Claims
- 1. An interactive, compartmented food package, comprising:
a shallow rectangular tray portion having front and back walls, opposite end walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, said top wall having at least one opening therein for holding an object; and a lid pivotably connected to the tray portion for movement into and out of closing relationship on the tray portion, said lid being of double thickness to impart stiffness and durability to it.
- 2. A food package as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the lid comprises a game piece which is usable apart from its use as a lid to cover the tray portion.
- 3. A food package as claimed in claim 2, wherein:
the lid is detachably connected to the tray portion so that it may be easily removed from the tray portion.
- 4. A food package as claimed in claim 1, wherein:
the tray portion and lid simulate the general appearance of a laptop computer.
- 5. A pre-assembled compartmented food package that may be stored and shipped in a flattened condition and erected into an operative condition at the point of use, comprising:
a shallow rectangular tray portion having front and back walls, opposite end walls, a top wall and a bottom wall, said end walls comprising releasably interengaged end closure flaps, and said front and back walls being pivotably connected at top and bottom edges thereof to the top wall and bottom wall, respectively, whereby said front and back walls may be pivoted to collapse said top and bottom walls on top of one another to flatten said tray portion for storage and shipment, or to move said top and bottom walls apart to expand said tray portion for use, said top wall having at least one opening therein for holding an object, said at least one opening being formed by a cut in the top wall that defines a transverse partition panel which is foldable into generally perpendicular relationship to the top and bottom walls and to the front and back walls, and edges of said transverse partition panel, when it is folded, frictionally engage against one of the front and back walls and against the bottom wall to hold the tray portion in an expanded open tubular condition.
- 6. A food package as claimed in claim 5, wherein:
there are plural openings in the top wall, formed by cuts that define a longitudinal partition panel which is foldable into generally perpendicular relationship to the top and bottom walls and to said transverse partition panel, and edges of said transverse partition panel, when it is folded, frictionally engage against the bottom wall and between the front wall and said longitudinal partition panel to hold the tray portion in an expanded open tubular condition.
- 7. A food package as claimed in claim 6, wherein:
said longitudinal partition panel is connected along a hinge line at one edge thereof to the top wall, and a narrow foot flange on an opposite edge is adhesively secured to the bottom wall.
- 8. A food package as claimed in claim 7, wherein:
there are two transverse partition panels arranged in opposed relationship to one another, said transverse partition panels being arranged to be spaced from one another when they are folded.
- 9. A food package as claimed in claim 8, wherein:
there are two longitudinal partition panels arranged in parallel, spaced relationship to one another when they are folded.
- 10. A food package as claimed in claim 5, wherein:
a glue flap is hinged along an edge of the top wall opposite the edge that is connected to the front wall, said glue flap being adhesively secured to said back wall so that said top wall lies parallel to said bottom wall, and said front and back walls lie parallel to one another.
- 11. A food package as claimed in claim 5, wherein:
said end closure flaps comprise first and second end closure flaps foldable into interlocking relationship with one another to lock the tray portion in its open expanded condition, said first end closure flap being foldably attached along one edge to an end edge of the bottom wall, and said second end closure flap being foldably attached along one edge to an end edge of the top wall.
- 12. A food package as claimed in claim 11, wherein:
said first end closure flaps each have a free edge opposite the edge attached to the bottom wall, and an elongate central notch is formed in the free edge of each said first flap, defining a pair of outwardly projecting tabs at opposite ends of said free edge; said second end closure flaps each have a free edge opposite the edge attached to the top wall, an outwardly projecting central tongue on said free edge, and a sloping shoulder extending from a base of the tongue to opposite corners of the top wall; and said end walls are formed by folding said first and second end closure flaps inwardly against one another to extend the central tongue on the second end closure flaps through the central notch and behind the first end closure flaps, and engage the tabs at opposite sides of said first end closure flaps behind the sloping shoulders on the second end closure flaps.
- 13. A food package as claimed in claim 5, wherein:
a lid is pivotably connected along one edge to a top edge of said back wall for opening and closing movement relative to the tray portion.
- 14. A food package as claimed in claim 13, wherein:
said lid is of double wall construction, imparting stiffness and durability to it.
- 15. A food package as claimed in claim 14, wherein:
said lid comprises a game piece which is usable apart from its use as a lid to cover the tray portion.
- 16. A food package as claimed in claim 15, wherein:
said game piece lid is detachable from said tray portion along a perforated hinge line.
- 17. A one piece paperboard blank for forming a food serving tray or carton that can be stored and shipped in a flattened tubular condition and opened to an expanded operative condition at the point of use, comprising:
a rectangular bottom-wall-forming panel having opposite, parallel, first and second side edges and opposite, parallel, first and second end edges; a narrow rectangular back-wall-forming panel having opposite, parallel, first and second edges, and connected along a fold line at the first edge thereof to the first side edge of the bottom-wall-forming panel; a first rectangular lid-forming panel having opposite, parallel, first and second side edges, and connected along a fold line at the first side edge thereof to the second edge of the back-wall-forming panel; a second rectangular lid-forming panel having opposite, parallel, first and second side edges, and connected along a fold line at the first side edge thereof to the second side edge of the first lid-forming panel, said first and second lid-forming panels being adapted to be folded into overlying relationship with one another and adhesively secured together to form a double thickness lid; a narrow rectangular front-wall-forming panel having opposite, parallel, first and second edges, and connected along a fold line at the first edge thereof to the second side edge of the bottom-wall-forming panel; a rectangular top-wall-forming panel having opposite, parallel, first and second side edges and opposite, parallel, first and second end edges, and connected along a fold line at the first side edge thereof to the second edge of the front-wall-forming panel; a glue flap foldably connected along one edge to the second side edge of the top-wall-forming panel; a first end closure flap foldably connected to each of the first and second end edges of the bottom-wall-forming panel; and a second end closure flap foldably connected to each of the first and second end edges of the top-wall-forming panel, said first and second end closure flaps being adapted to be folded into interlocking relationship with one another when the blank is erected to form a carton.
- 18. A blank as claimed in claim 17, wherein:
a plurality of cuts are made in said top-wall-forming panel, which, when a food serving tray or carton is erected from the blank, define at least one opening in said top-wall-forming panel for receiving an item, and also define at least one partition panel, and when the blank is folded and erected to form a carton said top-wall-forming panel and said bottom-wall-forming panel are disposed in spaced parallel relationship to one another, said at least one partition panel extends perpendicularly between said top-wall-forming panel and said bottom-wall-forming panel, and said glue flap is adhesively secured to said front-wall-forming panel.
- 19. A blank as claimed in claim 18, wherein:
said cuts in said top-wall-forming panel define a plurality of openings and a plurality of partition panels, said plurality of partition panels including a first partition panel that extends parallel to the opposite side edges of the top-wall-forming panel and a second partition panel that extends transverse to the first partition panel, and said second partition panel having dimensions such that when the blank is erected to form a carton opposite side edges of the second partition panel frictionally engage between the first partition panel and the front-wall-forming panel to hold the carton in its erected condition.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/6362,077, filed Mar. 7, 2002.
PCT Information
Filing Document |
Filing Date |
Country |
Kind |
PCT/US03/07363 |
3/7/2003 |
WO |
|
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60362077 |
Mar 2002 |
US |