U.S. patent number 3,610,512 [Application Number 05/006,908] was granted by the patent office on 1971-10-05 for handheld food holder.
Invention is credited to Harry J. Hermalin.
United States Patent |
3,610,512 |
Hermalin |
October 5, 1971 |
HANDHELD FOOD HOLDER
Abstract
The food holder is made of paperboard stock and has front and
back panels which are interconnected by accordion-folding ends and
bottom. The open top of the holder is for the insertion of a food
product, such as a hamburger or a piece of pizza. The
accordion-folding ends are infolded when the holder is in its
collapsed position, while the accordion-folded bottom is outfolded
in such circumstances. In the open, food-holding position, the ends
and bottom are slightly outfolded. In this position, the food
holder is locked open by overcenter action.
Inventors: |
Hermalin; Harry J. (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Family
ID: |
21723208 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/006,908 |
Filed: |
January 29, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
229/117; 229/193;
229/922; 229/117.06; 229/902; 229/938 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47G
21/001 (20130101); B65D 5/3685 (20130101); Y10S
229/938 (20130101); B65D 85/36 (20130101); Y10S
229/902 (20130101); Y10S 229/922 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47G
21/00 (20060101); B65D 5/36 (20060101); B65D
85/36 (20060101); B65D 85/30 (20060101); B65d
005/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/DIG.13,32,41R,41B,30,31R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Norton; Donald F.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A handheld food holder, said holder having a front panel and a
back panel, a left end, a right end and a bottom interconnecting
said panels and said ends to form a receptacle;
said bottom comprising bottom sections attached to each other and
to said panels along substantially parallel fold lines;
said ends each comprising two end sections attached to each other
and to said panels along substantially parallel fold lines;
the distance between said fold lines defining said bottom sections
being greater in a direction normal to said fold lines than the
distance between said fold lines defining said end sections in a
direction normal to said end section fold lines.
2. The holder of claim 1 wherein said ends formed by said end
sections are foldable on said fold lines inwardly between said
front and back panels and said bottom formed by said bottom
sections being foldable along said fold lines in a direction away
from said panels so that said food holder can be reversibly
compressed to a point wherein said front and back panels
substantially contact each other.
3. The holder of claim 2 wherein said holder can be moved to an
open position wherein said end sections and said bottom sections
are positioned away from between said front panel and said back
panel so that said food holder is in a locked-open position.
4. The holder of claim 3 wherein corner tabs are positioned between
said bottom sections and said end sections, with each corner tab
being integrally formed with adjacent bottom sections and end
sections, each of said corner tabs having a diagonal fold line,
said corner tabs lying against said bottom sections in both the
folded and open positions of said holder.
5. The holder of claim 4 wherein one of said corner tabs has a nose
therein, said nose bridging across adjacent corner tabs to
substantially cover an opening therebetween.
6. The holder of claim 3 wherein the fold lines between said end
sections and said bottom sections with the same panel are at an
obtuse angle so that the open end of said holder is wider across
the top than across the bottom of said panel parallel to said fold
lines between said panel and said bottom section.
7. The holder of claim 6 wherein corner tabs are positioned between
said bottom sections and said end sections, with each corner tab
being integrally formed with adjacent bottom sections and end
sections, each of said corner tabs having a diagonal fold line,
said corner tabs lying against said bottom sections in both the
folded and open positions of said holder.
8. The holder of claim 7 wherein one of said corner tabs has a nose
therein, said nose bridging across adjacent corner tabs to
substantially cover the opening therebetween.
9. The holder of claim 1 wherein corner tabs are integrally formed
between said end sections and adjacent of said bottom sections,
each of said corner tabs having a diagonal fold line and being
folded along said diagonal fold line so that said corner tab lies
against its adjacent bottom section when said holder is folded and
when said folder is open.
10. The holder of claim 9 wherein said corner tabs are so
dimensioned and so folded that said corner tabs interfere with said
bottom sections when said holder is in its substantially open
position, so that said front and back panels are held in a position
separated from each other, in the substantially maximum open
position thereof.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to handheld food holders, particularly
made of paperboard stock, and thus is related to the field of
paperboard cartons and boxes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the very beginning of the carton-making industry, it was
determined that empty packaging materials could not be economically
shipped any great distance from the point of manufacture of the
cartons to the point of filling thereof. Accordingly, in the
paperboard carton field, even the earliest cartons were shipped
either in a folded condition or in a nested relationship. The
nesting of empty cartons is a special field because the cartons
must be particularly configured for nesting. Since this
configuration usually requires a fairly open taper in the carton,
and such is often inconsistent with the manner in which goods are
ultimately packed in the carton, nesting is a special circumstance
not often employed.
On the other hand, the shipment of cartons in a collapsed condition
is the more usual mode. In these circumstances, the top and bottom
flaps of the rectangular carton are left open and the box is
parallelogramically folded along its corner fold lines. Upon
arrival at the point of filling, the box is parallelogramically
unfolded, the bottom flaps are turned in, and adhesive, staples or
tape is applied to hold the bottom flaps in their carton-unfolded
position. After the carton is filled, the top flaps are folded
across and secured, when such flaps are provided.
Occasionally, especially where considerable strength is not
required, and in the case of some open-top cartons, the sides are
folded down against the bottom and, when erected normal to the
carton bottom, the positioning of goods therein holds the sides
upward. This construction is usually employed where greater
strength is not required.
However, in the case of handheld food holders, neither of the
foregoing general constructions is entirely satisfactory for
reasons of relatively high cost of construction, lack of ease and
speed of assembly, necessity for skills in assembly by personnel
who primarily are food handlers, not carton assemblers, inadequacy
of food-holding functions, and tendency for the container to
collapse in an undesirable manner when subjected to normal
article-holding force by the intermediate user, i.e., the food
handler, prior to insertion of the food.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to aid in the understanding of this invention, it can be
stated in essentially summary form that it is directed to a
handheld food holder having front and back panels which are joined
by accordion-folding end and bottom sections. The end and bottom
sections are interconnected by corner tabs so that the end and
bottom flaps cooperatively fold. The end and bottom sections are
accordion-folding, with the bottom sections folded outward and the
end sections folded inward in the food holder closed condition but
with all the sections folded outward in the food holder open
condition. The corner tabs interrelate the sections in this latter
condition to lock the food holder in its open condition.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a
handheld food holder which is capable of being shipped in a closed
position, and being easily opened to an open condition wherein it
can retain food therein. It is another object to provide an
economic food holder which can be employed to retain such foods as
hamburgers and pieces of pizza for transfer at time of sale, and
for the buyer to hold the good during eating. It is a further
object to provide a food holder which has accordion-folding
sections on the ends and bottom which interconnect front and back
panels so that the food holder can be readily expanded from the
collapsed to the open position. It is still another object to
provide a handheld food holder made of paperboard stock and
arranged so that it can be held in the hand so that the handheld
food holder can be economically employed for sanitary handling of
food articles.
The features of the present invention which are believed to be
novel are set forth in particularity in the appended claims. The
present invention, both as to its organization and manner of
operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof,
may best be understood by reference to the following description,
taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the handheld food holder of this
invention, showing it in its open position with a food article
therein.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the handheld food holder of this
invention, showing it in its closed condition.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the food holder in a
partially opened intermediate condition.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the food holder in its
fully opened condition.
FIG. 5 is a vertical section taken generally along line 5--5 of
FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken generally along line 6--6 of
FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a plan view of a paperboard blank from which the handheld
food holder of this invention is made, on reduced scale as compared
to FIGS. 2 through 6.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The handheld good holder of this invention is generally indicated
at 10 in FIGS. 1, 4 and 6. It has front and back panels 12 and 14,
left and right ends 16 and 18, bottom 20 and open top 22. The front
and back panels are identical and are identified by that language
strictly for convenience as the food holder 10 can be oriented in
any position with respect to the user. Similarly, the left and
right ends are symmetrically identical so that either end may be
held to the right of the user. Open top 22, as defined by the
panels and ends is of sufficient size to hold a food article, such
as the one indicated at 24. The hamburger type of food article
indicated at 24 is exemplary, and the food holder 10 is of such
dimensions as to be particularly useful in holding a hamburger.
However, it is clear from the following description that the
particular dimensions and size relationships of the various parts
of the present food holder 10 are merely exemplary, and different
relative dimensions can be employed so that it is useful in holding
other types and sizes of food articles.
As is seen in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, front and back panels 12 and 14
have upstanding flanges 26 and 28 integrally formed therewith and
defined by score lines 30 and 32 respectively. Flanges 26 and 28
are illustrated as being of such relative dimensions as to suitably
retain and engage upon a food article 24 in the nature of a
hamburger. The flanges 26 and 28 can be configured and, thus, be of
suitable dimension for any food article for which the food holder
10 is dimensioned and configured, as well as having an
aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Referring principally to the blank of FIG. 7, the bottom 20 of the
handheld food holder is comprised of bottom sections 34 and 36
which are respectively joined to back 14, to each other and to
front 12 along fold lines 38, 40 and 42. These fold lines are
parallel to each other and define the upright direction along the
front and back panels 12 and 14 as being substantially normal to
these fold lines. The handheld food holder is folded along these
lines with fold line 40 at the juncture of the bottom sections
extending downwards, so that the front and back panels are
substantially parallel, as indicated in FIG. 6.
The left end is formed of left end sections 44 and 46 which are
respectively integrally formed with back panel 14 and front panel
12. The end sections are respectively joined thereto at fold lines
48 and 50. Glue tab 52 is joined to left end section 44 along fold
line 54 so that the glue tab 52 can overlap and be glued to left
end section 46, as is illustrated particularly in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4.
Corner tab 56 is joined to both bottom section 34 and left end
section 44 along the indicated fold lines and carries its own
diagonal fold line 58. Similarly, corner tab 60 is connected to
left end section 46 and bottom section 36 along appropriate fold
lines, and carries its own diagonal fold line 62. The fold lines 58
and 62 are folded inward between the front and back panels as the
side sections and bottom sections are folded towards the
perpendicular direction with respect to the general plane of the
front and back panels. Corner tab 60 has a nose 64 which is
positioned to extend over the corner tab 56 so as to close the slot
between the corner tabs.
Similarly, the right end 18 is formed of right end sections 66 and
68 which are secured together by glue tab 70. Corner tabs 72 and 74
are infolded along their diagonal fold lines, the corner tab 74
having a nose which extends across the opening between the corner
tabs, as illustrated. The right and left ends are symmetrically
identical and have the same fold lines and overlap features.
There are two significant and critical features of the layout and
configuration of the food holder which make it particularly useful
and suitable for the task. The first critical feature is the fact
that the dimension between fold lines 38 and 40, and 40 and 42,
which is the lateral width of the bottom sections 34 and 36, is
larger than the dimension of the end section 44, and the end
section 46. In other words, the bottom is farther across than the
ends when the total across the section's dimensions are added. For
example, in a handheld food holder of a suitable size for
containment of a hamburger, the dimension across the bottom section
is preferably fifteen-sixteenths inch across each bottom section.
In the same food holder, the distance across each of the end
sections is seven-eighths inch This means that when the end
sections are positioned so that the end sections lie in a single
end plane, the bottom still extends slightly downwardly, as is
illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. With this configuration, the ends can
be swung outwards past an over-the-center position to a point where
they are locked with the food holder in the open position. This
position is illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. In this case, the
bottom is still extending somewhat downwardly to exert a closing
force, while the ends are swung slightly outward past their planar
position to counter the closing force of the bottom. Furthermore,
the closing force of the bottom holds the ends in the folded,
outward position illustrated in FIG. 4.
The second critical part of the arrangement and design is the fact
that the fold lines between the end sections and the front and back
panels, such as fold lines 48 and 50 and their corresponding fold
lines on the right end, are not normal to the bottom section fold
lines 38 and 42. The fold lines 48 and 50 lie at a slightly obtuse
outwardly directed angle with respect to the bottom fold lines.
This angle, coupled with the fact that the corner tabs are
integrally formed with both the bottom sections and end sections,
causes the diagonally folded edges of the corner tabs, such as
along diagonal fold lines 58 and 62, to interfere with the bottom
sections 34 and 36 when the handheld food holder is almost
completely open. Thus, the corner tabs extend slightly downward and
in engagement with the bottom sections to lock the handheld food
holder open, even when the end sections are positioned slightly
inward from the planar position. It is this latter lock-open
feature which is important to the intermediate user, i.e., the food
handler, as he can open the food holder from the closed position of
FIG. 2 simply by grasping either the front or back panel and
thrusting down so that the fold line 40 strikes a table or counter
surface. This causes spreading of the front and back panels and,
when the end sections reach almost the planar position, the corner
tabs engage the bottom to lock the food holder in the open
position. At this point, the food handler manually engages the end
sections and thrusts them out, past the planar position to the
overcenter position illustrated in FIG. 4.
In this position, the front and back panels are locked apart so the
food handler can grasp the food holder by grasping around it. Thus,
he can handle the food holder with one hand and insert the food
item, such as a hamburger, with the other. Upon insertion of a food
item of the type for which the holder is intended, the food item
strikes the noses 64 and 74 and thrusts them down. This in turn
causes the end sections to swing inward from the outer, locked
position of FIG. 4 to a position where the front and back panels
engage upon the food item. By this means, the food item is grasped
by the food handler and the consumer by squeezing on the front and
back panels.
These features, plus the fact that the food holder can be stamped
from a single blank, as illustrated in FIG. 7, and assembled with a
minimum of gluing, make the food holder an economic and highly
desirable structure for employment in the handling and using of
food stuffs.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been
shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art
that changes and modifications may be made without departing from
this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in
the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications
as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.
* * * * *