WO2011116427A1

WO2011116427A1 - Packages for produce

Info

Publication number: WO2011116427A1
Application number: PCT/AU2011/000339
Authority: WO
Inventors: Howard Siow
Original assignee: Agri Enterprises Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-03-25
Filing date: 2011-03-24
Publication date: 2011-09-29
Also published as: CN102198879A

Abstract

A package for produce, such as eggs, is disclosed which has improved stacking capabilities, and also has enhanced functionality as a plaything for children. The package for eggs includes a tray (10) having at least one receptacle (108) for receiving an article of produce; a lid (20) for covering the tray (10); at least one protrusion (101) projecting outwardly from the package; at least one recess (201) on an outer face of the package; wherein the at least one protrusion (101) is sized to tightly fit within the at least one recess (210), such that when the protrusion (101) of one package is inserted into the recess (201) of another similar package, the protrusion (101) is releasably held within the recess (201).

Description

PACKAGES FOR PRODUCE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to packages for storing, transporting, and displaying produce. Whilst the invention primarily relates to packages for eggs, packages in accordance with the invention may be used in the storage, transportation and display of other produce, such as fruit.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Eggs are a staple grocery item, and there are many forms of packaging for storing, transporting and displaying eggs. One typical package is a carton having a bottom section with a number of individual egg shaped compartments for housing eggs, and a closeable lid. Often, the lid is hingedly joined to the bottom section and is closed by means of a tab and aperture arrangement.

Egg cartons are frequently stacked for storage, transport, and display for sale. Hence, it is desirable for egg cartons to have features that enhance their stackability. For example, US Patent 7,255,231 discloses an egg carton having ledges at each corner, which are adapted to receive the bottom of a corner egg cell and prevent a carton from sliding from atop another carton upon which it is stacked.

It is therefore desirable to provide a package for eggs or similarly shaped products which has improved stacking capabilities. It is further desirable to provide a package for eggs or other produce which has enhanced functionality as a plaything for children.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a package for produce, such as eggs, including: a tray having at least one receptacle for receiving an article of produce; a lid for covering the tray; at least one protrusion projecting outwardly from the package; and at least one recess on an outer face of the package; wherein the at least one protrusion is sized to tightly fit within the at least one recess, such that when the protrusion of one package is inserted into the recess of another package, the protrusion is releasably held within the recess. By providing a package with the above described protrusion and recess arrangement, packages may be held together when stacked by mating a protrusion with a recess. In this manner, it is possible for packages to be stacked more securely. It also provides the package with enhanced functionality as a plaything for children, by allowing them to stack and join packages together in building activities.

In a preferable arrangement, the at least one protrusion is located on the underside of the tray and the at least one recess is located on the top surface of the lid. In a further preferable arrangement the at least one protrusion is located at the base of one of the at least one receptacles. This allows the protrusions to be provided with minimal modification to existing egg carton designs, while the recesses are located in such a position to conveniently receive the protrusions when packages are stacked on top of one another.

The at least one recess may be provided with a plurality of ribs for engaging the at least one protrusion. This arrangement provides a convenient way of providing the tight fit required to releasably hold the protrusion in the recess.

Preferably the protrusions are tapered such that the when a protrusion is inserted into a recess, the narrowest point of the protrusion enters the recess first. This allows for easy initial insertion of the protrusion into the recess, with the fit becoming tighter as the protrusion is pushed deeper into the recess.

Preferably the at least one protrusion has a substantially circular cross- section. This allows the protrusion to rotate within the recess, and provides a wider range of stacking options.

In a further preferable arrangement of the package, when a plurality of receptacles, protrusions and recesses are provided, the number of recesses is the same as the number of protrusions. When the lid is closed, each of the recesses preferably substantially axially aligns with a corresponding protrusion.

Preferably the lid has a substantially planar front portion, which allows for labels or other material to be affixed to the front of the package, allowing the contents of the package, and other information such as branding and origin to be displayed in a position that is visible when packages are stacked on top of one another. Furthermore, as the top surface of the lid may have a number of recesses thereon, the top surface is generally unsuitable for the affixing of labels, therefore it is highly desirable that labels can be affixed to the front portion of the lid.

Conveniently the lid may be hingedly attached to the tray, and further conveniently the substantially planar front portion may be located on the opposite side of the lid to the side of the lid that is hingedly attached to the tray.

The package may include closure means for releasably holding the lid closed.

Preferably, when the lid is closed, the closure means remains substantially behind the plane of the front portion of the lid. In this manner, the closure means are less prone to interfering with the affixing of labels to the front portion of the lid.

The closure means may include at least one inwardly projecting tab located on an inner surface of the front portion of the lid, and at least one corresponding shoulder on the tray, wherein the tab may be positioned behind the shoulder to releasably hold the lid closed.

Preferably the tab and shoulder are positioned and shaped such that as the lid is closed, the tab contacts the shoulder and one or more of the tab, the front portion of the lid, or the shoulder, is resiliently deformed to allow the tab to pass over the shoulder, and once the tab passes over the shoulder, the tab is held behind the shoulder to releasably hold the lid closed.

Further preferably, when the lid is closed the front portion of the lid overlaps the top edge of the tray, such that by pulling the overlapping section of the front portion of the lid away from the tray the tab is released from behind the shoulder allowing the lid to be opened.

For added stability when stacking multiple packages, the package may further include a plurality of ridges extending between adjacent protrusions, wherein when the package is stacked atop another identical package and each protrusion is inserted into a corresponding recess, the ridges rest upon the surface of the lid between the recesses.

Where the number of number of receptacles is four or more, the tray may include at least one column being surrounded by receptacles, wherein when the lid is closed, a portion of the lid rests upon the column. This provides additional resistance to the lid collapsing inwardly when multiple packages are stacked atop one another.

Preferably the portion of the lid that rests upon the column is a depression in the lid. This means that the column need not extend the full height of the package. When open packages are nested upon one another, and columns inserted into the columns of another package, the shorter columns allow for easier separation of the nested packages.

In one embodiment of the invention, the number of receptacles is eight, the receptacles are arranged rectangularly in a two-by-four fashion, the number of columns is two, and the columns are located in the centre of the group of four receptacles at either end of the tray.

The number of receptacles in the package may vary for different applications and different types of produce. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a package according to one embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of two packages as shown in Figure 1 in a stacked configuration.

Figure 3 is a front view of the package of Figure 1 in opened configuration. Figure 4 is a close up and cross section of the base of the receptacle marked A in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a top view of a package according to an alternative embodiment of the invention, in its opened configuration.

Figure 6 is a front view of the package of Figure 5 in opened configuration. Figure 7 is an end view of the package of Figure 5 in opened configuration. Figure 8 is a perspective view of the package of Figure 5 in opened configuration.

Figure 9 is an underneath plan view of the package of Figure 5 in opened configuration. DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings, two embodiments of a package 1 according to the invention are shown. Each package 1 includes a tray 10 and a lid 20. The tray 10 has at least one receptacle, and in the illustrated embodiments of Figures 1 to 4 and 5 to 9, eight or ten receptacles 108 for receiving an egg. Each package 1 has a series of protrusions 101 which project outwardly from the package. In these embodiments, the protrusions 101 are located on the underside of the tray, and are at the base of the receptacles 108. This is a convenient manner of providing the protrusions 101 , as it requires little modification from existing egg carton designs which provide a rounded foot at the base of each egg containing pocket.

The package 1 has at least one, and in the illustrated embodiments, eight or ten, recesses 201 on an outer face of the package. The recesses 201 are located on the top surface of the lid 20. When the lid 20 is closed, the recesses 201 are substantially axially aligned with the protrusions 101 . In this manner, when a package 1 is placed atop an identical or similar package, as shown in Figure 2, the protrusions of the upper package may be inserted into the recesses of the lower package.

The protrusions 101 and recesses 201 are sized such that the protrusions 101 tightly fit within the recesses 201 , in order that when a protrusion 101 is inserted into a recess 201 , the protrusion 101 is realisably held within the recess 201 . Thus when the packages are stacked as shown in Figure 2, the packages will be held together more securely than the packages merely resting upon one another. Furthermore, the packages will similarly be held together more securely if the packages are subsequently used by children in building activities.

Referring to Figures 5 to 9, preferably the inner walls of the recesses 201 are provided with a plurality of ribs 202. The ribs 202 engage a protrusion 101 when the protrusion 101 is inserted into the recess 201 to provide a tight fit such that the protrusion 101 is releasably held within the recess 201 . It will be apparent to person skilled in the art that a wide range of alternative shapes and arrangements for the protrusion and the recess may be used to provide the tight fit required, and the invention is not intended to be limited to any one particular such arrangement. Referring to Figures 1 to 3 and Figure 6 and Figure 7, the protrusions 101 are tapered such that the end 1 16 is narrower than a point 1 18 away from the end 1 16. When the protrusion 101 is inserted into a recess 201 , the end 1 16 enters the recess 201 first and is sized to allow the protrusion 101 to initially enter the recess 201 easily. When the protrusion 101 is pushed deeper into the recess 201 , the wider point of the protrusion 1 18 begins to engage the inner walls of the recess 201 , providing a tighter fit as the protrusion 101 is pushed deeper into the recess 201 .

The protrusions may have a cross section of any suitable shape. Preferably the protrusions have a substantially circular cross section, which allows the protrusion to be rotated when located in a recess. This allows packages to be stacked in a wide range of configurations.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the inside of the base of the receptacle 108 has a cross section having two raised portions 101 1 and 1013 which are convex relative to the inside of the receptacle 108, with a depression 1012 therebetween. When an egg 3 is placed in the receptacle 108, the egg 3 rests atop the rased portions 101 1 and 1013.

The underside of the tray 10 is further provided with a series of ridges 102, which extend between adjacent protrusions 101 . The ridges 102 together with the protrusions 101 form a bearing block 104. The ridges 102 are positioned such that the profile of the bearing block 104 matches the profile of the lid 20. That is, when a package 1 is stacked atop another as shown in Figure 2, and each protrusion 101 is inserted into a corresponding recess 201 , the ridges 102 rest upon parts 203 of the surface of the lid between the recesses 201 .

Referring to Figures 3 and 5 to 8, the tray includes at least one, and in these examples, three or four, columns 1 10, which are surrounded by the receptacles 108. In the ten egg package of Figures 1 to 4, there are four columns 1 10 of equal height. The eight egg package of Figures 5 to 9 has two taller columns 1 10 on each side of a shorther column 1 10' as shown in figures 6 and 8. When the lid 2 is closed, portions of the lid, shown in Figures 5, 8 and 9 as depressions 204, rest upon the taller columns 1 10. This provides additional resistance to the lid 20 collapsing inwardly when multiple packages are stacked atop one another. An arrangement of at least one depression 204 on the lid to rest atop a column 1 10 is suitable only where the number of receptacles 108 is four or more.

Referring to Figures 5 to 9, the tray 1 is hingedly joined to the lid 2 by a fold joint 1 14. The lid has a substantially planar front wall 208, which is located on the opposite side of the lid 20 to the fold joint 1 14. The outer surface of the wall 208 will be visible when packages are stacked on top of one another, such as on the shelves of a store, and it is therefore a desirable place to affix a label. It is therefore advantageous that the front wall 208 be made as large as practicable to allow the maximum space for labelling to be affixed. This is achieved by providing the front wall 208 with an arcuate extended part 210 which, when the lid 20 is closed, overlaps the upper edge of the tray 10. Thus, when the lid 20 is closed, the front wall 208 covers a substantial amount of the front side of the package.

Referring to Figures 8 and 9, closure means are provided in the form of a pair of apertures 205 and tabs 206 on the inner surface of the front portion 208, corresponding to a pair of shoulders 1 12 on the base 10. Each tab 206 projects inwardly from front wall 208 below each aperture 205 and is in the shape of a ramp. In this manner, as the lid 20 is closed the tabs 206 contact the shoulders 1 12. As the lid continues to close, the shape of the tabs 206 causes a resilient outward deflection of the front wall 208 to which the tabs 206 are attached, thereby allowing the tabs 206 to pass over the shoulders 1 12. Once the tabs 206 pass over the shoulders 1 12, the front wall 208 returns to its undeflected position, and the tabs 206 are held behind the shoulders 1 12 to releasably hold the lid 20 closed.

It will be appreciated that when the lid is closed, the closure means remains substantially behind the plane of the front portion of the lid. This means that the closure means are less prone to interfering with any label that is affixed to the front wall 208. As recesses 201 are provided on the top surface of the lid 20, this top surface is generally unsuitable for affixing labels. It is therefore advantageous that the closure means are arranged in this manner so that the closure means does not interfere with any label that is affixed to the front wall 208 of the lid 20, and the space available for affixing such a label is maximised. In alternative closure means arrangements when the tab contacts the shoulder, one or more of the tab, the front portion of the lid, or the shoulder, may be resiliently deformed to allow the tab to pass over the shoulder, thereby achieving the same result that once the tab passes over the shoulder, the tab is held behind the shoulder to releasably hold the lid closed.

When the lid 20 is closed the extended part 210 of front wall 208 of the lid overlaps the top edge 1 16 of the tray 10. If the overlapping part 210 of the front wall 208 is pulled away from the tray 10, the tabs 206 are released from behind the shoulders 1 12, thereby allowing the lid 20 to be opened.

The package may be formed from any suitable material. Preferably the package is formed from a material with a sufficient degree of resiliency for the protrusions and recesses to substantially maintain their shape, and therefore maintain the tight fit therebetween, after repeated insertions of protrusions into recesses. Conveniently the package may be formed from cardboard, but it will be apparent to person skilled in the art that other materials such as plastic and polystyrene may also be used.

The present invention therefore provides a package for egs or other fragile produce, such as fruit, which is readily stackable and robust to reduce the risk of damage to the eggs or other produce during storage and transportation.

A further advantageous aspect of the invention is that, by providing the packages with an interlocking arrangement of protrusions and recesses, after the produce has been consumed, the empty packages can be used by children as toys, by stacking the packages to form a variety of structures. As used egg cartons may otherwise be disposed of, the use of recycled egg cartons by children can provide a cheap and environmentally friendly alternative to purchasing new or expensive toys.

It will also be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For instance, while the embodiments shown in the drawings have ten and eight receptacles, protrusions and recesses, packages with different numbers of receptacles, protrusions and recesses, for example four, six or twelve may be made. This would allow further variety of choice to the consumer and also enable a greater number of structures to be built when the empty packages are used as playthings by children.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A package for produce, such as eggs, including:

a) a tray having at least one receptacle for receiving an article of produce;

b) a lid for covering the tray;

c) at least one protrusion projecting outwardly from the package; and d) at least one recess on an outer face of the package;

wherein the at least one protrusion is sized to tightly fit within the at least one recess, such that when the protrusion of one package is inserted into the recess of another similar package, the protrusion is releasably held within the recess.

2. A package according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one protrusion is located on the underside of the tray and the at least one recess is located on the top surface of the lid.

3. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one protrusion is located at the base of the at least one receptacle.

4. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein a plurality of receptacles, protrusions and recesses are provided.

5. A package according to any claim 4, wherein the number of recesses is the same as the number of protrusions.

6. A package according to claim 5, wherein when the lid is closed, each of the recesses substantially axially aligns with a corresponding protrusion.

7. A package according any preceding claim, wherein the at least one recess has a plurality of ribs for engaging a protrusion.

8. A package according any preceding claim, wherein the at least one protrusion is tapered such that when a protrusion is inserted into one of the at least one recesses, the narrowest point of the protrusion enters the recess first, and the fit between the protrusion and the recess becomes tighter as the protrusion is pushed deeper into the recess.

9. A package according any preceding claim, wherein the at least one protrusion has a substantially circular cross-section.

10. A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the lid is hingedly attached to the tray.

1 1 . A package according to any preceding claim, wherein the lid has a substantially planar front portion.

12. A package according to claim 1 1 as appended to claim 10, wherein the substantially planar front portion is located on the opposite side of the lid to the side of the lid that is hingedly attached to the tray.

13. A package according to any preceding claim, further including closure means for releasably holding the lid closed.

14. A package according to claim 13, wherein when the lid is closed, the closure means remains substantially behind the plane of the front portion of the lid.

15. A package according to claim 14, wherein the closure means includes at least one inwardly projecting tab located on an inner surface of the front portion of the lid, and at least one corresponding shoulder on the tray, wherein the tab may be positioned behind the shoulder to releasably hold the lid closed.

16. A package according to claim 15, wherein the tab and shoulder are positioned and shaped such that as the lid is closed, the tab contacts the shoulder and one or more of the tab, the front portion of the lid, or the shoulder, is resiliently deformed to allow the tab to pass over the shoulder, and once the tab passes over the shoulder, the tab is held behind the shoulder to releasably hold the lid closed.

17. A package according to claim 16, wherein when the lid is closed the front portion of the lid overlaps the top edge of the tray, such that by pulling the overlapping section of the front portion of the lid away from the tray the tab is released from behind the shoulder allowing the lid to be opened.

18. A package according to claim 4, further including a plurality of ridges extending between adjacent protrusions, wherein when the package is stacked atop another identical package and each protrusion is inserted into a corresponding recess, the ridges rest upon the surface of the lid between the recesses.

19. A package according to claim 4 or claim 18, wherein the number of receptacles is four or more, and the tray includes at least one column being surrounded by the receptacles, wherein when the lid is closed, a portion of the lid, rests upon the column.

20. A package according to claim 19, wherein the portion of the lid that rests upon the column when the lid is closed is a depression in the lid.

21 . A package according to claim 19 or claim 20, wherein the number of receptacles is eight, the receptacles are arranged rectangularly in a two by four fashion, the number of columns is two, and the columns are located in the centre of the group of four receptacles at either end of the tray.