Abstract:
A device for use with a receptacle for transporting pizza. The device supports a lid of the receptacle a predetermined distance above the contained pizza and retains closed the lid of the receptacle until open by the consumer.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to receptacles for use in transporting prepared food products, and more particularly the present invention relates to a device for use with a pizza box to support a plurality of top lid panels for preventing them from contacting pizza contained in the box and for retaining the lid panels in a closed position during handling and transport. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     It has become a common practice for consumers to purchase food products fully prepared and to transport the food products to their residences, offices, or other consumption locations. Alternatively, the fast food industry itself has made it commonplace for the fully prepared food to be delivered directly to the customer. Such practices necessitate the use of receptacles for transporting the food products in an undisturbed state and as close as possible to its as-prepared temperature. 
     A cardboard box is normally used for containing pizza. The shape of the pizza requires the box to have top and bottom panels separated by peripheral sidewalls, the height of the sidewalls being quite small in relation to the dimensions of the top and bottom panels but sufficiently high as to accommodate the thickness of a pizza with some head-space above it. 
     Known boxes may include a single unitary lid like that illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,221 issued to Ragan, or a plurality of segments forming the top lid such as U.S. Pat. No. 2,562,261 issued to Collins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,252,650 issued to Pryor, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,305,951 issued to Kuhn, et al. A box which is constructed in a shape other than rectangular is shown in FIG. 7 of the present application. 
     A particular problem with a pizza box constructed with a plurality of lid segments such as that shown in the Collins, Pryor and Kuhn patents noted above, is that they must have means for retaining the lid segments in a closed position. The above stated box structures utilize various flap configurations to join the segments in a closed position. 
     The shallow shapes of the various pizza boxes have an inherent problem in that the center of the top lid, or top lid segments, may bow downward and contact the top of the contained pizza. The heat of the pizza and the flimsiness of the cardboard exacerbates this likelihood. The result is that the consumer is left with a pizza in which a portion of it may be stuck to the underside of the lid, or lid segments, making the pizza unappealing. 
     To overcome the above-stated problem, it is customary in the art to use a plastic lid support known as a so-called &#34;pizza saver&#34;. The purpose of the pizza saver is to prevent the lid of the pizza box from contacting the pizza when the lid is closed. An example of such a pizza saver is shown in FIG. 5 of the Ragan patent. Pizza saving devices generally have a flat top surface for engaging the underside of the pizza box lid, and legs extending from the top surface for contacting the pizza product. 
     Although the aforementioned pizza packages and pizza savers function satisfactorily for their intended purposes, there is a need for a novel device for both supporting the lid above the food product and for retaining the lid, or lid segments, of the receptacle in a closed position. 
     OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION 
     With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel lid support and closure device for use with a receptacle to contain and transport a food product. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a unique lid support and closure device having the combined function of supporting a receptacle lid above a food product contained in the receptacle and of retaining the lid of the receptacle in a closed position. 
     A further object of the present invention is to provide for use in a pizza box having a plurality of lid segments, a device capable both of capturing the lid segments in a closed position and of preventing the underside of the lid segments from contacting a pizza contained in the box. 
     A still further object of the invention is to provide a lid support and closure device which is inexpensive to manufacture and is easy to install in a pizza box. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     More specifically, the present invention provides a combination lid support and closure device for use with a pizza box used for transporting pizza. The pizza box has a bottom panel for supporting the pizza and a plurality of independent lid segments which cooperatively close the pizza box. 
     The combination lid support and closure device comprises a bottom stanchion portion which is engageable with the pizza contained within the pizza box. The bottom stanchion portion projects upwardly from the pizza to a remote end. An upper platen portion connects to the remote end and is engageable with an underside of at least one of the lid segments when the lid segments are in a closed position. 
     The combination lid support and closure device has a retention means connected to the upper platen portion for retaining the lid segments in a closed position. 
     One embodiment of the retention means includes a locking flange which is capable of extending through an aperture, or along an edge margin, of at least one of the lid segments. The locking flange is resiliently biased such that once the locking flange extends through the aperture, or over the edge margin, the locking flange assumes a position which prevents the lid segments from extending back over the locking flange. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a pizza carton in an unassembled condition with a lid support and closure device embodying the present invention centered thereon; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lid support and closure device according to the present invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled pizza box with a plurality of lid segments in an open position, the pizza box containing a pizza on which is located the lid support and closure device of the present invention; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the pizza box illustrated in FIG. 3, with three of the lid segments in a closed position; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 taken along line 5--5; 
     FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lid support and closure device used with a pizza box having two lid segments; and 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the lid support and closure device in use with a pizza box having eight lid segments. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional unassembled pizza carton 50 with a combined lid support and closure device 10 centered thereon. The device 10 can be utilized with any closable container for containing and transporting a food product. While the examples discussed herein relate generally to receptacles for pizza, the device can be used with other food products, such as baked goods, including pies, cakes, and the like. 
     Receptacles for containing and transporting a pizza have various shapes and configurations. For example the pizza box 50 of FIGS. 1-5, has a bottom panel, or base, 52 for supporting a pizza 40 thereon. The box 50 has a peripheral sidewall 54 which encircles the pizza 40. The peripheral sidewall 54 shown in FIG. 1 has four separate sidewall sections 54a, 54b, 54c, and 54d with engageable side flaps 56a, 56b, 56c, and 56d. The pizza box 50 has at least one lid segment 58 for closing the box. 
     As shown in FIG. 1, four lid segments 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d are utilized to close the box 50. Each lid segment 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d is provided with an aperture 64a, 64b, 64c and 64d, respectively, which align together when the lid segments are disposed in a closed position illustrated in FIG. 4. 
     The device 10 of the present invention can be used with other pizza box structures, for example, the boxes illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. The pizza box 60 of FIG. 6 has two lid segments 68a and 68b, while the pizza box 70 of FIG. 7 has eight lid segments 78a, 78b, 78c, 78d, 78e, 78f, 78g and 78h. 
     The multi-lid segment boxes are advantageous since they utilize less cardboard and provide less cardboard waste in their manufacture. For instance, the box shown in FIG. 1 can be manufactured from a square piece of cardboard enabling most of the cardboard preform to be utilized as part of the box with only a small portion being discarded as scrap. 
     The design of a pizza box having a plurality of lid segments normally includes some type of flap interlock configuration, such as slits, to releasably secure the lid segments in a closed position. The use of the flap slits requires the use of excess cardboard and increases cardboard waste. 
     The present invention eliminates the need for complicated flap interlock structures by providing a lid support and closure device 10 which has retention or locking means 12 for securing a plurality of lid segments in a closed position and a support means 66 for preventing the lid segments from bowing downwardly an excessive amount and contacting the pizza 40 contained in the box. 
     To this end, one preferred embodiment of the device 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2. As best seen in FIG. 5, the support means 66 of the device 10 includes a bottom stanchion portion 14 having a lower end 18 which is engageable with the pizza 40 supported on the bottom box panel 52. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the bottom stanchion portion 14 comprises three vertically extending legs 16a, 16b, and 16c of a height slightly less than the height of the side panels 54b and 54c. 
     The support means 66 has an upper portion 20 connected to the legs 16a, 16b, and 16c at the upper remote end of the legs 16a, 16b, 16c, opposite the pizza 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper portion 20 comprises a circular disc, or platen, 22 which is supported by the legs 16a, 16b, and 16c. The platen 22 has an upper surface 24 for operatively engaging the underside of the lid of the pizza box. As shown in FIG. 5, the connection between the legs 16a, 16b, and 16c and the platen 22 is preferably strengthened by the use of strengthening ribs 26. 
     Means 12 for releasably locking the pizza box lid in a closed position is connected to and extends from the upper portion 20 of the lid support and closure device 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the locking, or retention, means 12 includes two stems 28a and 28b projecting upwardly from the platen 22 and terminating in a locking flange 30. The locking flange 30 comprises two semi-circular locking flange sections 30a and 30b, which extend parallel to the upper surface 24 of the platen 22. As illustrated in FIG. 5, three lid segments 58a, 58b, and 58c of the pizza box 50 are retained and captured between the locking flange sections 30a and 30b and the upper surface 24 of the platen 22 after the flange sections 30a and 30b are inserted through the apertures 64a, 64b, and 64c in the lid segments 58a, 58b, and 58c, respectively. 
     To facilitate insertion of the flange sections 30a and 30b through the lid apertures, the stems 28a and 28b project upwardly in spaced parallel relation and form a gap 72 extending diametrically between the semi-circular flange sections 30a and 30b. The stems 28a and 28b are rigidly connected at their bases to the platen 22, but are flexible inwardly toward one another to enable the flange sections 30a and 30b to be urged together to form a substantially circular structure capable of being displaced readily through the circular apertures 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d in the box lid segments. Thus, the flange sections 30a and 30b are normally biased into a locking position, but are capable of being displaced into an unlocking insertion position. 
     When in use, the device 10 of the present invention is centered centrally on top of the pizza 40 within the open pizza box 50 as shown in FIG. 3. Each lid segment 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d one by one, or in unison, is then folded to a closed position and pressed firmly over the locking means 12. To facilitate insertion, the locking flange segments 30a and 30b have chamfered peripheral camming surfaces 32 enabling the pizza box lid segments 58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d to be pressed over the locking flange 30 for causing the locking flange sections 30a and 30b to automatically deflect inwardly toward one another to decrease the overall size of the locking flange 30 in plan and to allow it to fit through the apertures 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d of the box lid segments. The locking means 12 is thereby biased into the insertion position by the lid segments as they are pressed over the locking means 12. The locking means 12 is resiliently biased into its locking position after the locking flange 30 extends through the apertures. The support means 66 engages the underside of the lid segments after they have been pressed downwardly over the locking means 12 to prevent the user from pressing the lid segments into the pizza. As shown, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrates the retention means 12 in its normal locking position for retaining the plurality of lid segments 58a, 58b, and 58c, in a closed position. 
     The spacing between the locking flange 30 and the upper surface 24 of the platen 22 must accommodate the combined thickness of the lid segments to be secured closed. The spacing should also allow for extra clearance so that the lid segments are more easily opened and closed. For instance, in FIG. 5, the spacing between locking flange 30 and the upper surface 24 accommodates the combined thickness of lid segments 58a, 58b, and 58c, while providing ample clearance for the thickness of lid segment 58d (not shown). 
     To open the pizza box 50, the locking flange sections 30a and 30b can be urged into the insertion position to allow the lid segments to extend over and past the locking flange 30. This may be accomplished by pulling upwardly with sufficient force on the lid segments to release the lid segments from the locking means 12, or by applying inward pressure to the two locking flange segments 30a and 30b so that they are pressed together to allow the lid segments to fold outwardly over the locking flange 30. 
     There are various modifications which can be made to the combination lid support and closure device 10 of the present invention or to the structure of the pizza box in which it is used. For instance, the retention means 12 does not have to extend through an aperture in the top lid, but could extend through a deflectable slit 62 in the lid, as shown in FIG. 6. Instead of an aperture or a deflectable slit, the retention means 12 could simply capture a portion of an edge margin of a lid. Alternatively, the device 10 can capture a single lid segment which overlaps with, and thereby captures, the remaining lid segments. 
     An alternate retention means 12 can have the locking flange connected to the stem by a hinge. The locking flange can be positioned vertically to extend through the aperture of the lid segment, and then horizontally to retain the box lid closed. In another alternative, the locking flange can be releasably coupled to the stem of the device after the lid segments are in a closed position. 
     The device of the present invention provides a combination lid support and closure for use with a pizza box which not only protects the pizza from being damaged, but provides a ready means for retaining closed the lid segments of a pizza box. 
     While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.