WO1992009486A1

WO1992009486A1 - Convenience food container

Info

Publication number: WO1992009486A1
Application number: PCT/AU1991/000552
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alex Ong
Original assignee: Visy Board Properties Pty. Ltd.
Priority date: 1990-11-26
Filing date: 1991-11-26
Publication date: 1992-06-11
Also published as: NZ240752A; JPH06502831A

Abstract

A convenience food container comprising a lid (3) and a base (4) integrally connected to provide a container which may be opened and closed, the base (4) having lateral projections (19), (20) under which forward projections (17, 18) on the lid (3) engage to hold the lid (3) in the closed position, the container being made from a blank (1) of single-face corrugated board, die-cut and scored to define the lid (3) and base (4) with the corrugations exposed on the inside of the container, whereby the container has superior insulating and non-stick properties.

Description

TITLE : CONVENIENCE FOOD CONTAINER

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to containers suitable for convenience food products and other products requiring packaging for a relatively short period of time, which packaging is disposed of shortly after purchase of the product. Background of the Invention

The use of moulded polystyrene containers for hot food products, such as hamburgers, pizzas and pizza slices, is becoming increasingly unacceptable due to the environmental consequences of the use of such containers. While some convenience food suppliers have adopted die-cut thin paperboard (box-board) containers, such containers have not found widespread acceptance in the convenience food industry due to their low heat insulating properties and lower package appeal. It has been proposed to use die-cut thin corrugated board (E flute), but this product has not as yet found commercial acceptance due to its cost and assembly difficulties. Background of the Invention and Object

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container suitable for convenience foods and other products requiring temporary packaging which may be disposed of shortly after purchase.

The invention provides a container formed from a die-cut blank comprising a shaped base and a top adapted for interengagement to form a closed container, said blank being cut from single-face corrugated board, and the container being constructed such that the corrugations of said single face corrugated board are arranged on the inside of at least said base, and preferably said top.

Single face board is less expensive than double face board, but its insulating properties are not significantly lower than that of double face board. The exposure of the corrugations oh the inside of the container maximises the insulating properties of the container and has the advantage of reducing the tendency of the food product to stick to the inside surface of the container. In this way, additional wrapping of the product in a stick-resistant paper, which is sometimes required for paperboard containers, is unnecessary.

In a presently preferred form of the invention, the board is die-cut with the corrugations extending parallel to the primary or longitudinal direction of the blank.

In another form of the invention, the board is die- cut with the corrugations extending at an acute angle the acute angle most preferred being about 45°. By orienting the corrugations at such an angle some of the difficulties associated with die-cutting the blank are reduced since the corrugations tend to intersect the major lines of die-cutting rather than running parallel thereto. It will be appreciated that if the corrugations run parallel to the major direction of die- cutting, it may be difficult to locate the die-cut at a position which does not at least partly intersect one of the corrugations to create undesired free material. However, the problem is not insurmountable, as shown in the last preferred embodiment of the invention described below. Brief Description of the Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which :

Figures 1 and 2 are plan views, from opposite sides of a blank showing a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2a is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the blank;

Figures 3 and 4 are front and rear perspective views of a container made from the blank of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a front perspective view of the container open;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a blank showing a second embodiment of the invention in which the direction of die-cutting with respect to the flute is changed;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the container formed from the blank of Figure 6, in the open condition;

Figures 8 and 9 are views similar to Figures 6 and 7 showing a third embodiment of the invention. Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Referring firstly to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, a blank 1 for forming a hamburger container is die-cut from a sheet of single-face corrugated board with the major longitudinal direction of the blank parallel to the longitudinal direction of the flutes 2. The blank 1 comprises a lid portion 3 and a base portion 4 die-cut and scored to define a rectangular top 5 and a rectangular base 6, side panels 7 and 8 on the lid portion 3 and side panels 9 and 10 on the base portion 4, end panels 11 and 12 on the lid portion 3 and 13 and 14 on the base portion 4, with the side panels 12 and 14 being connected along a score or fold line 15. Each end panel 11 to 14 has a generally triangular ear portion 16a to 16h extending from opposite ends thereof and cut from the adjacent side panels 7 to 10 to enable the ear portions 16a to 16h to be folded inwardly of the side panels 7 to 10 where they are adhesively secured to^* the inner corrugated faces of the side panels 7 to 10 to define clam-shaped top and base portions 3 and 4, as shown most clearly in Figures 3 and 5 of the drawings.

The outermost edges of the side panels 7 and 8 and the outermost edges of the end panel 13 have shaped projections 17 and 18 on the side panels 7 and 8 and 19 and 20 on the end panel 13. It will be appreciated, particularly from Figures 3 and 5 of the drawings, that the projections 17 and 18 extend forwardly from the lid portion 3 while the projections 19 and 20 extend laterally from the base 4 such that when the lid 3 is closed on to the base 4 the projections 17 and 18 are laterally deflected by the projections 19 and 20 until they engage under the projections 19 and 20 to hold the lid 3 in a closed position with respect to the base 4. It will be noted that projections 19 and 20 have downwardly and outwardly sloping camming surfaces 21 and 22 for the above purpose. It will be appreciated that the above described closure mechanism is particularly simple to close and open, and for this reason is preferred.

It will be noted that the end panels 12 and 14 have a pair of spaced parallel die-cut lines 22 and 23 which intersect the fold line 15 and extend into each panel 12 and 14. These die-cut lines 23 and 24 define a toggling strap 25 which is able to be bent inwardly about the fold line 15 to maintain the container in an opened condition, although this is not illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings and is not in any way important to the invention.

Referring now to Figures 6 to 9 of the drawings, two alternative embodiments of the invention are shown in which the blanks 30 and 40 for forming a hamburger container of different design are die-cut from a sheet of single-face corrugated board with the major longitudinal direction of the blank at about 45° to the longitudinal direction of the flutes 31 and 41. Alternatively,^" the corrugations may extend transversely of the blank or longitudinally as in the previous embodiment.

By orienting the flutes at 45° to be blank, the die-cut lines of the blanks 30, 40 do not run parallel to the corrugations 31, 41 for any significant distance whereby loose edges caused by cutting the corrugations along their length may be avoided if desired. However, it will be appreciated from the embodiment of Figures 1 to 5 that this problem is not regarded by the present applicant as being significant.

Each blank 30 and 40 comprises a base 32,42 and hinged lids 33,43 having sides which are adhesively secured by the truncated triangular tabs 34, 44 at the edges of the bases 32, 42 and the lids 33,43. The tabs 34 44 are clearly visible in the assembled container shown in Figures 7 and 9 of the drawings.

In the embodiment of Figures 6 and 7, the lid 33 is held in place by means of a cut-out latching tab 35, formed in an extended front portion of the lid 33, which engages an opening 36 in the front wall of the base 30.

In the embodiment of Figures 8 and 9 a latching tab

44 engages an opening 46 in the lid, the opening 46 having a finger opening 47 into which the user's finger may be inserted to bend the top portion of an extension

48 of the front wall of the base 42 downwardly to displace the latching tab 45 from its lid engaging position in the opening 46 to allow the lid to be raised with respect to the base by engagement of the user's thumb under the front edge of the lid. This means that the lid may be opened by a simple finger and thumb action rather than by multiple action as is usually required to displace a latching tab from its engaged opening.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 10 of the drawings, a pizza container blank 50 is illustrated. While in this embodiment the flutes 51 are shown running longitudinally of the blank, they may equally run transversely or at any desired angle. The manner in which this blank is assembled and closed will be well understood by a person skilled in the art, and is illustrated in greater detail in U.S. Patent 4,765,534 to Zion et al.

In each of the above embodiments, the inner corrugated surface of the board may be treated by means of a known grease resistant material to reduce the "bleeding" of grease and other food products from the outside of the container.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments show only several particular forms in which the container embodying the invention may be made. For example, the container may be designed so that it does not require gluing for assembly and can be stored in a flat condition. The invention is applicable to other die-cut containers such . as pizza containers, as illustrated in Figure 10, where stick-resistance is important.

While the containers described are particularly suitable for hot or cold convenience foods due to the insulating and non-stick properties supplied by the single-face corrugated board inside the containers, the container may be used to package any desired product which requires at least temporary covering in a more protected environment than that provided by plain paperboard. Thus, the container may be particularly suitable where the product to be contained must be protected against relatively small shocks since the primary commercial use for single-face board is as a wrapping or shock absorbing material.

Claims

The Claims defining the invention are as follows :

1. A container formed from a die-cut blank (1,30,40,50) comprising a shaped base (6,32,42) and a lid (3,33,43) adapted for interengagement to form a closed container, said blank (1,30,40,50) being cut from single-face corrugated board, and the container being constructed such that the corrugations (2,31,41,51) of said single face corrugated board are arranged on the inside of said base and said lid.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein said corrugations are treated with a grease-resistant material to reduce the penetration of food products through to the outer face of the container.

3. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the base (6) and lid (3) are formed with side panels (7-10) and end panels (11-14) folded and interconnected to define a dished base (6) and an oppositely dished lid (3), a front panel (13) of said base (6) having laterally directed projections (19,20) at its upper edge and the side panels (7,8) of the lid (3) having forwardly directed projections (17,18) and their forward edges, said forwardly directed projections (17,18) being adapted to engage under said lateral projections (19,20) to retain the lid (6) closed with respect to the base (3).

4. The container of claim 3, wherein said lateral projections (19-20) have downwardly and outwardly extending camming edges (21,22) which engage the forward projections (17,18) on the side panels (7,8) to bias

^■ them outwardly as the side panels (7,8) pass the front panel projections (19,20).

5. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the base (30) and lid (33) are formed with side panels and end panels folded and interconnected to define a dished base and an oppositely dished lid, a front panel of said lid (33) having laterally directed projections at its upper edge a latching tab (35) extending from its free edge and a front panel of the base (30) is formed with a slot (36) adapted to receive the latching tab (35) to hold the lid in the closed position.

6. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the base (43) and base 43 are formed with side panels and end panels folded and interconnected to define a dished base and an oppositely dished lid, a front panel of said base 43 having being formed with an upwardly directed extension (48) having an outwardly extending latching tab (44) and said base (43) has a tab engaging opening (46) formed at the junction between the front panel and a top panel of the lid, said base (43) further having a finger access opening (47) adjacent said tab engaging opening (46) to enable the tab (44) to be manually displaced from the opening (46) .

7. The container of any preceding claim, wherein said corrugations extend longitudinally of the blank.

8. The container of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said corrugations extend transversely of the blank.

9. The container of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said corrugations extend at approximately 45° to the longitudinal direction of the blank.