There are many foods that are best packaged separately but commonly eaten together. Some examples are French fries, ketchup, and salt; and apple pieces and yogurt. A food packaging system that packaged the foods separately in closed container(s) that lay in a tamper resistant cup which also held food, would be of value. It would be desirable if the container(s), the cup, and a cover were initially joined together, as with the parts of the combination formed of a single sheet of plastic. The sheet of plastic could join the parts together with pivot joints which connected the parts when being loaded with food and when later placed in a compact configuration. The loaded container could be stowed in the cup and the combination closed, by simply pivoting the container and cover to their closed positions at which they automatically hold tightly together to resist unauthorized access to any of the food as by a person who wants to taste the food before buying it.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a low cost food packaging system is provided that includes a cup that holds a first food, at least one container that lies right-side-up in the cup and holds another food, and a cover that closes the top of the cup while it holds the container. The cup, container, and cover are all formed of a single sheet of plastic, and each can be separated from the cup. The cup and cover each has a flange, and the cup and cover flanges are joined along a first pivot line that can be torn to separate the cup and cover. The container has a container flange that is joined to the cup flange about a second pivot line that is perpendicular to, or widely spaced from, the first pivot line, with the second pivot line also being capable of being easily torn to separate the container from the cup and cover.
The container has a main recess that holds the container food, and the container has a vertical channel in the outside of one of its side walls so a straw can be inserted into liquid in the cup without removing the container from the cup. The container forms a tab that projects further radially out than most of the container flange and that lies under the cover flange, and that can be used to lift the container.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The cover 16 has a cover flange 42 that is joined to the cup flange 34 at a cover joining region 44. The cover joining region includes a tearable pivot line 50 that extends in lateral L directions. The line 50 is shown as having spaced cuts to facilitate tearing. The cup and cover are already separated along separation lines 52 extending from the ends of the pivot line to the outside of the joining region. The joining region 44 also forms a pair of handles in the form of lift tabs 54, 56 at opposite sides of the joining region. Similarly, the containers 20, 22 each has a container flange 60, 62 at its periphery that is joined to the cup flange at a corresponding tearable pivot line 64, 66 extending in a longitudinal direction M that is perpendicular to the lateral direction L. The container flanges also form pairs of lift tabs 70.
The cup flange 34 has slight depressions in container joining region 68 that lead to the container pivot lines 64, 66, which locate such pivot lines below the level of part 69 of cover joining region 44. The amount of depression is about equal to the plastic material thickness of about 0.5 mm (between half and twice the thickness, or 0.25 mm to 1.0 mm). This avoids interference between the containers and covers in their closed positions.
After the food holder system of
The system of
The container 246 is shown as opening upward when it lies stowed in the cup 242, and opening downward when pivoted outside the cup as shown in
In the above drawings, the cup lower portion such as 30 in
Thus, the invention provides a container system that can be formed of a single piece of sheet plastic that forms a cup, a cover, and at least one container that lies in the cup upper portion under the cover. The cup, cover and container each has a flange, and the flanges are connected together along joining regions that form tearable pivot lines. The container system is initially formed with the cover and container in open positions away from the cup top. A clerk in a store loads food into the cup and container and then pivots the container into the cup upper portion and finally pivots the cover closed over the stowed container and into the cup top. A person cannot open the system to sample any of the food without first tearing off the cover from the cup along the pivot line that connects them. The container then can be opened while in the cup or after pivoting the container out of the cup and then tearing the container away along its pivot line.
Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art, and consequently, it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications and equivalents.
Applicant claims priority from U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/065,561 filed Feb. 13, 2008, U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/062,424 filed Jan. 25, 2008, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/973,779 filed Oct. 9, 2007. This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/315,654 filed Dec. 21, 2005.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20080277397 A1 | Nov 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61065561 | Feb 2008 | US | |
61062424 | Jan 2008 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11315654 | Dec 2005 | US |
Child | 12220017 | US |