Stackable food tray with condiment compartment

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6543679
  • Patent Number
    6,543,679
  • Date Filed
    Thursday, June 28, 2001
    23 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, April 8, 2003
    22 years ago
Abstract
A food tray for holding food and a condiment is formed from a unitary paperboard blank. The food tray has a food compartment and a condiment compartment, and the condiment compartment is deployable from a stowed position overlaying one or more sidewalls of the food compartment to a deployed position for holding condiments. Multiple trays can be stacked in a nested fashion when the condiment compartment is stowed.
Description




TECHNICAL FIELD




The present invention relates generally to food trays, and more particularly to food trays having selectively deployable condiment compartments.




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




Finger foods, such as chicken nuggets, popcorn shrimp, french fries, and onion rings, are often served in paperboard trays. These trays have flat bottom walls and side walls that extend upwardly therefrom at an angle to define a top opening larger than the bottom wall. In the interest of space efficiency, these trays are preferably stackable or nestable so that one tray fits inside another tray. This allows large stacks of trays to be shipped and stored in a relatively small space until needed.




Many of the above foods are frequently eaten with condiments such as ketchup, cocktail sauce, and barbeque sauce. Since these foods are often eaten with one's fingers, a person typically holds a food item in his fingers and dips it into a condiment. When eating in a sit-down restaurant, the condiment may be dispensed directly into the paperboard tray next to or on top of the food product, or a tub of the condiment can be placed on a table next to the consumer. When consuming such products in an automobile or while walking, however, the option of using a tub of condiment becomes more difficult. Furthermore, because semi-liquid condiments tend to run, it is difficult to keep the condiments and food products separate, and a user is often left with some products that are substantially covered with condiment and with condiment spread over the entire bottom wall of the container. The more the container is moved during use, the more the condiment is likely to move.




Fast food containers having a condiment compartment, such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,126,261 for “Disposable Food Tray With Condiment Container” issued to Cook on Nov. 21, 1978, are known in the prior art. However, in the first embodiment of the invention shown in the '261 patent, a condiment holder must be formed from a separate piece of material and then affixed to the main container, resulting in increased assembly costs. In the second embodiment of the invention shown in the '261 patent, the condiment holder is made from the same blank as the tray, but produces a finished product that is not stackable.




It would therefore be desirable to produce a stackable tray having an integral condiment compartment formed from a unitary blank of material.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




These problems and others are addressed by the present invention which comprises a novel tray structure that is stackable and nestable and that includes one or more fold-out walls that form at least one compartment for holding a condiment substantially separate from a food product. The invention also comprises a unitary blank for making such a tray which blank is cut form a sheet of stock material in a manner that makes efficient use of the material, minimizes waste, and provides for an accurate assembly of the food tray.




According to the invention, a tray includes a movable wall or panel foldable between a first position flush with one or more sidewalls of the tray and a second position spaced apart from the one or more sidewalls to define a compartment between the sidewalls and the movable wall. This arrangement allows trays to be stacked and nested when the movable wall is in a stowed position flush with a side wall. When the condiment compartment is in its stowed position, the trays can also be used in the same manner as ordinary trays. To use the condiment compartment, it is merely necessary to flip the wall inwardly from the sidewall. The flexibility of the wall allows the wall to be shifted with very little effort.




In a first embodiment of the invention, the condiment compartment is formed across a corner of the tray and connected to two adjacent tray sidewalls. When flipped open into a deployed position, a pyramidal condiment compartment is formed in one corner of the tray.




In a second embodiment, a movable wall is formed between two parallel sidewalls of the tray. When flipped open, the wall defines a compartment spanning the length or width of the rectangular tray between the movable wall and one of the tray sidewalls.




In a third embodiment, the tray includes two condiment compartments along opposite sides of the rectangular compartment each formed by a moveable wall.




In a fourth embodiment, the tray is formed much like the tray of the second embodiment but the top edge of one tray wall and the top edge of the movable wall forming the condiment compartment have curved portions to provide for an increased gripping surface.




It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a stackable container having an interior wall that can be deployed to form an interior compartment.




It is a further object of the present invention to provide a stackable container having a secondary compartment formed from a unitary blank of material.




It is another object of the present invention to provide a stackable food tray having a selectively deployable condiment compartment.




It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a food tray having a deployable corner compartment.




It is still another object of the present invention to provide a stackable food tray having a condiment compartment that is shiftable between a use and a storage position.




It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a unitary blank for forming a food tray having the above characteristics.




These features and advantages will be better appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of several preferred embodiments of the invention in connection with the drawings and appended claims.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS




The present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view of a food tray having a condiment compartment according to a first embodiment of the invention;





FIG. 2

is a right side elevation view of the tray of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 3

is a front elevation view of the tray of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 4

is a top plan view of the tray of

FIG. 1

with the condiment compartment wall in a stowed position;





FIG. 5

is a top plan view of the tray of

FIG. 1

with the condiment compartment wall in a deployed position;





FIG. 6

is a plan view of a blank for forming the tray of

FIG. 1

;





FIG. 7

is a perspective view of a food tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention having two condiment compartments both shown in deployed positions;





FIG. 8

is a left side elevation view of the tray of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 9

is a front elevation view of the tray of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 10

is a top plan view of the tray of

FIG. 7

showing only one of the two compartments in a deployed position;





FIG. 11

is a plan view of a blank for forming the tray of

FIG. 7

;





FIG. 12

is a top plan view of a food tray according to a third embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 13

is a plan view of a blank for forming the tray of

FIG. 12

;





FIG. 14

is a front elevational view of a food tray according to a fourth embodiment of the invention; and,





FIG. 15

is a plan view of a blank for forming the tray of FIG.


14


.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating several embodiments of the invention only and not for the purpose of limiting same,

FIG. 1

illustrates a food tray


10


that is assembled by folding and gluing a unitary blank


12


of paperboard stock. To facilitate the description of the present invention, the tray will be generally described in a position in which it is normally used by a consumer, that is, with the opening for food at the top and with the bottom wall resting on a flat support surface (not shown).




Referring to

FIGS. 1-6

, tray


10


includes a food compartment


11


and a condiment compartment


13


. Food compartment


11


has a pair of opposed first and second sidewalls


18


,


20


, a front wall


22


, a rear wall


24


, and a bottom panel


26


. First sidewall


18


has an upper edge


28


, and is joined with bottom panel


26


along a first fold line


32


.




First and second triangular glue flaps


34


,


36


are coextensive and integral with the edges of first sidewall


18


and are connected thereto at a second fold line


38


and a third fold line


40


respectively. Second and third fold lines


38


,


40


are outwardly divergent, making first sidewall


18


trapezoidal. Second triangular glue flap


36


has a concave upper edge portion


42


which, as will be explained hereinafter, provides access to the condiment compartment movable wall so that wall can be moved.




Second sidewall


20


has an upper edge


44


, and is joined with the bottom panel edge along a fourth fold line


48


generally running parallel to first fold line


32


. Third and fourth triangular glue flaps


50


,


52


are integral with rear and front edges of second sidewall


20


and are joined to the second sidewall along a fifth fold line


54


and a sixth fold line


56


respectively, which the fold lines are mutually divergent.




Rear wall


24


is trapezoidal, includes an upper edge


60


, and is joined at its lower edge with the rear edge of the bottom panel along a seventh fold line


62


generally perpendicular to first and fourth fold lines


32


,


48


. Rear wall


24


further includes slanted side edges


64


,


66


.




Front wall


22


has an upper edge


68


, and a bottom edge that meets bottom panel


26


along an eighth fold line


72


generally parallel to seventh fold line


62


. Front wall


22


also includes two opposed slanted side edges


74


and


76


and a concave upper edge portion


78


which overlays the concave edge portion


42


of second triangular glue flap


36


when condiment compartment


13


is in a stowed position.




Condiment compartment


13


, which is more specifically defined as the area between first and second triangular walls


80


and


82


, a portion of first sidewall


18


, and a portion of front wall


22


, and which is integral with the food compartment, includes a first triangular wall


80


, a second triangular wall


82


joined and coextensive with first triangular wall


80


along a ninth fold line


90


, a first condiment compartment glue flap


84


joined and integral with first triangular wall


80


along a tenth fold line


88


, and a second condiment compartment glue flap


86


integral and coextensive with second triangular wall


82


along an eleventh fold line


92


.




First glue flap


84


is joined and integral with upper edge


68


of front wall


22


along a twelfth fold line


94


from which second portion


16


as a whole is attached to first portion


14


of unitary blank


12


.




First triangular wall


80


of condiment compartment


13


has a convex edge portion


96


along its upper edge where, in the folded configuration of the condiment compartment, convex edge portion


96


extends peripherally beyond concave edge portion


78


of the front wall


22


and concave edge portion


42


of second triangular glue flap


36


. Convex edge portion


96


provides a gripping location at which the condiment compartment walls can be gripped and pulled out into a deployed or use position.




In the preferred embodiment, first and second triangular walls


80


,


82


are generally isosceles. That is, tenth fold line


88


, ninth fold line


90


, and eleventh fold line


92


all have about the same length. Moreover, as best seen in

FIGS. 5 and 6

, the distance between a first point A and a second point B in the assembled, and deployed, condiment compartment


13


is less than the distance between point C and point D of the second portion of panel


16


. These relative distances, as will be explained herein, provide for a snap-out deployment of condiment compartment


13


which allows condiment compartment


13


to stay in a deployed configuration without any condiment inside. As best seen in

FIG. 5

, condiment compartment


13


has an inverted pyramid shape in its deployed position.




It should also be appreciated that the bottom portion of the inverted pyramid shaped condiment compartment is held closely against the lower edge of the front wall of the tray. That is, edge


98


of first glue flap


84


overlays eighth fold line


72


of the tray.




The assembly of tray


10


will now be explained with reference to the blank shown in FIG.


6


. First sidewall


18


is folded up along first fold line


32


toward bottom panel


26


. Second sidewall


20


is folded up along fourth fold line


48


toward bottom panel


26


. Rear wall


24


is then folded up along seventh fold line


62


. Next, first triangular glue flap


34


is folded along second fold line


38


inwardly where side edge


66


coincides with second fold line


38


and then glue flap


34


is adhesively bonded onto the back surface of rear wall


24


. Similarly, third triangular glue flap


50


is folded along fifth fold line


54


inwardly and behind rear wall


24


until side edge


64


coincides on top of fifth fold line


54


and then third triangular glue flap


50


is adhesively bonded to the back surface of rear wall


24


.




Second and fourth triangular glue flaps


36


and


52


are folded along third and sixth fold lines


40


and


56


, respectively, and are adhesively bonded to the back surface of front wall


22


, where side edge


76


coincides on top of third fold line


40


, and side edge


74


coincides on top of sixth fold line


56


.




At this point, food compartment


11


of tray


10


is assembled. Now, the assembly of condiment compartment


13


, which is integral with the food compartment will be described.




Second triangular wall


82


is folded under first triangular wall


80


along ninth fold line


90


and the two triangular walls are symmetrically placed on top of one another. Eleventh fold line


92


coincides along tenth fold line


88


as second condiment glue flap


86


partially overlays on first condiment glue flap


84


.




Next, second portion


16


as a whole is folded up and into the food compartment along twelfth fold line


94


until first triangular wall


80


and first condiment glue flap


84


are flush with front wall


22


of tray


10


. At this point, upper edge


98


of first glue condiment flap


84


becomes aligned with and eighth fold line


72


. First condiment glue flap


84


is adhesively bonded to the interior surface of front wall


22


. First triangular wall


80


is free to fold along tenth fold line


88


. Also, second triangular wall


82


is free to fold along ninth fold line


90


.




Second condiment glue flap


86


is adhesively bonded to the interior side of first sidewall


18


at a location and position which is determined by aligning ninth fold line


90


with third fold line


40


and second triangular wall


82


flush with first wall


18


. This results in the stowed configuration of the condiment compartment. In order to deploy the condiment compartment, the user pulls convex edge


96


of first triangular wall


80


in the direction of the interior of the food compartment. The first and second triangular walls


80


and


82


are flexible thus bend to allow the wall to shift from the stowed position shown in

FIG. 4

to the deployed position shown in FIG.


5


. As stated earlier, because the distance between points C and D is longer than the distance between points A and B, the wall snaps open into a deployed position and remains deployed even with no condiment inside.




Referring now to

FIGS. 12 and 13

, a second embodiment of the invention is illustrated. In this embodiment, elements common to the first embodiment are identified by like numerals. The condiment compartment in this embodiment is elongated, spans the width of the tray and deploys and stows relative to the front wall of the tray. Of course, this compartment could also be formed along one of the long sides of the rectangular tray or along the rear wall of the tray.




A flap


100


is attached to front wall


22


along a perforated cut line


102


, and spans the width of the upper edge of front wall


22


. When folded over front wall


22


and attached thereto as described below, this flap will form a condiment compartment


113


having a main wall


104


. Condiment compartment


113


shown in an open position in

FIG. 12

, further includes a first triangular portion


106


integral with main wall


104


along a fourteenth fold line


118


on one side, and integral with a third glue flap


108


along a fifteenth fold line


120


on the opposing side. A second triangular portion


110


is integral with main wall


104


along a sixteenth fold line


116


on one side, and is joined and integral with a fourth glue flap


112


along a seventeenth fold line


114


. A glue flap


124


is integral with the lower edge of main wall


104


along an eighteenth fold line


122


. Fourteenth and sixteenth fold lines


116


,


118


are divergent.




It should be appreciated that condiment compartment


113


is the area confined between first and second triangular portions


106


and


110


, main wall


104


, front wall


22


, and is closed off on the corners along the fifteenth and seventeenth fold lines


120


and


114


, and on the bottom along eighth fold line


72


of bottom panel


26


. All edges of the condiment compartment are glued to the sidewalls and/or bottom wall of the tray thus providing a good seal to hold a condiment in place.




As stated hereinabove, main wall


104


is joined with front wall


22


on the unitary blank along the perforated thirteenth line


102


, which may is scored along most of its length and connected to wall


22


at a small number of locations. This arrangement holds panel


100


to wall


22


during manufacture and assembly, but allows a user to easily break the connections between wall


22


and panel


100


when the tray is assembled so that the condiment compartment can be deployed.




The food compartment is assembled in the same way as the first embodiment explained hereinabove. The condiment compartment


113


is assembled as follows: First, top portion


124


is slightly folded outwardly along eighteenth fold line


122


. Next, main wall


104


is folded inwardly into the food compartment along thirteenth fold line


102


and is placed flush with front wall


22


. Eighteenth fold line


122


overlays eighth fold line


72


and top portion


124


rests on the top surface of bottom panel


26


and is adhesively bonded thereon.




Fourth glue flap


112


is adhesively bonded to the inner surface of second sidewall


20


and seventeenth fold line


114


overlays sixth fold line


56


and side edge


74


of front wall


22


. Similarly, at the opposing side, third glue flap


108


is adhesively bonded to the inner surface of first sidewall


18


in such configuration that fifteenth fold line


120


overlays third fold line


40


and side edge


76


of front wall


22


. Therefore, second portion


100


is adhesively bonded and secured to first portion


14


where in the stowed position and configuration of the condiment compartment, main wall


104


is flush with front wall


22


, bottom portion


124


is secured on the top surface of bottom panel


26


, and third and fourth glue flaps


108


,


112


are secured to first and second sidewalls


18


,


20


. To deploy condiment compartment


113


, main wall


104


is pulled away from front wall


22


breaking the few connections therebetween.




As best seen in

FIG. 12

, the distance E-F-G-H is greater that the distance between points E and F, and therefore, when panel


104


is moved away from front wall


22


, front panel


22


and the triangular panels


106


and


110


are deformed until panel


104


reaches the position shown in FIG.


12


. Because these panels also need to be deformed to move panel


104


back against front wall


22


, the condiment compartment tends to stay in an open position, even when it is empty.




Referring now to

FIGS. 7-11

, a third embodiment of the invention is illustrated. This embodiment is identical to the second embodiment described above, except a second identical condiment compartment is utilized at the opposing side of the tray along rear wall


24


. Reference numerals with primes are used to designate portions of the second compartment, for example the second compartment


113


′ includes a wall


104


′ corresponding to wall


104


of the second embodiment. The production and assembly of this embodiment will easily be understood from reading the above description of a tray having single compartment spanning its width and will not be described further.




A fourth embodiment of the invention is shown in

FIGS. 14 and 15

. This embodiment is substantially the same as the second embodiment described above except in the area of the top edges of the front wall and the condiment compartment wall.

FIG. 14

shows a front view of a fourth embodiment of the invention. The container includes a front wall


220


having a top edge


222


which includes first and second linear outer portions


224


,


226


and a sinusoidal central portion having a first arched section


228


curving away from front wall


220


and a second arched section


230


cut into front wall


220


. The panel further includes a wall


232


that shifts to form a condiment compartment as described above. Wall


232


has a top edge


234


with a first portion


236


arching away from the center of wall


232


and a second portion


238


cutting into wall


232


. When the container is assembled, first arched section


236


of wall


232


overlies the second arched section


230


of front wall


220


. This arrangement produces a wall for forming a condiment compartment that functions substantially the same as the previous embodiment but which provides an increased gripping surface to make the condiment compartment wall


232


easier to separate from front wall


220


. A blank for forming a tray according to this embodiment is shown in FIG.


15


.




While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration only, and such illustrations and embodiments as have been disclosed herein are not to construed as limiting to the claims.



Claims
  • 1. A container comprising:a bottom wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, and a third sidewall; a panel having a first end connected to said first sidewall at a first point and a second end connect to said second sidewall at a second point, said panel being shiftable from a first position overlying a portion of said first sidewall and a second position wherein a portion of said panel is spaced apart from said first sidewall, wherein said panel comprises a first subpanel having a first edge connected to said first sidewall at a first location and a second edge, a second subpanel having a first edge connected to said first subpanel second edge and a second edge, and a third subpanel having a first edge connected to said second subpanel second edge and a second edge connected to said second sidewall at a second location, and wherein said second subpanel includes a third edge, said bottom and said first sidewall meet at a corner, and said second subpanel third edge overlies said corner between said bottom and said first sidewall when said panel is in said first position and said second position.
  • 2. The container of claim 1 wherein said panel comprises first and second subpanels, said first subpanel having a first edge connected to said first sidewall and a second edge, and said second subpanel having a first edge connected to said second sidewall and a second edge connected to said first subpanel second edge.
  • 3. The container of claim 2 wherein said first subpanel is triangular.
  • 4. The container of claim 3 wherein said second subpanel is triangular.
  • 5. The container of claim 2 wherein said first subpanel includes a third edge having a length, said second subpanel includes a third edge having a length, and said first point is separated from said second point by a first distance, the sum of said first subpanel third edge length and said second subpanel third edge length being greater than said first distance.
  • 6. The container of claim 4 wherein said first sidewall, and said second sidewall and said bottom define a corner of said container, and wherein said triangular first panel includes a vertex extending into said corner.
  • 7. The container of claim 4 wherein said first sidewall, and said second sidewall and said bottom define a corner of said container, and wherein said triangular first panel includes a vertex extending into said corner when said panel is in said first position and said second position.
  • 8. The container of claim 5 wherein said first subpanel third edge includes a curved portion.
  • 9. The container of claim 1 wherein said third sidewall connects said first sidewall to said second sidewall.
  • 10. The container of claim 1 including a second panel connected between said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
  • 11. The container of claim 1 wherein said first subpanel includes a third edge having a length, said second subpanel includes a third edge having a length, said third subpanel includes a third edge having a length, and said first point is separated from said second point by a first distance, the sum of said first subpanel third edge length said second subpanel third edge length and said third subpanel third edge length being greater than said first distance.
  • 12. The container of claim 11 including a second panel connected between said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
  • 13. A unitary blank for forming a container comprisinga rectangular first panel having first, second, third and fourth edges, a second panel extending from said first panel first edge at a first fold line and having an outer edge; and a flap extending from said second panel outer edge at a second fold line and comprising first, second, third and fourth subpanels, said first subpanel being quadrilateral and having a first edge laying along said first fold line when folded, and wherein said second subpanel includes a first edge collinear with said fold line.
  • 14. The blank of claim 13 wherein said second subpanel first edge is separated from said second panel by a cut.
  • 15. The blank of claim 13 wherein at least two of said subpanels are triangular.
  • 16. The blank of claim 13 wherein said first subpanel has the same shape as said second panel.
  • 17. The blank of claim 16 wherein said first subpanel is connected to said second panel along a fold line and includes first and second side edges, and wherein said second subpanel is connected to said first subpanel first side edge and said third subpanel is connected to said first subpanel second side edge.
  • 18. The blank of claim 17 wherein said second subpanel includes first and second triangular portions separated by a fold line.
  • 19. A container comprising:a bottom wall, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall; a panel having a first end connected to said first sidewall at a first point and a second end connect to said second sidewall at a second point, said panel being shiftable from a first position overlying a portion of said first sidewall and a second position wherein a portion of said panel is spaced apart from said first sidewall, wherein said panel comprises first and second subpanels, said first subpanel having a first edge connected to said first sidewall and a second edge, and said second subpanel having a first edge connected to said second sidewall and a second edge connected to said first subpanel second edge, wherein said first and second subpanels are triangular, and wherein said first sidewall, said second sidewall, and said bottom define a corner of said container, and wherein said triangular first panel includes a vertex extending into paid bottom.
  • 20. The container of claim 19 wherein said first subpanel includes a third edge having a length, said second subpanel includes a third edge having a length, and said first point is separated from said second point by a first distance, the sum of said first subpanel third edge length and said second subpanel third edge length being greater than said first distance.
  • 21. The container of claim 19 wherein said first sidewall, and said second sidewall and said bottom define a corner of said container, and wherein said triangular first panel includes a vertex extending into said corner when said panel is in said first position and said second position.
  • 22. The container of claim 20 wherein said first subpanel third edge includes a curved portion.
  • 23. The container of claim 19 including a second panel connected between said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
  • 24. The container of claim 19 wherein said first panel comprises a first subpanel having a first edge connected to said first sidewall at a first location and a second edge, a second subpanel having a first edge connected to said first subpanel second edge and a second edge, and a third subpanel having a first edge connected to said second subpanel second edge and a second edge connected to said second sidewall at a second location.
  • 25. The container of claim 24 wherein said first subpanel includes a third edge having a length, said second subpanel includes a third edge having a length, said third subpanel includes a third edge having a length, and said first point is separated from said second point by a first distance, the sum of said first subpanel third edge length said second subpanel third edge length and said third subpanel third edge length being greater than said first distance.
  • 26. The container of claim 25 including a second panel connected between said first sidewall and said second sidewall.
  • 27. The container of claim 25 wherein said second subpanel includes a fourth edge, said bottom and said first sidewall meet at a corner, and said second subpanel fourth edge overlies said corner between said bottom and said first sidewall when said panel is in said first position and said second position.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of the U.S. Provisional patent application No. 60/214,438 filed on Jun. 28, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

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Provisional Applications (1)
Number Date Country
60/214438 Jun 2000 US