Consumers are looking for products containing food for snacking purposes and for on-the-go consumption. Manufacturers of such products are looking for food product packaging that is consumer friendly and manufacturing friendly to reduce breakage of the food.
This invention relates to a package for containing rigid food products. The package includes a tray having at least one receptacle. The receptacle has a bottom wall and has a shape to enable rigid food products to slide toward the bottom wall in an orientation that is generally parallel to the bottom wall to minimize the food products being broken in the receptacle. The receptacle including a wall with at least one radius of curvature. The package including a removable flexible film secured to the tray and enclosing the receptacle. The occurrences of the rigid food products puncturing the flexible film is reduced due to the shape of the receptacle.
This invention relates to a food product packaging for containing mini crackers. The packaging includes a tray having at least one receptacle, the receptacle having a shape defined at least in part by a curved wall and a bottom wall. The packaging includes a plurality of rigid mini crackers housed in the receptacle, the mini crackers having a width and a length dimension of 1.0 inches or less. The packaging includes a removable flexible film removable secured to the tray and enclosing the receptacle. The curved wall has a radius of curvature of at least about 0.35 inches so that the shape of the receptacle enables the mini crackers to be positioned in the receptacle in an orientation that is generally parallel to the bottom wall thereby reducing the occurrences of the mini crackers breaking in the receptacle and thereby reducing the occurrences of the mini crackers puncturing the flexible film. These dimension can change based on the receptacle depth and cracker size.
The invention relates to a method for filling and for enclosing a tray containing mini crackers. The method including the steps of providing a tray have a receptacle, the receptacle defined at least in part by a curved wall adjacent a bottom wall so as to define a shape of the receptacle, dropping mini crackers into the receptacle, the shape of the receptacle enables the mini crackers to drop into and slide in the receptacle toward the bottom wall in an orientation generally parallel to the bottom wall and enclosing the receptacle with a flexible film wherein the occurrences of the mini crackers puncturing the flexible film is reduced due to the shape of the receptacle.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of constructions and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
Referring to
The receptacle 20 defines a shape 24 that is advantageous for receiving and for containing the food products. The receptacle 20 includes a squared off end 26 at a draft angle up to 5 degrees to a pointed end 28. The pointed end 28 includes a wall 30 at a draft angle of about 45 degrees.
The receptacle 20 includes a first wall 32 extending from the top surface 14. Preferably, wall 32 is perpendicular to the top surface 14. Optionally, adjacent the wall 32 is a step-down 34 that provides rigidity to the tray 10. A curved wall 36 is adjacent the step-down 34 and intersects with a bottom wall 38. The curved wall 36 has a specific radius of curvature R.
Turning now to
If the tray 10 includes more than one receptacle, the second receptacle 22 may contain the same food products 40 as in the first receptacle 20, different food products than in the first receptacle 20, or other materials such as utensils, napkins and the like. As shown in
As shown in
Turning now to
The shape 24 of the receptacle 20 is designed to enable the rigid food products 40 to drop from the funnel 54 and slide to the bottom wall 38 of the receptacle 20 into an orientation so as to by lying flat on the bottom wall 38 and not to be standing up to potentially puncture the flexible film 44 when the flexible film 44 is being secured to the top surface 14. The shape 24 of the receptacle 20 is also designed to minimized breakage of the rigid food products 40 in production and during distribution. To enable these functions, the tray 10 includes the curved wall 36 with a specific radius of curvature R. For rigid food products 40 having a length and a width dimension of one inch or less, the radius of curvature R is preferably about at least 0.35 inches. The curved wall 36 enables the food products 40 to slide to the bottom wall 38 of the receptacle and not end up in the receptacle 20 in an upright orientation.
For example, see
For example, see
It is a purpose of the invention that all of the food products 40 are settled into the receptacle 20 and are not extending above the top surface 14 thereby interfering with the sealing before the trays 10 enter the sealing station 58. If the food products 40 extend above the top surface 14 before they enter the sealing station 58, then there is a high risk of flexible film 44 puncturing. Accordingly, a tray 10 with a specific radius of curvature R is necessary to enable the food products 40 to settle within the receptacle 20 before the flexible film 44 is applied at the sealing station 58.
Referring to
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.