US3730420A

US3730420A - Egg carton

Info

Publication number: US3730420A
Application number: US00184166A
Authority: US
Inventors: F Burkett
Original assignee: Dow Chemical Co
Current assignee: Dow Chemical Co
Priority date: 1969-11-03
Filing date: 1971-09-27
Publication date: 1973-05-01
Anticipated expiration: 1990-05-01

Abstract

An egg carton formed from foam plastic sheet material, the carton having an improved highly effective latch construction for securing the carton''s lid closed with its tray portion. The tray carries a latching flap which folds over the front face of the cover after the lid is closed upon the tray. The flap carries lateraly projecting ears which snap into recessed pockets in the lid''s front face. The carton carries rosette-type cushions shaped to cradle the eggs so as to reduce significantly egg movement when the carton is handled.

Description

[ 1 May 1, 1973 3,441,196 4/1969 Burkett............................ 9/1969 Andrews....

54 EGG CARTON Inventor: Francis L. Burkett, Breckenridge,

Mich.

The

Assigneez Dow Chemical C p y Primary Exa ninerDonald NOITOH Midland, Mich Attorney-Richard G. Waterman et al.

22 Filed: Sept.27, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 184,166

[57] ABSTRACT An egg carton formed from foam plastic sheet materi- Related U's'Apphcatmn Data al, the carton having an improved highly effective [63] Continuation of Ser No. 873,175, Nov. 3, 1969. latch construction for securing the cartons lid closed with its tray portion. The tray carries a latching flap which folds over the front face of the cover after the lid is closed upon the tray. The flap carries lateraly projecting ears which snap 'into recessed pockets in 5 28R 4 6 H35 w d 9 2 R 2 4 M mm 9 n" 2 n 1" in c "r. "8 e M 1 1 men t e Umh .11] 2 8 555 the lids front face. The carton carries rosette-type cushions shaped to cradle the eggs so as to reduce sig- [56] References Cited nificantly egg movement when the carton is handled.

16 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,326,443 6/1967 Burkett.................................229/2.5

PATENTEDRAY H913 3,730 420 sum 1 BF 2 INVENTOR. I [2 2 Franc/l5 L. Burke/7 Md 6102M HTTORA/E) EGG CARTON This is a continuation, of application, Ser. No. 873,l75,frled Nov. 3, 1969.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Prior to the present invention it has been customary to form egg cartons with a latching flap extending from the tray which, when engaged with the lid cover, secures the lid in a closed position with respect to the tray. However, in those which have had significant commercial success, the latching flap has extended inwardly of the lid so that the lid cover snaps over the latching flap when closed. One example of such an egg carton is that illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,443, granted in the name of the present inventor. The one chief disadvantage of such an egg carton construction is that when one handles the carton the tendency often is for the fingers to grab hold of the lid along its bottom flange. If the latches are not secure enough this will cause the lid to open, permitting the tray to drop and spill the eggs.

Other attempts to solve this problem have not resulted in a simple latching mechanism which can be readily adapted to present handling techniques or dont permit closely nested stacks of cartons prior to their being filled. For the first time, it has been discovered that a latching mechanism can be achieved which is sturdy, easily handled and avoids the problem of accidentally opening the carton by grabbing the lower edge of the cover flange.

Due to the varying sizes and shapes of eggs and the limited sizes of egg cartons which can be made available from a practical standpoint, it has not been uncommon for an egg not to fill completely the carton cell and thereby rattle around and crack its shell or that of an adjacent egg during transport. It has been found that this undesirable and costly breakage can be reduced or eliminated by the present invention with use of strategically located and especially shaped cushion pads of foam material formed integrally with the basic egg carton structure.

Briefly, the invention comprises an egg carton having a tray portion with egg cells, and a lid hingedly connected along one flange of the tray. Along the opposite edge of the tray is a hinged flap. The carton is closed by first closing the lid down against the tray and bringing the flap up over the front wall of the tray. The flap has ears which are resilient and snap into a recessed pocket along the front wall of the lid. The flap is reinforced,

' and is designed for easy finger opening by pulling the latch away from the front wall of the lid. The resilient character of the plastic foam material forming the carton uniquely lends itself to this kind of construction although a carton formed from a material such as fibrous wood or paper pulp may also be made in accordance with the present invention. If one were to grab the carton about its middle portion along its front wall, one would be pulling up on the latching flap and further tightening the engagement of the lid with the tray, rather than pulling against the lid to accidentally urge the carton open.

The egg cells include pads of foam material formed integrally with the basic egg carton and in a rosette configuration. The resilient pads all include a bulbular portion inclined from near the outer edge of the rosette towards the center to cradle the egg in the center of the pads and cushion the same, the cushions being naturally adjustable to accept various sizes and shapes of eggs. Opposed pads in the lid and tray serve to accomplish the cradled condition.

Yet additional objects and advantages of the present invention are even more apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference designate corresponding material and parts throughout the several views thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an open egg carton constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary isometric view of the latching flap of the carton of FIG. 2 with the latching flap engaged with the lid cover and about to be opened;

FIG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 only showing the latch opened;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 55 off FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 5, and including a portion of an egg shown in phantom.

Michigan and identified as Styron 686 polystyrene resin. The carton 10 basically comprises a tray 12, a lid 14 and a front flap 16, the lid and flap preferably hingedly connected to opposite sides of the tray 12. The generally elongated rectangular tray 12, as illustrated, has one dozen egg cells 18 in a two by six arrangement. Other arrangements, such as three by four, are also possible. The carton 10 is basically formed into shape from the sheet material by known thermoforming techniques.

One of the unique features of the present invention resides in the way the lid 14 fits with the tray 12 and is held in closed engagement therewith, and is readily and easily opened. When the lid 14 is closed upon the tray 12, indents 20 in bosses 22 along the front wall of the lid slip over bosses 24 to form a secure mating and aligned relationship between the lid and tray portion of the egg carton 10. Because the lateral extent of the boss 24 is only slightly less than that of the indents 20, lateral shifting or skewing of the lid 14 with respect to the tray 12 is prevented when the carton is closed. The height of the boss 24 is such as to render it difficult to permit the indent 20 to slip over the boss 24, as is readily illustrated in detail in FIG. 5.

After the lid is closed, flap 16 is brought upwardly about the front wall 26 of the lid and is engaged therewith to secure the lid 14 closed with the tray 12. To permit the flap 16 to come over the lid, a hinge section 28 is double creased and of a width so that it can fold outwardly, upwardly and over the lower edge 30 of the lid front wall 26.

Flap 16 includes a main body portion 32 from which two outwardly laterally extending

ears

34 and 36 extend. The flaps main body portion 32 is comprised of two

surfaces

38 and 40 which meet at an obtuse angle along edge 42. The two

angular surfaces

38 and 40 serve to further rigidify the flap 16. In the center of body portion 32 is a recess 44 in which a finger or a thumb can fit to push the flap upwardly, inwardly and closed against the lid 14.

Ears

34 and 36 are outwardly flaring being wider at their top 46 than at their bottom 48. This permits the outer edge 50 of each of the ears to be disposed at an acute angle A so as to engage securely the front wall 26 of the lid 14.

Adapted to receive

ears

34 and 36 are

complimentary pockets

52 and 54 in lid front wall 26.

Pockets

52 and 54 includes

faces

56 and 58, respectively, which faces are designed to overlap the edges 50 of the ears. To accomplish this, the corresponding distance between the

faces

56 and 58 is less than that between the outer edges 50 of the

ears

34 and 36.

Complimentary with the body portion 32 of the flap 16 is a surface 60 along the front wall 26 so that the interior recess of the center portion 32 can fit over the surface 60. Surface 60 is notched at 62 to receive recess 44 of the flap 16. However, the notch 62 is more extensive in size than that needed just to receive the recess 44 so as to permit a finger to enter between the front wall 26 and the flap 16 in order to pull the flap 16 from the front wall 26, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. The lateral width (dimension B) of each of the

pockets

52 and 54 is preferably slightly greater than the material thickness of the ears of 34 and 36 to permit ready tucking in of the

ears

34 and 36 behind the portions 56. If desired, the outer edge 50 can be slightly angled inwardly, as at 66, to further eliminate interference near the bottom of the

flap ears

34 and 36 and thereby facilitate closing the flap 16 into

recesses

52 and 54.

In a preferred embodiment of the application, the dimension C from the

outer tips

67 and 69 of

ears

34 and 36, respectively, can be about A inches, and the dimension F of the front wall pockets 52 and 54 at the point they receive the

tips

67 and 69 of the flap 16 can be about 5 9% inches. The comparable distances between lower ends 71 and 73 of the ears 50, and corresponding distances between the

pockets

52 and 54 can be about 3 /2 inches and 3 4 inches, respectively. The dimension D between the upper ends of

faces

56 and 58 can be about 5 inches. The acute angle A of the

ears

34 and 36 and the

pockets

52 and 54 can be about 30. In one specific example, the height of the flap was about I 4 inches.

Egg cells 18 in tray 12, and the lid 14, carry with them

superexpanded pads

64 and 68 arrayed in the form of winged rosettes, whereby eggs are held relatively immobile during carton handling despite their particular size or shape. The superexpansion can be carried on by the same technique as taught in US. Pat. No. 3,396,868. However, the egg cell pads 64 and the lid pads 68 differ from those shown in the prior art in that they are in a winged rosette array which cause the oval ends of the egg to center in each array. The crosssectional shape of the

winged pads

64 and 68 are such that they have a bulbular portion towards their outer end and slide downwardly toward their middle 72 so as to guide an end 70 of an egg towards that middle. The lid pads 68 are generally opposed to the cell pads 64 and co-operate with the top end of the egg in the same fashion as the pads 64 do with the bottom of the egg.

Thus, each egg is effectively cradled between the top and bottom pads and centered so as to be held relatively immobile once the lid is closed. The cushion character of the pads allows them to be depressed to the necessary degree so as to compensate for varying sizes and shapes of eggs. Because of this the egg will not rattle around or crack its own shell or that of an adjacent egg during handling. The rosettes may have 4, 5 or any other number of pads in its winged arrangement, as is found effective to do the job.

While certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Accordingly, what is claimed as new is:

1. A plastic egg carton having a tray like base, a lid covering the top of said base and including a front wall portion, a front flap, said base hingedly connected with said lid and flap on opposite sides thereof, said flap having a length greater than its width and including ears projecting outwardly laterally at its ends, said front wall portion of said lid including pockets extending substantially along its height, said flap extending upwardly over the front of said front wall portion with said ears engaged within said pockets when the carton is in a closed position, each of said ears and said pockets being outwardly inclined from their lower to their upper extent for a wedge fit when engaged, the resilient character of said ears permitting the flap to be readily engaged and disengaged from said pockets to effect closing and opening of said carton.

2. The plastic egg carton of claim 1 wherein said pockets include face portions behind which said ears are held within said pockets, the lateral distance between said face portions being about one-fourth inch less than the lateral distance between corresponding portions of said ears.

3. The plastic egg carton of claim 2 wherein the width of each of the pockets is slightly greater than the material thickness of said cars so as to permit ready tucking in of said ears behind said face portions.

- 4. The plastic egg carton of claim 1 wherein the main body portion of said flap is comprised of two angular surfaces to rigidify the same, and said front wall has a surface contoured to be received within the angular interior of said main body portion of said flap.

5. The plastic egg carton of claim 4 wherein there is a notch in said surface of the lid front wall whereby a finger can enter between the front wall and the flap in order to pull the flap from the front wall.

6. The plastic egg carton of claim 5 wherein said main body portion of said flap includes a recess mating within the notch of said lid front wall, which recess permits ready pushing of the flap upwardly, inwardly and closed against the lid front wall.

7. The plastic egg carton of claim 1 wherein bosses project upwardly adjacent the front wall of said tray portion and mate within indents adjacent the front wall of said lid to form a secure and aligned relationship between the lid and the tray portion when the carton is closed, the lateral extent of each said boss being only slightly less than that of each said indent, with the height of each said boss being sufficient to render it difficult to permit the indent to slip thereover when the carton is closed.

8. A foam plastic egg carton having a tray like base, a lid covering the top of said base, a plurality of egg cells formed in said base, a plurality of superexpanded winglike pads being integrally formed with the bottom of said egg cell walls, said pads being in a rosette array, each of said wing-like pads having a bulbular portion towards its outer end and inclined toward the middle of the array forming an incline towards the center of the rosette array so as to guide an egg toward that middle.

9. The plastic egg carton of claim 8 wherein said lid includes a rosette array of pads similar to those in said egg cell and disposed oppositely each of said egg cells whereby opposing sets of said pads cradle an egg in each said cell.

10. An egg carton having a tray like base, a lid covering the top of said base and including a front wall portion, a front flap, said base hingedly connected with said lid and flap on opposite sides thereof, said flap having a length greater than its width and including ears projecting outwardly laterally at its ends, said front wall portion of said lid including pockets extending substantially along its entire height, said flap extending upwardly over the front of said front wall portion with said ears engaged within said pockets when the carton is in a closed position, each of said ears and said pockets being outwardly inclined from their lower to their upper extent for a wedge fit when engaged, the resilient character of said ears permitting the flap to be readily engaged and disengaged from said pockets to effect closing and opening of said carton.

11. The egg carton of claim 10 wherein said pockets include face portions behind which said ears are held within said pockets, the lateral distance between said face portions being about one-fourth inch less than the lateral distance between corresponding portions of said ears.

12. The egg carton of claim 11 wherein the width of each of the pockets is slightly greater than the material thickness of said ears so as to permit ready tucking in of said ears behind said face portions.

13. The egg carton of claim 10 wherein the main body portion of said flap is comprised of two angular surfaces to rigidify the same, and said front wall has a surface contoured to be received within the angular interior of said main body portion of said flap.

14. The egg carton of claim 13 wherein there is a notch in said surface of the lid front wall whereby a finger can enter between the front wall and the flap in order to pull the flap from the front wall.

15. The egg carton of claim 14 wherein said main body portion of said flap includes a recess mating within the notch of said lid front wall, which recess permits ready pushing of the flap upwardly, inwardly and closed against the lid front wall.

16. The egg carton of claim 10 wherein bosses project upwardly adjacent the front wall of said tray portion and mate within indents adjacent the front wall of said lid to form a secure and aligned relationship between the lid and the tray portion when the carton is closed, the lateral extent of each said boss being only slightly less than that of each said indent, with the height of each said boss being sufficient to render it difficult to permit the indent to slip thereover when the carton is closed.

Claims

3. The plastic egg carton of claim 2 wherein the width of each of the pockets is slightly greater than the material thickness of said ears so as to permit ready tucking in of said ears behind said face portions.

4. The plastic egg carton of claim 1 wherein the main body portion of said flap is comprised of two angular surfaces to rigidify the same, and said front wall has a surface contoured to be received within the angular interior of said main body portion of said flap.

8. A foam plastic egg carton having a tray like base, a lid covering the top of said base, a plurality of egg cells formed in said base, a plurality of superexpanded wing-like pads being integrally formed with the bottom of said egg cell walls, said pads being in a rosette array, each of said wing-like pads having a bulbular portion towards its outer end and inclined toward the middle of the array forming an incline towards the center of the rosette array so as to guide an egg toward that middle.