EGG CONTAINER WITH STACK-SPACING SYSTEM

• US 20110226656A1
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Published: 09/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pactiv
• Original Assignee: Pactiv Canada Incorporated (Pactiv)
• Inventors: St-Louis, François, Archambault, Germain, Blanchette, François
• Granted Patent: US 8,640,872 B2
• Time in patent office: Days
• US Class Current: 206/521.1
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/32 for eggs

Abstract

A container for receiving frangible items comprising a sheet of polymer formed into: a base portion and at least one cover portion with a hinge between the base portion and the cover portion. Abutment spacer are formed at an edge between the peripheral walls and the top wall and each comprise an abutment surface projecting into the concavity from one of the peripheral walls, and support walls relating the abutment surface to the top wall, with at least one of the support walls being in an acute angle relation with the top wall of the cover portion. Alignment channels are in at least one of the peripheral walls defining an alignment protrusion through the sheet of polymer, the alignment channel/protrusion being oriented vertically for guiding the nesting of an upper one of the cover portion descending into a lower one of the cover portion.

Claims

1. A container for receiving frangible items comprising:

a sheet of polymer formed into;

a base portion having a plurality of item-receiving cavities for supporting frangible items;

at least one cover portion having at least one item-covering concavity for covering the frangible items, the cover portion having a generally flat top wall and peripheral walls concurrently defining the at least one item covering concavity;

a first hinge between the base portion and the cover portion for rotating the cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive in the item-receiving cavities;

at least one abutment spacer formed at an edge between the peripheral walls and the top wall, the at least one abutment spacer comprising an abutment surface projecting into the concavity from one of the peripheral walls, and support walls relating the abutment surface to the top wall, with at least one of the support walls being in an acute angle relation with the top wall;

at least one alignment channel in at least one of the peripheral walls defining an alignment protrusion through the sheet of polymer, the alignment channel/protrusion being oriented vertically for guiding the nesting of an upper one of the cover portion descending into a lower one of the cover portion, by the alignment protrusion of the upper one received in the alignment channel of the lower one, when a stack of the containers in an opened state is formed, whereby a spacing between nested containers is defined by the abutment spacers of the upper one seated on the abutment spacers of the lower one.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein the abutment surface of the at least one abutment spacer is parallel to the top wall.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein the edge on which the at least one abutment spacer is positioned is the one edge between the top wall and the peripheral wall that is farthest from the first hinge.

4. The container according to claim 3, comprising two of said abutment spacer, the abutment spacers being located at opposed ends of the edge.

5. The container according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of the alignment channel/protrusion, with at least one alignment channel/protrusion in each of said peripheral walls.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein edges of the alignment channels taper toward the top wall.

7. The container according to claim 1, further comprising a label in the concavity and covering at least partially the top wall and the peripheral walls, the alignment channel comprising a projecting edge to hold the label captive between the alignment protrusion of the upper one received in the alignment channel of the lower one when two of the cover portions are nested one into another.

8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the alignment channels are in the concavity, while the alignment protrusions are on an exterior surface of the top cover portion.

9. The container according to claim 1, wherein the base portion has a post centered between each set of four of the item-receiving cavities, the post projecting upwardly from the base portion to support a structural component of the cover portion when the container is closed, and further comprising post spacers formed between at least one of the posts and the four item-receiving cavities surrounding the post, the post spacers each defining a subcavity on one side of the sheet of polymer and a bump on the other side of the sheet of polymer, the post spacers having a wider central portion for narrower ends along a vertical axis of the container, such that the nesting of an upper one of the base portion descending into a lower one of the base portion results in the post spacers of the upper one seated on the spacers of the lower one when a stack of the containers in an opened state is formed, whereby a spacing between nested base portions is defined at least by the post spacers of the upper one seated on the post spacers of the lower one.

10. The container according to claim 9, wherein the post spacers each have a teardrop shape.

11. The container according to claim 9, wherein the subcavities are inside the container, while the bumps are on an exterior surface of the base portion.

12. The container according to claim 1, further comprising:

two of the cover portion, with an intermediate one of the cover portions having item-covering cavities for covering the frangible items on the item-receiving cavities;

a second hinge between the second longitudinal edge of the base portion, and the intermediate cover portion for rotating the intermediate cover portion onto the base portion, with a top one of the cover portions being hinged about the first longitudinal edge to hold the base portion, the intermediate cover portion and the top cover portion closed together.

13. The container according to claim 1, wherein the frangible items are eggs, and each of the egg-receiving cavities receives one egg.

14. A container for receiving frangible items comprising:

a sheet of polymer formed into;

a base portion having a plurality of item-receiving cavities for supporting frangible items, with a post centered between each set of four of the item-receiving cavities, the post projecting upwardly from the base portion to support a structural component of the cover portion when the container is closed;

at least one cover portion having at least one item covering concavity for covering the frangible items, and a structural component extending into the concavity for contacting the post when the container is closed;

a first hinge between the base portion and the cover portion for rotating the cover portion onto the base portion to hold the frangible items captive in the item-receiving cavities;

spacers formed between at least one of the posts and the four item-receiving cavities surrounding the post, the spacers each defining a subcavity on one side of the sheet of polymer and a bump on the other side of the sheet of polymer, the spacers having a wider central portion for narrower ends along a vertical axis of the container, such that the nesting of an upper one of the base portion descending into a lower one of the base portion results in the spacers of the upper one seated on the spacers of the lower one when a stack of the containers in an opened state is formed, whereby a spacing between nested containers is defined by the spacers of the upper one seated on the spacers of the lower one.

15. The container according to claim 14, wherein the spacers each have a teardrop shape.

16. The container according to claim 14, wherein the subcavities are inside the container, while the bumps are on an exterior surface of the base portion.

17. The container according to claim 14, further comprising:

two of the cover portion, with an intermediate one of the cover portions having item-covering cavities for covering the frangible items on the item-receiving cavities, the intermediate one of the cover portions having said structural components;

a second hinge between the second longitudinal edge of the base portion, and the intermediate cover portion for rotating the intermediate cover portion onto the base portion, with a top one of the cover portions being hinged about the first longitudinal edge to hold the base portion, the intermediate cover portion and the top cover portion closed together.

18. The container according to claim 14, wherein the frangible items are eggs, and each of the egg-receiving cavities receives one egg.