U.S. patent number 3,899,119 [Application Number 05/515,588] was granted by the patent office on 1975-08-12 for snack tray carton.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Hoerner Waldorf Corporation. Invention is credited to Harry I. Roccaforte.
United States Patent |
3,899,119 |
Roccaforte |
August 12, 1975 |
Snack tray carton
Abstract
A carton with a lid hingedly attached and an integrally formed
apertured platform foldable inside of the carton tray and spaced
parallel to and above the bottom of the tray with a hinged lid
having side flaps foldable down over the tray to make a complete
enclosed carton.
Inventors: |
Roccaforte; Harry I. (Western
Springs, IL) |
Assignee: |
Hoerner Waldorf Corporation
(Saint Paul, MN)
|
Family
ID: |
24051958 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/515,588 |
Filed: |
October 17, 1974 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/562; 206/563;
229/147; 229/149; 229/154; 229/164; 229/190; 229/178; 426/119 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
5/6664 (20130101); B65D 5/5021 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
5/66 (20060101); B65D 5/64 (20060101); B65D
5/50 (20060101); B65D 005/50 (); B65D 005/66 () |
Field of
Search: |
;229/33,35,29F,27,15,36,44R ;206/45.19,72 ;426/119 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Price; William I.
Assistant Examiner: Bernstein; Bruce H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Best; Jerry F.
Claims
I claim:
1. A compartmented snack tray adapted to be folded from a
substantially flat piece of foldable paperboard or similar
sheet-like material, said snack tray comprising:
a substantially rectangular bottom panel having parallel front and
back edges, and parallel side edges arranged perpendicular to said
front and back edges;
a front wall panel, rectangular in shape, hingedly connected to
said bottom panel and oriented perpendicular to said bottom panel
in an upright position, said front panel having a predetermined
height;
front panel tuck flaps hingedly connected to the lateral sides of
said front panel and folded inwardly to a position parallel with
said side edges of said bottom panel;
a rectangular back panel formed in height greater than said front
panel and hingedly connected to said back edge of said bottom panel
and oriented in an upright position perpendicular to said bottom
panel;
back panel tuck flaps hingedly connected to each lateral edge of
said back panel, said back panel tuck flaps having an angled
portion on the top edge thereof terminating in a rectangular area
of said back panel tuck flaps formed in height substantially equal
to the height of said front panel, said back panel tuck flaps
folded inwardly to lie parallel with said side edges of said bottom
panel;
a compartmented snack tray platform, substantially rectangular in
shape, hingedly connected to said front panel along that edge
parallel and opposite to said bottom panel, said platform having
formed on the remaining three sides thereof spacer support flaps
which are folded down to space said platform a predetermined
distance away from said bottom panel;
locking flaps hingedly connected to said side edges of said bottom
panel having a first side wall section folded upwardly on the
outside of said front and back panel tuck flaps and an inwardly
folding locking section foldable over and into overlapping
relationship with the inside of said front and back panel tuck
flaps to lock the tray in the erected position and retain said
snack tray platform in parallel position spaced from said bottom
panel;
said side panel locking flaps having an angled portion in said
first section to space said second locking section away from said
angled portion in said back panel tuck flap; and
a snack tray cover including a top panel formed in size
substantially equal to said bottom panel; said top panel having
front and side tuck-in flaps adapted to be folded inwardly and be
tucked in when said top panel is folded over said carton, said top
panel flaps resting inwardly of said front panel and said bottom
panel side flaps.
2. The carton of claim 1, including:
at least one slit formed along the hinge line connecting said tray
platform to said tray platform spacer tabs;
tab extensions formed in said second locking sections of said
bottom panel side wall flaps adapted to be inserted in said slots
to lock said bottom panel side wall in position.
3. The carton of claim 1, including a slot formed in said hinge
line joining said bottom panel and said front panel, and an
extending insertable tab formed in the front flap hingedly
connected to said top panel and adapted to be inserted into said
slot in said hinge line between said bottom and front panels for
purposes of locking said cover on said carton.
4. The carton of claim 1, including a connecting section positioned
between said front wall panel and said platform and hingedly
connected thereto, said connecting formed in height to position
said platform at said predetermined distance from said bottom
panel.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to trays made from paperboard or
the like having lids and having compartmented platforms included
therein forming a closable snack tray.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years the service of convenience foods which are prepared
prior to the time they are served has been increasing. Food service
aboard commercial aircraft, for instance, has become more and more
reliant on precooked and packaged food as jet travel has decreased
the length of time during flights and modern aircraft have become
larger with more passengers to be served. There is a need for a
stackable, inexpensive, and attractive and easily useable carton
for containing an entire meal which can be completely prepared
prior to usage and conveniently stored and at the same time serve
the purpose of a serving tray for each individual to be provided
with service, and yet one which can be readily disposed of after
usage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A snack tray carton in which an apertured platform is spaced above
a bottom panel and a lid is foldable down into covering
relationship with the entire carton tray, and which has a back
panel higher than the front panel to provide the user with a
convenient and attractive serving tray.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carton embodying the present
invention with the lid open;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the carton shown in FIG. 1, but
with the lid in closed position;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a blank adapted to be folded into a carton
embodying the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the blank shown in FIG. 3 after being
glued and folded prior to assembly.
FIG. 5 is a sectional elevation view of the carton shown in FIG. 2
taken along section lines 5--5.
FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation view of the carton shown in carton
of FIG. 2 taken along section line 6--6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As can be seen in FIG. 1 this invention discloses a carton tray
shown generally as 10 having a bottom panel 15 which is
substantially rectangular in shape and made from foldable
paperboard or similar sheet-like material. The tray includes a
front wall panel 16 which is connected to the bottom panel by a
hinge line 17 which is seen best in FIG. 3 and which is folded into
an upright position to form the front of the tray 10. The front
panel 16 has tuck flaps 18 and 19 hingedly connected to the lateral
sides thereof along the fold lines 20 and 21 which extend the
length of the blank shown in FIG. 3 and which also form the side
edges of the bottom panel 15. These front panel tuck flaps are
folded inwardly to lie in parallel relationship with the side edges
20 and 21 of the bottom panel 15.
A rectangular back panel 25 is connected to the bottom panel 15
along a fold line 26 which is parallel to the opposite fold line
17. The back panel 25 is folded upwardly to form the back wall of
the tray and is formed in height greater than the front panel 16.
As can be seen in FIG. 1 this provides the tray with attractive and
natural access to the contents of the tray for a person eating
therefrom. The back panel 25 has tuck flaps 28 and 29 hingedly
connected to the lateral edges thereof along hinge lines 20 and 21,
respectively, and which are folded inwardly to lie parallel to the
fold lines 20 and 21 similar to the front panel tuck flaps 18 and
19. The back panel tuck flaps have an angled portion on the top
edge shown as 28a and 29a which extend to a rectangular portion of
the flap which is formed in height substantially equal to the
height of the front panel 16 so that the side walls, to be
described later, can be made the same height as the front panel
16.
An apertured or compartmented snack tray platform 30 is provided
which is substantially rectangular in shape and has apertured
therein shown generally as 35 which may be either circular die cut
or downwardly foldable platforms which allow a rectangular opening
to be formed and also assist in spacing the platform 30 from the
bottom panel 15. The number and configuration of these apertures
may be varied for particular use or purpose. The snack tray
platform 30 is hingedly connected to the front panel 16 along a
fold line 36 which is parallel to and opposite the fold line 17 and
has a section shown as 37 which spaces the platform 30 downward
from the top edge of the front panel 16 and may be used as a
location for adhesive to help hold the section 37 that a
preliminary fold along the fold line 36 as shown in FIG. 4 may be
accomplished which will allow the carton 10 to be stored in the
position shown in FIG. 4 or with the top cover folded inwardly as
well. The platform 30 has formed on three sides thereof spacer
support flaps shown as 40, 41 and 42 whose height equals the
difference between the height of the front panel 16 and the width
of the connecting section 37. The spacer support flaps 40, 41 and
42 fold downwardly into abutting relationship with the bottom panel
15 to support and locate the platform 30 a predetermined distance
above the bottom panel 15. These support flaps 40, 41 and 42 are
connected to the snack tray platform 30 along the hinge lines 20
and 21 and a third hinge line 38.
The bottom panel 15 has locking flaps hingedly connected to the
side edges 20 and 21, each of which have a first side wall section
shown as 50 and 51 which are folded upwardly on the outside of the
front and back panel tuck flaps 28, 18, 29 and 19 to form the
outside side walls on the carton. Hingedly connected to these first
side wall sections 50 and 51 along fold lines 53 and 54 are
inwardly foldable locking sections 58 and 59 which fold downwardly
and inwardly after the support platform 30 has been folded into
position and hold the platform 30 in proper position. Since these
overlap the tuck flaps attached to the front and back panels 16 and
25, they have the affect of locking the tray in its erected
position and they may be held in position either by staples,
adhesive, or by providing them, as shown, with tab extensions 60
which are adapted to fit into slits along the hinge lines 20 and 21
formed in the support platform 30 by U-shaped cut lines which are
shown as 61.
The platform 30 is shown with a U-shaped cut line 65 interrupting
the fold line 38 which as can be seen in FIG. 1, can provide a
small aperture for inserting narrow objects such as napkins but
which also serves to retain the positioning of the platform 30
laterally within the tray 10 after it is erected.
A snack tray cover is provided including a top panel 70 which is
formed substantially equal in size to the bottom panel 15 and which
is also formed with tuck-in flaps 71, 72 and 73, which are attached
along hinge lines 20, 21 and a third hinge line 75 and which as can
be seen, fold down and inwardly to lie just inside the front panel
16 and the side panels 50 and 51. The top panel 70 is attached
along hinge line 76 to the back panel 25 in order to form a
completely rectangular carton on the outside. The top panel tuck-in
flap 71, 72 and 73 are formed in height equal to the distance that
the back panel 25 extends above the snack tray platform 30. The
front tuck-in flap 72 attached to the top panel 70 may be provided
with an extended insertable tab shown as 80 which is left on the
outside of the outside of the front panel 16 and inserted into a
slot 81 formed at the bottom thereof.
In accordance with the Patent Statutes, I have described the
principles of construction and operation of my improvement in SNACK
TRAY CARTONS; and while I have endeavored to set forth the best
embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious
changes may be made within the scope of the following claims
without departing from the spirit of my invention.
* * * * *