Patent Application
20220396392
Any new and original work of authorship in this document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the United States and other countries. Reproduction by anyone of this document as it appears in official governmental records is permitted, but otherwise all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved.
The invention generally relates to boxes and, in particular, boxes used for the delivery of pizza.
When ordering pizza for delivery or for takeout, the pizza typically is oval (e.g., circular) in profile, cut into triangles, and provided in a rectangular (e.g., square) box. Unfortunately, the pizza box typically is too large to fit in a refrigerator, especially if the refrigerator already has items stored therein or if the refrigerator is a mini fridge, such as those commonly found in hotel rooms. Any leftover pizza thus cannot be left in the box and must be transferred to a different container for storing in the refrigerator.
With reference to
The blank further comprises “perforated lines” each consisting of a series of consecutively spaced openings extending through the sheet material of the blank and forming a line for inducing folding and/or tearing of the sheet material therealong; “channels” each consisting of a single, elongate opening extending through the sheet material of the blank that is formed by punching or cutting; and “fold lines” each consisting of a line of weakness formed in the sheet material of the blank for inducing folding therealong without tearing, which line of weakness may be defined by the sheet material of the blank having a reduced thickness therealong compared to other areas of the sheet material. Such line of reduced thickness may be formed by pinching, rolling, crushing, scoring, or creasing of the sheet material during manufacture, or by limiting at the outset the thickness of the sheet material therealong when forming the sheet of material. Collectively, perforated lines, channels, and fold lines are referred to herein as “manufactured lines” and are structural features of the sheet of material defining the blank.
With regard to panels of the blank 1000 that form a container of the box within which a pizza is received, the blank 1000 comprises a bottom panel 110; a front panel 112 formed by subpanels 111,113; a rear panel 114; first and second side panels 116,118; and corner panels 120,122,124,126. These panels and subpanels are separated and defined by perforated lines, channels, and fold lines as follows: fold lines 130,132,134 and channels 136,138 define a boundary that extends between and separates the bottom panel 110 and the front panel 112 (and specifically, the bottom panel 110 and the subpanel 113 of the front panel 112); a fold line 140 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the bottom panel 110 and the rear panel 114; a perforated line 142 defines a boundary that extends between and separates first side panel 116 and the bottom panel 110; a perforated line 144 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the second side panel 118 and the bottom panel 110; a channel 146 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 120 and front panel 112; a fold line 148 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 120 and first side panel 116; a channel 150 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 122 and front panel 112; a fold line 152 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 122 and second side panel 118; parallel fold lines 154,156 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanels 111,113 defining the front panel 112; a fold line 158 defines a boundary that extends between and separates first side panel 116 and corner panel 124; a fold line 160 defines a boundary that extends between and separates second side panel 118 and corner panel 126; a channel 162 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 124 and rear panel 114; and a channel 164 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 126 and rear panel 114.
Additionally, the box formed by the blank 1000 includes a lid by which the box is closed and a pizza received within the container of the box is enclosed. Panels of the blank 1000 that form the lid comprise a top panel 166; a front tuck tab 168; a first side tuck tab 170; and second side tuck tab 172. These panels are separated and defined by perforated lines, channels, and fold lines as follows: perforated lines 174,176 and channel 178 define a boundary that extends between and separates the top panel 166 and the first side tuck tab 170; channel 171 defines a boundary that extends between and separates first tuck tab 170 and corner panel 124; perforated lines 180,182 and channel 184 define a boundary that extends between and separates the top panel 166 and the second side tuck tab 172; channel 173 defines a boundary that extends between and separates second tuck tab 172 and corner panel 126; fold lines 186,188 and channel 190 define a boundary that extends between and separates the top panel 166 and the front tuck tab 168; and fold lines 192,194,196 and channels 197,199 define a boundary that extends between and separates the top panel 166 and the rear panel 114 of the container.
It will be appreciated that the front panel 112 comprising subpanels 111,113 form a front wall of the container of the box that is twice the thickness of the other walls of the container due to the hinged connection of the subpanels by the parallel fold lines 154,156. In order to retain the folding of the subpanels 111,113 together in overlapping position about the fold lines 154,156, subpanel 111 comprises locking tabs 115,117 that are received and frictionally retained within the channels 136,138 after folding.
It also will be appreciated that channels 197,199 form vents when the blank 1000 has been folded into the box; that channel 190 is in the shape of a lift tab 191 for opening of the lid of the box from the closed position; and that finger opening 139 corresponds to and lies under the lift tab 191 to facilitate the insertion of a finger below and subsequent lifting upwards of the tab lift 191 when opening the box.
Lastly, the box formed by the blank 1000 includes shoulder tabs 177,183 defined by channels 178,184 that rest upon shoulders 179,185 when the box is closed, which shoulders 179,185 support the tabs 177,183, and thus an inside surface of the lid panel 166 at a spacing from an inside surface of the bottom panel 110 (and any pizza contained within) when the box is closed.
It will be appreciated than the pizza box 1100 is dimensioned to support an entire pizza 1150 upon the bottom panel 110 of the pizza box 1100. Thus, the pizza box 1100 is inefficient for use in keeping leftovers, especially when the leftovers constitute half or less of the pizza 1150. Moreover, the pizza box 1100 is difficult to fit within a refrigerator and certainly will not fit within a minifridge or “college dorm fridge” without being crushed or otherwise deformed.
An actual pizza box of which blank 1000 and box 1100 are illustrative is disclosed in the appendix, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In view of the foregoing, it is believed that a need exists for improvements in apparatus for serving pizza whether through delivery or takeout that also enables convenient and efficient storage of leftover pizza. This, and other needs, are believed to be addressed by one or more aspects and features of the invention.
The invention includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in, the preferred context of serving an entire pizza and subsequent storage of leftover pizza, the invention is not limited to use only in such context and may be used with other food items, as well as with non-food items.
Accordingly, in an aspect of the invention, a method of forming a subsequent box for the storage of leftover pizza from an initial box used for serving of an entire pizza, which initial box is formed by folding a box blank having manufactured lines along a first plurality of the manufactured lines, comprises the steps of: unfolding portions of the initial box; tearing along perforated lines of the manufactured lines for removing portions of the box blank; and folding remaining portions of the box blank along a second plurality of the manufactured lines to form the subsequent box with a footprint that is no more than half of the area of a footprint of the initial box. Furthermore, the first plurality of manufactured lines is not an identical set to the second plurality of manufactured lines.
In a feature, the blank comprises a single sheet of material with manufactured lines which when folded forms the initial box.
In a feature, the blank is defined by panels and comprises a single sheet of corrugated cardboard having manufactured lines defining boundaries that extend between and separate the panels.
In a feature, the steps are performed while leftover pizza is positioned on a bottom panel of the initial box.
In a feature, each of a plurality of panels of the subsequent box serves a function that is different from the function thereby served in the initial box. Preferably, a panel of the subsequent box serves as a front tuck tab but previously served as a subpanel of a top panel of a lid of the initial box; a panel of the subsequent box serves as part of a front wall of a container of the subsequent box but previously served as a subpanel of a bottom panel of the container of the initial box; a panel of the subsequent box serves as part of a front wall of a container of the subsequent box but previously served as a first side wall of the container of the initial box, and another panel of the subsequent box serves as part of a front wall of a container of the subsequent box but previously served as a second side wall of the container of the initial box; and a panel of the subsequent box serves as part of a front wall of a container of the subsequent box but previously served as a subpanel of a bottom panel of the container of the initial box.
In a feature, channels of the manufactured lines of the blank define two lift tabs, one of which is not configured for use in the initial box but is configured for use in the subsequent box.
In another aspect, a box having a first footprint comprises: a blank having a plurality of panels that have been folded, with a first panel defining with one or more other panels a bottom of the box, and a second panel defining with one or more other panels a lid of the box; manufactured lines by which a panel of the bottom of the box that is not the first panel may be removed and by which a panel of the lid of the box that is not the second panel may be removed; and manufactured lines about which panels of the box may be folded after removal of the panels of the bottom and lid of the box to form a smaller box having a footprint that is substantially smaller than the first footprint.
In a feature, the first panel itself defines the entire bottom of the container of the smaller box and the second panel itself defines the entire top of the lid of the smaller box.
In a feature, the box further comprises an entire pizza contained within the box, wherein the first footprint accommodates the entire pizza and wherein the footprint of the smaller box accommodates no more than half of the pizza.
In a feature, the manufactured lines comprise fold lines that are unbroken when the box with the first footprint is formed and that are broken when the smaller box is formed.
In another aspect, a box comprises a container and a lid, wherein the box is formed by the folding of a single sheet of material. The box further comprises means for modifying and refolding the single sheet of material to form a second box also comprising a container and a lid but having a smaller footprint.
In a feature, the box further comprises an entire pizza contained within the box, and the smaller footprint of the second box accommodates no more than one half of the entire pizza for efficiently saving leftovers.
In another aspect, a blank for forming a box for serving pizza comprises panels defined and separated by manufactured lines that, when folded, define a box having a first footprint for enclosing within the box an entire pizza and that, when folded differently with panels having been removed, define a second box having a second footprint for enclosing leftovers of the entire pizza, the second footprint being smaller than the first footprint.
In a feature, the second footprint is approximately one half of the area of the first footprint for accommodating no more than half of the entire pizza.
In another aspect, a method of making a box comprises creating additional manufactured lines in a conventional box blank that is used to form an initial box by folding, the additional manufactured lines enabling a plurality of panels and subpanels to be removed for freeing a plurality of remaining panels and subpanels to be folded to form a subsequent box having a smaller footprint than the initial box.
In a feature, the second footprint is approximately one half of the area of the first footprint.
In addition to the aforementioned aspects and features of the invention, it should be noted that the invention further encompasses the various logical combinations and subcombinations of such aspects and features. Thus, for example, claims in this or a divisional or continuing patent application or applications may be separately directed to any aspect, feature, or embodiment disclosed herein, or combination thereof, without requiring any other aspect, feature, or embodiment.
One or more preferred embodiments of the invention now will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same elements are referred to with the same reference numerals.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art (“Ordinary Artisan”) that the invention has broad utility and application. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. Furthermore, an embodiment of the invention may incorporate only one or a plurality of the aspects of the invention disclosed herein; only one or a plurality of the features disclosed herein; or combination thereof. As such, many embodiments are implicitly disclosed herein and fall within the scope of what is regarded as the invention.
Accordingly, while the invention is described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the invention and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded the invention in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps of various processes or methods that are described herein are illustrative and not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although steps of various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processes or methods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps in such processes or methods generally may be carried out in various different sequences and orders while still falling within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection afforded the invention be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which the Ordinary Artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the Ordinary Artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the Ordinary Artisan should prevail.
With regard solely to construction of any claim with respect to the United States, no claim element is to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the explicit phrase “means for” or “step for” is actually used in such claim element, whereupon this statutory provision is intended to and should apply in the interpretation of such claim element. With regard to any method claim including a condition precedent step, such method requires the condition precedent to be met and the step to be performed at least once but not necessarily every time during performance of the claimed method.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “comprising” is open-ended insofar as that which follows such term is not exclusive. Additionally, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having an apple” is the same as “a picnic basket comprising an apple” and “a picnic basket including an apple”, each of which identically describes “a picnic basket having at least one apple” as well as “a picnic basket having apples”; the picnic basket further may contain one or more other items beside an apple. In contrast, reference to “a picnic basket having a single apple” describes “a picnic basket having only one apple”; the picnic basket further may contain one or more other items beside an apple. In contrast, “a picnic basket consisting of an apple” has only a single item contained therein, i.e., one apple; the picnic basket contains no other item.
When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese or crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese without crackers”, “a picnic basket having crackers without cheese”, and “a picnic basket having both cheese and crackers”; the picnic basket further may contain one or more other items beside cheese and crackers.
When used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list”. Thus, reference to “a picnic basket having cheese and crackers” describes “a picnic basket having cheese, wherein the picnic basket further has crackers”, as well as describes “a picnic basket having crackers, wherein the picnic basket further has cheese”; the picnic basket further may contain one or more other items beside cheese and crackers.
The phrase “at least one” followed by a list of items joined by “and” denotes an item of the list but does not require every item of the list. Thus, “at least one of an apple and an orange” encompasses the following mutually exclusive scenarios: there is an apple but no orange; there is an orange but no apple; and there is both an apple and an orange. In these scenarios if there is an apple, there may be more than one apple, and if there is an orange, there may be more than one orange. Moreover, the phrase “one or more” followed by a list of items joined by “and” is the equivalent of “at least one” followed by the list of items joined by “and”.
Referring now to the drawings, one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are next described. The following description of one or more preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its implementations, or uses.
Turning now to the drawings,
With regard to panels of the blank 2000 that form a container of the box within which a pizza is received, the blank 2000 comprises a bottom panel 210 formed by subpanels 205,207,209; a front panel 212 formed by subpanels 211,213; a rear panel 214; a first side panel 216 formed by subpanels 225,227; a second side panel 218 formed by subpanels 235,237; and corner panels 220,222,224,226.
These panels and subpanels are separated and defined by perforated lines, channels, and fold lines as follows: fold lines 230,232,234 and channels 236,238 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 205 of the bottom panel 210 and the subpanel 213 of the front panel 212; a fold line 240 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the subpanel 209 of the bottom panel 210 and the rear panel 214; a fold line 201 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 205 from subpanel 207 of the bottom panel 210; a fold line 203 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 207 from subpanel 209 of the bottom panel 210; a perforated line 242 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the subpanel 225 of the first side panel 216 and the subpanels 205,207 of the bottom panel 210; a perforated line 244 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the subpanel 244 of the second side panel 218 and the subpanels 205,207 of the bottom panel 210; a fold line 245 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the subpanel 227 of the first side panel 216 and the subpanels 209 of the bottom panel 210; a fold line 247 defines a boundary that extends between and separates the subpanel 237 of the second side panel 218 and the subpanel 209 of the bottom panel 210; a channel 246 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 220 and subpanels 211,213 of front panel 212; a fold line 248 and a perforated line 249 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 220 and subpanel 225 of the first side panel 216; a channel 250 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 222 and subpanels 211,213 of front panel 212; a fold line 252 and perforated line 253 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 222 and subpanel 235 of the second side panel 218; parallel fold lines 254,256 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanels 211,213 defining the front panel 212; a fold line 258 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 227 of the first side panel 216 and corner panel 224; a fold line 221 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 227 of the first side panel 216 from subpanel 225 of the first side panel 216; a fold line 260 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 237 of second side panel 218 and corner panel 226; a fold line 223 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 237 of the second side panel 218 from subpanel 235 of the second side panel 218; a channel 262 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 224 and rear panel 214; and a channel 264 defines a boundary that extends between and separates corner panel 226 and rear panel 214.
Additionally, the box formed by the blank 2000 includes a lid by which the box is closed and an entire pizza received within the container of the box is enclosed for serving, whether by way of takeout or delivery.
Panels of the blank 2000 that form the lid comprise a top panel 266 comprising subpanels 255,257,259; a front tuck tab 268; a first side tuck tab 270 comprising subpanels 261,263; and a second side tuck tab 272 comprising subpanels 265,267.
These panels of the lid of the box formed by blank 2000 are separated and defined by perforated lines, channels, and fold lines as follows: perforated line 281 and channel 278 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 255 of the top panel 266 from subpanel 261 of the first side tuck tab 270; perforated line 274 extends between and separates subpanel 263 of the first side tuck tab 270 from subpanels 257,259 of the top panel 266; perforated line 241 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 261 from subpanel 263 of the first side tuck tab 270; perforated line 293 and channel 284 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 255 of the top panel 266 from subpanel 265 of the second side tuck tab 272; perforated line 280 extends between and separates subpanel 267 of the second side tuck tab 272 from subpanels 257,259 of the top panel 266; perforated line 243 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 293 from subpanel 280 of the second side tuck tab 272; perforated line 219 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 257 from subpanel 259 of the top panel 266; perforated line 289 and channel 390 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 255 from subpanel 257 of the top panel 266; channel 271 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 261 of the first tuck tab 270 from the corner panel 224; channel 273 defines a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 265 of the second tuck tab 272 from the corner panel 226; fold lines 286,288 and channel 290 define a boundary that extends between and separates the subpanel 259 of the top panel 266 from the front tuck tab 268; and fold lines 292,294,296 and channels 297,299 define a boundary that extends between and separates subpanel 255 of the top panel 266 from the rear panel 214 of the container.
It will be appreciated that the front panel 212 comprising subpanels 211,213 form a front wall of the container of the box that is twice the thickness of the other walls of the container due to the hinged connection of the subpanels by the parallel fold lines 254,256. In order to retain the folding of the subpanels 211,213 together in overlapping position about the fold lines 254,256, subpanel 211 comprises locking tabs 215,217 that are received and frictionally retained within the channels 236,238 after folding.
It also will be appreciated that channels 297,299 form vents when the blank 2000 has been folded into a box; that channel 290 is in the shape of a lift tab 291 for opening of the lid of the box from the closed position; and that finger opening 239 corresponds to and lies under the lift tab 291 to facilitate the insertion of a finger below and subsequent lifting upwards of the tab lift 291 when opening the closed box.
Additionally, the top panel 266 of the lid comprises yet another channel 391 that also is in the shape of a lift tab 391 for opening of the lid of a box from the closed position, which box is formed by folding blank 2001 (discussed below).
Lastly, the box formed by the blank 2000 includes shoulder tabs 277,283 defined by channels 278,284 that rest upon shoulders 279,285 when said box is closed, which shoulders 279,285 support the tabs 277,283, and thus an inside surface of the lid panel 266 at a spacing from an inside surface of the bottom panel 210 (and any leftover pizza contained within) when said box is closed.
Pizza box 1100 is illustrative of the box formed by the blank 2000 insofar as the surface area of the bottom panel upon which a whole pizza 1150 is supported is the same; the blank 2000 when folded results in a pizza box configured to hold the same size pizza 1150 as pizza box 1100, and
The box formed by blank 2000 is achieved by the following folding steps:
In contrast to pizza box 1100, the blank 2000 is configured to be modified in accordance with one or more aspects and features of the invention for efficient use in keeping leftover pizza, especially when the leftovers constitute half (or less) of the pizza, as illustrated by callout 575 for half of a pizza in
Blank 2000 following said modification is shown as blank 2001 in
The resulting blank 2001, when folded, defines the pizza box 2100 shown in
The subsequent box that is formed by blank 2001 representing modified blank 2000 is achieved by the following folding steps:
After the modifications, subpanel 207 that previously defined part of the bottom of the pizza box 1100 serves as part of the front wall of the pizza box 2100. Subpanel 207 folds about fold line 203. Furthermore, subpanels 220 and 225, which previously formed a corner and side wall of the pizza box 1100, serve as part of the front wall, with the two subpanels 220,225 forming a panel that folds about fold line 221 relative to subpanel 227 to latch onto subpanel 207 by receiving subpanel 207 within slot 2249. Similarly, subpanels 222 and 235, which also previously formed a corner and side wall of the pizza box 1100, also serve as part of the front wall, with the two subpanels 222,235 forming a panel that folds about fold line 223 relative to subpanel 237 to latch onto subpanel 207 by receiving subpanel 207 within slot 2253. The front wall is thereby secured in fixed disposition to define—together with subpanel 227 defining the first side wall and subpanel 237 defining the second side wall, and panel 214 defining the rear wall—the container of the pizza box 2100. Such arrangement of the subpanels is illustrated in
Based on the foregoing description, it will be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the invention has broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the invention other than those specifically described herein, as well as many variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the invention. Accordingly, while the invention has been described herein in detail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended to be construed to limit the invention or otherwise exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications or equivalent arrangements, the invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.
