Abstract:
A food container system that comprises a tray member that is the primary storage container, a first lid member that is molded to comprise a plurality of recesses of either similar or varying sizes to house various foodstuffs, and optionally a third lid member. When assembled, the foodstuff in the first lid member may be retained by a foil that adheres to the mouths of the recesses or the optional third lid member which may be formed to snugly fit over the recesses of the first lid member. The foodstuffs may be mixed in any combination desired. Embodiments of the invention will include for the tray member that may be releaseably attached to either the first or second lid member via a snap-fit grip mechanism; additionally, the first and second lid members may be releaseably attached to each other in a similar manner. The utility of the container system is magnified through the multi-compartmentalized lid member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to container system configurations for foodstuff. More particularly, the invention relates to a multi-compartment food packaging containment system that includes a large base tray compartment and a lid member comprising of a plurality of smaller compartments that hold a variety of foodstuffs that may be combined together in any desired apportionment for consumption purposes. The container system preferably includes tamper-resistant features, as well as tamper-evident features that visually evidence unauthorized ingress if interfered either inadvertently or with the intent to cause harm. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Retail markets have utilized rigid and flexible plastic containers to protect and display both perishable and fragile food items such as sandwiches, salads and bakery items. These traditional roles of plastic packaging are now the minimum expected standards, and the requirements placed on plastic food packaging continue to expand as increasing demands are placed upon it. Presentation, brand presence, consumer desires, added value to enhance commercial competitiveness, differentiation, imagery and psychology has resulted in the design and application of plastic packaging becoming more challenging. Convenience and versatility continue to shape the future of packaging, with consumers gravitating toward packaged convenience items that minimize the impact on their behavior. This has forced packaging manufacturers to include social and environmental considerations into their development process. The provision of multiple compartments in a variety of shapes and utilities in rigid plastic containers has been one such direction that packaging manufacturers have been pursuing. 
     Rigid plastic food containers are typically manufactured from Polystyrene, Polypropylene, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polylactide, Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), or other rigid polymers. They generally comprise either of two-parts—a tray and lid—or they may be a one-piece construction with a hinge that modifies one portion of the container to act as the tray and the other connected portion to act as a lid. Furthermore, they are available in a variety of shapes and cross-sections—circular, rectangular, square, and elliptical, etc. 
     A limitation has been the availability of a single rigid plastic packaging system that incorporates a primary recess and a plurality of secondary conveniently sized recesses that can hold a variety of different foodstuffs and which may be combined with the food in the primary recess in portions desired by the consumer. This invention provides for a unique approach that achieves this objective. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In all embodiments of the invention, the tray and lid members of the container system possess at their edges that are designed to mate with and be releaseably lockable to each other. The releaseably lockable retaining mechanism may include one or more of a variety of snap-fit grip mechanisms. 
     In one embodiment of the invention, the container system comprises a container with a lid that is molded to form multiple compartments or recesses in it so that a variety of foodstuff can be deposited into them. When the lid is coupled to the tray, the mouths of the recesses comprising the underside or enclosed side of the lid will face the bottom of the tray with the foodstuffs contained in the recesses securely retained in their respective recesses by a membrane that may be plastic film or a metal foil such as aluminum, that is placed over the mouths of all the recesses. The use of such membranes is commonplace and can be found in such food items as frozen microwaveable packaged foods and yogurt cup containers. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, the lid of the container is molded so that a smaller, second container may be attached to it via a releaseably lockable snap-fit grip, wherein the second container is mounted on the upper side of the lid of the primary aforementioned container. The elements comprising the releaseably lockable snap-fit grip enable a force fit between the lid of the first container and a second condiment container. Therefore, the retail outlet may provide the consumer with prepackaged food product that contains one food type, such as a salad, in the tray of the first container, a second food type, such as a dressing, in the container of the second container, and a variety of alternative foodstuffs, such as bacon bits and grain, in the plurality of recesses comprising the underside of the lid of the first tray. An additional advantage is that all the foodstuff in the container system is clearly displayed for easy viewing by the consumer and the entire integrated package is presented as a single product item for sale. 
     In another embodiment, the mouths of the recesses of the multi-compartment lid face away from the base of the tray. In this embodiment, the food contents are held in their respective recesses by a second lid that covers the multi-compartmentalized lid and is further secured to the base tray via a releaseably lockable snap-fit grip. 
     In another embodiment of the invention, a lid of the container system is secured to the tray using tamper-evident tamper-resistant snap-fit grip mechanism. Rigid plastic tamper-evident packaging generally provide visible-to-the-naked-eye indication that a container has been interfered with, that is, it had previously be opened and then re-closed prior to purchase is currently in development, marketed or currently available in the marketplace. This invention is a novel plastic packaging solution that improves significantly on the convenience and therefore marketability of food product. 
     Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded isometric view of a prior art container system configuration. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a prior art multi-compartmentalized tray. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded isometric view of the tray member and lid member of applicant&#39;s prior tamper-evident container system. 
         FIG. 3A  is a cross-sectional view of the container system in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 3B  is a fragmentary sectional view of area V-V of the container system in  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 3C  is a fragmentary sectional view of area W-W of the container system in  FIG. 3A . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing a multi-compartmentalized container system according to the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the invention in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the underside of the lid element of the multi-compartmentalized container system in  FIG. 4  showing the lid recesses comprising the lid, as well as the film or foil cover. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of the container system illustrated of  FIG. 10 . 
         FIG. 12  is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of area X-X showing the mating of the tray, lid and intermediate multi-compartmentalized lid elements. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the invention depicted in  FIG. 12 . 
         FIG. 15  is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of area Y-Y of the container system in  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 16  is an exploded perspective view of another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 17  is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the snap-fit grip mechanism of the top lid member and intermediate lid member. 
         FIG. 18  is side cross-section view of the container system illustrating how the food containers may be stacked. 
         FIG. 19  is an embodiment of the invention showing a hingeably connected lid and tray members. 
         FIG. 20  is an exploded view of the hinge mechanism in  FIG. 19 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, this embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. 
       FIG. 1  shows an embodiment of a container system that is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/173,302 filed 30 Jun. 2005, the structure of the invention of which may be employed in combination with the present invention. In  FIG. 1 , a first container  10  comprising a base tray member  12  and lid member  14 , and a second container  16  that is releaseably lockable to the lid member  14  of the first container  10  via a snap-fit grip mechanism. The snap-fit grip mechanism illustrated, in this instance, comprises raised male ribs  20  in the lid member  14  of the first container  10  that mate with a complementary female annular ring groove  18  of the second container  16  to thereby form an interference fit. 
     Similarly,  FIG. 2  is an illustration of an embodiment of the invention claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,449, and which may be employed in combination with the present invention.  FIG. 2  depicts a food tray container system  22  that comprises a tray member  26  comprising a plurality of recesses  30 ,  30 ′, and a flexible lid member  24  that is affixed to the tray member  26  by adhesive at mating faces  28  and  32 . 
       FIGS. 3 ,  3 A,  3 B and  3 C show a bowl-shaped container system embodiment of the invention claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/166,308 filed 24 Jun. 2005. A tray member  34  and a lid member  36  that can be closed onto the tray member, as well as the snap-fit grip mechanism that enables the releaseably lockable tamper-resistant, tamper-evident feature and lift tab  38  are shown. The tray member  34  has a trapping  40  that receives a trapping section  42  of the lid member  36  and thereafter resists lid member removal. The tray member  34  further has a pull-open portion  44  with a horizontally open slot  46  that receives the lift tab  38  of a pull-open portion  45  of the lid member  36 . Access to contents of the tray member  34  generally requires tearing the pull-open section  44  along one of two tear lines  45  ( FIG. 3 ) to lift tab  38 . Such tearing makes it evident that the container system has been opened, and discourages unauthorized opening. It is possible to open the container without tearing at  45 , but it is difficult to do so. If a film or foil  60  ( FIG. 6 ) covers the tray and does not restick to the tray when peeled, then this makes it extremely difficult for someone to open the container to taste food in the tray, without making it evident that the container has been opened. 
     The disclosures of U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/173,302, 11/166,308 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,449 are incorporated herein by reference. 
     Referring now to the drawings and in particular to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a rigid polymer plastic construct food container system  47  according to the present invention. The food container system includes a first container assembly  50  that includes a tray member  53  which forms the primary recess into which foodstuff is placed. The tray member  53  of the first container assembly  50  can be molded, through known thermoforming manufacturing means, from a single sheetline of polymer material work piece into a predetermined shape and thickness as required by the specific specifications. The tray member  53  of the first container  50  may also be formed, through known thermoforming manufacturing means, into a curvilinear geometry to thereby provide the end user with a variety of polygonal shapes. The first container assembly  50  also includes a lid member  52  which has a geometry that permits even mating with the tray member  50  at their peripheral edge. The container system  47  includes a second, smaller container  56  that contains a different food item and is further releaseably fastened on the lid member  52  of the first container assembly using a snap-fit grip. It is anticipated that greater convenience is achieved and that the food packager and retailer&#39;s end user client, the consumer, will be able to select such food combination product more easily and readily. In the embodiment shown, the second container  56  may be releaseably lockable to the lid member  52  of the first container assembly via snap-fit grips. The tray  57  of the second container assembly  56  may be made, through known manufacturing means, from a single work piece into a predetermined shape and thickness as required by the specific design specifications, and may further be made from material that are dissimilar from the material used to make the first container assembly. 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 5 and 6 , it is shown that the underside  58  of the lid member  52  comprises a plurality of recesses  62 ,  62 ′, the mouths of which face toward the base of the tray member  52 . Disposed over the face of the underside  58  of the lid member  52  is a film or foil  60  that acts to retain the variety of foodstuffs that are contained in the various recesses  62 ,  62 ′ comprising the underside  58  of the lid member  52 . Retention of the film or foil  60  to the lid member is generally achieved through an adhesive that bonds the film or foil to the lid periphery  64 , as well as the ridges  66  of the mouths of the recesses  62 ,  62 ′. Access into the recesses  62 ,  62 ′ is made by peeling off the film or foil  60  as shown. 
       FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  9  depict different configurations embodiments of the invention. 
     In  FIGS. 10 ,  11  and  12 , there is shown a container system  70  according to the present invention that comprises a tray member or base  72 , a top lid member or top member lid  74  which generally has a planar surface and a geometry that permits even mating with the base  72  at their peripheral edge, and a multi-compartmentalized intermediate lid member or intermediate tray  78 . The tray is suspended between the base  72  and the lid  74  and they are all centered on a vertical axis  77 . In this embodiment of the invention, the multi-compartmentalized intermediate tray  78  comprises a plurality of recesses  80 ,  80 ′ that are formed below the planar surface  82  of the intermediate tray, and into which a variety of foodstuffs may be placed. The foodstuffs are retained in their respective recesses  80 ,  80 ′ by the lid  74 . As with prior embodiments, retention of the lid  74  to the base  72  is preferably achieved via any number of tamper evident tamper-resistant sealing mechanisms such as that illustrated in  FIG. 3 .  FIGS. 11 and 12  illustrate the placement plane of the edge circumference, or radially outward flange  84  of the intermediate tray  78  onto the ledge circumference or base ledge  86  of the base  72  which lies at the bottom of the base trapping portion  40 . It can be seen from  FIGS. 10 and 12  that the outward flange  84  is flat as seen in a sectional view taken perpendicular to the axis  77 .  FIG. 12  further illustrates that the manner in which the base  74  securely retains the intermediate tray  78  to the lid  72  is by means of a tamper-resistant, tamper-evident snap-fit grip mechanism that forms a snap fit grip which positions a primarily horizontal bottom  76  of the lid adjacent to the base ledge  86 . There is also shown the lid  74  placement onto the mouths of the recesses  80 ,  80 ′ in the intermediate tray  78  to ensure that the content of the recesses are held in their respective compartments. It can be seen that the height of the intermediate lid member ( 78 ) is less than half the height of the tray member ( 72 ). It also can be seen in  FIG. 10  that the top lid member ( 74 ) is flat at its top ( 85 ) that extends across the entire width of the intermediate lid member ( 78 ) to form an attractive combination ( 79 ). 
     By trapping the tray outer flange  84  ( FIG. 12 ) between the lid bottom  76  and the base ledge  86  (which lies at the bottom of the base trapping portion  40 ), application reduces or eliminates rattling of the tray  78  when the container is carried or otherwise moved, and saves space in the container. It can be seen in  FIG. 12  that the tray forms a loop  89  immediately below the tray outward flange and that the tray outward flange  84  lies closely between the loop  89  and the bottom  76  of the lid. 
     Similarly, in  FIGS. 13 ,  14  and  15  illustrate a container system that includes a top lid member or lid  88  that generally has a planar surface and peripheral edge designed to mate with the peripheral edge of the base  90  in such a manner as to form a tamper-evident, tamper-resistant seal. In this instance, however, the intermediate lid member or tray  92  that is suspended between the lid  88  and base  90  is formed with a plurality of recesses  93 ,  93 ′ that is configured above the outward flange  94  of the tray  92 . In  FIG. 12  the tray outward flange  84  lies at the top of the tray while in  FIG. 15  the outward flange  94  lies at the bottom of the tray  92 . A tray flange  78  ( FIG. 10 ) at the bottom of the tray results in the tray lying in the top of the base cavity  73 , and allows for a container of smaller overall height where the tray is not completely filled with salad or other food. A tray flange  94  ( FIG. 13 ) at the bottom of the tray allows food in the tray to be more easily seen through the lid  88  with raised center. 
       FIG. 16  illustrates another embodiment of the invention and includes an intermediate lid member  98  that comprises a plurality of recesses  100 ,  100 ′ into which foodstuffs may be placed and which further incorporates an edge geometry that permits mating with a complementary mating edge of the tray member  94  to form a tamper-evident, tamper-resistant seal. As with the embodiments illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 13 , the contents are retained in their respective recesses by a top lid member  96 . In this instance, however, the lid member  96  is releaseably attached to the intermediate lid member  98  as opposed to the tray member  94  via a snap-fit grip mechanism such as that illustrated in  FIG. 17 . 
       FIG. 18  illustrates one manner in which stacking of the container system described herein may be achieved. Discrete or continuous male ribs  102  in the lid member  104  are formed so that they slot into and make a mechanical fit with complementary male ribs  106  in the tray member  108 . The slotably connected lid and tray members have thus a mechanical fit that restrict lateral movement of the container system when they are stacked. Male ribs have been used to illustrate this application; however, female grooves may be substituted for male ribs to achieve the same result. 
     Finally, in  FIGS. 19 and 20 , therein the shown an embodiment of the invention wherein the top lid member  110  and tray member  112  are hingeably connected to each other by a hinge  114 . In this instance, the top lid and tray members are generally produced as a single structure. As in the embodiment of the invention depicted in  FIG. 10 , the intermediate lid member  116  is suspended between the tray member  112  and the lid member  110 . 
     Plastic packaging sealing mechanisms generally include snap-fit grips that effectively provide a leak-proof seal that allows the consumer to open, close and releaseably lock the container system multiple times. Some of the advantages of this aspect of the invention are that food freshness can be extended then would otherwise occur without sealing and spillage of the food content is prevented. 
     Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.