FLIP TRAY

Abstract

A flip tray is provided that includes a transparent, compartmentalized container body and a flexible sealing sheet sealed to partition walls and to the peripheral rim of the compartmentalized container body. A raised rib is formed around the periphery of the container body outside the peripheral rim. Apertures, or reduced height portions, may be formed in the raised rib at selected locations around the periphery of the container body. In addition, the bottom surfaces of some of the compartments may be sloped.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNOLOGY

Pre-packaged food platters comprised of a container body and a cover tray are well known and offered for consumer purchase after having been pre-filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, other food items, and often a dipping sauce.

Such platters typically include a container body for receiving the various fruits and/or vegetables, a transparent polymeric sheet which is sealed to the container body, and a cover tray which is placed over the sealing sheet. The cover tray is usually provided to protect the transparent polymeric sheet from disruption or a puncture prior to purchase.

Some prior art platters are offered with an opaque container body and a transparent cover tray for viewing the contents within the container body. Other platters are the reverse, having a transparent container body and an opaque cover tray so that the prepackaged fruits and vegetables can be more fully visualized through the walls of the container body. Some platters have both a clear container body and a clear cover tray.

An example prior art platter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,818. The illustrated platter is comprised of a container body having compartments defined by removable partitions. A sealing sheet is secured to the peripheral edge of the container body. The container body is transparent, and the cover tray is opaque, with the platter intended to be displayed cover tray side down. The transparent sealing sheet of the '818 patent platter includes a so-called atmospheric control member to control passage of oxygen and/or carbon dioxide, for example, into and out of the sealed container body. Because the sealing sheet can bow under the weight of the fruits/vegetables, the container partitions and/or the dip container, the '818 patent platter includes a plurality of ribs formed in the tray/cover to support the sealing sheet and to ensure that air can circulate to and around the single atmosphere control member.

Another platter intended to be displayed cover tray side down, offered by Foxy Fresh Vegetables, is in some respects similar to that of the '818 patent. However, this platter includes compartments integrally formed with the container body. As in the '818 product, a single atmospheric control member is provided, although the atmospheric control member is provided on the container body rather than on the sealing sheet. Furthermore, the compartments of the container body are all connected by channels so as to share a common atmosphere.

Providing a single atmosphere control member and a common atmosphere for all of the contained food stuffs, as in the above described products, means that all fruits/vegetables within the container body have their ambient atmosphere controlled by the same atmosphere control member. However, different fruits and vegetables have different respiratory characteristics and requirements. Therefore, it would be desirable to isolate the various food stuffs and individually control the ambient atmosphere of the respective food stuffs.

The '818 platter is adapted to provide service of the contained fruits/vegetables by removing the cover tray, removing the sealing sheet, re-placing the cover tray, inverting the platter, and then removing the container body so that the fruits/vegetables and dip are supported for consumption on the cover tray. Because of the plurality of the ribs provided to ensure air circulation to the atmosphere control member, however, disadvantageously, smaller vegetables such as snap peas, carrots, green beans and the like may fall between the ribs and may be difficult for the consumer to retrieve and consume. Moreover, while the cover tray is apparently intended to aesthetically simulate a service platter, ribs are not typically included in a service platter and thus may be considered aesthetically unappealing to the consumer. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a platter having a cover tray that aesthetically simulates a service platter while still providing desired air circulation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first example embodiment of a flip tray;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container body of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is front elevation view of the container body of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the container body of the embodiment of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of two stacked container bodies of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a protective film that can be sealed to a container body;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating two stacked container bodies that have been sealed with a protective film;

FIG. 10 is a top view of the tray portion of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of the tray shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is cross-sectional view of the tray shown in FIG. 10 taken along section line 12-12 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 13 is front elevation view of two stacked trays as shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along section line 14-14 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along section line 15-15 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 16 is front elevation view of two stacked flip trays as illustrated in FIGUREs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments could include both a container body and an attached tray, and embodiments that omit the tray. The container body would typically be a transparent, compartmentalized container body. However, in some embodiments, the container body might be opaque. A sealing sheet would typically be sealed around the periphery of each of the compartments of the container body to form substantially independent compartments.

When a tray is included, it may be opaque or transparent. In a presently preferred embodiment, the tray is opaque, such as black.

Although the following description focuses on an embodiment where the container body has seven compartments, this is only one illustrative embodiment. In other embodiments, the container body could have different numbers of compartments arranged in various different ways, or only a single compartment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment that includes both the container body 12, and a tray 30. The container body 12 has a plurality of discrete compartments, each having respective peripheral walls. The embodiment of FIG. 1 includes four corner compartments 14, two side compartments 16 and a central compartment 18, which may accommodate a dip container. These compartments are defined by the peripheral walls.

The container body 12 is preferably formed by molding. For example, the container body can be formed by thermo-forming a suitable polymeric material, such as polyethylene, so that the compartment bases, peripheral walls and continuous rim are parts of a unitary body. Although in the illustrated embodiment the container body is generally rectangular, it is to be understood that the container body may be of any convenient shape. For example, the container body can be rectangular, square, or round. The depth of the container body can be, for example, about 1 to 4 inches, more specifically, about 1.25 to 2.5 inches. The circumference can be, for example, about 20 to 100 inches, or more specifically about 25 to 70 inches. The peripheral rim to which the sealing sheet is adhered preferably has a width of at least about 0.125 inches, more preferably on the order of about 0.15 to 0.4 inches, and most preferably about 0.25 inches.

The container body is preferably shaped so that a plurality of container bodies can be stacked and nested together, as shown in FIG. 6. When nested, there will be little or no space between the container bodies, which provides for economic storage of the containers before they are filled with food stuffs. The container body includes anti-nesting projections 19 on the four corners to prevent the container bodies from nesting too tightly together. The anti-nesting projections 19 limit how tightly the bodies can stack against each other, which makes it easier to pull them apart during filling and assembly.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the container body 12 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIGS. 4 and 5 show front and side elevation views of the container body. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of the container body taken along section line 7-7 in FIG. 3. As shown in these figures, the tops of the peripheral walls of the compartments are joined together by a peripheral rim surface 20 that extends around the periphery of the container body, and between the walls of the compartments. The rim surface 20 is a continuous flat surface to which a sheet of flexible polymeric material 24 can be sealed to seal each of the discrete compartments of the container body 12.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the sealing sheet 24, which is discussed in greater detail below, may be heat sealed to the continuous rim 20. Alternatively, it may be sealed with biocompatible glue, by spot welding, or by any other suitable means. It is preferred that the adherence of the sealing sheet to the rim 20 be continuous or substantially continuous. That is, sufficiently continuous to largely isolate the compartments from one another.

The more continuous the seal provided, the more isolated each of the respective compartments will be from one another, so that their internal atmosphere can be individually controlled. Also, if a cover tray is used, adherence of the sealing sheet about the various compartments has the further advantage that the sealing sheet is held so that it is spaced apart from the cover tray when the assembled tray is disposed cover tray side down, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. This allows for air circulation in the space between the sealing sheet and the cover tray, as discussed more fully below.

Spaced adherence points may also be sufficient to support the sealing sheet above the tray, to thereby allow for air circulation in the area between the sealing sheet and the tray. However, spaced adherence points might not completely isolate the respective compartments from one another. Whether adherence between the rim surface 20 and the sealing sheet 24 is continuous, substantially continuous, or spaced may be determined by the particular contents of the container and/or by the manufacturer.

In some embodiments, the container body 12 and the sealing sheet 24 may be the complete package. In other embodiments, the tray 30 may also be provided. The tray 30 can serve to protect the sealing sheet from punctures or tears until the sealing sheet is to be removed by the user. The tray may also be useful as a serving tray, as discussed above.

As noted above, each of the sealed compartments formed by the container body and sealing sheet is preferably individually atmosphere controlled. In other words, each compartment is provided with a tailored atmosphere control means. Atmosphere control may be provided through the use of a so-called atmosphere control member, or by controlling a size and number of perforations, more specifically micro-perforations, in the sealing sheet or in the container body.

An atmosphere control member refers to any member that modifies the rates at which oxygen and carbon dioxide pass into and out of the sealed package. Such atmosphere control members are well known in the art as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,032, WO 00/004787 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,818, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

Alternatively, atmosphere control may be provided by micro-perforations, most preferably in the sealing sheet that is adhered to the continuous rim of the container body. One can form different numbers of micro-perforations in the sealing sheet above each compartment in the container body to tailor the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) into and out of each individual compartment. One can also tailor the sizes of the micro-perforations to modify these characteristics. Laser formed micro-perforation sizes for film used with fruits and/or vegetables can range from 75 microns to 250 microns.

The numbers and sizes of the micro-perforations can be varied to accommodate the physiological changes of different fruits and vegetable brought on by changes in the growing season. In other words, vegetables are continuing living entities that require adjustment and modification of their surrounding atmosphere to control their respiratory rate and consequently extend their shelf life.

FIG. 8 illustrates a sealing sheet 24 that has been laid over a container body 12. Micro-perforations are formed in the sealing sheet with a laser. Such micro-perforations would typically be formed in the sealing sheet before it is attached to the container body. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, a corner compartment 14A for carrots has two perforations 26 spaced approximately one inch apart. The diametrically opposite corner 14B, also provided for carrots in this example, also has two perforations 26. But in this instance, the micro-perforations are spaced 1.5 inches apart. An example corner compartment 14C for celery has one perforation 26. The diametrically opposite corner compartment 14D, provided for broccoli, has six perforations 26 with 0.5 inch spacing. A side compartment 16A for tomatoes has two perforations 26. Finally, a snap pea compartment 16B has six perforations 26, again at 0.5 inch spacing.

Although examples of numbers and spacings for the micro-perforations have been given above, obviously, many other combinations of numbers, sizes and spacings for the micro-perforations are possible. For any given embodiment, the optimal number, sizes and distributions of the micro-perforations would be determined by the packaging designer.

When an embodiment does not include the tray 30, it is necessary to ensure that the micro-perforations of the sealing sheet are not blocked. If the micro-perforations are blocked, air would not be able to enter and exit the individual compartments, which would essentially eliminate the purpose of the micro-perforations.

FIG. 9 illustrates multiple container bodies 12, without associated trays 30, that are stacked on one another. As noted above, when the container bodies are stacked in this fashion, it is necessary to ensure that the sealing sheet 24 of one container body 12 is not covered by bottoms of the compartments of the container body upon which it is stacked. It is also important to ensure that the container body located on the bottom of the stack does not have its sealing sheet blocked because the sealing sheet is resting on a flat surface. Several features of the container body help to accomplish these aims.

As best shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 7, the peripheral edges of the container body have a raised lip 21. The lip extends away from the rim surface 20 to which the sealing sheet 24 is attached. As a result, when the container body is resting on a flat surface 100, as shown in FIG. 9, the sealing sheet 24 is spaced above the flat surface 100. This ensures that the micro-perforations in the sealing sheet 24 are not blocked by contact with the flat surface 100.

As shown in FIGS. 4-6, a plurality of apertures 23 are formed in the raised lip 21. In other words, at selected locations around the circumference of the raised lip 21, the material of the raised lip recesses back towards the level of the rim surface 20. As shown in FIGS. 4-6, a plurality of apertures 23 are formed along the four sides of the container body. When a container body 12 is resting on a flat surface 100, as shown in FIG. 9, the apertures 23 allow air to enter and exit the space formed between the flat surface 100 and the sealing sheet 24.

Moreover, the bottom surfaces of the corner compartments 14 and the side compartments 16 are sloped downwards towards the center of the container body 12. In other words, as shown in FIG. 7, a depth of the compartment 14 becomes more shallow as one progresses from the outer periphery of the compartment 14 towards the center of the container body 12. The difference in the depth of the compartments from the exterior edge of the compartment to the interior edge of the compartment is identified as distance X in FIG. 7.

In preferred embodiments, the bottom surface of the center compartment 18 would be substantially flat, and the lower surface of the center compartment 18 would be located at the same depth as the outer edge portions of the corner and side compartments.

When the lower surfaces of the compartments of a container body 12 are configured as explained above, and multiple container bodies 12 are stacked as shown in FIG. 9, the sealing sheet over the center compartment 18 of an upper container body will rest flat upon the bottom surface of the center compartment 18 of the lower container body. The center compartment will typically contain a dipping sauce, and/or a separate sealed container. As a result, the fact that the sealing sheet over the center compartment 18 is fully covered does not present a problem.

However, the portions of the sealing sheet 24 covering the corner compartments 14 and side compartments 16 on the upper container body will be partially open. Specifically, although the portions of the sealing sheet 24 located at the peripheral edges of the corner and side compartments might be resting on the bottoms of the corresponding compartments of the lower container body, the portions of the sealing sheet 24 located towards the center of the upper container body will be exposed due to the sloped lower surfaces of the compartments on the lower container body. In addition, air will be able to circulate to the exposed portions of the sealing sheet 24 on the upper container body due to the apertures formed between the compartments.

Given this tendency for the more central portions of the sealing sheet to be exposed, it makes sense to place the micro-perforations in the sealing sheet at locations corresponding to the inner portions of the compartments. This would ensure that the micro-perforations remain exposed.

The cover tray 30 is shown in FIGS. 10-13. As noted above, in some embodiments, the cover 30 will be attached to the container body 12 so that it covers and protects the sealing sheet 24 during handling.

In preferred embodiments, the cover tray 30 is made by thermo-forming or otherwise molding a suitable polymeric material, such as polyethylene. As illustrated, the cover tray 30 has a completely flat bottom 40, without any ribs or undulations. Thus, the tray has the appearance of a service platter, and the tray is free of crevices which may capture food stuffs.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 12, a peripheral footer 41 extends around the flat bottom 40 of the tray. A peripheral wall extends upward from the peripheral footer 41. The peripheral wall include a step that is formed from a first vertical portion 43 which rises from the peripheral footer 41, a horizontal portion 44, and a second vertical portion 45. The step in the peripheral wall is primarily provided to give structural rigidity to the tray 30. However, the step also provide a surface upon which a container body may rest.

The tray is formed such that a plurality of trays can be stacked in a nested fashion, as shown in FIG. 13. As illustrated in FIG. 13, the nested trays take up little space, and are designed to be stored in this configurations before the trays are joined with the container bodies. The tray also includes anti-nesting projections 47, formed on the first vertical portion 43, which prevent the trays from nesting too tightly together.

In addition, a plurality of vents 42 are formed in the peripheral walls of the tray 30. The vents are recessed portions of the peripheral wall and the step that are recessed outward and downward relative to the other portions of the peripheral wall. When the tray is joined to a container body, the vents allow air to enter and exit the area defined between the bottom 40 of the tray and the sealing sheet 24 of the container body, as will be described in more detail below.

The tray 30 also includes a plurality of grooves 46 located at corners of the peripheral walls. The grooves 46 are located on the second vertical portion 45 of the peripheral wall, and the grooves protrude outward with respect to the surrounding portions of the second vertical portion 45 of the peripheral walls.

The grooves are designed to receive corresponding protruding portions on a container body, to thereby temporarily attach the tray 30 to the container body. Thus, the peripheral edge of a container body would have protruding portions that fit into the grooves 46 of the tray 30. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 10-13, the grooves 46 are located at the four corners of the tray 30. In alternate embodiments, the same or a different number of grooves 46 could be located at differing locations on the peripheral walls of the tray 30. Moreover, in alternate embodiments, the tray may include projections projecting radially inwardly to engage respective grooves in the container body.

When a tray 30 has been attached to a container body, the combination of the tray and container body can be stacked as shown in FIG. 16. As shown therein, the bottom 40 of the tray 30 of the upper combination would rest on the underside of the compartments of the container body of the underlying combination. The fact that the flat bottom 40 is raised with respect to the peripheral footer 41 allows the combined tray and container bodies to be stacked tightly together, to minimize the amount of space taken up by the combinations during transport.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show cross-sectional views of a container body 12 and an attached tray 30. These views are taken along section lines 14-14 and 15-15 of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 15, the raised lip 21 of the container body 12 rests on the horizontal portion 44 of the peripheral wall of the tray 30. As a result, the sealing sheet 24 sealing the compartments of the container body is held up off the bottom 40 of the tray 30.

In addition, the apertures 23 in the raised lip are located at positions that correspond to the vents 42 in the peripheral walls of the tray 30. As a result, air can enter and exit the space between the sealing sheet 24 and the bottom 40 of the tray 30 through the open spaces formed between the apertures 23 of the raised lip 21 and the vents 42 in the walls of the tray. FIG. 14 shows the gap that exists between the vents 42 of the tray and the apertures 23 in the raised lip 21 of the container body.

FIG. 14 also shows how the bottom surfaces of the side compartments 16 are sloped from the exterior edges towards the interior of the container body. Likewise, FIG. 15 shows the sloped bottom surfaces of the corner compartments 14 of the container body.

The food products that may be provided in the container body in example embodiments of the invention may be of any kind, but the invention is particularly adapted for receiving respirating food stuffs such as fresh vegetables or fresh fruits. In the alternative, however, other food products such as meats, cheeses, nuts, pretzels, and/or other snack foods may be provided in the respective compartments. In such a case, it may be preferable that the individual compartments be sealed without any atmosphere control.

As will be understood from the product description above, to fill and display a package according to an example embodiment of the invention, a container body comprised of a transparent polymeric material defining a plurality of individual compartments and a continuous rib between and peripherally of the compartments is provided. The container is placed on a work surface with compartments opening up and food stuffs or other materials are placed in at least some of the compartments. A sealing sheet is sealed to the rim of the container body so that the individual compartments are substantially sealed. The sealing sheet should be sealed to the rim continuously, or at least substantially continuously along the rim. During transportation, the containers would preferably be stacked such that the sealing sheet is oriented on the top side of the compartments. However, when the container body is displayed for sale, the container may be flipped over so that the sealing sheet is oriented on the bottom side, and the contents of the compartments can be viewed through the transparent side walls and bottom walls of the compartments.

In other embodiments, a cover tray having a completely flat bottom without any ribs or undulations would be placed over the sealing sheet and secured to the container body. Here again, during transportation the assembled container body and tray would be oriented with the sealing sheet and the tray on the top side. However, when the container is displayed for sale, it might be flipped over so that the tray is on the bottom side, and the food stuffs can be viewed through the container body walls.

While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A flip tray, comprising: a compartmentalized container body defining a plurality of compartments each having peripheral walls, wherein a continuous rim extends around a periphery of the container body, and wherein a raised lip extends around a periphery of the container body, the raised lip extending upward from the continuous rim; anda sealing sheet adhered to the continuous rim of the container body.

2. The flip tray of claim 1, wherein portions of the continuous rim also extend between and around the compartments of the container body, and wherein the sealing sheet is also adhered to the portions of the continuous rim extending between and around the compartments.

3. The flip tray of claim 1, wherein the raised lip is located closer to exterior edges of the container body than the continuous rim.

4. The flip tray of claim 1, wherein a plurality of apertures are formed in the raised lip, each of the apertures being a reduced height portion of the raised lip.

5. The flip tray of claim 4, wherein the apertures are spaced along sides of the container body.

6. The flip tray of claim 1, wherein micro-perforations are formed in the sealing sheet at selected locations to allow gas to enter at least two of the compartments in the container body, and wherein the at least two container compartments have a different number of micro-perforations from one another so as to provide differing atmosphere control as between said two compartments.

7. The flip tray of claim 1, wherein a height of at least some of the compartments varies such that a height of inner sides of the compartments is smaller than a height of outer sides of the compartments.

8. The flip tray of claim 1, wherein bottom surfaces of at least some of the compartments of the container body are sloped.

9. The flip tray of claim 8, wherein the sloped bottom surfaces of compartments result in a height of at least some of the compartments of the container body becoming smaller towards a center of the container body than at outer edges of the container body.

10. The flip tray of claim 9, wherein a bottom surface of a central compartment of the container body is substantially flat.

11. The flip tray of claim 1, further comprising a cover tray having a flat bottom and peripheral side walls, wherein the cover tray is releasably attached to the container body to cover the sealing sheet.

12. The flip tray of claim 11, wherein vents are formed in the peripheral side walls of the cover tray, each vent comprising an outwardly protruding portion of the peripheral side wall.

13. The flip tray of claim 12, wherein a plurality of apertures are formed in the raised lip of the container body, each of the apertures being a reduced height portion of the raised lip, and wherein when the cover tray is attached to the container body, the locations of the apertures in the raised lip of the cover tray correspond to the locations of the vents in the peripheral walls of the cover tray.

14. The flip tray of claim 11, wherein when the cover tray is attached to the container body, the raised lip of the container body rests on a corresponding peripheral portion of the cover tray to hold the sealing sheet above and off of the bottom of the cover tray.

15. The flip tray of claim 14, wherein a step is formed on the peripheral walls of the cover tray, and wherein when the cover tray is attached to the container body, the raised lip of the container body rests on the step.

16. A flip tray, comprising: a compartmentalized container body defining a plurality of compartments each having a bottom surface and peripheral walls, wherein the bottom surface of at least some of the compartments is sloped, and wherein a continuous rim extends around a periphery of the container body; anda sealing sheet adhered to the continuous rim of the container body.

17. The flip tray of claim 16, wherein the compartments with a sloped bottom surface have a height that varies such that a height of inner sides of the compartments is smaller than a height of outer sides of the compartments.

18. The flip tray of claim 16, further comprising a cover tray having a flat bottom and peripheral side walls, wherein the cover tray is releasably attached to the container body to cover the sealing sheet.

19. The flip tray of claim 18, wherein vents are formed in the peripheral side walls of the cover tray, each vent comprising an outwardly protruding portion of the peripheral side wall.

20. The flip tray of claim 16, wherein a raised lip extends around a periphery of the container body outside the continuous rim, the raised lip extending upward from the continuous rim, wherein a plurality of reduced height portions are provided on the raised lip.

21. A method of preparing a flip tray comprising: providing a container body comprised of a polymeric material defining a plurality of individual compartments and a continuous rim between and peripherally of the compartments, wherein a bottom surface of at least some of the compartments is sloped;placing the container body on a work surface with compartments opening up,placing food stuffs in at least some of the compartments,sealing a sealing sheet to the continuous rim of the container body so that the individual compartments are substantially sealed and the seal is substantially continuous along the rim;providing a cover tray having a completely flat bottom without any ribs or undulations; andplacing the cover tray over the sealing sheet and securing the cover tray to the container body.