Patent ID: 11884478
Assignee: TEKNI-PLEX, INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A closed egg carton (10) for packaging eggs comprising assembled mating base and lid trays (30, 60) with dual mating handle flanges (46,76), the base tray (30) comprising:
a) a thermoformed solid sheet of plastic comprising a top base wall and a rectilinear array of recessed base cells arranged in rows and columns depending from the top base wall, each base cell having an open top end, a sidewall and a closed bottom wall and being sized and shaped to hold one egg in a generally upright position with the long axis of the egg disposed in a vertical direction transverse to a base plane in which the bottom walls of the base cells reside;
b) the top base wall having an outer rectilinear base wall perimeter (39) surrounding the array of base cells having opposing front and rear base wall perimeter edges and opposing left and right side base wall perimeter edges;, the lid tray (60) comprising:
c) a thermoformed solid sheet of plastic comprising a top lid wall and a plurality of lid cells depending from the top lid wall and arranged in a rectilinear array of rows and columns, each lid cell being aligned with one base cell and configured to cover an egg disposed in the aligned base cell;
d) the top lid wall having an outer rectilinear lid wall perimeter (69) surrounding the array of lid cells having opposing front and rear lid wall perimeter edges and opposing left and right side lid wall perimeter edges;, the dual mating handle flanges (46, 76) comprising two opposing pairs of base and lid handle flanges extending from each of two of the opposing perimeter edges of each of the base wall and lid wall perimeters and including:
e) mating handle recesses (47, 77) configured to nest one within the other, and
f) tapered handle flange areas (46T, 76T) on opposing sides of the mating handle recesses to provide an indented area that can be easily grasped by hand for lifting or carrying the assembled base and lid trays of the closed carton (10).