Patent Application
20140332584
Clamshell cartons are utilized in food service industries to hold various food items, such as hamburgers and hot dogs. Typical cartons are made from cardboard. Printing may be provided on one side of the carton to identify the food item within the carton.
During normal usage, a server may place a sandwich, hamburger or other food item into the carton and then close the carton. A consumer typically removes the food item by reaching around the side of the food item and into the carton to grasp the bottom of the food item.
In one aspect, a carton includes a top portion and a bottom portion. Each portion includes a front wall, a rear wall, and opposing sidewalls extending therebetween. The top portion and bottom portion include respective top and bottom surfaces. The rear walls of the top and bottom portions are hingedly connected to another along respective outer edges. When closed, the top portion and bottom portion define a cavity for storing an item. The carton also includes a separation region defined on the top and bottom portions that extends from an outside edge of the front wall of the top portion, around the top portion and the bottom portion, to an outside edge of the front wall of the bottom portion. The separation region is configured to facilitate controlled separation of the carton into first and second side portions and to prevent liquid flow through separation region.
In a second aspect, a method for manufacturing a carton includes providing a planar material. The material is cut to remove excess material. A separation region is formed along a major axis of the cut planar material. The separation region is configured to facilitate controlled separation of the carton, when assembled, into first and second side portions and to prevent liquid flow through separation region.
Other features and advantages will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional features and advantages included within this description be within the scope of the claims, and be protected by the following claims.
The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the design. Moreover, in the figures, like-referenced numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.
The exemplary embodiments below describe a food carton that includes an integrated tear strip feature. The tear strip facilitates vertically parting the food carton into two halves. The tear strip may include a group of perforations. A barrier material may be applied over the perforations to prevent liquid from flowing through the perforations. After parting, a consumer may grasp a food item stored therein in a manner that minimizes the likelihood of his hands becoming messy.
The top portion 105A and bottom portion 105B are hingedly attached to one another along a shared top edge of the rear walls (115AB). The front wall 110A of the top portion 105A and the front wall 110B of the bottom portion define, respectively, a pair of outwardly extending fingers (130 and 135) that extend from respective edges of the front walls 110AB. The fingers (130 and 135) are configured to engage one another to secure the top portion 105A and bottom portion 105B of the carton together and thereby maintain the carton 100 in the closed configuration of
The tear strip 140 is defined along both the top portion and bottom portion 105AB. The tear strip 140 extends between outside edges of the front walls 110AB. That is, the tear strip 140 is defined along the front wall 110A, top surface 107A, and rear wall 115A, of the top portion 105A, and the front wall 110B, bottom surface 107B, and rear wall 115B of the bottom portion 105B. A pull-tab 140A is provided on the section of the tear strip 140 that is defined on the front wall 110A of the top portion 105A.
Referring to
Each of the three regions 212abn includes locking finger regions 135 which, when assembled, correspond to the locking fingers 135, shown in
As illustrated, the tear strip 140 is generally defined along the major axis of the sheet 200A. The outline that defines the tear strip 140 may correspond to a pattern of repeated 9/16 inch segments that are separated by a 1/16 inch perforation. The length of the segments and the perforation between them may be different. For example, the segments may be ⅜ inch, 1/16 inch or a different length. The distance between the segments may be 1/32 inch or a different distance. Factors to be considered when determining the length of the segments and the distance between them include the desired ease with which the tear strip can be removed, the loss of structural integrity that results from the perforations, and possible seepage of juices through the perforations. The various dimensions above have been determined to optimally balance these considerations.
To further limit or prevent seepage through the perforations, a barrier coating may be applied over the perforations to prevent seepage of liquids (e.g., water, oil, grease or sauces) contained in the food items. For example, a barrier coating may be applied over the perforations. Such a barrier coating effectively seals the perforations without adversely affecting the ease with which the tear strip 140 may be removed.
In alternative implementations, creases or partial scoring of the working material may be utilized rather than or in combination with the perforations to control the separation of the tear strip. For example, creasing and partial scoring of the working material may be provided in those regions where juices are more likely to seep, such as one or more of the front wall 110B, bottom surface 107B, and rear wall 115B of the bottom portion 105B.
The width of the tear strip 140 may be generally uniform across the length of the sheet 200. For example, the width may be about ¼ inch. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
During normal usage, a server may place a sandwich, hamburger or other food item into the carton 100 and then close the carton 100, as illustrated in
At block 405, an unassembled carton form is punched from a larger piece of working material. For example, the carton form may correspond to the carton form 200 shown in
At block 407, a barrier material may be applied to at least the perforated areas of the tear strip to prevent liquid from flowing through the perforations.
At block 410, the various regions defined in the form may be folded along the creases to provide the carton 100 shown in
At block 415, an adhesive may be applied to various regions of the form. The adhesive may be utilized to bond the various regions to one another.
While the carton and method for assembling the carton have been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope. For example, the carton described above may be utilized for items other than food. In addition, the operations in manufacturing the carton may be done in a different order. For example, decorations and other details may be printed on the carton form after the carton form is punched from the working material, or the glue dots may be applied earlier than the other operations.
In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present method and system not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the method and system include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
