Egg Carton With Flexible Window Well

Abstract

An egg carton molded of flexible material having a bottom with two generally parallel rows of egg pockets and upwardly tapering posts interspersed between the egg pockets, and having a cover with a generally flat top and depending side walls adapted to overlie the bottom in the closed carton condition. The cover includes three downwardly recessed window wells, each having four downwardly and inwardly flaring planar separator segments spaced from each other to define four open egg viewing windows. The generally flat top of the cover not occupied by the window wells, or by downwardly tapering support posts, is yieldable to permit slight tilting flexure of each window well, and the separator segments are also yieldable to permit laterally shifting flexure of each window well. The flexibility of the window wells permits minor yielding or adjustment to accommodate for variations in spacings between the eggs packaged in the carton to maximize visibility of the eggs and at the same time minimize the danger of damaging them.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The claimed invention relates to the field of articles molded to final shape from materials such as wood and paper pulp, plastics such as thermoplastics, and the like, for the retail packaging and merchandizing of fragile articles such as eggs.

Prior to the present invention, egg cartons of the type having a pocketed bottom section and a cover which has a top and depending side walls molded of non-transparent pulp or thermoplastic material have met with significant commercial success. Such cartons have met with increased consumer acceptance when they are provided with visibility windows in the cover so that the contents can be insepcted for a full count of eggs, and for their shell color. For instance, in White U.S. Pat. No. 3,327,918 (1967) and Bixler U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,605 (1968), visibility windows are provided in longitudinally extending internal trough portions. One problem with cartons constructed according to the disclosures of these patents, however, is that they do not maximize egg visibility and at the same time minimize the danger of damaging the eggs.

For instance, in cartons made according to the aforesaid Bixler patent, the egg visibility windows are centered over the ribs between egg pockets, so that minor portions of two adjacent eggs are visible through each window but the principal focus of each window is on the open space between the eggs. This construction maximizes the percentage of carton material occupying the space between eggs which is visible through each window, which the consumer is not interested in inspecting, and minimizes the percentage of egg visible through each window.

To overcome this problem, a carton constructed according to the aforesaid White patent provides viewing windows which closely conform to the surfaces of the eggs to be viewed, one egg for each window, to maximize the percentage of egg visible through each window, and minimize the percentage of space occupied by carton material between eggs visible through each window. The egg viewing windows according to the White patent, however, are provided in elongated longitudinal troughs having relatively rigid side walls which are reinforced by integral connection with the end walls of the carton cover, together with central strengthening ribs, all of which preclude useful flexure of the troughs. When eggs are placed in one or more of the pockets in tilted fashion, or oversized eggs are placed in the pockets, the rigid bar-like troughs of the cover of the White carton have a tendency to damage such eggs as the cover is rotated down over the bottom to the closed carton condition.

Thus, the problem presented by the prior art is the inability to provide a molded egg carton having egg visibility windows which maximize the percentage of egg visible through each window, and minimize the percentage of space between eggs visible through each window, in a manner which will not create the danger of damage to the eggs in the carton as the cover is closed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention solves the foregoing problems and provides a molded egg carton comprising a bottom having two generally parallel rows of downwardly dished egg pockets, a cover having a generally flat top and downwardly and outwardly flaring side walls adapted to overlie the bottom in the closed carton condition, and at least one window well downwardly recessed from the flat top including four downwardly and inwardly flaring separator segments, the segments being spaced from each other to define four open egg viewing windows in the window well, and a web connecting the lower portions of the segments together at a level in the closed carton condition which avoids contact with any portion of the carton bottom to permit tilting and lateral flexure of the window well whereby the separator segments and web can adjust to accommodate variations in the spacings between eggs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Numerous advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a molded egg carton in the closed carton condition according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial front sectional elevational view on line 2--2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side sectional elevational view on line 3--3 of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 4 is another side sectional elevational view on line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring in more particularity to the drawings, the egg carton 10 according to this invention comprises a bottom 12 and a cover 14. The cover 14 is hinged as at 16 to the bottom 12 to provide an integral unit which may be directly molded to final form from flexible material such as wood and paper pulp, plastics such as thermoplastics, and the like, all after the well-known fashion.

The bottom 12 of the carton 10 comprises two generally parallel rows of downwardly dished individual egg pockets 18, separated from each other by inverted V-shaped rib structure 20. A series of five upwardly tapering posts 22 are interspersed between the egg pockets 18 along the center of the carton, with the ribs 20 radiating outwardly from the upwardly tapering posts 22. The egg pockets 14 accordingly are located in groups of four around the posts 22 in rectangularly spaced array, two pockets of each group of four being in the front row of egg pockets, and the other two being in the rear row.

The cover 14 of the egg carton 10 has a generally flat top 24, and downwardly and outwardly flaring side walls consisting of a front wall 26, a rear wall 28 and opposed end walls 30. The side walls are adapted to overlie the bottom 12 in the closed carton condition. Means including a locking flap 30 hinged as at 32 to the front of the carton bottom 12 are provided for securing the bottom 12 and the cover 14 together in the closed carton condition. In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the locking means comprises a pair of openings 34 in the front wall 26 of the cover which cooperate with a pair of inwardly directed bridging means 36 formed on the locking flap 30, in the manner described and claimed in Despres U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,326.

The cover 14 further includes three window wells 40 which are downwardly recessed from the flap top 24. Each window well 40 includes four downwardly and inwardly flaring separator segments 42, 44, 46 and 48. The segments are spaced from each other to define four open egg viewing windows 50, 52, 54 and 56 in each window well. The four segments are arranged so that they are located in the closed carton condition between four eggs -- two eggs packaged in the front row of egg pockets and two eggs packaged in the rear row of egg pockets. With this arrangement, the four windows 50, 52, 54 and 56 of each window well 40 provide a view of a portion of the four eggs arranged in generally rectangular array in the four pockets which surround one of the upwardly tapering posts 22 of the carton bottom. A web 57 connects the lower portions of the segments 42, 44, 46 and 48 together, and lies between the four eggs in the closed carton condition. The web 58 is at a level in the closed carton condition which avoids contact, see FIG. 3, with any portion of the carton bottom 12, and particularly with the top of the upwardly tapering posts 22. By avoiding contact between the web or any other part of the window well and the upwardly tapering posts or any other post of the carton bottom, flexure of the window well is permitted whereby the separator segments and web can adjust to accommodate variations in the spacings between the four eggs.

The edges of the separator segments are shaped to define windows which closely conform to the surfaces of the eggs to be viewed. This conformity maximizes the percentage of egg visibility through each window, and minimizes the percentage of sapce between eggs visible through any given window. The upper edges of the viewing windows may be made generally ovoid shaped to more closely conform to the surfaces of the eggs to be viewed.

Each window well 40 is generally rectangular in plan view. The separator segments 42, 44, 46 and 48 depend from the four sides of the rectangle, and the egg viewing windows 30, 32, 34 and 36 are located at the four corners of the rectangle. The web 58 is horizontal, and of a generally octagonal shape in plan view. Four of its opposed sides connect the lower portions of the separator segments together, and the alternate four of its opposed sides define the lower edges of the egg windows. The separator segments 42, 44, 46 and 48 are generally planar, which means that they may be flat, but preferably have a small amount of two-dimensional curvature but are devoid of three-dimensional rib or other configurations which would tend to detract from their flexibility. The upper edges of the separator segments are joined to the generally flat top 24 of the cover at an acute angle, which permits a certain degree of flexibility. The lower edges of the separator segments are joined to the web 58 also at an acute angle, but only for a limited extent to permit the requisite degree of flexibility. Thus, the window wells are "free hanging" in the sense that the entire window well is capable of tilting flexure due to the yieldable nature of the generally flat top of the cover, and the lower portions of each window well are capable of laterally shifting flexure due to the generally planar nature of the separator segments.

The cover 14 further includes two downwardly tapering support posts 60 which, in the closed carton condition, contact two upwardly tapering posts 22 of the carton bottom 12. This contact strengthens the carton against vertically applied forces, and insures that the web of each window well avoids contact with any portion of the carton bottom. The three window wells 40 are located, in the closed carton condition, above the first, third and fifth posts 22 of the carton bottom. The two downwardly tapering support posts 60 are alternately located between the window wells, so that they contact the second and fourth posts 22 of the carton bottom.

When twelve eggs are placed in the twelve pockets of the carton bottom, it sometimes occurs that one or more of the eggs may be tilted from its desired vertical orientation, and/or one or more of the eggs may be larger than the average for which the carton is designed, causing variations in the spacings between the eggs. When the cover 14 is rotated down over the bottom 12 to the closed carton condition, the lower portion of each of the three window wells 40 move down into position between four eggs. The above-described flexible nature of the window wells permits them to shift and adjust to accommodate variations in the spacings between the four eggs, since the lower portions of the window wells can easily be moved a small amount from side to side, from front to back, diagonally, or a combination thereof. This invention accordingly provides a molded egg carton having egg visibility windows which maximize the percentage of egg visibility through each window, and minimize the percentage of space between eggs visible through each window, and all in a manner which avoids the danger of damage even to oversize eggs in the carton as the cover is moved into and held in the closed condition.

Claims

While the above described embodiment constitutes the presently preferred mode of practicing the invention, other embodiments and equivalents are within the scope of the actual invention, which is claimed as:

1. An egg carton molded from flexible material comprising a bottom having two generally parallel rows of downwardly dished egg pockets and upwardly tapering posts interspersed between the egg pockets, a cover having a generally flat top and downwardly and outwardly flaring side walls adapted to overlie the bottom in the closed carton condition, means for securing the bottom and cover together in the closed carton condition, the cover further including at least one window well downweardly recessed from the flat top including four downwardly and inwardly flaring separator segments, the segments being spaced from each other to define four open egg viewing windows in the window well, the segments being arranged so that they are located in the closed carton condition between two eggs packaged in one row of egg pockets and two eggs packaged in the other row of egg pockets and so that the four windows each provide a view of a portion of one of the four eggs, and a web connecting the lower portions of the segments together between the four eggs at a level in the closed carton condition which avoids contact with any portion of the carton bottom to permit flexure of the window well whereby the separator segments and web can adjust to accommodate variations in the spacings between the four eggs.

2. A molded egg carton as in claim 1 wherein the separator segments define windows which closely conform to the surfaces of the eggs to be viewed to maximize the percentage of egg visible through each window and minimize the percentage of space between eggs visible through each window.

3. A molded egg carton as in claim 2 wherein the web is positioned horizontally in the closed carton condition, and is of a generally octagonal shape.

4. A molded egg carton as in claim 2 wherein the window well is generally rectangular in plan view, the separator segments depend from the four sides of the rectangle, and the egg viewing windows are located at the four corners of the rectangle.

5. A molded egg carton as in claim 2 wherein the cover further includes at least one downwardly tapering support post which in the closed carton condition contacts an upwardly tapering post of the bottom to strengthen the carton against vertically applied forces and insure that the web of the window well avoids contact with any portion of the carton bottom.

6. A molded egg carton as in claim 5 wherein the bottom includes six egg pockets in each of two generally parallel rows, the cover includes three window wells providing a view of a portion of each of the eggs packaged in the twelve pockets and two downwardly tapering support posts alternately located between the window wells.

7. A molded egg carton as in claim 6 wherein each window well is generally rectangular in plan view, the separator segments depend from the four sides of the rectangle, the egg viewing windows are located at the four corners of the rectangle, and the web is of a generally octagonal shape in plan view with four of its opposed sides connecting the lower portions of the segments together and the alternate four of its opposed sides defining the lower edges of the egg viewing windows.

8. A molded egg carton as in claim 7 wherein the generally flat top of the cover not occupied by the window wells and the support posts is yieldable to permit tilting flexure of each window well.

9. A molded egg carton as in claim 7 wherein the separator segments are generally planar and yieldable to permit laterally shifting flexure of each window well.

10. A molded egg carton as in claim 7 wherein the upper edges of the viewing windows are generally ovoid shaped to closely conform to the surfaces of the eggs to be viewed.