Contoured clamshell container
First Claim
1. A clamshell container of foldable paperboard particularly adapted for reception of a heated foodstuff, said container being configured for reduced utilization of paperboard and enhanced retention of heat, said container comprising a tray and a cover, each of generally rectangular configuration, said tray having a bottom with opposed side edges and opposed front and rear edges, said tray further including opposed laterally spaced front and rear walls folded upwardly respectively from said front and rear edges of said tray bottom, the laterally spaced relation between said front and rear walls being at a maximum at aligned opposed central sections of said front and rear walls, said front and rear walls having opposed end sections inwardly of the respective central sections and defining, relative to the space between the central sections, a reduced spacing between aligned and opposed respective end sections of said front and rear walls for close accommodation of said front and rear walls to a received foodstuff, said tray further including opposed laterally spaced side walls folded upward respectively from said opposed side edges of said tray bottom, the laterally spaced relation between said side walls being at a maximum at opposed central sections of said side walls, said side walls each having opposed end sections inward of the respective central sections and defining a reduced spacing at opposed respective end sections of said side walls for close accommodation of the side walls to a received foodstuff, said side walls at opposed ends thereof, joining to and forming corners with corresponding ends of said front and rear walls to define corners inwardly offset relative to said maximum spaced central sections and restricted corner air spaces within said tray for minimizing heat loss from a received heated foodstuff.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A clamshell container comprising a tray and a cover formed from a blank; the tray including a bottom and four curved side walls foldable upward from the four edges of the bottom along arcuate fold lines, the tray walls having defined corners inwardly offset relative to the center points of the walls; and a cover provided with corresponding walls, at least three of which are folded from arcuate fold lines along corresponding edges of a cover top panel and which define depending arcuate cover walls and a cover with a maximum width at transverse centerlines between opposed sets of walls and minimum widths at corners defined by the cover walls; the cover pivotally closing over the tray with the arced walls of the tray received within the arced walls of the cover and engaging therewith.
25 Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A clamshell container of foldable paperboard particularly adapted for reception of a heated foodstuff, said container being configured for reduced utilization of paperboard and enhanced retention of heat, said container comprising a tray and a cover, each of generally rectangular configuration, said tray having a bottom with opposed side edges and opposed front and rear edges, said tray further including opposed laterally spaced front and rear walls folded upwardly respectively from said front and rear edges of said tray bottom, the laterally spaced relation between said front and rear walls being at a maximum at aligned opposed central sections of said front and rear walls, said front and rear walls having opposed end sections inwardly of the respective central sections and defining, relative to the space between the central sections, a reduced spacing between aligned and opposed respective end sections of said front and rear walls for close accommodation of said front and rear walls to a received foodstuff, said tray further including opposed laterally spaced side walls folded upward respectively from said opposed side edges of said tray bottom, the laterally spaced relation between said side walls being at a maximum at opposed central sections of said side walls, said side walls each having opposed end sections inward of the respective central sections and defining a reduced spacing at opposed respective end sections of said side walls for close accommodation of the side walls to a received foodstuff, said side walls at opposed ends thereof, joining to and forming corners with corresponding ends of said front and rear walls to define corners inwardly offset relative to said maximum spaced central sections and restricted corner air spaces within said tray for minimizing heat loss from a received heated foodstuff.
- 10. A clamshell container formed of foldable paperboard and comprising a tray and a cover, said tray comprising a bottom panel with opposed side edges and opposed front and rear edges, a pair of transversely spaced side walls integral with and folded from said opposed side edges of said bottom panel along convex side fold lines, each side fold line defining an arcuate configuration to the corresponding side wall above said bottom panel, said tray further including transversely spaced front and rear walls respectively integral with and folded from the opposed front and rear edges of said bottom panel along a convex front fold line and a convex rear fold line, said front and rear fold lines defining an arcuate configuration to each of said front and rear walls above said bottom panel, said cover comprising a top panel, said top panel having opposed side edges and opposed front and rear edges, a pair of opposed transversely spaced cover side walls and a cover front wall integral with and folded from corresponding side and front edges of said top panel along fold lines convex relative to said top panel, and a cover rear wall opposed to and transversely spaced from said cover front wall, said cover rear wall being integral with and folded from a linear fold line defining said rear edge of said top panel, said tray rear wall and said cover rear wall having a common outer edge defined by a linear fold line forming a hinge joinder between said tray and said cover for selective closing of said cover over said tray.
- 13. A container blank foldable to define a tray and cover, said blank including a tray section and an aligned cover section, said tray section having a central bottom panel defined by a pair of opposed convex side wall fold lines, a convex front wall fold line and an opposed convex rear wall fold line, a pair of opposed side wall panels integral with said bottom panel and foldable relative thereto along said side wall fold lines, a front wall panel and a rear wall panel integral with said bottom panel and foldable relative thereto respectively along said front and rear wall fold lines, each convex wall fold line being at a transverse spacing from the opposed fold line which is at a maximum at transversely aligned center points of the opposed fold lines and which progressively decrease outward from the central points to a minimum spacing at transversely aligned ends of the opposed fold lines.
Specification