, with reciprocal penetration (illustrated in Figure 6) of a plurality of base elements 12, thus saving space and being advantageous for the storage and transportation of said base elements before use.

The channel 46 configuration has longitudinal edges 45 angled or curved towards the inside of the container which, together with the side sheet 47 of the point 42 which is angled towards the seat 18, form means that support the fruit or vegetable product in the seat 18, which allow an arched product support configuration to be created on this side of the seat 18 as well. Said support configuration allows the obtainment of seats 18 whose general configuration is very close to a hemisphere or bowl-shape even at the outer ends of the intermediate dividers 38. This means that the fruit or vegetable product can be gripped and held 9 is evenly on all of its sides and at the same time promotes the reciprocal penetration and stackability of the base elements 12.

In accordance with the present preferred embodiment, the lateral panels 22, 24, 26, 28 extend upwards by a height substantially equal to half the height of the base element 12.. Ribs 12' and 141 in the form of grooves and projections in the surfaces of the side walls of the base 12 and the lid 14 are created in the preferred way to guarantee increased strength of their side sections.

The container is made of moulded plastic, preferably transparent polyethylene. Very little plastic is required to make the present container. The present invention may be subject to numerous variations, all encompassed by the original design concept. Moreover, all parts may be substituted with technically equivalent elements.

claims A package for fruit and vegetable products, in particular those which are spherical or similar in shape, comprising a container which holds one or more fruit or vegetable products, having a base element and a lid element which can be fitted together to form an inner cavity or chamber which holds the fruit and vegetable products, characterised in that the base element has a lower section defining one or more hemispherical seats, being designed to hold the lower portion of a fruit or vegetable product, and an upper section in the f orm of an external wall, comprising lateral protection and containment panels extending upwards from the lower section of the base element to hold an upper portion of the fruit or vegetable products.

2) The package as in claim 1, characterised in that the lateral protection and containment panels define a widened upper section of the base element.

11 3) 4) 6) The package as in claim 2, characterised in that it comprises a substantially horizontal perimetral edge connecting the upper end of the lower section to the lateral panels of the base element.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that an external edge, defining a lid element support and stop, extends horizontally outwards from the upper end of the lateral panels of the base element.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the lateral protection and containment panels diverge slightly as they extend towards the top of the container.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that each substantially hemispherical seat designed to hold the lower portion of the product has a flat lower support surface.

12 7) 8) 9) 10) The package as in claim 6, characterised in that the flat lower support surface of the seat has base stiffening ribs, defining means which prevent the container from sliding.

The package as in claim 7, characterised in that the ribs which prevent the adjacent seats from sliding are angled in opposite directions.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the seats consist of respective circular bands, having an arched crosssection, the bases of which are connected to the external circular edges of the respective lower flat support surfaces of the seats.

The package as in claim 9, characterised in that the lower section defining the hemispherical seats of the base element has a perimetral wall comprising a perimetral band extending from the bottom of the flat connecting element, converging slightly towards the base and, at the corners of the base element, connecting to the circular 13 bands, thus forming hemispherical seats.

11) 12) 13) the lower part of the The package as in claim 9 or claim 10, characterised in that the arched circular bands of the adjacent seats contiguously define, between the adjacent seats, dividers having a concave upper edge, suitable for strengthening the base of the container.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims from 9 to 11, characterised in that the dividers are set at right angles to one another, converging at the centre of the container in a raised portion, the latter having a flat upper surface and rhomboid cross-section, tapering towards the top and from whose vertices the dividers extend.

The package as in claim 12, characterised in that the lateral faces of the raised central portion form arched support flaps, connecting with the divider sheets.

14 14) 15) 16) The package as in any of the foregoing claims from 11 to 13 characterised in that, on the side opposite that with the end at the centre of the container, each concave divider has a respective raised pointed portion, forming, together with an arched panel below and the opposite external band connected to the latter, a channel configuration extending parallel with the corresponding lateral wall of the lower section, only in the central zone.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims from 11 to 14, characterised in that the channel configuration has longitudinal edges, the latter being angled or curved towards the inside of the container and, together with the corresponding lateral sheet of the pointed portion, pointing towards the corresponding seat, forming support means with an arched configuration for the fruit or vegetable product held in the seat.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that snapin connection means is are envisaged, connecting the base element and the lid element.

17) 18) 19) The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the lateral panels extend upwards by a height equalling half the height of the base element.

The package as in any of the foregoing claims, characterised in that the base element has a configuration which allows the stacking of similar base -elements with reciprocal penetration.

The container as in the foregoing claims, for the aims indicated, and as described with reference to the accompanying drawings.