EP3587290B1

EP3587290B1 - Closing cover for a container made of plastic material for packaging food products and/or foodstuffs and related container

Info

Publication number: EP3587290B1
Application number: EP19181572.9A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Victor Lopes Mascarenhas; Riccardo BRAZZOLI
Original assignee: Faerch Italy SRL
Current assignee: Faerch Italy SRL
Priority date: 2018-06-21
Filing date: 2019-06-21
Publication date: 2023-09-27
Anticipated expiration: 2039-06-21
Also published as: IT201800006567A1; EP3587290A1

Description

Field of application

In its more general aspect, the present invention relates to the packaging of food products or foodstuffs, particularly but not exclusively bakery products.
In particular, it is disclosed a container made of a thermoformed and preferably transparent plastic material equipped with structural reinforcing grooves that are substantially V-shaped in cross section.
The present invention is defined in the attached claims.

Prior art

As it is well known, containers made of plastic material are widely used in industry and large-scale retail distribution to package food products and foodstuffs, allowing at the same time these food products and foodstuffs to be protected, stored, transported and displayed at sales premises.
Commonly, the containers for packaging foodstuffs consist in a rigid base (also called bottom) made of plastic material for food products, that is generally square-shaped (tray-like) or round-shaped (bowl-like), in which the desired food product or foodstuff is put and contained, and a closing film that is extensible and heat sealable on the base or a cover that is separated from or integral (hinged) with the base that is simply used to reclose it.
The containers with a cover, in particular with a cover hinged to the base, are particularly preferred by modern retail distribution, both for displaying pre-packaged products in self-service counters, and by the staff working in deli counters, since these containers are functional (available in various sizes), easy to use (they do not require any specific closing equipment) and they are aesthetically pleasant.
Containers made of plastic material of the above type are normally produced from a sheet of synthetic resin, for example of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene etc., that is formed by pressure and heat (thermoforming) or vacuum application to form the containing base and the closing cover as a single piece or as distinct pieces that can be coupled to each other. A synthetic resin is normally used, that is able to provide the sheet and the container obtained therefrom with appropriate characteristics of transparency to allow the user or consumer to see from the outside the food product or foodstuff arranged in the container.
Furthermore, it is known that containers as above tend to be manufactured with thinner and thinner thicknesses of the source sheet and this to meet different requirements among which the requirements to reduce the consumption of plastic material and subsequently the costs of production and possible recycling of the produced containers after use and to obtain lighter and lighter containers.
Nevertheless, the use of thinner thicknesses for the source sheet reduces the structural strength of the containers obtained therefrom making them more easily deformable, in particular under stacking conditions, for example during the transport or the arrangement onto each other on a display unit of a commercial space, with possible damage or alteration of the food product or foodstuff contained therein.
Therefore, it is known to provide the above containers also with reinforcing grooves integrally formed with the material of the container in specific positions of the base and/or of the cover so as to confer the containers some structural rigidity that allows them to withstand more external bending and compression stresses.
Typically, these grooves are substantially round-shaped or square-shaped (for example rectangle-shaped) in cross section, they can face the inside of the container or the outside of the container so as to form in the latter case some sort of projections (ribs) as well as to have an arrangement and extension that can vary as a function for example of the required technical performances and external aspect.
Nevertheless, the above thermoformed containers have the drawback that they require a considerable number of these grooves along a predominant part or the whole structure thereof (base and cover) so that a satisfactory structural reinforcement can be obtained.
This disadvantageously involves construction complications in the manufacture of containers, which also affects the production costs thereof and which can require the use of more complex equipment.
Moreover, the use of a considerable number of these grooves dictated by structural reinforcement requirements greatly worsens the characteristics of "transparency" of the container incorporating them in the sense of a worsening of the visibility of the content of the container that appears with a substantially altered or distorted shape in the eyes of the user/consumer.
JP 2013 039949 discloses a packaging container cover including a rectangular top surface part that spreads horizontally in plan view; side surface parts that are suspended downward from each side of the top surface part heightening the cover; a connection part to a container body that is provided at the lower end of the side surface parts; and recessed corner grooves that are recessed like a groove from upper ends to lower ends at the center of corners where the side surface parts cross each other.
DE 202017105398 discloses a tray-shaped container comprising a bottom and side walls ending at the top with a peripheral edge wherein the bottom has a protuberance that can be folded upwards around an hinged edge by applying vacuum before or during sealing the container with a closing film.
GB 1108204 discloses a container comprising a bottom and side walls that can be folded around the perimeter of the bottom and are connected to each other through a flexible element to adjust the capacity of the container.
US 3438507 discloses a plastic meat tray having a bottom and side walls, wherein the bottom wall is studded by a plurality of mounds to support the meat such that much of the meat surface is suspended out of the direct contact with the bottom.
US 2,918,379 discloses a plastic meat tray having a bottom and side walls provided with V-shaped ribs. JP 2014 184983 discloses a tray having a bottom and side walls provided with grooves.
The main aim of the present invention is thus to provide a container made of plastic material for packaging foodstuffs that has a reduced thickness and, in the meantime, appropriate characteristics of structural reinforcement achieved by using a lower number of grooves.
Another aim of the present invention is to provide a container as above that has improved characteristics of transparency i.e. of visibility of the content thereof from the outside with respect to the existing containers provided with structural reinforcing grooves.
A further aim of the present invention is to provide a container as above that can be produced in a simple way and at low costs whilst reducing the environmental impact of each package.

Summary

These aims are achieved by a closing cover for a container made of plastic material for packaging food products or foodstuffs according to claim 1 and by a container made of plastic material for packaging food products or foodstuffs according to claim 6.
Particular features and embodiments of the closing cover according to claim 1 are disclosed in claims 2 to 5 and particular features and embodiments of the container according to claim 6 are disclosed in claims 7 to 10.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, said description being provided by way of non-limiting example with reference to the attached figures.

Brief description of the figures

In the figures:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container according to an embodiment of the invention in the closed configuration thereof,
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the container of Figure 1 in the open configuration thereof;
Figure 3 shows a top view of the container of Figure 1 in the open configuration thereof;
Figures 4 and 5 show respective side views of the container of Figure 1 in the open configuration thereof;
Figure 6 shows a perspective view of a container according to another embodiment of the invention in the closed configuration thereof,
Figure 7 shows a perspective view of the container of Figure 6 in an opened configuration thereof;
Figures 8 and 9 show a top view and a bottom view of the container of Figure 6, respectively;
Figures 10 and 11 show respective side views of the container of Figure 6;
Fig. 12 shows a particular of the container of Figure 6.

Detailed description

With reference to the above figures, a container according to an embodiment of the invention is indicated with 1 as a whole and it comprises a base 2 and a cover 3.
The base 2 is tray-shaped with a substantially rectangular cross section and it comprises a bottom 4 and long side walls 5 and short side walls 6 ending in a peripherally extending peripheral flange (or peripheral edge) 7, the peripheral flange 7 projecting from the side walls 5 and 6, long and short respectively, outwards of the bottom 4. The bottom 4 together with the long side walls 5 and with the short side walls 6 define a housing storing and containing a food product or foodstuff.
A rib (or bead) 15 projecting upwards and extended along the whole periphery of said peripheral flange 12 is provided on the peripheral flange 7 of the bottom 4. Moreover, the rib 15 has a plurality of cavities 13 on the side facing the outside of the base 2.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the bottom 4 of the container 2 is provided with grooves 8 that are substantially V-shaped (or triangle-shaped) in cross section that are tapered each from an end until they substantially converge in a vertex or point V at the opposite end.
In particular, the bottom 4 has an insert 9 that is substantially rectangle-shaped with rounded angles in a central area thereof and four grooves 8 that branch off each diagonally from an angular area or corner of the bottom 4 tapering from said angular area or corner until they converge and end in a vertex V in contact with the central insert 9.
Each groove 8 here is recessed, i.e. it faces the inside of the container 1 and it comprises two faces 10 that are substantially triangle-shaped jointed by a corner 11, the faces 10 converging from a respective angular area or corner of the bottom 4 until they join in a respective vertex V at the point of contact with the insert 9. Each groove 8 as a whole is thereby pyramid-shaped with a triangular (or cusp-like) base, the base being located at a respective angular area or corner of the bottom 4 and the vertex V facing a central area of the bottom 4 where the insert 9 lies.
It was surprisingly found that grooves 8 having the above-indicated shape made on the base 2 of the container 1 and in particular on the bottom 4 of the base 2 provide a considerable structural reinforcement to the base 2 increasing in particular the rigidity thereof and subsequently the bending and compression strength of the base 2.
The cover 3 is substantially rectangle-shaped in cross section and it has a substantially flattened top portion 16 from which long side walls 17 and short side walls 18 branch off downwards, ending at the bottom in a substantially peripherally extending internal flange 21 facing downwards from which a peripheral flange 19 projecting outwards branches off, substantially peripherally extending as well. The cover 3 is joined (hinged) to the base 2 along a hinge line 25 extended along a respective long side 5 of the base 2 and a respective long side 17 of the cover 3. Bumps 14 facing the inside of the cover 3 are formed on the internal flange 21 in the same number as the cavities 13 formed on the rib 15. In particular, the peripheral internal flange 21 of the cover 3 is formed vertically at the rib 15 on the peripheral flange 7 of the bottom 4 and slightly more external than the latter and it has a substantially complementary shape to this rib 15. Likewise, the internal bumps 14 existing on the peripheral internal flange 21 of the cover 3 are located vertically at corresponding cavities 13 on the peripheral flange 7 of the bottom 4 and they have a substantially complementary shape to that of said corresponding cavities 13. When the container 1 is closed, the peripheral flange 19 of the cover 3 and the peripheral flange 7 of the bottom 4 prove thereby to be overlapped to each other and coupled by shape coupling between the complementary profiles of the above rib 15 and of the above more external internal flange 21 and between the complementary profiles of the above bumps 14 and of the corresponding cavities 13. This shape coupling can involve in turn a fixed-joint, slot coupling or the like.
Moreover, the peripheral flange 7 of the bottom 4 and the peripheral flange 19 of the cover 3 have, at the opposite ends of respective long sides facing each other, a pair of respective tabs 22, 23 projecting outwards and in an offset position to each other so as to facilitate the opening of the container 1 by a user or consumer.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the closing cover 3 is provided with grooves 26 that are substantially V-shaped (or triangle-shaped) in cross section and that are tapered each from an end thereof until they substantially converge in a vertex or point V at the opposite end.
In particular, the cover 3 has four grooves 26 that vertically extend downwards from the top portion 16 each at a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 17,18, long and short respectively, of the cover 3 and that taper downwards until they converge and end in a vertex V in contact with the lower internal flange 21 of the cover 3.
Each groove 26 is recessed, i.e. it faces the inside of the container 1 and it comprises two faces 27 that are substantially triangle-shaped joined by a corner 28, the faces 27 converging from the top 16 of the cover 3 downwards in a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 17, 18, long and short respectively, of the cover 3 until they join in a respective vertex V in contact with the lower internal flange 21 of the cover 3. Each groove 26 as a whole is thereby pyramid-shaped with a triangular (or cusp-like) base, the base being located at the top portion 16 of the cover in a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 17, 18, long and short respectively, of the cover 3 and the vertex V facing downwards at the lower internal flange 21 of the cover 3.
Figures 8-12 show a container according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is indicated with 60 as a whole.
To the features of the container 60 which are structurally and/or functionally equivalent to corresponding features of the container 1 described above will be assigned the same reference number of the latter.
The container 60 comprises a base 2 and a cover 3 formed as separate components which are coupled together in the closed configuration of the container 60.
The base 2 of the container 60 is provided with grooves 8 on the side walls 5 which are substantially V-shaped (or triangle-shaped) in cross section and that are tapered each from an end thereof until they substantially converge in a vertex or point V at the opposite end.
In particular, the base 2 has four grooves 8 that vertically extend upwards from the bottom 4 each at a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 5,6 of the base 2 and that taper upwards until they converge and end in a vertex V in contact with the upper peripheral flange 7 of the base 2.
Each groove 26 is recessed, i.e. it faces the inside of the container 60 and is pyramid-shaped with a triangular (or cusp-like) base, the base being located at the bottom 4 of the base 2 in a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 5,6 of the base 2 and the vertex V facing upwards at the upper peripheral flange 7 of the base 2.
Similarly, the cover 3 of the container 60 is provided with grooves 26 which are substantially V-shaped (or triangle-shaped) in cross section and that are tapered each from an end thereof until they substantially converge in a vertex or point V at the opposite end.
In particular, the cover 3 has four grooves 26 that vertically extend downwards from the top portion 16 each at a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 17,18 of the cover 3 and that taper downwards until they converge and end in a vertex V in contact with the lower internal flange 21 of the cover 3.
Each groove 26 is recessed, i.e. it faces the inside of the container 60 and is pyramid-shaped with a triangular (or cusp-like) base, the base being located at the top portion 16 of the cover 3 in a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls 17,18 of the cover 3 and the vertex V facing downwards at the lower internal flange 21 of the cover 3.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the cover 3 also include notches 64 on the side walls 17,18 in the proximity of the grooves 26, the notches having basically the same shape as that of the grooves 26 and smaller dimensions.
In particular, the notches 64 face the inside of the container 60 and is pyramid-shaped with a triangular (or cusp-like) base, the base being located at the lower internal flange 21 of the cover 3 in the proximity of the grooves 26 and the vertex V facing upwards.
Advantageously, when covers 3 are stacked, the internal side of the notches 64 of each cover 3 of the stack can mate/fit into the external side of corresponding notches of a cover 3 preceding it in the stack.
However, it should be understood that the above notches 64 are not essential for the implementation of the present invention and thus they may be not present in other embodiments of the present invention.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the cover 3 also includes a further recess 62 on opposite long side walls 17 having substantially a square shape which is preferably provided in a middle area between of the side walls 17. The recess 62 is delimited by a base portion 63 which protrudes inwardly from the inner peripheral flange 21 of the cover 3, side walls 65 having substantially triangular section which extends upwardly from the base portion 63 and a rear wall 66 extending upwardly from the base portion 63 and connecting the side walls 65. Advantageously, the recess 62 provided on opposite long side walls 17 can improve the closure of the cover 3 onto the base 2 and can improve the stiffness of the cover 3, thereby avoiding that the cover 3 is deformed during handling, transport and/or use.
The provision of a recess 62 as above is not essential for the implementation of the present invention but may be useful in particular for covers having side walls with long dimensions. Thus, the recess 62 may be not present in other embodiments of the present invention.
It was surprisingly found that grooves 26 having the above-indicated shape made on the cover 3 of the container 1 or 60 and in particular in the angular areas or connecting corners between contiguous side walls 17, 18 of the cover 3 provide a considerable structural reinforcement to the cover 3 considerably increasing in particular the compression strength thereof with respect to the conventional containers that are not provided with these grooves. This finding is further improved by providing grooves 8 having the above indicated shape on the bottom or at the connecting area of the side walls of the container.
Therefore, the container 1 or 60 according to the invention is much less subject to risks of structural failure (crack) and damage of the content thereof with respect to existing containers provided with structural reinforcing grooves having a conventional shape and it is thereby particularly suited to be stacked with similar containers for example during the transport or the display in a display unit of a commercial space.
Moreover it should be noted that the container according to the invention achieves appropriate characteristics of mechanical strength, in particular of compression and bending (flexure) strength, with the use of a reduced number of reinforcing grooves having the above-described specific shape whereas on the contrary the conventional containers that adopt square-shaped or round-shaped reinforcing grooves require the use of a much higher number of grooves distributed on a predominant part or the whole structure of the container in order to obtain, where possible, similar characteristics of mechanical strength.
Since a reduced number of reinforcing grooves is used, the container according to the invention has also improved characteristics of "transparency" offering in fact an increased part of the structure thereof without grooves through which the user or consumer can look at and correctly appreciate (i.e. in the actual form thereof the content of the container.
It should also be noted that in the container according to the invention satisfactory characteristics of mechanical strength can be achieved by providing reinforcing grooves having the above-described shape even just on the bottom of the container and/or in angular areas of the respective closing cover. The characteristics of visibility from the outside of the container prove thereby to be considerably improved since the consumer/user can observe and perceive the content of the container in the actual form thereof from any observation side.
However, the container according to the invention can provide reinforcing grooves having the above-described shape also on the side walls of the base and/or of the cover, although in a reduced number, for example to meet specific requirements.

Claims

Closing cover (3) for a container (1) made of plastic material for packaging food products or foodstuffs, the cover (3) having a top portion (16) and side walls (17, 18) ending at a bottom of said sidewalls in a lower flange (21), said closing cover having at least one groove (26), that is V-shaped or triangle-shaped in cross section and converges in a vertex in contact with said lower flange (21), wherein said at least one groove (26) extends vertically downwards from said top portion (16), each of said at least one groove being in a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls (17, 18) of the cover (3), said closing cover being characterized in that said at least one groove tapers downwards from an end thereof until it converges in its vertex (V) at an opposite end thereof.
Closing cover (3) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one groove (26) is recessed.
Closing cover (3) according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a plurality of grooves (26) that vertically extend downwards from said top portion (16) each in a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls (17, 18), and that taper downwards until they converge and end in said vertex (V).
Closing cover (3) according to anyone of claims 1 to 3, further including notches (64) on the side walls (17,18) of the cover (3) in the proximity of said grooves (26), the notches (64) having substantially the same shape as that of said grooves (26) and smaller dimensions.
Closing cover according to anyone of claims 1 to 4, further including a recess (62) provided on opposite side walls (17), preferably in a middle area thereof, the recess (62) being delimited by a base portion (63) which protrudes inwardly from the inner peripheral flange (21), side walls (65) having preferably a triangular section which extends upwardly from the base portion (63) and a rear wall (66) extending upwardly from the base portion (63) and connecting the side walls (65).
Container (1;60) made of plastic material for packaging food products or foodstuffs comprising a base (2) having a bottom (4) and side walls (5, 6) ending at the top with a peripheral edge (7), at least one groove (8) formed on said bottom (4) and/or on at least one of said side walls (5, 6), and a closing cover (3) according to anyone of the preceding claims wherein said at least one groove (8) of the base (2) is V-shaped or triangle-shaped in cross section and tapered from an end thereof until it converges in a vertex (V) at an opposite end thereof.
Container (1;60) according to claim 6, wherein the at least one groove (8) of said base (2) is recessed and faces the inside of the container (1).
Container according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said bottom (4) of the container is square or rectangular-shaped and has said at least one recessed groove (8) of the base, preferably a plurality of recessed grooves (8), that is/are V-shaped or triangle-shaped in cross section, each groove (8) of the base diagonally extending from an angular area or corner of the bottom (4) and tapering from said angular area or corner until it converges in its vertex (V) at said opposite end thereof, said vertex (V) being located at a central area (9) of said bottom (4).
Container according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said base (2) has at least one recessed groove (8), preferably a plurality of recessed grooves (8), that is/are V-shaped or triangle-shaped in cross section, each groove (8) extending upwards from the bottom (4) at a respective angular area or connecting corner between contiguous side walls (5;6) of the base (2) and tapering upwards until it converges and ends in its vertex (V) in contact with said peripheral flange (7) of the base (2).
Container according to any one of the previous claims 6 to 9, wherein said closing cover (3) is constrained to said base (2) by a hinge element (25).