Abstract:
A container for receiving frangible items comprising a sheet of polymer formed into: a base portion and at least one cover portion with a hinge between the base portion and the cover portion. Abutment spacer are formed at an edge between the peripheral walls and the top wall and each comprise an abutment surface projecting into the concavity from one of the peripheral walls, and support walls relating the abutment surface to the top wall, with at least one of the support walls being in an acute angle relation with the top wall of the cover portion. Alignment channels are in at least one of the peripheral walls defining an alignment protrusion through the sheet of polymer, the alignment channel/protrusion being oriented vertically for guiding the nesting of an upper one of the cover portion descending into a lower one of the cover portion.

Description:
FIELD OF THE APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present application relates to containers for receiving frangible objects such as eggs, and to structural components of such containers for allowing the stacking of such containers in an opened position. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
       [0002]    Egg containers of all kinds have been developed for the transportation and sale of frangible items such as eggs. As eggs are relatively fragile, the egg containers must protect the eggs from the various manipulations involved from the packaging of the eggs to the consumer&#39;s refrigerator. 
         [0003]    One significant improvement in egg containers is the use of thermoformed plastics as material for the egg containers. Thermoformed plastics are typically transparent, which allows the eggs to be visible, and are relatively inexpensive to produce. As they can inspect the eggs by seeing through the material of the egg container, the consumers do not need to open the egg container, as is the case with cardboard egg containers, for instance. In the case of cardboard boxes, it may occur that the boxes are not closed properly after inspection. This may cause the breakage of eggs if the improperly closed egg container is subsequently manipulated by another consumer. 
         [0004]    One of the advantages with containers of thermoformed plastics pertains to the stacking of the containers in an open position. Containers in the open position may be nested one into the other to form stacks requiring a relatively small volume when compared to stacks of closed containers. However, the separation of containers nested one into the other is often performed by automated equipment. Accordingly, containers must have components to ensure that stacks of open containers are upright. Moreover, an equidistant spacing between a plurality of open containers nested one into the other facilitates their separation by the automated equipment. 
       SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION 
       [0005]    It is therefore an aim of the present disclosure to provide a container for frangible items addressing issues associated with the prior art. 
         [0006]    Therefore, in accordance with the present application, there is provided a container for receiving frangible items comprising: a sheet of polymer formed into: a base portion having a plurality of item-receiving cavities for supporting frangible items; at least one cover portion having at least one item-covering concavity for covering the frangible items, the cover portion having a generally flat top wall and peripheral walls concurrently defining the at least one item covering concavity; a first hinge between the base portion and the cover portion for rotating the cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive in the item-receiving cavities; at least one abutment spacer formed at an edge between the peripheral walls and the top wall, the at least one abutment spacer comprising an abutment surface projecting into the concavity from one of the peripheral walls, and support walls relating the abutment surface to the top wall, with at least one of the support walls being in an acute angle relation with the top wall; at least one alignment channel in at least one of the peripheral walls defining an alignment protrusion through the sheet of polymer, the alignment channel/protrusion being oriented vertically for guiding the nesting of an upper one of the cover portion descending into a lower one of the cover portion, by the alignment protrusion of the upper one received in the alignment channel of the lower one, when a stack of the containers in an opened state is formed, whereby a spacing between nested containers is defined by the abutment spacers of the upper one seated on the abutment spacers of the lower one. 
         [0007]    Further in accordance with the present application, there is provided a container for receiving frangible items comprising: a sheet of polymer formed into: a base portion having a plurality of item-receiving cavities for supporting frangible items, with a post centered between each set of four of the item-receiving cavities, the post projecting upwardly from the base portion to support a structural component of the cover portion when the container is closed; at least one cover portion having at least one item covering concavity for covering the frangible items, and a structural component extending into the concavity for contacting the post when the container is closed; a first hinge between the base portion and the cover portion for rotating the cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive in the item-receiving cavities; spacers formed between at least one of the posts and the four item-receiving cavities surrounding the post, the spacers each defining a subcavity on one side of the sheet of polymer and a bump on the other side of the sheet of polymer, the spacers having a wider central portion for narrower ends along a vertical axis of the container, such that the nesting of an upper one of the base portion descending into a lower one of the base portion results in the spacers of the upper one seated on the spacers of the lower one when a stack of the containers in an opened state is formed, whereby a spacing between nested containers is defined by the spacers of the upper one seated on the spacers of the lower one. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a schematic perspective view of a two-fold egg container; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a schematic perspective view of a three-fold egg container; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a top plan view of a three-fold egg container with a stack-spacing system in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged fragmented view of a top cover portion of the egg container of  FIG. 3 ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a sectional view of two of the top cover portions of  FIG. 4 , nested one into the other, with the stack-spacing system; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged perspective view of an abutment spacer of the stack-spacing system. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    Referring to the drawings and more particularly to  FIG. 1 , a container for frangible items is generally shown at  10 , and is referred to as an egg container. The egg containers described hereinafter are preferably made of transparent or translucent plastics, for instance, using a thermoforming process or other molding process. In one embodiment, the egg containers are formed from a single, flat sheet of plastic. Other materials and/or processes may be used as well. The containers described hereinafter may be used to contain eggs or any other frangible items (e.g., tomatoes), in any suitable number (e.g., 6, 12, 18, 24). 
         [0015]    The egg container  10  of  FIG. 1  is a two-fold egg container, as it has two portions hinged to one another. The egg container  10  has a base portion  11  having a plurality of egg-receiving cavities  12  (e.g., 6, 12, 18, 24,or any other suitable number), with each cavity  12  supporting an egg. A top cover portion  13  is hinged to the base portion  11  by hinge  14 , in a longitudinal dimension of the egg container  10 . The top cover portion  13  presents a flat top surface part of a top wall as in  FIG. 1 , with or without strengthening components (e.g., arches, posts). Although not shown, mating connectors or any other suitable type of connectors are provided on the periphery of the base portion  11  and top cover portion  13  for interlocking them when the egg container  10  is closed. 
         [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , a three-fold egg container is generally illustrated at  10 ′. The egg container  10 ′ is similar to the egg container  10  of  FIG. 1 , but has an intermediate cover portion  15 . The intermediate cover portion  15  is hinged to the base portion  11  by hinge  16 , in a longitudinal dimension of the egg container  10 ′. The hinges  14  and  16  are preferably on opposite edges of the base portion  11 . The intermediate cover portion  15  typically has egg cavities  17  to cover a top portion of the eggs supported by the egg-receiving cavities  12 . Although not shown, mating connectors or any other suitable type of connector are provided on the periphery of the top cover portion  13  and the intermediate cover portion  15  for interlocking them when the egg container  10 ′ is closed. 
         [0017]    The egg containers  10 / 10 ′ of  FIGS. 1 and 2  may have peripheral flanges  20 - 22 , that lie one against the other when the egg containers  10 / 10 ′ is closed. The flanges  20 - 22  provide structural stability to stacks of closed containers, by spreading the weight between base portion  11 , top cover portion  13  and intermediate cover portion  15 , if applicable. 
         [0018]    In order to close the egg container  10 ′, the intermediate cover portion  15  is firstly hinged into contact with the base portion  11 , as illustrated by arrow A. The top cover portion  13  is then hinged onto the intermediate cover portion  15 , as illustrated by arrow B. 
         [0019]    The egg containers of the present disclosure may contain any suitable number of item-receiving cavities. One suitable material for the egg containers of the present application is polyethylene terephthalate (PET). PET has many advantages, as this material can be transparent or opaque and can be produced at high volume and at low cost. Wall thicknesses of PET cases in a contemplated embodiment are 0.0175 inch in thickness, but other thicknesses as low as 0.012 to as high as 0.022 inch are also contemplated. However, this thickness may vary, for instance, once the sheet is formed into the egg container  10 / 10 ′. 
         [0020]    Referring concurrently to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a stack-spacing system is shown in the top cover portion  13 , for the stacking of top cover portions  13 . The stack-spacing system is present in a top cover portion of the type having a top wall  30  that is generally flat and horizontal when the egg container  10 / 10 ′ is open or closed and rests on a horizontal surface. In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the top wall  30  is illustrated as defining a single flat surface, but may alternatively be separated into multiple surfaces, or may be disrupted with ribs or other protuberances projecting into the top cover portion  13 . 
         [0021]    Peripheral walls  31  are provided between the top wall  30  and the peripheral flange  22 . The peripheral walls  31  are concurrently tapered from the peripheral flange  22  to the top wall  30  for nesting of top cover portions  13  one into another. An inner concavity  32  of the top cover portion  13  is defined concurrently by the top wall  30  and the peripheral walls  31 , and covers a top portion of frangible items received in the egg-receiving cavities  12  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). 
         [0022]    Components of the stack-spacing system are now described. The components are described with reference to the inner concavity  32 . Due to the thin-wall nature of the material used in the containers  10 / 10 ′, these components projecting into the inner concavity  32  are indentations from an exterior of the top cover portion  13 . 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIGS. 3 ,  4  and  6 , abutment spacers  40  are provided in the inner concavity  32 . In an embodiment, the abutment spacers  40  are at the intersection of the top wall  30  and the peripheral walls  31 . Each of the abutment spacers  40  has an abutment surface  41  and support walls  42 . The abutment surface  41  may be generally horizontal when the egg container  10 / 10 ′ is closed or opened, whereas the support walls  42  are slanted. As best seen in  FIG. 6 , the support walls  42  taper toward the top wall  30 , thereby defining an acute angle relation with the top wall  30 , whether connected to the top wall  30  or distanced from the top wall  30 . Therefore, the abutment spacers  40  are said to be negative spacers (i.e., negative stops). Accordingly, when the top cover portions  13  are nested one into the other, a top one of the abutment spacers  40  is seated on a bottom one of the abutment spacers  40 . More specifically, an edge between the top wall  30  and the support wall  42  for the top one is seated on the abutment surface  41  of bottom one. The height of the support walls  42  is selected as a function of a desired spacing between top cover portions  13 . More specifically, the height of the vertical surfaces  42  is selected as a function of the desired spacing between nested top cover portions  13 , which spacing is for instance equal to the spacing between base portions  11  when nested one into the other. 
         [0024]    The abutment spacers  40  may be positioned at any point along the edge between the top wall  30  and the peripheral walls  31 , or in the peripheral walls  31 . In one embodiment, the abutment spacers  40  are positioned at the edge that is farthest from the base portion  13 . In placing the abutment spacers  40 , a positioning of a label should be taken into consideration, as labels covering the full width of the top wall  30  are commonly used for identification, labeling and/or marketing purposes. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the positioning of the abutment spacers  40  at corners of the top cover portion  13  provides little interference for a wide label positioned therein. 
         [0025]    The stack-spacing system of the top cover portion  13  also features a plurality of alignment channels  50  defined in the peripheral walls  31 , which channels  50  may be from an interior or an exterior of the top cover portion  13 , with a corresponding alignment protrusion formed on the other of the interior or exterior of the top cover portion  13 , due to the fact that the container  10 / 10 ′ is formed from a sheet. The alignment channels  50  are in the peripheral walls  31  so as to ensure that the abutment spacers  40  are vertically aligned when the top cover portions  13  are brought one into the other. This reduces the risk that the abutment spacers  40  of nested top cover portions  13  lock one into the other. 
         [0026]    As seen in  FIG. 3 , the alignment channels  50  may have a tapering shape by way of edges  51  tapering from the peripheral flange  22  to the top wall  30 . Accordingly, when one alignment channel  50  is lowered toward another alignment channel  50 , the tapering edges  51  result in mating engagement and gradual alignment of the channels  50  one into the other. The tapering shape of the channels  50  also facilitates the denesting of a top cover portion  13  from another by pivoting movement about the base portion  11 . The edges  51  may also be parallel to one another. 
         [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 5 , the alignment channels  50  define a projecting portion such as a projecting edge  52 , projecting toward an exterior of the peripheral walls  31 . The projecting edges  52  are generally horizontal. The projecting edges  52  are used to ensure that the alignment channels  50  fit one into the other despite the presence of a label  60 . More specifically, the projecting edge  52  of the top cover portion  13  nested into another will push the material of the label  60  into the alignment channel  50  of the bottom top cover portion  13 . Alternatively, any shape of projection may be used. Although the projecting edges  52  are shown projecting toward the exterior as part of the channels  51 , the projecting edges or portion  52  may extend into the concavity  32  if used with channels defined from an exterior of the egg container  10 / 10 ′. 
         [0028]    Referring to  FIG. 3 , tear-shaped post spacers  70  are provided at central posts between four egg-receiving cavities  12 . The spacers  70  define the spacing between base portions  11  nested one into the other and intermediate cover portion  15  nested into the other, if applicable. The tear-shaped spacers  70  are at four corners of the central posts, as the central posts are the main structural members inside the egg containers  10 / 10 ′, and thus bear a substantial part of the weight of closed egg containers stacked thereon. The spacers  70  may be in the egg-receiving cavities  12 , on the post, or at the intersection between cavities  12  and post. The tear shape of the spacers  70  is suited for spacers  70  to sit one on another, with the wide central section and narrower ends, along a vertical axis of the container  10 / 10 ′. In  FIG. 3 , the spacers  70  are in the form of a subcavity with respect to an interior of the container  10 / 10 ′, and thus result in a bump from an exterior of the container  10 / 10 ′, due to the generally uniform thickness of the sheet. However, the bump may be inward of the container  10 / 10 ′ while the subcavity is outward of the container  10 / 10 ′. 
         [0029]    In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the containers  10 / 10 ′ are provided with all of the abutment spacers  40 , the alignment channels  50  (and corresponding protrusions), and the post spacers  70 . Although the egg containers  10 / 10 ′ need not have all these components simultaneously, the stacking of open containers  10 / 10 ′ featuring all of these components is efficient. The abutment spacers  40  and the post spacers  70  are concurrently sized so as to cause a uniform spacing between cover portions  13  and base portions  11 , such that stacks of open containers  10 / 10 ′ are substantially upright.