Abstract:
A food container has a box base with four side panels and four bottom flaps extending from the respective side panels to close the floor of the box base leaving the top open. The bottom flaps are so designed and glued together that the box sides can be folded flat for stacking and then unfolded into a box structure having its bottom wall closed automatically. The box base provides food-receiving area while carrying and serving the eatery. Raised from the top of the box base are circumferential edges defining a tray top. The tray top carries out the decorative role when it is popped open as is possible thanks to the inventive folding scheme implemented in the tray top. The tray top also has carrying handles for the user. The front face of the tray top in the serving mode can be decorated with various cutouts shaped as interesting objects.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     A. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a pop up tray container, and more particularly to a carryout food container that becomes a pop-open tray.  
         [0003]     B. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     It has been customary in the fast-food industry that customers, especially kids are offered a pleasant dining mood in an inexpensive way. When parents feel they deserve a break that day, they can go to a fast food diner and buy a their kid a kids meal which is often served or packed in a paper container having kid-friendly designs. Paper is generally used to fabricate such kids meal boxes, which are normally equipped with integral handles and are printed externally with restaurant or company logos and popular characters for festive moods. This promotes a good time with a great taste so that kids will feel comfortable at the fast food diner.  
         [0005]     Others, like Mason&#39;s U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,356 show food a tray, which can be converted into a toy of hand puppet after consuming the meal out of the tray. However, these disposable type containers are sometimes too boxy to enhance a dining pleasure for certain social gatherings such as birthday parties unless they are covered with trendy entertainment characters and prints such as relatively proprietary and expensive copyrighted materials. In addition, the entertainment value, of the current boxes can be enhanced if a user can play with the box during the meal.  
         [0006]     Also, to enjoy an easy dining experience on conventional disposable trays is not an easy task because they were designed with food carrying first in mind rather than aesthetic appeal. So, there is a need for improving a disposable food container in such a way as to provide a container structure, which can display its built-in entertaining factor when it works as a full size food tray but occupies a compact space when closed in a carrying mode.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     The device can be used as a generic container storing articles such as perfume, beauty products, electronic goods as well as food. Because food is the preferred article for storage, the specification specifically mentions the food embodiments. However, the container can be modified for storage and presentation of a wide variety of articles.  
         [0008]     The container of the present invention comprises a box base having four side panels and four bottom flaps extending from the respective side panels to close the floor of the box base leaving the top open. The bottom flaps are so designed and glued together that the box sides can be folded flat for stacking and shipping and then unfolded into a box structure having its bottom wall closed automatically. The box base provides food-receiving area while carrying and serving the food.  
         [0009]     Raised from the top of the box base are circumferential edges defining a tray top. The tray top carries out the decorative role when it is popped open as is possible thanks to the inventive folding scheme implemented in the tray top. The tray top also has carrying handles for the user.  
         [0010]     The face of the tray top shown to the user in the serving mode can be decorated with various cutouts shaped into interesting objects to kids and others.  
         [0011]     Accordingly, the general object of the present invention is to provide a food container, which pops open into a tray. Another object is to provide a combination food carryout box and serving tray where the box can hold the food in a safe and reliable manner while the tray is transformable between a top closure with compact footprint and a wide round tray giving an ample decorating as well as serving areas. Another object is to promote food, folks and fun by providing a food container with tray that automatically forms its ornamental pop up features during opening. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the food container of the present invention.  
         [0013]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the box base of the food container shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0014]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of the box base of  FIG. 1  finished into a subassembly.  
         [0015]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of the tray top section of the food container showing its open position to serve food.  
         [0016]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the food container showing its open position to serve food.  
         [0017]     Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0018]     Referring to FIGS.  1  to  3 , container  10  has a box base  11  at its bottom section. The base  11  has four rectangular side panels  12  to  15  and four bottom flaps  16  to  19 . The base  11  houses food and articles to be carried within. The box is convertible between a closed box container position and an open tray container position.  
         [0019]     Container  10  also has a tray top  50  that extends from the top edges of the side panels  12  to  15 . In the embodiment illustrated, base  11  is made of a piece of substrate and tray top  50  is of another piece of the same material. Both components can be simultaneously punched out from a blank and processed with creases or folding lines, which will be detailed further below. The current invention can be made of a variety of materials currently known and used in prior art kid meal food containers. Kid meal food containers are currently made of paper typically of a 50 lb weight or sometimes served in colorful paper bags.  
         [0020]     Box base  11  has first side panel  12  that is rectangular and has at its first side a securing flap  20  with a folding line  21  therebetween. To a second side of the side panel  12  adjacent to the first side is connected a bottom flap  16  through fold line  22 . The bottom flap  16  has a male locking edge  23  and a female locking edge  24 , which is defined by a triangular securing flap  25  attached to the bottom flap  15  in a folding connection along line  26 . The bottom can be glued shut such as by contact adhesive or closed by physical engagement between flaps.  
         [0021]     A second side panel  13  is connected to the first side panel  12  at the opposite of its first side via a fold line  27 . The side panel  13  has a bottom flap  17  connected thereto via a fold line  28 . The bottom flap  17  will be bonded together with the triangular flap  25  at a bonding area, which is specifically shown in dots at  29 . From  FIG. 2  the triangular flap  25  will lay underside of the bonding area  29  of the bottom flap  17  as the side panels  12  and  13  are brought together into a 90-degree folding position. Therefore, the side panels  12  and  13  can be folded further into a flat profile along folding lines  26  and  27 .  
         [0022]     The side panels  14  and  15  have similar configurations to the pair of side panels  12  and  13  except that the panel  15  has a bonding area  30  disposed at the opposing end against the securing flap  21 .  
         [0023]     A third side panel  14  is rectangular and connected at its first side to the second side panel  13  via a folding line  119 . To a second side of the side panel  14  adjacent to the first side is connected a bottom flap  18  through fold line  122 . The bottom flap  18  has a male locking edge  123  and a female locking edge  124 , which is defined by a triangular securing flap  125  attached to the bottom flap  18  in a folding connection along line  126 . Upon completion of the box base  11  as shown in  FIG. 3 , the female and male locking edges  124  and  123  will engage the male and female locking edges  23  and  24  at the first pair of bottom flaps  16  and  17 , respectively.  
         [0024]     A fourth side panel  15  is connected to the third side panel  14  at the opposite of its first side via a fold line  127 . The side panel  15  has a bottom flap  19  connected thereto via a fold line  128 . The bottom flap  19  will be bonded together with the triangular flap  125  at a bonding area, which is specifically shown in dots at  129 . From  FIG. 2  the triangular flap  125  will lay underside of the bonding area  129  of the bottom flap  19  as the side panels  14  and  15  are brought together into a 90-degree folding position. Therefore, the side panels  14  and  15  also can be folded further in the finished box base  11  along folding lines  126  and  127  allowing the base  11  to lie flat laterally in space saving stacks or easy transport before serving by the restaurants.  
         [0025]     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , the tray top  50  can be made of a piece of substrate such as paper, plastic and the like and has a front panel  51  and a rear panel  52  disposed at the opposite side of the front panel  51 . At the top or outer end of the front panel  51  a handle  53  is connected via a fold line  54  and provided at its center with a cut-out  55 . Likewise, at the top or outward end of the rear panel  52  a handle  56  is connected through a folding line  57 . In addition, the handle  56  is cut so that a pair of locking flaps  58  is formed therein. The flaps  58  can be folded over the opposite handle  53  through its cut-out center  55  into a locking engagement when the tray top  50  is closed as shown in  FIG. 1 .  
         [0026]     Between the two panels  51  and  52  there is provided a first side panel  60  connected to a first side edge of the panel  51  via a first corner panel  61  and also to a first side edge of the panel  52  via a second corner panel  62 . Each of the corner panels  61  and  62  may have multiple folds and the present embodiment shows three of them. And adjacent folds in the corner panels  61  and  62  are in opposite directions to each other. On the first side panel  60  there are a number of fold lines converging at point  63  to define triangular sections there. In the current embodiment of the invention, fold lines of five define five panel sections, of which a main triangular section  64  permits the outer ends of the front and rear panels  51  and  52  to meet together in a closing mode of the tray top  50 .  
         [0027]     A second side panel  65  is between the two panels  51  and  52  at their opposite side of the first side panel  60 . The second side panel  65  is connected to a second side edge of the front panel  51  via a third corner panel  66  and also to a second side edge of the rear panel  52  via a fourth corner panel  67 . Each of the corner panels  66  and  67  may have multiple folds and the current embodiment shows three of them. Adjacent folds in the corner panels  66  and  67  are in opposite directions to each other. On the second side panel  65  there are a number of fold lines converging at point  68  to define triangular sections in the panel  65 . In the current embodiment of the invention, fold lines of five define five panel sections, of which a main triangular section  69  aids in the closure of the outer ends of the front and rear panels  51  and  52  of the tray top  50 .  
         [0028]     The corner panels  61 ,  62 ,  66 ,  67  extending from adjacent side edges connect each of the four panels  51 ,  52 ,  60 ,  65  of the tray section to each other. When the box is initially opened, the folds in the corner panels act as springs with tension holding up the opposing panels and not letting them touch the table&#39;s surface. The corner panels  61 ,  62 ,  66 ,  67  have folds that bias the container in open position when the panels are opened past equilibrium position. When the panels are folded past the about horizontal equilibrium position, the corner panels bias the container in the open position. Preferably, in the open tray position the panels touch the table&#39;s surface expanding the footprint of the device many times. When used as a food tray, the interior of the box is preferably made of water resistant paper such as paper coated with wax.  
         [0029]     This results in a circumferential arrangement of the panels of the tray  50  leaving a central food holding opening  70 , which will be aligned with the top of the box base  11 . At the inner end of the panel  51  a connecting flap  71  extends into the opening  70  where a connecting flap  72  is extended from the inner end of the panel  52 . Also, the inner end of the panel  60  has a connecting flap  73  extending into the opening  70  where a connecting flap  74  is extended from the opposite inner end of the panel  65 .  
         [0030]     These connecting flaps  71  to  74  are separated by cuts and in folding relationships with their respective panels to facilitate the assembly between the box base  11  and the tray top  50 . Connecting flaps  71  to  74  may be glued to the inside walls of the box base  11  prepared as in  FIG. 3  to finish the container  10  of the invention.  
         [0031]      FIGS. 4 and 5  show the ornamental feature of the inventive container  10 . Here, the motif or theme is an aquarium where shapes of starfish  75 , slugs  76 , clams  77 , coral  78  and the like are presented for pleasure to the eyes of the diner. The pop-up ornamental elements  75 ,  77 ,  78  can be made detachable by perforated tear off scoring. The pop-up ornamental elements are initially folded in the closed position and pop up into an open position when the box is opened and transformed into a tray. Various pop up techniques and means can be used for attaching pop up elements to the top of the trace surface.  
         [0032]     In the first pop-up element  75 ,  FIG. 4 , a five pointed star has been cut from the triangular section panel  64  so that the element remains vertical and coplanar with the box sidewall and connecting flap  73  connecting flap. The remainder of the triangular section panel  64  bends into an about horizontal position allowing protrusion of the element  75 . The second star element  75  is attached to the second corner panel and engages into the folded configuration allowing the end of the element  75  to protrude from the panel  62 . In the preferred embodiment, the panel  62  retains the star element  75  in a fold.  
         [0033]     The decorative element  78  appearing as acropora coral formation has attachment on panel  51  and  66  along a central fold line allowing the pop up of decorative element  78  when the device is opened into a tray. Many of the mechanics of the pop-up techniques are well known in the art and can be applied to the various folds of the tray top allowing a variety of pop up elements. The decorative elements can be repeated per the quadpartite geometric symmetry of the device in open tray configuration. The decorative elements preferably have a thematic continuity or relationship, but can also be purely random such as a sperm whale and a pot of petunias.  
         [0034]     In addition to pop up elements, the tray container can also be adorned with paper mechanized designs such as a business card holder with a sound generating microchip as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,285 granted to Clegg. Paper mechanized designs include a wide variety of interesting innovations. These include devices that rotate and move in ways that do not necessarily pop up to create a three-dimensional profile. Because the devices are well known in the art, the applicant will not present detail as to each and every one of them that could be attached to the top of the tray.  
         [0035]     The present invention contemplates that many changes and modifications may be made. Therefore, while the presently preferred form of the food container has been shown and described, and several modifications thereof discussed, persons skilled in this art will readily appreciate that various additional changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as defined and differentiated by the following claims.