MXPA06008692A

MXPA06008692A - Resealable food container.

Info

Publication number: MXPA06008692A
Application number: MXPA06008692A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Gladys O Sierra-Gomez; Eva M Peters; Alexis J Gracia-Lugo; Jr Thomas Tedeschi; Jeffrey T Weber; Stuart G Paterson
Original assignee: Kraft Foods Holdings Inc
Priority date: 2005-08-01
Filing date: 2006-08-01
Publication date: 2007-01-31
Also published as: ES2425085T3; EP1749756A3; RU2415061C2; DK2292527T3; EP1749756A2; NO20063473L; EP2292527A1; AR056439A1; PL1749756T3; US20140248402A1; RU2006127772A; ATE512087T1; US20070023436A1; ES2365154T3; DK1749756T3; EP2292527B1; EP1749756B1; PL2292527T3; UA101139C2; BRPI0603032A

Abstract

A polygonal shaped container is provided which includes a wrapper surrounding a food product. The shape of the container is defined by either a frame containing a food product or rigid material incorporated with the wrapper. Access to contents in the container is provided by withdrawing a resealable sealing layer sealed to the top or side surface of the container and withdrawing the sealing layer from the container or by pivoting a rigid lid away from the top of the container.

Description

RE-SELLABLE FOOD CONTAINER Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a resealed container, and in particular to a new and improved re-sealable container having a resealable sealing cover that can be removed from one side of the container to achieve access to your interior. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many conventional containers for food products, such as cookies and other snacks, include a frame surrounded by an outer wrapper. The framework acts as a tray to maintain the food product and to protect the food product from damage. Access to the contents of the container is normally achieved by opening one end of the envelope, removing the tray from its interior, and then removing the food product from the tray. However, these containers generally do not provide a convenient opening and re-closing arrangement. For example, reclosing the envelope, once opened, generally includes simply folding or wrapping the end down and holding the end to keep the envelope closed. Seals capable of resealing have been used for dispensing bags for wet wipes or disposable wipes. The label on these bags can be pulled back, thereby exposing an opening, allowing access to wet or cleansing wipes inside. Typically, these dispensing bags are completely flexible, formed exclusively of a plastic material or other suitable flexible material that closely surrounds the package of wet wipes or cleansers. Examples of these dispensing bags include US Pat. Nos. 4,840,270 and 6,026,953, design patent US D 447,054, and patent application US 2002/0182359. However, such known dispensing bags are not well adapted to contain food products as these containers are not able to provide adequate protection for storing food products. A recent re-sealable food container is disclosed in US 2004/0206637, incorporated herein by reference. The disclosed re-sealable container is adapted for use with food products and includes a frame defining a polygonal shape and wrapping surrounding the frame and having a top opening. A sealing layer capable of sealing is adhesively sealed to the top. An additional package used to dispense wipes or disposable wipes is a container filled with wipes sold under the trade designation Huggies Supreme. This package includes a rigid tray with a rigid articulated cover. An additional recent re-sealable container-dispenser is disclosed in US patent 6,026,953, in which a re-sealable container-dispenser is designed to contain wet wipes. The container is made of a flexible sheet material having an opening in the upper surface for dispensing wet wipes. A reinforcing sheet larger than the dispensing opening is attached to the upper surface of the container. A re-sealable skirt provides access opening and closing to wet wipes disposed within the container. There is a need to provide additional and improved containers for food products having various re-sealable closure devices. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to provide new and improved containers for food products such as biscuits and the like, which containers provide adequate protection for their contents, while simultaneously facilitating the opening of the container wrapper. and resealing the container to protect its content until the content is completely consumed. A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a container that can be manufactured using methods other than those used in prior food containers having re-sealable openings.

A further purpose of the present invention is to use alternative materials for a container for food products. These purposes are achieved by providing an adequate container composed of selected materials that provide desired characteristics and containing food products that are accessible using a re-sealable container. According to one embodiment, the present invention comprises a food container having a frame defining the shape of the container, wherein the container has an upper part, a lower part and sides connected in the upper and lower part. The frame contains a food product. A wrap surrounds the frame and forms the top, sides and bottom of the container. The upper part and one side has an access opening large enough to provide access to substantially all of the food product contained within the frame. A sealing layer includes a start portion that can be grasped by a user. The sealing layer is adhesively sealed to the top and one side around the opening. The sealing layer is re-sealable when the starting portion is pulled in a direction away from the side to which the sealing layer is sealed to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of the sealing layer to provide access to the upper access opening. The sealing layer is re-sealable against the top and side to seal the opening when the sealing layer is disposed back against the top and the side. In alternative, additional embodiments, the upper part of the wrapper includes a skirt that has substantially the same dimensions as the opening and is permanently fixed to the sealing layer, and the starting portion includes a tab that projects more beyond an edge on the side of the container to which the start portion is sealed and accessible beyond the seal to be grasped by a user, when the start portion is located at the sealed end of the wrapper. According to another aspect of the present invention, a food container comprises a frame defining a polygonal shape of the container. The container has an upper part, a lower part and a side that connects the upper part and the lower part. The frame contains a food product. A wrap surrounds the frame and forms the upper sides and bottom of the container. The upper part has at least two access openings to provide access to substantially all of the food product contained within the frame. At least two sealing layers are provided, each having a starting portion that can be grasped by a user. Each of the sealing layers is adhesively sealed to the top around a respective opening of the openings. Each of the sealing layers is re-sealable when a respective start portion is pulled in a direction away from the top to in turn pull and thereby release a portion of the respective sealing layer to provide access by hand to the respective upper access opening and re-sealable against the upper part to seal the respective opening when the respective sealing layer is moved back against the upper part. In alternative, additional embodiments, the frame comprises a tray and the tray comprises two compartments, each compartment accessible through a respective opening of the at least two openings. The present invention, in another form thereof, refers to a polygonal food container comprising one or more food protectors such as frames containing a food product that defines the polygonal shape of the container. The container has an upper part, a lower part and a side that connects the upper part and the lower part. A wrap surrounds one or more of the food products and forms the top, the sides and the bottom of the container. One side has at least one access opening large enough to allow one or more food protectors to be removed therethrough. A sealing layer having a start portion that can be grasped by a user is adhesively sealed to the side around the opening. The sealing layer is releasable when the starting portion is pulled in a direction away from the side to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of the sealing layer to provide for the removal of one or more food protectors - Sealable against the side to seal the opening when the sealing layer is moved back against the side. In alternative, additional embodiments, the food saver comprises a tray, a deformed chunk surrounding the food product, a core portion surrounding the food product and a frame surrounding the food product, where the frame may not include as much an upper part as a lower part. The present invention, in another form thereof, concerns a container of polygonal shape comprising a shell comprising a first flexible material and a second material more rigid than the first material. The second material is incorporated with the envelope to thereby provide rigidity to the envelope and define container faces. The faces include an upper part, sides and a lower part of the container. The wrap with rigid material incorporated contains a food product. One of the faces has an access opening large enough to provide access to the food product contained within the wrapper. The sealing layer includes a start portion that can be grasped by a user. The sealing layer is adhesively sealed to one face around the opening. The sealing layer is re-sealable when the start portion is pulled in a direction away from the face to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of the sealing layer to provide removal of the food products and re-seal. - Sealable against the face to seal the opening when the sealing layer is moved back against the face. According to another embodiment, the present invention comprises a food container of polygonal shape comprising a frame defining the polygonal shape of the container. The container has an upper part, a lower part and sides connecting the upper part and the lower part and the frame contains a food product. A wrap surrounds the frame and forms the top, bottom and sides of the container. The upper part has an access opening large enough to provide access to substantially all of the food product contained within the frame. A rigid cover is articulated to the upper part, which provides access to the upper opening. The container is transformed into an open configuration by pivoting the cover away from the top along the joint to provide access to the upper opening and returned to a closed configuration by returning the cover along the joint so that the cover covers the access opening. Brief Description of the Dibs A detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention follows, to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a re-sealable container in a closed configuration of according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 1 in one. partially open configuration; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a re-sealable container frame of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a perspective view of another frame of a re-sealable food container; Figure 5 is a perspective view of another frame of a re-sealable food container; Figure 6 is a perspective view of another frame for a re-sealable food container; Figure 7 is a perspective view of another frame for a re-sealable food container; Figure 8 is a perspective view of another re-sealable food container in a closed configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 8 in a partially open configuration; Figure 10 is a perspective view of another re-sealable food container in a closed configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 10 in a partially open configuration; Figure 12 is a perspective view of another re-sealable container in a closed configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 12 in a partially open configuration; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a food saver according to the present invention; Figure 15 is a perspective view of another food saver according to another aspect of the present invention; Figure 16 is a perspective view of another re-sealable food container in a closed configuration according to still another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 17 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 16 in a partially open configuration; Figure 18 is a perspective view of another re-sealable container in a closed configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings, where like elements are represented by similar numbers through the circle views, in FIGS. 1 and 2 the resealable container 10 includes the envelope 11 that forms the upper part 12, lower part 13, opposite sides 14a and 14b and opposite ends 15a and 15b. The upper part 12 and the side 14a have a die cut that forms the skirt 16, as indicated by the broken line 19. The skirt 16, when pulled back from the container 10, forms the opening 18. The wrap 11 extends beyond the end of the upper part 12 and the lower part 13 at the ends 15a and 15b, where the casing 11 is engaged to form interlocking seals 21a, 21b. A sealing cap or layer is formed from a sealing label 20 which is affixed to the skirt 16. Advantageously, the sealing label 20 is permanently affixed to the skirt 16 using an appropriate adhesive. The sealing tag 20 covers a substantial portion of the upper part 12 extending from the vicinity of the side 14a to the vicinity of the side 14b and the proximity of the end 15a to the vicinity of the end 15b. A portion of the sealing tag 20 extends over the edge 17 of the upper surface and extends along the side 14a.

The surface area of the sealing label 20 is advantageously proportional to the size of the opening 18. For example, if the sealing label 20 is too large, the cover can become trapped or overlap the corners 23a, 23b of the package 10, or it can be trapped in the seals 21a, 21b, in both cases potentially affecting the functionality of the seal label 20. Advantageously, the surface area of the seal label 20 should be approximately 1.5 to 2 times, and more preferably around It is advantageous to have the size of the opening 18 proportional to the size of the package 10 and the food items contained therein so that, when the container is still full of food product, the consumer has easy access to essentially all the food product inside the package, for example not requiring to get too far inside the container 10 under the upper part r 12 to gain access to a food product contained therein. Of course, when the container is emptied, the consumer can easily access the remaining food product. Graphic elements may be formed on the sealing label 20 which align with the corresponding graphic elements in the upper part 12 when the sealing label 20 is sealed or in a skirt position in the upper part 12 and the side 14a. Alternatively, the sealing label 20 may be transparent, allowing the graphic elements on the upper part 12, the side 14a and the skirt 16 to be visible through the sealing label 20. A starting portion, for example the tab 22, extends from end 24 of the seal label. As a result, the tongue 22 can be grasped by the fingers and thumb of a person such that the tongue 22 is easily accessible for that person to pull. In addition, the tongue 22 allows a user to re-seal the package. The size and shape of the tongue 22 are optimized for greater functionality. Advantageously, the tongue 22 has a surface area of 1 to 6% the total surface area of the sealing label 20. The adhesive 26 is applied to the surface of the sealing label 20 which is in contact with the upper part 12. and the side 14a, which includes the perimeter around the skirt 16. Advantageously, the adhesive 26 provides a removable seal between a sealing label 20 and the upper part 12 and the side 14a. The adhesive 26 provides a removable seal between a seal label 20 and the top 12 and the side 14a. The adhesive 26 is not applied to the tongue portion 22. The absence of an adhesive on the tongue 22 allows a consumer to more easily grasp the starting portion in order to open the container 10 as the tongue 22 will not be sealed to the side 14a . In addition, by giving a consumer a specific portion of the seal cover to pull, the consumer is not brought to touch the adhesive portion of the seal label 20, due to such a touch, it may lose its adhesiveness and thus not provide an appropriate re-seal against the side 14a of the container 10. This, in turn, may allow the air to gain access to the interior of the container 10 and the food product contained therein. The seal label 20 is made of a suitable material that provides a desired moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR). The VTR of the sealing label 20 limits the magnitude of moisture transmission between the interior of the container 10 and the external environment, thus maintaining the freshness of the food product contained therein. A preferred material for the seal label 20 is a 20-mil (0.05 cm) bi-axially oriented (BOPP) polypropylene material with an MVTR of 0.5 g / in2 / day (g / 6.45 cm / day). Preferred materials for the combination of the seal label 20 and the skirt 16 have a maximum MVTR of 0.01 g / in2 / day (g / 6.45 cm / day). The container 10 is transformed from a closed configuration sketched in figure 1 to a partially open configuration sketched in figure 2 by grasping the tongue 22 between the fingers and thumb of a consumer and pulling back on the sealing label 20 to gain access to the opening 18. Once the container 10 is opened, an individual food product 28, such as biscuits, or another discrete food article contained within the container 10 can be removed through the opening 18. The envelope 11 surrounds a frame 30 that forms a tray for receiving the food contents. With reference to Figure 3, the frame 30 is constituted by a rigid material forming that configuration of the container 10. Suitable rigid materials include plastics and cardboard. The frame 30 includes the ends 31a and 31b. A divider 32 divides the frame 30 into a first section 34 and a second section 36. The frame 30 can be any polygonal shape such as the rectangular shape sketched in Figure 3. Accordingly, the rectangular-shaped frame 30 forms a container 10. of rectangular shape. Alternatively, frames of different polygonal shapes will form containers having the corresponding polygonal shape. In other alternative embodiments, frames other than the frame 30, which has a single divider 32 extending longitudinally along the length of the frame 30, can be used to form re-sealable containers. For example, referring to the 4, the frame 40 includes a plurality of dividers 42 extending longitudinally along the frame 40. Referring to FIG. 5, the frame 50 includes a plurality of dividers 52 extending transversely across the width of the frame 50. Figure 6 outlines a frame 60 that does not include a divider or ends. Figure 7 outlines a frame 70 that does not include a divider or a bottom, merely having ends 71a and 71b and opposite sides 72a, 72b. The selection of a particular frame depends on a desired use. In addition, various frames may include ends such as frames 30, 40 and 50, having ends 31a, 31b, 41a, 41b, 51a, 51b; or a frame may be open at the ends, such as the frame 60 with the open ends 61a, 61b. In an alternative embodiment, figures 8 and 9 sketch the container 110. Similar elements in the container 110 are numbered in a manner similar to those of the container 10, but increased by 100. The container 110 includes the envelope 111 formed around a rigid frame such as one of the frames 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 discussed herein. A parallel, continuous cutout 119 is formed in the wrapper 111 along a portion of the top portion 112 that extends beyond the edge 117, along the end 115a, and terminates in a hinged packing seal 121a of the wrapping 111, so that the cutout 119 forms the skirt 116. The upper part 112 is not trimmed along the end 115b, thus forming an articulated end in the vicinity of the end 115b. A seal tag 120 is fixed to the skirt 116 along the top 112 and the end 115a. A start portion in the shape of the tongue 122 extends from the end of the tongue seal 121a. As in the container 10, access to the opening 118 is provided by a user grasping the tongue 122 between a finger and thumb and pulling back on the tongue 122 to remove the sealing label 120 with the fixed skirt 116 permanent thereto, thereby exposing the opening 118. As a result, access can be gained to the food product 128. An advantage of the container 110 is that the parallel cuts forming the. opening 118 allows access to opening 118 to be formed without the need for a registration system for cutting an opening in wrapper 111 as the cutting feature 119 can be formed in a continuous manner. An alternative embodiment of the container 210 is sketched in Figures 10 and 11, where the reference numbers are increased by 200 over those of the container 10 of Figure 1. The container 210 includes a pair of openings 218a, 218b in the part upper 212. A pair of parallel cutouts 219a, 219b forms flaps 216a, 216b, which are affixed to the sealing labels 220a, 220b, respectively. In an advantageous form, each sealing tag 220a, 220b provides access to the food content within a tray defining the shape of the container 210 and containing the food product. For example, the tray may include two compartments, each located under one of the openings 218a, 218b. The access to the food product contained in the tray is provided through the corresponding opening. Referring now to Figures 12 and 13, in an alternative embodiment, the container 310 includes a side opening 318 formed on the side 314a. The opening 318 is large enough to allow removal of the food product therein contained. The food product may be contained in any suitable food protector, which includes any of the frames or trays 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70. Alternatively, the food saver may be a deformed piece 80 surrounding a food product, as shown in Figure 14, or a core portion 90 sketched in Figure 15, which provides rigidity to the container 310 and provides protection to a food product therein wrapped. The deformed pieces 80 can be formed from a plastic or waxed paper or other suitable material. The core portion 90 can be formed from a corrugated paper or cardboard or other suitable wrapping material. Alternatively, individual trays containing a single row of food product, such as the tray 60, which may or may not be closed at the ends 61 a, 61 b, may be arranged in the container 310. The individual trays may be removed individually, thereby removing a single row of food product from the container 310 through the opening 318. In an alternative embodiment to the container 310, the sealing label 320 can be peelable from the side 314a both from the left side, as shown in figures 12 and 13, as well as from the right side, in a manner similar to the sealing label 220 of the container 210, this way allowing a person to access the opening 318 from either the left side or the right side of the container. In still another alternative embodiment, Figures 16 and 17 sketch the container 410 comprising a shell 411 surrounding a rigid shell that provides the polygonal shape of the container 410. A rigid shell 423 includes hinges 425 which pivotally attach the shell 423 to the rigid collar 426, which in turn is attached to the upper portion 412. The cover 423 includes the lip 427 and the raised portion 428 defining a slit 429 therebetween. When in the closed configuration, the cover 423 intermeshes with the collar 426, causing the collar 426 to engage with and be disposed in the slit 429. Access to the food product contained in the container 410 is provided by pulling on it. the tongue 430 and pull back on the cover 423 so that the cover 423 pivots along the joints 425. In another embodiment, Figure 18 sketches the container 510 which is formed by the sheath 511 composed of a material flexible similar to that of the envelope 11. Unlike the container 10, the polygonal shape of the container 510 is provided by a rigid material incorporated in the envelope 511 at the perimeter edges of each side of the container, such as the perimeter 517. Advantageously , a strip of rigid plastic material can be formed on each side of the container 510, such that the perimeter of each face imparts a desired rigidity to the container. 510. The access to the container 510 is similar to that of the container 310. An alternative to any of the aforementioned embodiments would be to combine the stiffness of the material 517 on one or more sides of any of the containers of the present invention to provide rigidity additional to the respective container. As will now be apparent to a person skilled in the art, the present containers provide characteristic advantages not found in the containers of the state of the art. Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to its preferred embodiments, it will be apparent that the invention is capable of numerous modifications and variations, apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A food container, comprising: a frame defining the shape of the container, said container having an upper part, a lower part and sides connecting the upper part and the lower part, the frame containing a food product; an envelope surrounding said frame, said envelope forming the upper part, the sides and the lower part of the container; said upper part and one of said sides having an access opening sufficiently large to provide access to substantially all of the food product contained within the frame; and a sealing layer having a start portion that can be grasped by a user, said sealing layer adhesively sealed to said top portion and said side around said opening, said sealing layer being releasable when said starting portion is winged in a direction away from said side to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of said sealing layer to provide said manual access to said upper access opening and re-sealable against said upper part and said side for sealing said opening when said sealing layer is moved back against said upper part and said side. The food container of claim 1, wherein said upper part and one said side of said envelope comprise a skirt having substantially the same dimensions as said opening and permanently fixed to said sealing layer. 3. The food container of claim 1, wherein said start portion comprises a tab projecting beyond an edge of said side of the container wherein said start portion is sealed, said tab being accessible beyond said edge. to be caught by a user. 4. The food container of claim 1, wherein said start portion comprises a tab. 5. The food container of claim 1, wherein said sealing layer is transparent. The food container of claim 1, wherein said upper part of the container includes graphic elements around said opening, and said sealing layer includes graphic elements that match the graphic elements in said upper part. 7. The food container of claim 1, wherein said start portion is located at one end thereof engaging said envelope. 8. A food container of polygonal shape, comprising: a frame defining the polygonal shape of the container, said container having an upper part, a lower part and sides connecting the upper part and the lower part, the frame containing a food product; an envelope surrounding said frame, said envelope forming the upper part, the sides and the lower part of the container; said upper part having at least two access openings for, together, providing access to substantially all the food product contained within the frame; and at least two sealing layers, each having a starting portion that can be grasped by a user, each of said sealing layers adhesively sealed to said upper part around a respective opening of said two openings, each one of said sealing layers being able to be released when said respective starting portion is pulled in a direction away from said upper part to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of said respective sealing layer to provide said manual access to said respective upper access opening and re-sealable against said upper part to seal said respective opening when said respective sealing layer is moved back against said upper part. 9. The polygonal food container of claim 8, wherein said frame comprises a tray. 10. The polygonal food container of claim 9, wherein said tray comprises two compartments, each compartment accessible through a respective opening of the at least two openings. The polygonal food container of claim 9, wherein said at least one sealing layer of said at least two layers of. seal extends from said top portion along a portion of one of the sides of said container. 12. A food container of polygonal shape, comprising: one or more food protectors containing a food product and defining the polygonal shape of the container, said container having an upper part, a lower part and sides connecting the upper part and the lower part; a wrap surrounding said one or more food protectors, said wrap forming the top, sides and bottom of the container; one of said sides having an access opening large enough to allow said one or more food protectors to be removed therethrough; and a sealing layer having a starting portion that can be grasped by a user, said sealing layer adhesively sealed to said one side around said opening, said sealing layer being able to be released when said starting portion is pulled in a direction away from said side to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of said sealing layer to provide removal of said one or more food protectors and capable of being reclosed against said side to seal said opening when said sealing layer is moved back against said side. The polygonal food container of claim 12, wherein said one or more food protectors comprise a tray. The polygonal food container of claim 12, wherein said one or more food protectors comprise a deformed part surrounding the food product. 15. The polygonal food container of claim 12, wherein said one or more food protectors comprise a core portion surrounding the food product. 16. The polygonal food container of claim 12, wherein said one or more food protectors comprise a frame surrounding the food product. The polygonal food container of claim 16, wherein said frame comprises sides but not a bottom part or an upper part. 18. A food container of polygonal shape, comprising: an envelope composed of a first flexible material; a second material more rigid than the first material, said second material incorporated with said wrapping to provide rigidity to said wrapping and to define faces of the container, said faces comprising an upper part, sides and a lower part of the container, the wrapping with the material rigid incorporated containing a food product; one of said faces having an access opening large enough to provide access to the food product contained within the envelope; and a sealing layer having a starting portion that can be grasped by a user, said sealing layer adhesively sealed to said face around said opening, said sealing layer being able to be released when said starting portion is pulled in a direction away from said face to in turn pull and thereby release at least a portion of said sealing layer to provide removal of said food items and capable of being reclosed against said face to seal said opening when said layer of Seal is moved back against said face. 19. The polygonal food container of claim 18, wherein said second material is disposed along substantially the entire perimeter of at least one of said faces of said container. 20. A food container of polygonal shape, comprising: a frame defining the polygonal shape of the container, said container having an upper part, a lower part and sides connecting the upper part and the lower part, the frame containing a food product; an envelope surrounding said frame, said envelope forming the upper part, the sides and the lower part of the container; said upper part having an access opening large enough to provide access to substantially all of the food product contained within the frame; and a rigid cover hingedly attached to said top portion, wherein said container is transformed to an open configuration by pivoting said cover away from said top portion along said articulation to provide said access to said top access opening, and returned to a closed configuration returning said cover along said articulation so that said cover covers said access opening. 21. The polygonal food container of claim 20, further comprising a rigid collar surrounding said access opening; said collar engaging said cover when said container is in a closed configuration. 22. The polygonal food container of claim 21, wherein said collar forms a interlocking link with said cover when said container is in the closed configuration.