Abstract:
A food container consisting of a top and a bottom having obliquely angled side elements is disclosed. The container may be cut from a single blank of container material and formed into a hingedly connected top and bottom. When the top and bottom are open and substantially coplanar the obliquely angled sides permit multiple boxes or containers to be nested within one another for efficient stacking. A preferred embodiment includes tops and bottoms with eight side elements comprising one piece side elements and side elements having overlapping panels. When closed, the top side elements overlap the bottom side elements. The container also includes a locking tongue and opening which receives the tongue. A tab may be provided to assist in moving the tongue to disengage it from the opening.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention pertains to food containers and blanks that can be preassembled into containers for transporting prepared foods such as pizza and hamburgers. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Cardboard and corrugated paper are useful for temporary storage and transportation of food products because of their low cost, ease of handling, and general consumer satisfaction. Such food containers are used for pizzas, hamburgers, and other food items that are partially or fully prepared and served to a consumer for &#34;take out,&#34; that is off-premise consumption. Many hundreds of thousands of such containers are used every week. Because of this heavy consumption there is substantial competition to develop better, less expensive, and unique containers to address the ongoing need. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a unique and cost effective food container that can be preassembled and shipped to a retail food outlet. The preassembled containers can be nested together for space-efficient shipment and storage. 
     A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a blank of container material, such as corrugated paper or cardboard, that has been cut and scored to form first and second panel groups that are hingedly connected. Each panel group includes a central panel having hingedly connected side panels located around its perimeter. Different types of side panels include planar side panels and composite side panels (&#34;composite&#34; because it has two types of panels). The composite side panels have a web panel that has connector panels hingedly connected to one or both distal ends. 
     On the second panel groups one or more side panels include an extending support panel which is hingedly connected to a tongue panel. The tongue panel includes a tongue. Among the first panel group, one or more side panels include an opening for receiving the tongue. The tongue can engage the opening to lock together top and bottom portions of the assembled container. 
     The container is assembled from the blank preferably by bending the side panels upward at oblique angles to the central panel and adhering the connector panels to adjacent planar panels thus forming a dished top and bottom that are hingedly connected together. 
     Preferably, the food container includes eight side panels so that the assembled container has eight side elements. (Note that some side elements include a planar panel and overlapping connector panels.) The hinge connection between the top and bottom is located along rear side elements. Directly opposite are front side elements. The tongue panels and openings are located on side elements adjacent that front side element. Thus, the preferred embodiment includes two locking mechanisms. 
     Additionally, one rear side panel that is hingedly connected to the other rear side element, is more narrow than the other side panels. Thus, when the container is assembled and brought into locking engagement, the side elements of one panel group overhang the side elements of the other panel group thus producing a unique appearance. In the preferred embodiment the top side elements overhang the bottom side elements. 
     The side elements are oblique to the center panels to permit nesting. When a first container is open so that the top and bottom are substantially coplanar, a second container may be nested into the first container. Nesting allows assembled boxes to be efficiently stacked for shipment and storage. 
     Various advantages and features of novelty which characterize the invention are particularized in the claims. However, for a better understanding of the invention and its advantages, refer to the drawings and the accompanying description which illustrate and describe preferred embodiments of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a food container of the present invention partially cutaway to show an interior chamber. 
     FIG. 2 is front elevation view of the container of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a back elevation view of the container of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of the container of FIG. 1, wherein the container is shown with the top disengaged from the bottom. 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged, partial cross section view of the container of FIG. 1 taken along line 5--5. 
     FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a blank that can be assembled to construct the container of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevation view of a portion of the food container with an alternative embodiment locking mechanism. 
     FIG. 8 is a cross-section view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A preferred embodiment of a container 10 of the present invention is shown assembled in FIGS. 1-5. FIG. 6 shows a top view of a blank 11 that can be formed into the container of FIGS. 1-5. Preferably, the blank 11 is die cut of a suitable container material such as corrugated paper board, cardboard, or even styrofoam. Other suitable container materials may also be used. 
     FIGS. 1-5 illustrate constructed food container 10. Using the orientation shown in the figures as a reference, the container includes a bottom 12 and a top 14. The top includes a central planar surface 16 that has contiguous side elements 18 located around its perimeter. The side elements form an oblique angle with the central planar surface 16. 
     In the preferred embodiment, there are two types of top side elements 18: side elements 18&#39; having overlapping panels and side elements 18&#34; without overlapping panels. The side elements 18&#39; having overlapping panels comprise a planar side panel 20 adhered to one or more connector panels 22. The connector panels are a part of a composite side panel 24 (&#34;composite&#34; because it has two types of panels) which include a web panel 26 that hingedly supports the connector panels 22. When the connector panels 22 are adhered to the adjacent planar side panels 20 they are arranged so that adjacent side elements are at oblique angles relative to one another. Thus, the side elements 18 form an oblique angle to the central planar surface 16 and to adjacent side elements. 
     The bottom 12 also includes a central planar surface 30 which likewise has a plurality of side elements 32 hingedly connected to its perimeter. Similarly to the top, the side elements 32 are arranged to be oblique to the central planar surface 30 and to each other. In addition, the bottom side elements 32 include side elements 32&#39; having overlapping panels and side elements 32&#34; which have no overlapping panels. The overlapping panels comprise a bottom planar side panel 34 and overlapping connector panels 36 which are hingedly connected to web panels 38. Together, the web panels 38 and the connector panels 36 form bottom composite side panels 40. The bottom 12 further includes composite side panels 42 that have only one connector panel 36. The remaining composite side panels 40 include two connector panels 36. 
     The top 14 and bottom 12 each include rear side panels 46 and 48, respectively, that are hingedly connected together thus hingedly connecting the top and bottom. The top rear side panel 46 has a width 50 that is more narrow than a width associated with other top side panels 20, 24. Alternative embodiments include a top 14 and bottom 12 formed from separate blanks. 
     The top and bottom may be lockingly engaged by a tongue and slot engagement mechanism. In a first embodiment, two side elements 18 of the top 14 include an opening 54 have a slot aperture 56 and arcuate aperture 58. On corresponding bottom side elements 32 there are tongue panels 60 with tongues 62. The tongue panels are supported on respective support panels 64 which are resiliently and hingedly connected to bottom side panels 40. Inward motion of the support panels 64 and tongue panels 60 is compliantly resisted by the resilient hinge between the support panel 64 and the side panel 40. The resilient hinges are defined by arcuate score lines 82 (FIG. 6). As the top is closed onto the bottom the corresponding top side element 18 pushes the tongue panel 60 back until the tongue 62 and slot aperture 56 are oriented. The tongue 62 then springs into the slot aperture 56 engaging the top to the bottom. As noted, when thus engaged, the top side elements 18 overhang the bottom side elements 32 as best seen in FIG. 5 by overhang 66. 
     The tongue 62 is disengaged from the slot aperture 56 by pressing a finger against the exposed end of the tongue 62 thus pushing the support panel 64 and tongue panel 60 inward until the tongue 62 moves inward from the slot aperture 56. Pushing directly on the tongue 62 is preferred because it is furthest from the hinge (defined by score line 82); thus, pushing on the tongue creates the longest movement arm for best mechanical advantage. 
     An alternative embodiment is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. This embodiment includes tongue 62 engaging slot aperture 56 and a push tab 67 that is hingedly connected to the side element 18. The tab 67 is cut from the side element 18 and forced outward by the tongue 62 when the tongue is engaged in the slot aperture 56. Accordingly, the tab 67 is biased into contact with the tongue 62. The tab 67 facilitates disengaging the tongue 62 from aperture 56. 
     In this embodiment, the tongue 62 is disengaged from the slot aperture 56 by pressing the tab 67 inward against the tongue 62. The tongue moves inward under force from tab 67. When the tab 67 is coplanar with its respective side element 18, the tongue 62 will be free of slot aperture 56 and the top may be opened. This embodiment has advantages over the first embodiment because the finger never breaks the plane of the side element 18 providing a more satisfactory feel. 
     In other alternative embodiments tongues 62 and tongue panels 60 could be located on the first panel group 72 and the openings 54 could be associated with panels on the second panel group 74. Other embodiments of the container 10 may incorporate other locking engagement mechanisms. 
     With particular reference to FIG. 6 additional features most easily seen on the blank 11 will be described. Prior to being formed into a container, the blank 11 is formed having a first panel group 72 and a second panel group 74 corresponding to panels that form the top 14 and bottom 12 when the blank is assembled. The first panel group 72 includes the central planar surface 16 having planar side panels 20 and composite side panels 24 located about its perimeter. The side panels 20, 24 are separated from the central surface 16 by score lines 76. Score lines 76 are partial cuts through the container material and are well known in the art. Such score lines permit one panel to be readily folded relative to another along an even predetermined line. The web panels 26 are separated from the connector panels 22 by score lines 78. The connector panels 22 are located contiguous to planar side panels 20 and separated by cut lines 80. Additionally, associated with the second panel group 74 the support panels 64 are separated from their respective side panels 40 by arcuate score lines 82. The score lines 82 are arcuate to increase the resiliency of the hinge connection between the support panel 64 and respective bottom side element 32. 
     Further, feet 84 are formed by cuts 86 located between connector side panels 40 and the central planar surface 30. When the panels are folded into side elements, the feet protrude downward thus supporting the bottom 12 when the container 10 rests on a flat surface. 
     Returning to FIGS. 1-5, the preferred embodiment includes eight top side elements 18 and eight bottom side elements 32. Although an octagonal shape is preferred, the invention could be incorporated into polygons having more or less side elements. 
     Additionally, in a preferred embodiment, the top side elements 18&#39; and 18&#34; alternate, that is, side elements 18&#39; are separated by side elements 18&#34;. Apriori, the planar side panels 20 alternate with the composite side panels 24 on the first panel group of the blank 11. 
     On the second panel group 74 the rear side panel 48 is a composite side panel 40 having connector panels 36. On each side of the rear side panel 48 are composite side panels 42 which have one connector panel 36 each. Accordingly, the second panel group 74 includes adjacent side elements 32&#39; having overlapping panels comprising the two side elements to either side of the rear side panel 48. 
     As noted, the top includes rear side panel 46 which forms a top rear side element 90 when the blank is formed into the container (FIG. 1). Diagonally across from the top rear side element 90 is a front side element 92. The outward-most side elements are lateral side elements 94. Between the lateral side elements 94 and the front side element 92 are forward bevel side elements 96. Between the lateral side elements 94 and the rear side element 90 are rear bevel side elements 98. 
     The bottom similarly includes a rear side element 90&#39;, a front side element 92&#39;, lateral side elements 94&#39;, front bevel side elements 96&#39; and rear bevel side elements 98&#39;. Preferably, the tongues 62 and opening 54, which comprise the locking mechanism, are located at the forward bevel side elements 96, 96&#39;. 
     Numerous characteristics and advantages of the invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention. The novel features hereof are pointed out in the appended claims. The disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principle of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in the claims.