DUAL COMPARTMENT FOOD TRAY

• US 20150129650A1
• Filed: 10/31/2014
• Published: 05/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sabert Corporation
• Original Assignee: LBP Manufacturing Incorporated
• Inventors: HUBBARD, James A. Jr., FULTZ, Kevin Jay, SMYK, Jonathan Craig
• Granted Patent: US 9,309,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 229/120.04
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/2076 Cooperating flaps glued together
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/241 and the gussets folds connected to the inside of the container body B65D5/247 and B65D5/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4204 Inspection openings or windows
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/48016 formed by folding extensions hinged to the upper or lower edges of a tubular body B65D5/48008 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/48018 formed by folding extensions of side panels of a "cross-like" body blank B65D5/4801 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6605 the lid being formed by two mating halves joined to opposite edges of the container body

Abstract

A food tray including front and rear sidewalls each having left and right side edges. A left sidewall extends between respective left edges of the front and rear sidewalls. A right sidewall extends between respective right edges of the front and rear sidewall. A bottom panel extends between bottom edges of the front, rear, left and right sidewalls. The sidewalls define a container space for a food item. A left lid extends from a top edge of the left sidewall. A right lid extends from a top edge of the right sidewall. The left and right lids are configured to fold and cover the container space. The left lid includes a flap that extends from an edge of the left lid that is opposite the top edge of the left sidewall. The flap is configured to be folded into the container space to divide the container space into two compartments.

Claims

1. A food tray comprising:

a front sidewall and a rear sidewall, each having a left and a right side edge;

a left sidewall that extends between respective left edges of the front and rear sidewalls, and a right side wall that extends between respective right edges of the front and rear sidewall;

a bottom panel extending between a bottom edge of the front, rear, left and right sidewalls, wherein the front, rear, left, and right sidewalls, and the bottom panel define a container space for placement of a food item; and

a left lid that extends from a top edge of the left sidewall, and a right lid that extends from a top edge of the right sidewall, wherein the left lid and right lid are configured to fold over and cover the container space, wherein the left lid includes a dividing flap that extends from a distal edge of the left lid that is opposite the top edge of the left sidewall, and the dividing flap is configured to extend into the container space when the left lid is in folded over and covering the container space, to divide the container space into a first compartment and a second compartment.

2. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein the distal edge of the left lid from which the dividing flap extends is substantially centered between the right and left sidewalls when the left lid is in the closed configuration.

3. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein a distance that a distal edge of the dividing flap extends from the distal edge of the left lid, substantially matches a distance between an inside surface of the left lid and the bottom panel when the left lid is in a closed configuration.

4. The food tray according to claim 3, wherein a lateral distance between the side edges of the dividing flap substantially matches a distance between the front sidewall and rear the sidewall.

5. The food tray according to claim 4, wherein the opposed side edges of the dividing flap are tapered to match a draft angle of the respective front sidewall and the rear sidewall.

6. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein each of the left and right sidewalls further comprises a pair of assembly flaps that respectively extend from a front edge and a back edge of each of the left sidewall and the right sidewall, wherein the assembly flaps are configured to fold against an inside surface of the respective front sidewall and back sidewall.

7. The food tray according to claim 6, further comprising an adhesive between each of the assembly flaps, and a corresponding inside surface of the front sidewall and the back sidewall, to secure the assembly flaps to the inside surfaces.

8. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein each of the front and back sidewalls further comprises a pair of assembly flaps that respectively extend from a left edge and a right edge of each of the front sidewalls and the back sidewall, wherein the assembly flaps are configured to fold against an inside surface of the respective left sidewall and right sidewall.

9. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein each of the left and right lids includes a first tab and a second tab, and each of the front and back sidewalls has a slot for receiving one of the first and second tabs, to thereby maintain the left lid and the right lid in a closed configuration.

10. The food tray according to claim 1, further comprising a see-through film material positioned in an opening formed in at least one of the left lid and the right lid.

11. The food tray according to claim 10, wherein the opening extends into at least one of the left sidewall and the right sidewall.

12. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein the food tray is formed from a unitary sheet of material that comprises a material selected from the group of materials consisting of F fluted corrugated paper, paperboard, chipboard, and plastic.

13. The food tray according to claim 12, wherein the unitary sheet is coated with a material that renders the sheet impervious to liquids.

14. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein the left, right, front, and rear sidewalls are tapered to facilitate nesting of a plurality of food trays.

15. The food tray according to claim 1, wherein the unitary sheet of material has a generally rectangular shape.

16. The food tray according to claim 1, further including a gusset that extends along a fold line between each of the left and right sidewalls further, and each of the adjacent front and back sidewalls, wherein each gusset is folded along an internal fold line to form a gusset fold, and each gusset fold is configured to fold against either an inside surface or an outside surface of either the front or back sidewall, or the adjacent left or right sidewall.

17. The food tray according to claim 16, further comprising an adhesive between each of the gusset flaps, and a corresponding inside surface of the front sidewall and the back sidewall, to secure the gusset flaps to the inside surfaces.