U.S. patent application number 10/039114 was filed with the patent office on 2003-07-03 for resizable single piece food package.
Invention is credited to Pilgrim, Mark Alan, Vasquez, Maia Lee.
Application Number | 20030121961 10/039114 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 21903758 |
Filed Date | 2003-07-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030121961 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pilgrim, Mark Alan ; et
al. |
July 3, 2003 |
Resizable single piece food package
Abstract
A single piece paperboard container for holding relatively flat
circular food products is formed from a container having top and
bottom walls with at least four side walls integrally connected to
the top and bottom walls. The improved container includes a
plurality of integral fold lines providing for substantial
separation between the top wall and the bottom wall such that the
remaining portion of the single piece paperboard container is
capable of being reduced in size.
Inventors: |
Pilgrim, Mark Alan; (Costa
Mesa, CA) ; Vasquez, Maia Lee; (Costa Mesa,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MARK PILGRIM
7 PICA FLOR
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA
CA
92688
US
|
Family ID: |
21903758 |
Appl. No.: |
10/039114 |
Filed: |
January 2, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/101.2 ;
229/110; 229/906 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 5/54 20130101; B65D
2585/366 20130101; B65D 5/0005 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
229/101.2 ;
229/110; 229/906 |
International
Class: |
B65D 005/355; B65D
005/54 |
Claims
We claim:
1. An improved single piece paperboard container for holdin food
products, said container having top and bottom walls with at least
four side walls connected to the top and bottom walls, the
improvement comprising: a plurality of integral fold lines
providing for substantial separation between said top wall and said
bottom wall, said integral folds also providing for the remaining
portion of said single piece paperboard container the capability of
being reduced in size; and a means for creating said integral fold
lines.
2. The improved single piece paperboard container of claim 1,
further comprising a first fold line located in the center of said
bottom wall and extending straight across from the outer edge of
said side walls.
3. The improved single piece paperboard container of claim 1,
further comprising a second fold line on said bottom wall extending
from the inner edge said side walls, positioned inward from and
parallel with said first fold line.
4. The improved single piece paperboard container of claim 1,
further comprising a third fold line in the general shape of said
top wall, extending from the inner edge of said side walls, and
positioned inward from said second fold line.
5. An improved single piece paperboard container for holding food
products, said container having top and bottom walls with at least
four side walls connected to the top and bottom walls, the
improvement comprising: a first fold line located in the center of
said bottom wall and extending to the outer edge of said side
walls, a second fold line on said bottom wall extending from the
inner edge said side walls and positioned inward from said first
fold line, a third fold line in the general shape of said top wall
extending from the inner edge of said side walls and positioned
inward from said second fold line, and a means for creating said
integral fold lines.
Description
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0001] Not Applicable
SEQUENCE LISTING OR PROGRAM
[0002] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates in general to cartons
especially suitable for packaging food products such as pizzas,
cakes or pies and more particularly relates to an improved
container capable of being easily reduced in size whereby a savings
in storage space is facilitated.
[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Developments
[0006] Cartons or containers for packaging food products such as
pizzas, cakes, or pies are well known and exist in a number of
types and shapes. Single piece foldable paper blanks are often used
to package the various food items. The conventional type of flat
food product carton is generally a shallow, substantially
square-configured carton sized to fit relatively close to the edge
of the product when assembled. Fold lines for example:
perforations, scores, slits or hinges are commonly used in order to
facilitate assembly of the paper blanks. A typical example of such
a container for the packaging of pizza is illustrated in U.S. Pat.
No. 5,702,054. Another example is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No.
4,765,534.
[0007] In general, when given the choice between a small, medium or
large size food item, the most economical purchase for the consumer
is the large food item. These large cartons, while suitable for
initial packaging and delivery of the food product, are cumbersome
and inappropriate for storage of left over food items. Consumers
are faced with the near impossible task of rearranging refrigerator
items in order to accommodate the large food package that contains
relatively little left over food product. Other storage options
available to the consumer include transferring the left over food
items into smaller sized solid plastic containers or placing the
food items into a flexible plastic or aluminum wrap. The above
mentioned storage options are time consuming to use, require
consumers to waste economic resource on storage replacement wraps
and/or energy on containers that need to be cleaned.
[0008] An example of a food package that the present invention can
be adapted to is the common "pizza box." Many improvements have
been proposed relating to the generally recognized pizza box.
Improvements of the pizza box include: corner closure arrangements,
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,402,929 and 5,110,039; dual pizza carrying
capabilities, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,912 and; structure stability U.S.
Pat. No. 4,919,326. None of the patents uncovered in the search
discloses a one-piece foldable paper container capable of resizing.
A small advance in this otherwise crowded art would carry great
weight as a promotional advantage to the manufacturer and a space
saving convenience to the consumer.
[0009] It would be desirable to have a box according to the
invention herein that can be easily formed with a minimal amount of
effort into an easily manageable, space savings storage container
from an existing single piece package. Ideally, the invention would
be incorporated into the manufacturer's existing paper blanks
whereby minimal machine retooling would be required thereby saving
manufacturing costs while providing the consumer with a practical
food storage advantage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The present invention provides for a single paper blank that
is perforated, scored, slit, or hinged to provide a foldable pizza
box having the capability of being easily resized to accommodate
the storage of left over food items. These fold lines placed
strategically along preexisting sections of the single paper blank
accomplish resizing of the assembled container. Few fold lines are
required thereby maintaining the structural integrity of the box.
Material reduction of the pizza box is accomplished by removal of a
portion of the existing pizza box lid and side sections along fold
lines. The now removed pizza box lid, uncontaminated by food or
grease and possibly preprinted by the manufacturer to contain
simple instructions, can be used to aid the consumer in resizing
the remaining pizza box portion. Complete resizing of the pizza box
results in a substantial reduction in the size of the pizza box.
The box can then be stored flat, lengthwise or widthwise in the
refrigerator or in any other storage device. The reduced box size
holds left over food portions securely, overcoming the problem of
food remnants sliding within a large box, thereby allowing the
resized box the additional advantage of being stored vertically on
its side. These and other objects of the invention will be apparent
from an examination of the following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] In the drawings:
[0012] FIG. 1 is an isometric view illustrating a typical single
piece flat blank cut, scored and slotted food package.
[0013] FIG. 2 shows fold lines of the present invention required
for the removal of box material and resizing of the box.
[0014] FIG. 3 shows the single piece flat blank after material
portions of the box have been removed along fold lines to form the
present invention.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the single piece flat blank
of FIG. 3 assembled and showing the lid in the open position.
[0016] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the present invention showing
the resized single piece food package with the lid in the closed
position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] The preferred embodiment of the present invention represents
an improvement over the single piece cut, scored and slotted
paperboard food package as of the type generally disclosed in
application Ser. No. 652,890 filed May 23, 1996 naming as inventors
Nicolas A. Philips and Walter D. Keefe Jr. and assigned to
Weyerhaeuser Company. application Ser. No. 652,890 was subsequently
granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,054 on Dec. 30, 1997.
[0018] U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,054 is used for illustrative purposes
only as representing the type of food package well known by persons
of ordinary skill in the art. The present invention would be
equally adaptable to similar food containers having generally
uniform structure including the pizza box sold under the trademark
Pizza Hut by Pizza Hut, Inc., which box is used for the package and
transport of pizza. Referring now to the drawings for a better
understanding of the invention, it will be seen that FIGS. 1 and 2
show the differences between the existing 054' patent and the
present improved invention.
[0019] FIG. 1 shows that single piece flat blank 10 has a generally
rectangular bottom wall or panel 12 and a corresponding top closure
wall or panel 14. Extending outwardly and hinged thereto from the
opposed side edges of bottom panel 12 are sidewalls 16, 18 along
score lines 20 and 22. Extending outwardly from score line 24 is a
rectangular front wall or panel 26. Corner wall or panel 59
illustrated in FIG. 1 is of the type used in U.S. Pat. No.
5,702,054. Other corner wall or panel configurations, such as, but
not limited to those depicted in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,100,039 and
5,950,912, can also be used.
[0020] Extending outwardly from hinge line 54 from the back edge of
bottom panel 12 is the rear side or wall panel 56. Extending
further outwardly from the top edge of panel 56 along hinge line 58
is the top of generally rectangular closure wall or panel 14.
Extending outwardly from the edge of top panel 14 opposite hinge
line 58 is locking flap 60 which will be insertable into corner
wall or panel, generally indicated at 59 in the folded box of FIG.
3. Other closure panel 14 elements have been omitted where they are
believed to be not pertinent to the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 shows fold lines, created in the existing paperboard
that differs from those in FIG. 1. Fold line 1 extends from
sidewall or panel 16 to sidewall or panel 18 and is positioned
between score line 24 and hinge line 54. Fold line 2 extends
between score lines 20, 22 and is positioned, a distance equal to
the width of rear side or wall panel 56, from fold line 1. Opposed
fold edges 4, 5 are angled inwardly and terminate at points that
will establish a dimension for locking flap 3 slightly shorter than
the length of front panel 26. Locking flap 3 is shaped by fold
lines to resemble locking flap 60 of top closure wall or panel
14.
[0022] FIG. 3 is representative of the present invention after
substantial removal of top closure wall or panel 14 along fold line
1, score lines 20, 22, hinge lines 62, 64 (shown in FIG. 1) and
locking flap 3.
[0023] Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the folding sequence will be
described for erecting a resizable container from flat blank 10.
First, the angular front corner configurations 59 can be folded and
moved into position while bringing up the side walls 16, 18 along
score lines 20, 22. Fold line 1 is rotated 90.degree. as shown in
FIG. 4. At this point, locking flap 3 can be folded inward along
the upper hinge line of panel 56. Fold line 2 is rotated inward
while simultaneously placing locking flap 3 into corner
configurations 59 to form the resized box as shown in FIG. 5.
Finally, opposed fold edges 4, 5 are rotated inward 180.degree. and
pressed against the newly formed top closure wall or panel 15.
[0024] Left over food product can now be securely packaged in the
resizable single piece food package for compact storage in the
refrigerator or other storage device.
[0025] While the invention has been described in connection with
what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred
embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be
limited to the disclosed embodiment but, on the contrary, is
intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements
included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, which
scope is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to
encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures as is
permitted under the law.
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