AIR TIGHT FOOD CONTAINER

• US 3,861,433 A
• Filed: 09/17/1973
• Issued: 01/21/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jacques Schier, Robert W. Graves
• Original Assignee: Jacques Schier, Robert W. Graves
• Inventors: Schier, Jacques, Graves, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Norton, Donald F.
• Application Number:
  US05/398,212
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: 150/.5 220/42A,42C,70
• US Class Current: 220/782
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00092 circular
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00157 three straight sides
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00296 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00351 Dome-like
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00527 NO contact
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00537 on the outside, or a part turned to the outside of the mouth of the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00842 outside of the lid
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/0222 only on the outside, or a part turned to the outside, of the mouth of the container B65D43/0216 takes precedence

Abstract

A two-piece container of self-supporting sheet-like plastic including a dish and cover therefor. The dish and surmounting cover are formed and dimensioned to establish in their assembled configuration a substantially air-tight frictional seal precluding invasion of atmosphere-carried contaminants into the container, thereby ensuring enhanced shelf life of comestibles packaged in the container.

Claims

1. A container for the shipment and storage of comestible products to retain said products sealed from the ambient atmosphere thereby to preclude contamination from organisms and other deleterious agents present in the atmosphere and to provide extended shelf life for products contained and held in said package, said container comprising, in combination, a dish-like base, and a cover for support on and sleeved over said base in hermetically sealing frictional securement therewith, said base constituting a molded dish of thin, self-supporting material and including a floor, wall means including an inner principal product-retention wall extending generally upwardly of said floor and integrally formed therewith to provide a unitary one-piece structure, said wall means being reversely curved upon itself at an upper extremity thereof to define a circumambient ridge, a skirt-like auxiliary wall constituting a container sealing wall depending downwardly from said ridge and spaced radially outwardly from said product retention wall and extending therearound, said container sealing wall terminating on a circumferential line along a locus intermediate the vertical expanse of said product-retention wall in an integrally formed peripheral ledge continouus with said container sealing wall and projecting outwardly therefrom in a generally horizontal plane;

said cover constituting an upwardly vaulted closure element of thin, self-supporting plastic material, said cover being dimensioned for attachment to said base in contiguous frictional engagement therewith, said cover including a top wall, a side wall integrally formed with said top wall and depending downwardly therefrom around the periphery thereof, a lower marginal portion of said side wall constituting a smooth-surfaced upstanding substantially vertical endless band for frictional securement to said container sealing wall of said base in overlying contiguous abutment thereagainst and encircling the periphery thereof to define an air-tight seal between said cover and said dish, and a flange integral with and extending horizontally outwardly from and substantially normally to said band around the entire perimeter of said cover, said flange of said cover seating flatly on said ledge of said base when said cover is in place on said base to close said container, and finger-grip tabs integrally formed with and extending laterally outwardly from each said ledge of said base and said flange of said cover, said tabs being circumferentially offset from one another to facilitate the grasping thereof to pull said base and said cover apart.

2. The structure as set fortH in claim 1 wherein said band at the lower marginal portion of the side wall of said cover is offset outwardly with respect to the side wall projecting upwardly therefrom to provide shoulder means extending perimetrically about said cover.

3. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said flange of said cover and said ledge of said base are in substantially air-tight abutment to establish a second zone of sealing contact between said cover and said base.

4. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said side wall of said cover is deformed to provide perimetrically spaced generally parallel external rib means extending upwardly from said band toward said top wall to stiffen said side wall and to strengthen said package.

5. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said container sealing wall of said base and said band of said cover of said package are sleeved in radially stressed engagement to provide a tensioned seal between said base and said cover.

6. The structure as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising gutter means extending peripherally around said floor of said dish and defining a floor-encircling moat integrally formed with and separating said floor from said wall means;

whereby said floor is disposed in a horizontal plane displaced upwardly from a lower limit of said wall means.

7. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the transverse inside dimensions of said cover are no more than outside dimensions of said base at corresponding overlapping peripheral positions thereof, whereby upon forced placement of said cover onto said base to close said container tensioned contact is established between said band of said cover and said sealing wall of said base to enhance the seal therebetween.

8. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein inside dimensions of said cover as measured thereacross at a line defined by an intersection with said band of a horizontal plane passing therethrough is less than the outside dimensions of said container sealing wall as measured at corresponding positions, whereby stretching of said cover at said band occurs when said cover is placed in position on said dish to establish between said cover and said dish a tensioned overlapping engagement.

9. The structure as set forth in claim 8 wherein, prior to stretching, said cover, as measured transversely thereacross at said band, has an overall outer dimension about 0.015 inch less than the transverse dimension of said dish as measured at corresponding opposed perimetric positions.

10. The structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said band of said cover flares upwardly and outwardly from its lower extremity and wherein the cross sectional dimension of said band at its free end is less than a maximum horizontal dimension of said base as measured at said ridge, whereby application of force is necessary in positioning said cover in place over said ridge and onto said base.

11. A container for the shipment and storage of comestible products to retain said products sealed from the ambient atmosphere thereby to preclude contamination from organisms and other deleterious agents present in the atmosphere and to provide extended shelf life for products contained and held in said package, said container comprising, in combination, a dish-like base, and a cover for support on and sleeved over said base in hermetically sealing frictional securement therewith, said base constituting a molded dish of thin, self-supporting material and including a floor, wall means including an inner principal product-retention wall extending generally upwardly of said floor and integrally formed therewith to provide a unitary one-piece structure, said wall means being reversely curved upon itself at an upper extremity thereof to define a circumambient ridge, a skirt-like auxiliary wall constituting a container sealing wall depending downwardly from said ridge and spaced radially outwardly from said product rEtention wall and extending therearound, said container sealing wall terminating on a circumferential line along a locus intermediate the vertical expanse of said product-retention wall in an integrally formed peripheral ledge continuous with said container sealing wall and projecting outwardly therefrom in a generally horizontal plane;

said cover constituting an upwardly vaulted closure element of thin, self-supporting plastic material, said cover being dimensioned for attachment to said base in contiguous frictional engagement therewith, said cover including a top wall, a side wall integrally formed with said top wall and depending downwardly therefrom around the periphery thereof, a lower marginal portion of said side wall constituting a smooth-surfaced upstanding substantially vertical endless band for frictional securement to said container sealing wall of said base in overlying contiguous abutment thereagainst and encircling the periphery thereof to define an air-tight seal between said cover and said dish, and a flange integral with and extending horizontally outwardly from and substantially normally to said band around the entire perimeter of said cover, said flange of said cover seating flatly on said ledge of said base when said cover is in place on said base to close said container, and said band of said cover being flared upwardly and outwardly from its lower extremity and the cross sectional dimension of said band at its free end being less than a maximum horizontal dimension of said base as measured at said ridge, whereby application of force is necessary in positioning said cover in place over said ridge and onto said base.

12. The structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein said band at the lower marginal portion of the side wall of said cover is offset outwardly with respect to the side wall projecting upwardly therefrom to provide shoulder means extending perimetrically about said cover.

13. The structure as set forth in claim 12 wherein said shoulder means of said cover bears upon said ridge of said dish.

14. The structure as set forth in claim 13 wherein said ridge of said dish constitutes a radius blend formed upon reversely curving said wall means of said base upon itself, and wherein said shoulder means of said cover is in substantial abutment with a cooperating upper peripheral edge of said ridge.

15. The structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein said flange of said cover and said ledge of said base are in substantially air-tight abutment to establish a second zone of sealing contact between said cover and said base.

16. The structure as set forth in claim 11 and further comprising finger-grip tabs integrally formed with and extending laterally outwardly from each said ledge of said base and said flange of said cover, said tabs being circumferentially offset from one another to facilitate the grasping thereof to pull said base and said cover apart.

17. The structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein said side wall of said cover is deformed to provide perimetrically spaced generally parallel external rib means extending upwardly from said band toward said top wall to stiffen said side wall and to strengthen said package.

18. The structure as set forth in claim 11 wherein said container sealing wall of said base and said band of said cover of said package are sleeved in radially stressed engagement to provide a tensioned seal between said base and said cover.

19. The structure as set forth in claim 11 and further comprising gutter means extending peripherally around said floor of said dish and defining a floor-encircling moat integrally formed with and separating said floor from said wall means;

whereby said floor is disposed in a horizontal plane displaced upwardly from a lower limit of said wall means.