US2146719A

US2146719A - Package for pies and the like

Info

Publication number: US2146719A
Application number: US93008A
Authority: US
Inventors: Merle P Chaplin; Richard L Emery
Original assignee: CANAL NAT BANK
Current assignee: CANAL NAT BANK; CANAL NATIONAL BANK
Priority date: 1936-07-28
Filing date: 1936-07-28
Publication date: 1939-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 1956-02-14

Description

Feb. 14, 1939. Y M. P. AP -lN E l- 2,146,719

PACKAGE FOR PIES AND THE LIKE Filed July 28, 1936 lnventgrs f IfyrleBC'haphu 18+- 20 26 flldral dL-lhwg Patented Feb. 14, 1939 2,146,719

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGE FOR PIES AND THE LIKE Merle P. Chaplin, South Portland, and Richard L. Emery, Waterville, Maine, assignors, by mesne assignments, to The Canal National Bank of Portland, Portland, Maine, a national banking association of the 'United States, as trustee Application July 28,1936, Serial No. 93,008

Fig. is an enlarged vertical section through such band particularly illustrating the manner 5 Claims.

This invention relates to packages for food articles, and although not restricted to any particular article or class of articles, is particularly designed to protect individual food articles, such as pies, against contamination and damage during transit and while on display.

In common with other packages designed for this same general purpose, necessary elements of our package are the conventional transfer plate into which the pie is placed after it is baked and the usual transparent or other covering sheet for the upper surface of the pie.

Our invention however embodies certain improvements over existing pa'ckageapalrticularly in respect to the clamping band which retains the covering sheet in position and which band, according to our invention, is so designed as to permit a plurality of packages to be safely stacked one above the other without damage to the pies, each band itself providing the sole support for a pie and its plate.

As a result of this construction the individual packages forming the stack may be interlocked with each other, through said bands, to form a stable column in which each package is firmly locked to the package above and below it in such manner that the weight of the stack is not transmitted to and cannot therefore damage the pie in any particular package.

Moreover the design of the band is such that it may be shipped in flat condition to the baker and may be assembled with'the pie, plate, and covering sheet with the minimum of time and trouble and without requiring the use of special equipment.

In the accompanying drawing we have illustrated one embodiment of our invention which may be considered as typical of the principles involved in the packaging of any article or class of articles.

In such drawing:--

Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away,

of a pie package in accordance with our invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical .section' through a pair of our packages particularly showing the manner in which they interlock with each other when stacked.

Fig. 3 is a developement of the protective band in the flat form made up ready for shipment.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation of the band made up in annular form particularly showing a preferred means for detachably fastening together the overlapping ends of the band in position about the package, and

the pie plate and clamps the covering sheet in position over the pie.

For the purposes of this application we have shown a pie plate l0 having the unique protective and. reinforcing annulus of the Hart-Chaplin Patent No. 1,866,035 of July 5, 1932, although it will be understood that our invention is not restricted to use with such a plate but may be used with a conventional pie plate. We prefer, however, to use the plate of the Hart-Chaplin patent aforesaid on account of the superior protection which it offers to the edge of the pie.

As more particularly described in the Hart- Chaplin patent aforesaid, the plate comprises the bottom H, side wall I2, and rim 13 of the conventional pie plate together with a protective and reinforcing extension comprising the upwardly and outwardly disposed portion I 4, the generally horizontal portion [5, the downwardly and outwardly inclined portion l6 and the horizontal outwardly extending terminal edge or rim portion [1.

The pie or other food product P is supported on said plate 10' with its edge disposed within and protected by said annulus l4, l5, l6, l1 and is covered by the sheet S which is retained thereover by. having its marginal edge S drawn down over and around the rim ll of the plate and clamped in position by means of our improved protective and clamping band l8.

This consists of a strip of relatively tough maon a radius so as to give it a frustroconical form when bent into ring form, the taper of the side wall being indicated by the broken line 2| in Fig. 5. The strip is of a length sufficient to encircle and slightly overlap the particular size of pie plate to which it is to be applied and of a height greater than the total height of the pie plate, pie and covering sheet.

Intermediate of its height each band is formed. with a bead or rib l9, preferably outwardly disposed,'an'd forming an annularsupport or channel 20, preferably of substantially half-oval shape, within which the outer edge ll of the pieplate and the marginal edge S of the covering sheet are received and retained.

The bands are pressed out of suitable stock venience of handling. In order to prevent the bead or rib Hi from losing its identityas such and hence fail to afford a sup-port of adequate terial as heavy paper or paper board which is cut a in which the annular bead or rib thereof supports in the wanted lengths and shipped flat for conv depth for the reception of the edge of the pie plate, the head or rib is slitted at spaced intervals as indicated at 22. When bending the band to an annular shape these slits 22 open up and permit the head or rib to take a circular form without collapsing or otherwise materially distorting from its formed sectional shape.

Preferably although not necessarily the band has its upper or lower edge or both of them made relatively stiffer than the body of the band. As here shown this is done by bending over one or both edges of the band as

stiffening flanges

23 and 24, the flange 23 being bent inwardly and the flange 24 being bent outwardly. It will .be understood, of course, that this arrangement while preferable may be varied or in some cases omitted. The upper flange 23 assists in retaining the marginal edge S of the sheet within the support 20 (see Fig. 5). The lower flange 24 bottoms on the outer surface of the rib or head I! (see Fig. 2) when the packages are stacked.

The ends of the band may be overlapped and secured in any desired manner as by stapling, gluing or by means of a short strip of adhesive tape. We prefer, however, to provide the band ends with some integrally formed type of locking means, as for example, the locking tabs or

tongues

25 and 26 which coact with the

locking slots

21 and 28 formed in the band adjacent said tabs.

Referring to Fig. 3 it will be noted that the direction of the

tabs

25 and 26 is reversed as to each other and that each tab is provided with a relatively short locking notch'25, 26', which permit the tabs to be folded down fiat against the band when the band ends are interlocked as shown in Fig. 4 wherein tab 26 is lodged in the locking slot 21 and tab 25 is lodged in the locking slot 28. Accidental disengagement of the tabs from the slots 21 and 2B is further prevented by the bending over of the

flanges

23 and 24 upon the body of the band. As, shown in Fig. 4 the break line of the upper flange 23 is at 29 and that of the lower flange 24 at 30, these break lines being offset to each other so that in the region of the overlapped band ends, these flanges also tend to hold the tabs locked.

In assembling the package, the cover sheet is placed over the pie supported on the plate I 0. The band ends are interlocked as shown in Fig. 4 and the band pushed down over the plate into the position of Fig. 5. I

In forcing the band down over the plate and covering sheet, the edge of the plate tends to bend down, thus slightly decreasing its outside diameter until the plate edge reaches the-support 20, whereupon said edge returns to its normal diameter which is approximately the same as the inside diameter of said support 20. In this action the covering sheet is drawn fairly tautly over the face of the pie and is securely held between the edge of the plate and the support 20.

Various modifications in \structure, materials and uses may obviously be resorted to within the spirit and scope of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

What we therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A package comprising a container adapted to receive a food product, a cover sheet disposed ing flange adapted to'engage and assist in retaining the cover sheet within said support and having an upwardly and outwardly turned stiffening flange at its lower edge adapted to rest on the outer surface of the rib of a band next below when a plurality of packages are assembled in a stack, said upper and lower stiffening flanges terminating at points which are offset relative to each other transversely of the band and assisting to maintain the'interlock of the locking tongues within the slots.

2. A package comprising a container having an outwardly extending peripheral edge and K adapted to receive a food article, a cover sheet disposed across the upper face of the food article with its marginal edge extending downwardly over the peripheral edge of the container,-and

a band assembled about the peripheral edge of the container and having intermediate of its height an outwardly extending rib providing an internal support within which the peripheral edge of the container and the marginal portion of the cover sheet are received and retained, the upper edge of the band having an inturned flange engaging the marginal portion of the cover sheet for assisting in retaining said marginalportion of the cover sheet within said internal support.

3. A package comprising a container adapted to receive a pie, said. container having a horizontal rim and having an upwardly and outwardly disposed rim extension enclosing the edge of the pie and terminating in an outwardly disposed peripheral edge, a cover sheet disposed acres the upper face of the food article with its marginal edge extending downwardly over the peripheral edge of the container, and a band assembled about the peripheral edge of the container and having intermediate of its height an outwardly extending rib providing an internal support within which the peripheral edge of the container and the marginal portion of the cover sheet are received and retained, the upper edge of the band having an inturned flange engaging the marginal portion of the cover sheet for assisting in retaining said marginal portion of the cover sheet within said internal support.

4. The package of claim 2, the band also having an outwardly and upwardly turned stiffening flange at its lower edge.

5. The package of claim 2, the band being of a length to overlap the peripheral edges of the container and the band ends being formed as looking tongues and the band wall intermediate of its top and bottom edges having spaced locking slots adjacent the respective ends of the band adapted to receive said locking tongues.

IVIERLE P. CHAPLIN. RICHARD L. EMERY.