Conical food scoop

• US 6,053,403 A
• Filed: 09/17/1998
• Issued: 04/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pactiv Packaging Incorporated (Pactiv)
• Original Assignee: Dopaco Incorporated (Graeme Richard Hart, MBA)
• Inventors: Cai, Liming
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Application Number:
  US09/154,985
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 229/4.5, 229/104, 229/193, 229/400, 229/405
• US Class Current: 229/400
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/18 by folding a single blank to U-shape to form the base of the container and opposite sides of the body portion, the remaining sides being formed primarily by extensions of one or more of these opposite sides, e.g. flaps hinged thereto B65D5/36 takes precedence

Abstract

A french fry scoop of a slightly tapering truncated conical configuration with a curvilinear upper edge including a low concave front panel upper edge and a substantially higher convex rear panel upper edge. The scoop includes an integral bottom formed along fold lines.

Claims

1. A food scoop comprising a vertically elongate generally cylindrical wall, said wall having an upper peripheral edge forming an upwardly opening mouth, and a lower peripheral edge with a bottom joined thereto, said upper edge being continuously curvilinear and having a first extent of a downwardly concave configuration and a second opposed extent of upwardly convex configuration positioned higher relative to said first extent, wherein said first concave extent and said second convex extent meet at two substantially opposed areas on said upper peripheral edge.

2. The scoop of claim 1 wherein said wall is of a predetermined circular cross-section adjacent said lower edge and of a progressively increasing circular cross-section upward therefrom to said upper edge.

3. The scoop of claim 2 wherein said wall includes a front wall panel with opposed vertical edges and an upper concave edge extending to and between said vertical edges of said front wall panel and defining said first extent, and a rear wall panel with opposed vertical edges and an upper convex edge extending to and between said vertical edges of said rear wall panel and defining said convex extent, said opposed edges of said rear wall panel being bonded to said opposed edges of said front wall panel.

4. The scoop of claim 3 wherein said bottom is integrally formed with said front and rear wall panels inwardly spaced from said bonded opposed vertical edges of said front and rear wall panels.

5. The scoop of claim 1 wherein said wall is of a predetermined circular cross-section adjacent said lower edge and of a progressively increasing circular cross-section upward therefrom to said upper edge.

6. A food scoop comprising a vertically elongate generally cylindrical wall, said wall having an upper peripheral edge forming an upwardly opening mouth, and a lower peripheral edge with a bottom joined thereto, said upper edge being continuously curvilinear and having a first extent of a downwardly concave configuration and a second opposed extent of upwardly convex configuration positioned higher relative to said first extent, wherein said wall includes a front wall panel with opposed vertical edges and an upper concave edge extending to and between said vertical edges of said front wall panel and defining said first extent, and a rear wall panel with opposed vertical edges and an upper convex edge extending to and between said vertical edges of said rear wall panel and defining said convex extent, said opposed edges of said rear wall panel being bonded to said opposed edges of said front wall panel.

7. The scoop of claim 6 wherein said bottom is integrally formed with said front and rear wall panels inwardly spaced from said bonded opposed vertical edges of said front and rear wall panels.

8. For use in the formation of a food scoop of an inverted, truncated conical configuration;

a unitary blank, said blank comprising opposed front and rear wall panels aligned along a longitudinal axis of said blank, said panels having spaced facing base edges, a bottom panel integral with each of said front and rear wall panels at said base edges and extending therebetween, said bottom panel being elongate along said longitudinal axis and having a first opposed pair of longitudinally spaced arcuate edges and a second pair of laterally spaced arcuate end side edges, said arcuate end edges being of a predetermined radius and being defined in said opposed wall panels in inwardly spaced relation to the corresponding base edges thereof, said arcuate side edges of said bottom panel being on a greater radius than said predetermined radius and continuing through said opposed wall panels to define opposed corners with said end edges, said opposed wall panels having slits extending inward relative to said base edges and aligned with said bottom panel side edges to accommodate extension of said side edges to said end edges, the base edge of each panel extending laterally beyond said bottom panel to form a pair of opposed base edge end portions, said front and rear wall panels each having an outer edge in spaced opposed relation to the corresponding base edge, said front and rear wall panels each having opposed side edges extending between the corresponding base edge and outer edge, said outer edge of said front panel being concave, said outer edge of said rear panel being convex.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein said base edge and said outer edge of each of said front and rear panels terminate in outer ends, said opposed side edges of each of said wall panels extending between the outer ends of the corresponding base edge and outer edge.

10. The structure of claim 9 wherein the concave outer edge of said front panel is concave for the full extent of the outer edge between the ends thereof, said convex outer edge of said rear panel being convex along the full extent thereof between the outer ends thereof.

11. The structure of claim 10 wherein said opposed side edges of each of said front and rear wall panels diverge outwardly from each other from the corresponding base edge to the corresponding outer edge to define a generally truncated triangular configuration for each wall panel.

12. The structure of claim 11 wherein said base edges of said front and rear panels are of equal length.

13. The structure of claim 12 wherein the end portions of the base edges to each side of said bottom panel converge outwardly to the corresponding side edges of said wall panels.

14. The structure of claim 8 wherein said base edges of said front and rear panels are of equal length.

15. The structure of claim 14 wherein the end portions of the base edges to each side of said bottom panel converge outwardly to the corresponding side edges of said wall panels.

16. The structure of claim 9 including fold lines defined in said bottom panel and extending inward from opposed corners of said bottom panel and generally diagonally in said bottom panel.

17. The structure of claim 16 wherein two of said fold lines are formed in said bottom panel, said two fold lines each being of a generally arcuate configuration extending between two of the corners of the bottom panel within a single wall panel.

18. The structure of claim 16 wherein said score lines in said bottom panel comprise two score lines, each extending diametrically across said bottom panel between diametrically opposed corners with said score lines crossing centrally within said bottom panel.

20. The scoop of claim 17 wherein said lower peripheral edge of said wall, laterally outward of the opposed arcuate side edges of said bottom, depend below said bottom and defines arcuate support feet for said scoop independently of said bottom.

21. The scoop of claim 20 wherein said bottom end edges and side edges define two pairs of diametrically opposed corners, and guiding fold lines formed in said bottom, said guiding fold lines extending generally diametrically inward from said corners wherein said bottom is laterally offset in a vertical direction solely along said guiding fold lines.

19. A food scoop comprising a vertically elongate peripheral wall, said wall having an upper peripheral edge forming an upwardly opening mouth, and a lower peripheral edge with a bottom joined thereto, said wall being of a predetermined diameter adjacent said lower edge and of a progressively increasing diameter upward therefrom to said upper edge, said wall including a front wall panel with opposed vertical edges and a rear wall panel with opposed vertical edges, said opposed edges of said rear wall panel being bonded to said opposed edges of said front wall panel, said bottom being integrally formed with said front and rear wall panels along arcuate fold lines defining end edges of said bottom, said bottom having opposed arcuate side edges inwardly spaced form said bonded opposed vertical edges of said front and rear wall panels.