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.

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.

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.