Patent Publication Number: US-5423478-A

Title: Takeout container with integral handles

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a container fashioned from a unitary blank of paperboard. The container is characterized by four top closure forming panels which lie on top of one another, with two opposite of said top closure panels carrying handles and the other two top closure panels having aligned slits which receive the handles. The art is aware of constructions of a somewhat similar type, such as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,997,343 issued to Quagliotti and 1,987,063 issued to Hinton. One drawback of known containers of this type is the difficulty of maintaining the top closure in a closed condition. In Hinton, projecting lips 5c and 7c are employed for this purpose, while in Quagliotti lacking flaps 1 are employed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to the practice of this invention, a unitary blank of paperboard is provided with fold lines for forming side walls, bottom closure panels, and top closure panels. The carton is erected by folding and glueing the side walls and the bottom closure panels to form a carton open at the top. The upper ends of the carton sidewalls are provided with closure panels, with each sidewall having a respective closure panel. Two opposite closure panels are provided with flat handles, cut from the blank, while the remaining two opposite panels are provided with slits which fold sequentially down, over the handles, to form an easily carried carton. The handles are semicircular and are of a diameter slightly in excess of the length of the slits so that upon folding the slitted top closure panels down, the ends of the slits frictionally engage the handle ends, firmly securing the top closure panels. 
     The container is particularly adapted to receive fast foods, such as Chinese food, and has the advantage that no metal wire handle is employed, to thus permit the carton contents to be reheated in a microwave oven. 
     The construction of the container of this invention permits it to hold liquids and also permits it, by virtue of its truncated pyramidal shape, to nest with other containers of the same construction prior to filling and closing. Further, the carton is easily reclosed after an initial opening. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a unitary blank of paperboard or other stiff, foldable, and resilient sheet material for forming the container of this invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a partially broken perspective view illustrating the blank of FIG. 1 folded and partially closed. 
     FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrates the final configuration of the top closure panels. 
     FIG. 4 is a view taken along section 4--4 of FIG. 3. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to FIG. 1, a unitary blank of paperboard is denoted as 10. The edges of trapezoidal sidewall forming panels 12, 14, 16, and 18 are foldably and serially connected through the indicated generally vertical fold lines and along segmented axis 22. One of the end panels, such as panel 12, is provided with a manufacturer&#39;s flap 20. As viewed at FIG. 1, the lower portions of each of the sidewall panels are provided with respective panels 24 which may be of any conventional bottom closure construction. 
     Generally triangular top closure panel 28 is foldably secured to the upper edge of sidewall panel 12 by the indicated fold line. Similarly, generally rectangular top closure panel 30 is foldably secured to the top of sidewall panel 14 by the indicated fold line. Another triangular top closure panel 32 is secured by a fold line to the top of sidewall panel 16, while generally rectangular top closure panel 34 is foldably secured by the indicated fold line to the top of sidewall panel 18. Panel 28 is provided with a generally vertically extending elongated slit 36 having ends 37 and 39. Closure panel 30 carries an integral curved handle 38 whose ends are secured by fold lines 40 to spaced upper portions of panel 30. Closure panel 30 includes a central top free edge 42 and laterally adjacent top free edges 44, the latter edges spaced from each other, with the ends of handle 38 extending down to fold lines 40 through the indicated cut lines in the upper portion of closure panel 30. Triangular closure panel 32 is provided with a generally vertically extending elongated slit 46, similar to slit 36 of panel 28, with slit 46 having an upper end 47 and a lower end 49. Closure panel 34 is provided with a handle 48, similar to handle 38 of closure panel 30, with the lower ends of 48 having spaced fold lines 50. Panel 34 includes spaced free edge portions 35. 
     Referring now to FIG. 2, the blank of FIG. 1 has been folded along the indicated fold lines, and the bottom closure panels 24 have been closed to form a bottom for the container, with flap 20 glued to sidewall 18 either internally or externally. Typically, a fast food product is placed in the container and bottommost inner top closure panel 34 folded downwardly to a generally horizontal position and its handle 48 bent upwardly. Then, topmost inner top closure panel 30 is also folded down to a generally horizontal position and it handle 38 bent upwardly, the arrangement being such that handles 38 and 48 become engaged in surface to surface contact, also as may be seen by the broken portion of the middle of handle portion 48. Edge 42 of closure panel 30 extends through the opening formed between the ends of the two handles 38 and 48, with lateral free edges 44, together with edge 42, lying on the top of panel 34. Upon upward bending of the two handles, spaced slots 41 are formed at the free edges of topmost inner closure panel 30. These spaced slots receive the lowermost composite handle portions. The free edges 42 and 44 of closure panel 30 overlie free edges 35 of closure panel 34 so that there is a partial overlapping of panels 30 and 34. 
     Referring now to FIG. 3, triangular closure panels 28 and 32 are now folded inwardly, in sequence, such that one of them overlies the other, with slits 36 and 46 being aligned. Panels 28 and 32 lie flat against each other and on top of panels 30 and 34. 
     Still referring to FIG. 3, the relationship between the length of slits 36 and 46 and the outer diameter of semicircular handles 38 and 48 is such that when triangular closure panels 28 and 32 are folded from the position shown at FIG. 2 to the position shown at FIG. 3, there is substantial frictional contact between the ends 37, 39 and 47, 49 of respective slits 36 and 46 and the outermost edge surfaces of the handles, where the latter extend upwardly from the top of the closed container. This frictional contact functions to maintain the closed condition of the container by inhibiting upward swinging of top closure panels 30, 34, 32, and 28. 
     The container construction of this invention exhibits particular utility in Chinese carry out food wherein if not all of the food is consumed initially, the remainder may be left in the container, refrigerated, and then reheated in a microwave oven. This is in distinction to common Chinese or other carry out food containers which employ a metal handle or bail. The frictional latching action arises from a slight resilient deformation of the slit ends/handle ends in the configuration of FIG. 3 due to the resiliency of the paperboard. 
     Geometrical terms of orientation such as upper, vertical, and the like as employed to facilitated a description of the invention and are not intended as limiting.