Patent Application
20200079547
This invention relates to food-containing boxes; and more particularly, to a box attachment for storing condiments and other ancillary items, the box attachment being configured to attach to a food-containing box while keeping ancillary items segregated from the food.
Single and multi-compartment food-containing boxes, i.e. “take-out containers”, are known and widely used in the art. More particularly, pizza boxes are widely known and used.
Ancillary items, such as cheese packets, pepper packets, sauces, and other condiments often accompany pizza, but cannot be place inside the pizza box without possibly mixing with the pizza product. If mixed with the pizza, the ancillary items can become saturated with pizza material, messy, and may become generally displeasing.
Others have described pizza boxes with integrated and segregated compartments for keeping condiments, but such boxes are expensive to manufacture and unnecessary under circumstances where ancillary items are not required, for example, where a customer ordering pizza is not interested in cheese, peppers, or other condiments. In these circumstances, the pizza vendor experiences waste when delivering a multi-compartment box, which is relatively costly, and where the customer does not need such a costly box.
There is a heartfelt and longstanding need to address these and other problems in the art.
The disclosure concerns a box attachment for selectively engaging a food-containing box, such as, for example, a pizza box, or similar box, wherein the box attachment comprises a receptacle portion and a flap extending from a periphery of the receptacle portion, wherein the flap is configured for insertion into the pizza box, or similar box, for attaching the box attachment therewith. A bending line is formed along a meeting of the flap and the periphery, wherein the bending line is pre-folded, bent, scored or otherwise configured to promote bending at the bending line. The box attachment can be printed on one or more surfaces to display marketing material to an end user; alternatively, a sticker may be applied. Other features and benefits are described herein.
These and other features of the invention will become apparent to one having the ordinary level of skill in the art upon a thorough review of the following details and descriptions, particularly when reviewed in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
For purposes of explanation and not limitation, details and descriptions of certain preferred embodiments are hereinafter provided such that one having ordinary skill in the art may be enabled to make and use the invention. These details and descriptions are representative only of certain preferred embodiments, however, and a myriad of other embodiments which will not be expressly described will be readily understood by one having skill in the art upon a thorough review of the instant disclosure. Accordingly, any reviewer of the instant disclosure should interpret the scope of the invention only by the claims, as such scope is not intended to be limited by the embodiments described and illustrated herein.
Specifically, the invention is illustrated within the context of a pizza box; however, one with skill in the art will appreciate that similar embodiments can be implemented with other boxes, food-containing and otherwise, which exhibit by nature similar qualities and characteristics, or which obtain substantially the same results by similar means. As such, these other variants are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention.
In a general embodiment, a box attachment includes a receptacle portion and a flap portion extending outwardly from a periphery of the receptacle portion. The receptacle portion is generally a cavity configured to hold cheese packets, pepper packets, condiments, or other ancillary items. The flap portion is generally a planar extension of one wall of the receptacle portion, and is distinguished from the receptacle portion at a bending line, which may comprise a fold or scored line extending along a periphery of the receptacle portion such that the flap is configured to easily fold about the bending line for engaging in removeable attachment with the food-containing box.
The box attachment may be manufactured from cardboard, such as corrugated cardboard, or any other material(s) deemed suitable by one having skill in the art. It is optional, but preferred, that the box attachment be manufactured from a same or similar material as the food-containing box for which it relates.
The box attachment may be designed with folds in order to be collapsed during shipping and storage, but also to be readily enabled for folding, such that the box attachment may be constructed in a relatively fast and efficient manner. In addition, a folded box attachment can enable printing on flat surfaces or portions of the box attachment, such that marketing material may be implemented and used in a marketing campaign directed toward an end user.
Now, turning to
Optionally, at least an outward-facing surface 140 may be printed with graphics or marketing material in order to promote a marketing campaign to an end user.
With the flap portion inserted into a slot of the food-containing box, the box attachment becomes attached therewith, and the combination forms a box assembly. In this regard, a box assembly may comprise a food-containing box, and a box attachment, the box attachment including a receptacle portion and a flap portion, the flap portion being configured to engage a slot portion of the food-containing box, wherein the slot portion of the food containing box may comprise a gap between a wall and a lid portion of the food-containing box.
In another embodiment, the box attachment may be preferred to be attached to the foldable box such that the box attachment is configured on the lid portion thereof. In this embodiment, the flap portion must be sufficiently long to engage the gap between the lid portion and wall portion of the foldable box. Thus, as shown in
Also, as shown in
The box attachment can be similarly configured with a desired receptacle width and height sufficient to contain the desired packets and/or other ancillary items. Thus, the dimensions of the receptacle portion of the box attachment are not limited to the illustrated embodiments.
Therefore, disclosed is a box attachment, which comprises a receptacle portion, and a flap portion extending from a rim of the receptacle portion along one side thereof; wherein the flap portion is configured for insertion within a gap formed between a lid and a wall of a foldable box.
The receptacle portion may comprise a rectangular rim having four sides thereof.
The receptacle portion and the flap portion each may comprise cardboard.
The flap portion may be coupled to the receptacle portion at a hinge.
In another embodiment, a system is disclosed which comprises: a foldable box comprising a gap formed between a lid and a wall of the foldable box, and a box attachment; the box attachment comprising: a receptacle portion, and a flap portion extending from a rim of the receptacle portion along one side thereof; wherein the flap portion is configured for insertion within the gap formed between the lid and the wall of the foldable box.
While various details, features, and combinations are described in the illustrated embodiments, one having skill in the art will appreciate a myriad of possible alternative combinations and arrangements of the features disclosed herein. As such, the descriptions are intended to be enabling only, and non-limiting. Instead, the spirit and scope of the invention is set forth in the appended claims.
This application claims benefit of priority with U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 62/728,194, filed Sep. 7, 2018; the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62728194 | Sep 2018 | US |
