U.S. patent application number 12/441734 was filed with the patent office on 2010-01-14 for structure for a pan and container incorporating such a pan.
Invention is credited to Pietro Alessio.
Application Number | 20100006471 12/441734 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38956601 |
Filed Date | 2010-01-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100006471 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Alessio; Pietro |
January 14, 2010 |
STRUCTURE FOR A PAN AND CONTAINER INCORPORATING SUCH A PAN
Abstract
Structure (8) of a pan for containing foodstuffs and the like,
comprising a delimitation rim (9) to delimit at least one
introduction opening (10) to introduce said products into said pan,
and a hollow body (11) extending from said delimitation rim (9) so
as to define a housing chamber (12) communicating with said
introduction opening to house said products. Said hollow body in
turn comprises rigid supporting means (13) to support said body,
and lightened coating means (16) to coat said body so as to limit
said pan's overall weight. Finally, the invention also refers to a
structure of a container incorporating the mentioned pan.
Inventors: |
Alessio; Pietro; (Rosa,
IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
K.F. ROSS P.C.
5683 RIVERDALE AVENUE, SUITE 203 BOX 900
BRONX
NY
10471-0900
US
|
Family ID: |
38956601 |
Appl. No.: |
12/441734 |
Filed: |
September 18, 2007 |
PCT Filed: |
September 18, 2007 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/IB2007/002687 |
371 Date: |
March 18, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/557 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B29C 45/14475 20130101;
B65D 11/10 20130101; B65D 5/209 20130101; B65D 11/22 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/557 |
International
Class: |
B65D 1/34 20060101
B65D001/34 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 21, 2006 |
IT |
PD2006A000349 |
Claims
1. A structure of a pan for containing foodstuffs and the like,
comprising a delimitation rim for delimiting at least one
introduction opening to introduce said products in said pan, and a
hollow body extending from said delimitation rim to delimit a
housing chamber that communicates with said introduction opening to
house said products, wherein said hollow body comprises rigid
supporting means for supporting said body, and lightened coating
means to coat said supporting means so as to limit the overall
weight of said pan.
2. The structure, according to claim 1, wherein said hollow body
presents a truncated pyramidal shape.
3. The structure, according to claim 1, wherein said rigid
supporting means comprise supporting elements set up vertically and
connecting elements set up horizontally to connect said supporting
elements.
4. The structure, according to claim 3, wherein said supporting
elements are set up at an angular position and that said connecting
elements are set up in a topside position.
5. The structure, according to claim 1, wherein said lightened
coating means comprise peripheral rims made adherent to said
supporting means.
6. The structure, according to claim 5, wherein said lightened
coating means define the floor and the lateral walls of said
pan.
7. The structure, according to claim 6, wherein said floor and said
lateral walls are defined by the central zone and by the peripheral
zones of said lightened coating means, respectively.
8. The structure, according to claim 6, wherein said lightened
coating means are constituted of a film suitable for preventing
said products from being contaminated on the part of contaminating
agents outside said pan.
9. A structure of a container for containing foodstuffs and the
like, comprising a mutually connectable lid and a pan, wherein said
pan comprises the features of claim 1.
10. The structure of container according to claim 9, wherein it is
producible from plastic materials.
11. The structure of pan according to claim 1, wherein it is
producible from plastic materials.
Description
[0001] The present invention refers to the structure of a pan and
container incorporating such a pan for containing foodstuffs and
the like. The invention finds particular, while not exclusive
application in the production of plastic packaging materials
destined for the conservation sector, the dairy products branch and
so on.
[0002] The containers used for the conservation of the products
characteristic of these industrial sectors are normally rigid, made
of a plastic material and essentially constituted of a mutually
connectible lid and pan. In particular, the pan is traditionally
fitted with a boundary rim to delimit at least one introduction
opening to introduce said products into said pan, and a hollow body
extending from said boundary rim so as to define a housing chamber
communicating with said introduction opening to house said
products.
[0003] The most important drawback found in the containers produced
according the prior art described above is the fact that their cost
has a considerable and growing bearing on the sales price of the
products they contain, especially if their sales price is slight.
Said cost in fact depends on that of the plastic material employed
for their production, which is notoriously high. In any case, said
cost has considerably grown due to the progressive price increases
lately recorded for crude oil. Said costs are also burdened with
the growing recycling costs imposed by the producers of said
containers and calculated based on the volume of plastic material
employed in their production.
[0004] The aim of the present invention is to set up a structure of
a pan and container incorporating such a pan for containing
foodstuffs and the like, able of solving the drawbacks found in the
prior art.
Within this aim, an object of the invention is to set up a
container of an economical type. Another object of the invention is
to set up a container able of allowing it to be stacked, both in an
empty and in a filled condition. A further object of the invention
is to set up a container able of attaining long conservation
periods for the foodstuffs contained in the same. Not the last
object of the invention is to set up a container able of being
produced using the processes and the injection molding equipments
employed for traditional plastic materials.
[0005] This aim, as well as these and other objects which will
become better evident in the following, are achieved by the
structure of a pan and container incorporating said pan for
containing foodstuffs and the like according to the attached
claims.
According to first features of the invention, the structure of the
pan for containing foodstuffs and the like comprises a delimitation
rim to delimit at least one introduction opening for introducing
said products into said pan, and a hollow body extending from said
delimitation rim so as to define a housing chamber communicating
with said introduction opening to house said products. Said hollow
body in turn comprises rigid supporting means to support said body,
and lighted coating means to coat said supporting means so as to
limit the overall weight of said pan. This solution allows to set
up a container of an economical type, according to the invention's
aim. The use of lightened coating means in fact allows achieving
considerable savings in the plastic material employed, and thus a
notable economic advantage over traditional containers. This
solution further allows producing a container able of being stacked
both in an empty and in a filled condition, according to an object
intended by the invention. The use of rigid supporting means in
fact allows achieving a container squashing strength suitable for
stacking and comparable to that of traditional containers.
According to second features of the invention, said lightened
coating means are constituted of a film capable of preventing the
contamination of said products on the part of contaminants outside
said pan. This solution therefore allows to set up a container able
of achieving long periods of conservation of the foodstuffs as
intended by the invention. According to yet other features of the
invention, the structure of the pan and of the container is
producible from plastic materials. This solution thus allows to set
up a container according to the methods and by using the
traditional injection molding equipments for plastic materials, in
accordance with the objects to be achieved as intended by the
invention.
[0006] Further features and advantageous aspects of the invention
will be more clearly evident from the, description of a preferred
form of embodiment of the structure of a pan and container
according to the invention, as illustrated for indicative yet
non-limiting purposes in the enclosed drawings, wherein:
[0007] FIG. 1 represents a prospective front view of the structure
of a pan according to the invention;
[0008] FIG. 2 represents a topside ground view of the structure of
the pan of FIG. 1;
[0009] FIG. 3 represents a side view of the structure of the pan of
FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 4 represents a view of a vertical section, according to
the dotted line IV-IV shown in FIG. 2, of the pan of FIG. 1;
[0011] FIG. 5 represents a view of a horizontal section, according
to the dotted line V-V shown in FIG. 3 of the structure of the pan
of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 6 represents a prospective front view of the partially
incomplete pan structure of FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 7 finally represents a topside ground view of the above
coating means.
[0014] With reference to the Figures in the enclosed figures and
initially to FIG. 1, the structure of the pan for containing
foodstuff products and the like (not shown) is in the overall
designated by the reference number 8. This pan structure includes
above all a delimitation rim 9 to delimit at least one introduction
opening 10 to introduce such products in the pan 8.
This pan structure 8 also comprises a hollow body 11 that extends
from said delimitation rim 9 to define a housing chamber 12
communicating with said introduction opening 10 to house said
products. In detail, said hollow body 11 presents a truncated
pyramidal shape. Said hollow body 11 in turn comprises rigid
supporting means, indicated in the overall by the reference number
13, to support said body 11. In particular, said rigid sustaining
means 13 comprise supporting elements 14 set up vertically and
connecting elements 15 set up horizontally to connect said
supporting elements 14. In even greater detail, said supporting
elements 14 are set up in an angular manner, and said connecting
means 15 are set up in a topside manner. Finally, said hollow body
11 comprises lightened coating means indicated in the overall by
the reference number 16, to coat said supporting means 13 so as to
limit the overall weight of said pan 8. Said lightened coating
means 16 also define the floor 18 and the lateral walls 19 of said
pan 8. Said floor 18 and said lateral walls 18 are in turn defined
by the central area 20 and by the peripheral areas 21 of said
lightened coating means 16. Said lightened coating means 16 are
advantageously constituted of a film suitable for preventing said
products from being contaminated on the part of contaminating
agents outside said pan 8. The structure of the container (not
shown) for containing foodstuff products and the like (not shown)
comprises a mutually connectible pan and lid, where said pan
comprises one or more of the mentioned characteristics. Finally,
said structure of the pan and of the container are made of a
plastic material.
[0015] It has in practice been verified that the structure of the
pan and of the container for containing foodstuff products and the
like achieves its expected aim and objects by overcoming the
drawbacks found in the prior art. Said lightened coating means in
fact allow to set up a container of an economical type. The rigid
supporting means also allow to set up a container suitable for
stacking in both an empty and a filled condition. The use of
coating means constituted of a non-contaminating film also allows
to set up a container able of achieving extended conservation
periods. Finally, the use of injection-molded plastic material to
create both the pan and container allows employing both the
processes and the injection molding equipments for plastic material
already known.
[0016] In a practical embodiment, the materials employed, the
shapes, dimensions and executive details may differ from those
indicated above as long as they're technically equivalent,
depending on the requirements and needs.
[0017] In particular, said pan and said container incorporating
said pan may be realized in any shape and have any capacity.
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