U.S. patent application number 10/352838 was filed with the patent office on 2004-07-29 for physical content indicator for foam container.
This patent application is currently assigned to Genpak LLC. Invention is credited to Allers, Brian S., Augustin, Alex Paul, Rider, Edward W. JR..
Application Number | 20040144676 10/352838 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32736074 |
Filed Date | 2004-07-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040144676 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rider, Edward W. JR. ; et
al. |
July 29, 2004 |
Physical content indicator for foam container
Abstract
A foam container includes a content indicator in the form of a
depressible foam area. The raised area has an increasing thickness
from the outer edge to the When used in conjunction with
alphanumeric characters, symbols or graphics, the depressible
raised area, when depressed, indicates specific contents of the
container, or that one or more specific items need to be inserted
into the container.
Inventors: |
Rider, Edward W. JR.; (Slate
Hill, NY) ; Allers, Brian S.; (Poughkeepsie, NY)
; Augustin, Alex Paul; (Sparrow Bush, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
HESLIN ROTHENBERG FARLEY & MESITI PC
5 COLUMBIA CIRCLE
ALBANY
NY
12203
US
|
Assignee: |
Genpak LLC
Glens Falls
NY
|
Family ID: |
32736074 |
Appl. No.: |
10/352838 |
Filed: |
January 28, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/459.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2203/00 20130101;
B65D 43/162 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/459.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 085/00 |
Claims
1. A foam container, comprising at least one physical content
indicator.
2. The foam container of claim 1, wherein the at least one physical
content indicator comprises a depressible raised area.
3. The foam container of claim 2, wherein the depressible raised
area comprises a center area thicker than an edge area.
4. The foam container of claim 3, wherein a thickness of the
depressible raised area gradually increases from the edge area to
the center area.
5. The foam container of claim 3, wherein the center area has a
thickness of about 0.040 inches to about 0.125 inches.
6. The foam container of claim 3, wherein the edge area has a
thickness of about 0.035 inches to about 0.120 inches.
7. The foam container of claim 3, wherein the edge area has a
thickness of about 0.035 inches to about 0.120 inches, and wherein
the center area has a thickness of about 0.040 inches to about
0.125 inches.
8. The foam container of claim 3, wherein the center area comprises
a foam nub depending into the foam container.
9. The foam container of claim 2, wherein the depressible raised
area has a circular shape.
10. The foam container of claim 2, further comprising at least one
of an alphanumeric character, a symbol and a graphic near the
depressible raised area.
11. The foam container of claim 1, wherein the at least one
physical content indicator comprises a plurality of physical
content indicators.
12. A physical content indicator for a foam container, comprising a
depressible raised area having an edge thickness less than a center
thickness.
13. The physical content indicator of claim 12, wherein the
depressible raised area gradually decreases in thickness from the
center thickness to the edge thickness.
14. The physical content indicator of claim 12, wherein the edge
thickness is about 0.035 inches to about 0.120 inches.
15. The physical content indicator of claim 12, wherein the center
thickness is about 0.040 inches to about 0.125 inches.
16. The physical content indicator of claim 12, wherein the edge
thickness is about 0.035 inches to about 0.120 inches, and wherein
the center thickness is about 0.040 inches to about 0.125
inches.
17. The physical content indicator of claim 12, wherein the
depressible raised area comprises a depending foam nub in the
center.
18. The physical content indicator of claim 12, wherein the
depressible raised area has a circular shape.
19. A method of indicating content of a foam container, comprising:
providing a foam container, wherein the foam container comprises a
physical content indicator; and manipulating the physical content
indicator into a content-indicating position.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the physical content indicator
comprises a depressible raised area, and wherein the manipulating
comprises depressing the depressible raised area into the
content-indicating position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] The present invention generally relates to foam containers.
More particularly, the present invention relates to content
indicators for foam containers.
[0003] 2. Background Information
[0004] For some time, restaurants have been using physical content
indicators on plastic drink cup lids, such as depressible raised
areas, in conjunction with lettering to indicate the type of
beverage therein. For example, in conjunction with the word "diet,"
the depression of such a raised area has been used to indicate a
diet soft drink in order that it not be confused with the regular
version of the same soft drink.
[0005] Similarly, restaurants have used graphical content
indicators on paper-based food containers to indicate the contents
of the container. For example, graphics of different types of
sandwiches and the standard ingredients thereof might be present. A
food clerk might then, for example, circle or otherwise indicate
with a writing implement the type of sandwich, and cross out any of
the related ingredient graphics if any are excluded.
[0006] However, foam containers, for example, those used for
take-out food, have not enjoyed the enhanced use that comes with
physical content indicators, instead focusing on writing on the
outside of the foam. However, it is often difficult to write on
foam, and can cause unwanted damage through punctures. The main
reason for the lack of a physical content indicator for foam is
that foam has a different structure than the other materials and
physical content indicators, for example, have been assumed to be
too difficult and expensive to create for foam.
[0007] Thus, a need exists for physical content indicators for foam
containers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Briefly, the present invention satisfies the need for
physical content indicators for foam containers by thinning the
edges of the raised area, relative to the center.
[0009] In accordance with the above, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a physical content indicator for a foam
container.
[0010] The present invention provides, in a first aspect, a foam
container, comprising at least one physical content indicator.
[0011] The present invention provides, in a second aspect, a
physical content indicator for a foam container, comprising a
depressible raised area having an edge thickness less than a center
thickness.
[0012] The present invention provides, in a third aspect, a method
of indicating content of a foam container. The method comprises
providing a foam container having a physical content indicator, and
manipulating the physical content indicator into a
content-indicating position.
[0013] These, and other objects, features and advantages of this
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description of the various aspects of the invention taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 depicts one example of a foam container with multiple
physical content indicators, in this case, multiple depressible
raised areas, for indicating contents of the foam container, in
accordance with the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one of the depressible
raised areas of the foam container of FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 3 depicts the foam container of FIG. 1 with the raised
area of FIG. 2 depressed.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the depressed raised
area of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] FIG. 1 depicts one example of a foam container 100 in
accordance with the present invention. Container 100 could be made
of any various types of foam, for example, polystyrene or PET
(poly(ethylene terephthalate)). As one example of a practical use
for container 100, assume that it is used by a restaurant for
take-out food.
[0019] Container 100 in this example has a clamshell-type structure
including, on a top surface 102, three physical content indicators
in the form of depressible raised areas 104, 106 and 108. An outer
surface 110 of area 104 is convex. When one such area is
manipulated into a content-indicating position (in this example,
depressing the raised area), it can serve as an indicator that, for
example, something has been placed or needs to be placed in the
container. As another example, the depressible raised area can be
used in conjunction with one or more alphanumeric characters,
symbols or graphics placed nearby. For example, alphanumeric
characters 112 (here, comprising the word "chicken") shown in FIG.
1 can be used in conjunction with area 104 to indicate that a
chicken dish has been placed or needs to be placed in container
100.
[0020] It will be understood that although the depressible raised
areas have been shown as rounded, other shapes are possible. Any
shape that, prior to depression, increases in width from a top to a
bottom where it meets the container will work. For example, a
conical shape, oval shape, a pyramid, and so on. Moreover, although
the depressible raised areas are shown in FIG. 1 as identical, it
will be understood that where there is more than one physical
content indicator, the indicators can be different.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the depressible raised
area 104 from FIG. 1. The structure of the raised area comprises a
pinch point 114 around the periphery of the raised area. Moving in
from the periphery toward the center 116, the thickness gradually
increases from about 0.035 inches to about 0.120 inches at the
pinch point to about 0.040 inches to about 0.125 inches at point
118, just before the center. In the center is a depending foam nub
120 of about 0.04 inches to about 0.075 inches at its thickest
point directly in the center. The thickness increase toward and at
the center helps the area maintain a depressed position after
manual depression thereof.
[0022] FIG. 3 depicts the container 100 of FIG. 1 after depressible
raised area 104 has been depressed. Thus, in conjunction with
alphanumeric characters 112, the depression of area 104 indicates
either that a chicken dish is present in the container, or that
such a dish needs to be placed therein, depending on the intended
usage. For example, an order taker in a restaurant could use such
an indicator to tell a food preparer which type of dish to place
therein, or it could be depressed by the food preparer to indicate
to the worker interacting with customers which container to fill
the order with.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of area 104 from FIG. 3.
After depression, as best shown in FIG. 4, surface 110 is now
concave. Further, pinch point 114 is slightly raised with respect
to container surface 102, creating the ring best shown in FIG. 3.
It should also be noted that area 104 could be pushed back out as
in FIG. 2 by pushing up from under nub 120. In this way, container
100 might be reused if it were being utilized for a purpose that
would not contaminate the container, for example, mechanical parts.
However, due to the inherent nature of foam, reuse may not be
possible beyond several times, as the pinch point will eventually
weaken.
[0024] While several aspects of the present invention have been
described and depicted herein, alternative aspects may be effected
by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives.
Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all
such alternative aspects as fall within the true spirit and scope
of the invention.
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