Patent Application
20050155966
This invention relates to an improved carry-out food container, such as that commonly used in the restaurant industry to hold food items prepared for customer pick-up or delivery. Most, if not all, restaurants use carry-out containers to service customers who want to take their food “to-go.” One category of widely-used carry-out containers are foam hinged containers. They are made in different shapes and sizes to accommodate room for sandwiches, hot dogs, dinner meals, etc.
When a carry-out order is prepared, items such as plastic utensils, salt, pepper, ketchup, butter and cracker packs, and bread are usually included. Restaurant employees tend to toss these items in the bag or place them in a separate container. At times, they may even forget to include these items. For a customer, the process of searching to find these items can be inconvenient. There are many cases where they even get lost. To avoid this, there are restaurants that make their employees place the food in the container, cover the food with a sheet of dry wax paper, and place these items over the wax paper. When the customer opens the box, everything he or she needs is right there. The food is kept warmer, and the chances of foreign objects falling in it are decreased. In essence, it further protects the food. Also, the cost of using a separate container to store these items can be saved. In some cases, restaurant employees may use aluminum foil instead of wax paper. However, aluminum foil is not entirely microwave safe, and wax paper is.
Restaurant employees that use wax paper for take-out orders still run into problems. The process of finding the wax paper and making sure it is placed neatly over the food can be time-consuming and inconvenient. At times, a restaurant employee may need to go back and forth throughout the kitchen to find wax paper. He or she may even run out of wax paper and have to go to the stock room to get some more. These become significant problems when the restaurant gets busy. The present invention addresses these problems by providing a carry-out container where the wax paper is already attached. This saves the employee time, and it can save the restaurant wax paper or aluminum foil costs. It can also serve as a way for an employee to pay closer attention to the amount of food that is placed in the container, which can also save costs. Furthermore, it increases the likelihood of an employee making sure that all items that need to come with a take-out order are there. The process of covering the food becomes more effective, and the overall appearance of the carry-out container is enhanced. These factors create a situation where the customer is satisfied and will likely come back. Overall, the invention makes the take-out process more smooth and efficient, and all restaurants can really benefit from it.
Therefore, it is an object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which conveniently stores and separates items, such as plastic utensils, salt, pepper, ketchup packs, bread, etc. from food items located in the container.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which keeps food warmer, and reduces the chances of any foreign objects falling into the food.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which is entirely microwave safe.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which facilitates the process of placing wax paper over the food items located in the container.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which is convenient and easy to use.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which increases the production and efficiency of restaurant workers.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which provides complete coverage of wax paper over the food items.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which guards against leaking and keeps its shape when holding your take-out meal.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which helps keeps hot food hot and cold food cold.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which keeps your food items fresh and intact.
It is another object of the invention to provide a carry-out food container which offers the combination of strength, lightness and durability.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved in the preferred embodiments disclosed below by providing a carry-out food container. The container includes a food compartment tray adapted for holding a food item, and a lid for removably covering the food item contained in the tray. An integrally-formed hinge interconnects the tray and the lid at a common side edge. The hinge enables pivoting movement of the lid relative to the tray between an open position and a closed position. A flexible sheet is attached adjacent the hinge and is adapted for residing between the tray and the lid.
According to another preferred embodiment, the tray and lid are constructed of polystyrene.
According to another preferred embodiment, the tray defines a plurality of divided food compartments.
Preferably, the flexible sheet is dry wax paper.
According to another preferred embodiment, the flexible sheet is attached along a length of the integrally-formed hinge.
According to another preferred embodiment, the flexible sheet defines a perforated tear line extending from one side edge of the sheet to an opposite side edge of the sheet.
According to another preferred embodiment, a starter nick is formed at a leading end of the perforated tear line.
According to another preferred embodiment, the flexible sheet has a length and width dimension greater than a length and width dimension of the food compartment tray.
According to another preferred embodiment, the lid and tray have a complementary locking tab and slot, respectively, adapted for holding the lid in the closed position.
Some of the objects of the invention have been set forth above. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
Referring now specifically to the drawings, a carry-out food container according to the present invention is illustrated in
Like conventional prior art boxes, the present food container 10 has a tray 11 and lid 12 interconnected by an integral (or “living”) hinge 14 formed along a joined side edge. The hinge 14 enables pivoting movement of the lid 12 between an open position and a closed position relative to the tray 11. The tray 11 defines multiple compartments 15, 16, and 17 for separating the food items “F”, and slots 18 and 19 adapted for receiving locking tabs 21 and 22 projecting from a front edge of the lid 12. The tabs 21, 22 insert into the corresponding tray slots 18, 19 to releasably hold the lid 12 in the closed position shown in
A flexible sheet 25 of dry wax paper is attached at the hinge 14, as best shown in
For relatively large food items “F” which may be difficult to cover, the sheet 25 may be readily removed at its rear edge 25A from the compartment tray 11, as shown in
A further embodiment of a carry-out food container 30 according to the present invention is shown in
A flexible sheet of dry wax paper 45 is attached to the tray 31 along the integral hinge 34. The sheet 45 defines a perforated tear line 46 extending from one side edge of the sheet 45 to the other, and spaced forward of the attached rear edge 45A. A starter nick 48, shown in
A carry-out food container is described above. Various details of the invention may be changed without departing from its scope. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention and best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation—the invention being defined by the claims.
