US3885728A - Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows - Google Patents
Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3885728A US3885728A US373432A US37343273A US3885728A US 3885728 A US3885728 A US 3885728A US 373432 A US373432 A US 373432A US 37343273 A US37343273 A US 37343273A US 3885728 A US3885728 A US 3885728A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- tray
- viewing windows
- base portion
- product
- molded
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D1/00—Containers having bodies formed in one piece, e.g. by casting metallic material, by moulding plastics, by blowing vitreous material, by throwing ceramic material, by moulding pulped fibrous material, by deep-drawing operations performed on sheet material
- B65D1/34—Trays or like shallow containers
Definitions
- the claimed invention relates to open bottom food containers, and more particularly to food containers for packaging products such as moist pieces of meat, fish or poultry in conjuction with a transparent wrapping enclosing both the tray and the product packaged thereon.
- Molded wood and/or paper pulp food trays have served the food packaging industry well for many years for the packaging of meat, fish, poultry and other such products.
- Such trays have the advantages, besides low price and low cost to the consumer, of being clean, sturdy and safe, of being biodegradable so as to minimize the solids pollution problem, and of being capable of accepting and absorbing the moisture and juices which exude from meat, fish and poultry.
- a prior design of a tray having the foregoing advantages is disclosed in Bixler US. Pat. No. 3,698,623 (October 1972), wherein the bottom of the tray is formed by a plurality of practically solid, narrow ribs of inverted V- shaped cross section spaced from each other to provide a plurality of relatively large open viewing windows.
- 3,682,365 for instance, are of the type which has long been recognized as providing good strength, but the inherent width of such ribs seriously limits the visibility of the bottom of the product supported on the ribs to the point where 70 percent visibility of the bottom of the product wouldbe difficult to obtain.
- the problem unsolved by the prior art is the provision of a molded packaging tray which has the heretofore irreconcilable combination of a visibility factor at least equal to and preferably greater than that provided by the tray of Bixler U.S. Pat. -No. 3,698,623 plus a strength factor at least equal to and preferably greater than that provided by the tray of Reifers US. Pat. No. 3,682,365.
- This invention solves the foregoing problems and provides a tray for packaging products such as moist pieces of meat, fish and poultry in conjunction with a transparent wrapping enclosing both the tray and the product packaged thereon, the bottom of the tray including hollow posts tapering upwardly from a base portion, openings through the base portion between the posts defining lower viewing windows, and the hollow posts being truncated to define upper viewing windows and provide product support rims whereby portions of the packaged product located over a post are visible through the upper viewing windows and portions of the product not located over a post are visible through the lower viewing windows.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the molded tray of this invention with a product such as a moist piece of meat, fish or poultry packaged thereon and with a transparent wrapping enclosing both the tray and the product;
- a product such as a moist piece of meat, fish or poultry packaged thereon and with a transparent wrapping enclosing both the tray and the product;
- FIG. 2 is a plan view of the molded tray of this invention, without any product thereon and without the transparent wrapping;
- FIG. 3 is a partial sectional elevational view on line 33 of FIG. 2, with the product added and with the transparent wrapping illustrated on the left-hand portion thereof;
- FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional elevational view on line 44 of FIG. 2 showing details of the upper and lower viewing windows of the molded tray of this invention.
- the molded open top tray 10 of this invention is useful for a wide variety of purposes, but it is particularly well suited for packaging consumer products 12 such as moist pieces of meat, fish, poultry and other bulky, slab-type produce.
- consumer products 12 such as moist pieces of meat, fish, poultry and other bulky, slab-type produce.
- Such products are customarily packaged with a transparent wrapping l4 enclosing both the tray 10 and the product 12 packaged thereon, leaving all of the top of the product and most if not all of the sides of the product clearly visible for inspection by the purchaser.
- An example of such transparent wrapping is either non-elastic cellophane or thermoplastic which may be applied and sealed in accordance with any well-known technique including gluing or heat sealing and, if desired, heat shrinking to provide an attractive, compact and sanitary package.
- the tray 10 is molded after the conventional fashion on open face suction dies to final shape from generally opaque, fibrous, biodegradable wood and/or paper pulp.
- a recognized advantage of such molding techniques is the provision of trays which, in the empty condition, are capable of being nestably stacked with other like trays for economical shipment and convenient storage.
- the tray 10 comprises a base portion 16 defining the bottom of the tray. While the tray may be of any convenient shape, the embodiment illustrated in the drawings is one wherein the overall shape of the base portion 16 is generally rectangular, and the tray includes upwardly and outwardly flaring sidewalls l8 integrally joined to all four sides of the base portion 16. The sidewalls are joined together at rounded corners of the tray to provide a continuous sidewall around the tray. The upper extremities of the sidewalls 18 are characterized by a down-turned peripheral lip 22 surrounding the generally rectangular tray, which provides an attractive upper margin and strengthens the sidewalls 18 against the compressive forces of the transparent wrapping 14 secured thereabout.
- all four sidewalls 18 are bowed outwardly at their midportions, which provides additional strength against the compressive forces of the transparent wrapping 14, which bow-out may be taken up to some extent when the transparent wrapping is tightly applied, such as may occur with heat shrunk films.
- the base portion 16 which defines the bottom of the tray, includes a plurality of hollow posts 24 tapering upwardly from the base portion, and a plurality of openings 26 through the base portion between the posts.
- the openings 26 through the base portion 16 define lower viewing windows.
- the hollow posts 24 are truncated defining upper viewing windows 28 and at the same time providing product support rims 30.
- the product support rims 30 support the packaged product in a manner such that portions of the product located over a post 24 are visible through the upper viewing windows 28, and portions of the product not located over a post are visible through the lower viewing windows 26.
- the size of the upper viewing windows 28, as defined by the product support rims 30, and the spacing of the upper viewing windows 28 with respect to each other precludes substantial contact between the packaged product 12 and the base portion 16 of the tray.
- the product support rims 30 are circular, which is believed to be the shape most conducive to economical molding of attractive viewing windows characterized by a minimum of stray pulp fibers or flashing which detracts from the appearance of the packaging tray.
- the horizontal dimension of the upper viewing windows 28 is substantially greater than the vertical distance between the level of the upper viewing windows 28 and the level of the lower viewing windows 26., the latter being in the plane of the base portion 16.
- the upper viewing windows 28 are arranged in parallel rows, which alternate with parallel rows of lower viewing windows 26.
- the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings further includes downwardly opening channel shaped ribs 32 formed in the base portion between the posts, the height of the ribs 32 above the base portion 16 being approximately the same as the height as the product support rims 30 above the base portion.
- the ribs 32 run lengthwise of the rectangular shaped tray, between the rows of posts, and are interrupted by the lower viewing windows 26, although other rib arrangements are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.
- the channel shaped ribs further include laterally extending solid narrow lugs 34 joined to the base portion which connect the side walls of the channel shaped ribs 32 with the side walls of the upwardly tapering posts 24. The height of the lugs 34 above the base portion 16 is less than the height of the ribs 32 and the rims 30 above the base portion.
- each of the channel shaped ribs 36 further includes solid narrow lugs 38 joined between the upper surface of the ribs 36 and the adjacent sidewall 18.
- the lugs 38 serve a combined purpose of strengthening the sidewall against laterally directed forces and establishing a stacking interval when the empty trays are nestably stacked with other like trays for shipment and storage to facilitate ready denesting of the trays one-by-one from the stack without jamming.
- a molded, open top tray for packaging products, such as moist pieces of meat, fish or poultry in conjunction with a transparent wrapping enclosing both the tray and the product packaged thereon comprising a base portion defining the bottom of the tray, a plurality of truncated hollow posts tapering upwardly from the base portion, the upper ends of said posts having openings which define viewing windows, the periphery of said windows providing product support rims, openings through the base portion between the posts to define lower viewing windows whereby portions of the packaged product located over a post are visible through the upper viewing windows and portions of the product not located over a post are visible through the lower viewing windows, the size of the upper viewing windows as defined by the product support rims and the spacing of the upper viewing windows with respect to each other precluding substantial contact between the packaged product and the base portion of the tray, and the horizontal dimensions of the upper viewing windows being greater than the vertical distance between the level of the upper viewing windows and the level of the lower viewing windows.
- a molded tray as in claim 1 which is molded to final shape from generally opaque, fibrous, biodegradable wood and/or paper pulp, and which in the empty condition is capable of being nestably stacked with other like trays for shipment and storage.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Ceramic Engineering (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)
- Packages (AREA)
- Packging For Living Organisms, Food Or Medicinal Products That Are Sensitive To Environmental Conditiond (AREA)
- Buffer Packaging (AREA)
- Cartons (AREA)
Priority Applications (13)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US373432A US3885728A (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1973-06-25 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows |
ZA00743273A ZA743273B (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-05-21 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows treatment for exudative lesions |
GB2252974A GB1461112A (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-05-21 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows |
AU69369/74A AU474026B2 (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-05-24 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows |
SE7406988A SE403750B (sv) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-05-27 | Forpackningsbricka med i tva plan liggande inspektionsfonster |
CA201,523A CA1009991A (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-03 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows |
FR7420137A FR2234209B1 (de) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-11 | |
NLAANVRAGE7407832,A NL173731C (nl) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-12 | Bak voor het verpakken van produkten. |
DE2428960A DE2428960C2 (de) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-15 | Schalenförmiger Flachbehälter aus Pressmaterial |
DK324674AA DK134270B (da) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-18 | Støbt bakke til indpakning af produkter. |
IT68941/74A IT1014334B (it) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-20 | Vassoio stampato per il confezio namento di prodotti alimentari |
BR5157/74A BR7405157A (pt) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-24 | Uma bandeja moldada, superiormente aberta, para acondicionamento de produtos |
JP49072736A JPS6024012B2 (ja) | 1973-06-25 | 1974-06-25 | 食品用包装容器 |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US373432A US3885728A (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1973-06-25 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3885728A true US3885728A (en) | 1975-05-27 |
Family
ID=23472393
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US373432A Expired - Lifetime US3885728A (en) | 1973-06-25 | 1973-06-25 | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows |
Country Status (13)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US3885728A (de) |
JP (1) | JPS6024012B2 (de) |
AU (1) | AU474026B2 (de) |
BR (1) | BR7405157A (de) |
CA (1) | CA1009991A (de) |
DE (1) | DE2428960C2 (de) |
DK (1) | DK134270B (de) |
FR (1) | FR2234209B1 (de) |
GB (1) | GB1461112A (de) |
IT (1) | IT1014334B (de) |
NL (1) | NL173731C (de) |
SE (1) | SE403750B (de) |
ZA (1) | ZA743273B (de) |
Cited By (10)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3986655A (en) * | 1976-02-03 | 1976-10-19 | Keyes Fibre Company | Packaging tray |
US5656135A (en) * | 1993-02-16 | 1997-08-12 | Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc. | Molded product manufacturing apparatus and methods |
US5816409A (en) * | 1992-08-06 | 1998-10-06 | Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc. | Molded pulp fiber interior package cushioning structures |
US20050012009A1 (en) * | 2003-07-17 | 2005-01-20 | Sweeney Richard C. | Cup holder having frusto-conical cavities |
US20070178197A1 (en) * | 2005-11-14 | 2007-08-02 | Larue Jon M | Container Having Internal Reservoir |
US20090114552A1 (en) * | 2004-12-22 | 2009-05-07 | Easy Pad Limited | Packaging Tray |
US20100031829A1 (en) * | 2008-08-08 | 2010-02-11 | Terry Vovan | Food container liquid isolation |
US20100212827A1 (en) * | 2005-02-09 | 2010-08-26 | Pactiv Corporation | Method Of Forming A Container Having An Internal Reservoir |
US20100258471A1 (en) * | 2009-04-08 | 2010-10-14 | PWPI Industries | Rotisserie chicken tray |
US20130256181A1 (en) * | 2012-03-30 | 2013-10-03 | Apple Inc. | Tray configured for packaging, packaged product assembly, and method for packaging a product |
Families Citing this family (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JPS54107580U (de) * | 1978-01-11 | 1979-07-28 | ||
JPS54107581U (de) * | 1978-01-11 | 1979-07-28 | ||
JPS5544706U (de) * | 1978-09-14 | 1980-03-24 | ||
AU567116B2 (en) * | 1982-11-23 | 1987-11-12 | W.R. Grace & Co. | Purge trap tray |
US5284244A (en) * | 1992-08-31 | 1994-02-08 | Ethicon, Inc. | Sterile package for surgical instruments |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2951605A (en) * | 1958-06-04 | 1960-09-06 | Stanley F Flynn | Egg crate or case fillers or trays |
US3682365A (en) * | 1971-01-27 | 1972-08-08 | Diamond Int Corp | High strength open bottom meat container |
US3700096A (en) * | 1970-03-30 | 1972-10-24 | Diamond Int Corp | Food packaging tray |
US3764057A (en) * | 1972-08-14 | 1973-10-09 | Diamond Int Corp | High strength open bottom packaging tray |
Family Cites Families (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE1259770B (de) * | 1964-03-16 | 1968-01-25 | Friedrich Stuckenbroeker Kunst | Flaschenkasten aus Kunststoff |
US3698623A (en) * | 1970-07-09 | 1972-10-17 | Diamond Int Corp | Open bottom meat container |
US3708084A (en) * | 1971-01-29 | 1973-01-02 | Diamond Int Corp | Packing for fragile articles |
CA975330A (en) * | 1971-09-30 | 1975-09-30 | Richard F. Reifers | High strength open bottom packaging tray |
-
1973
- 1973-06-25 US US373432A patent/US3885728A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1974
- 1974-05-21 GB GB2252974A patent/GB1461112A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-05-21 ZA ZA00743273A patent/ZA743273B/xx unknown
- 1974-05-24 AU AU69369/74A patent/AU474026B2/en not_active Expired
- 1974-05-27 SE SE7406988A patent/SE403750B/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1974-06-03 CA CA201,523A patent/CA1009991A/en not_active Expired
- 1974-06-11 FR FR7420137A patent/FR2234209B1/fr not_active Expired
- 1974-06-12 NL NLAANVRAGE7407832,A patent/NL173731C/xx not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1974-06-15 DE DE2428960A patent/DE2428960C2/de not_active Expired
- 1974-06-18 DK DK324674AA patent/DK134270B/da not_active IP Right Cessation
- 1974-06-20 IT IT68941/74A patent/IT1014334B/it active
- 1974-06-24 BR BR5157/74A patent/BR7405157A/pt unknown
- 1974-06-25 JP JP49072736A patent/JPS6024012B2/ja not_active Expired
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2951605A (en) * | 1958-06-04 | 1960-09-06 | Stanley F Flynn | Egg crate or case fillers or trays |
US3700096A (en) * | 1970-03-30 | 1972-10-24 | Diamond Int Corp | Food packaging tray |
US3682365A (en) * | 1971-01-27 | 1972-08-08 | Diamond Int Corp | High strength open bottom meat container |
US3764057A (en) * | 1972-08-14 | 1973-10-09 | Diamond Int Corp | High strength open bottom packaging tray |
Cited By (15)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3986655A (en) * | 1976-02-03 | 1976-10-19 | Keyes Fibre Company | Packaging tray |
US5816409A (en) * | 1992-08-06 | 1998-10-06 | Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc. | Molded pulp fiber interior package cushioning structures |
US5656135A (en) * | 1993-02-16 | 1997-08-12 | Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc. | Molded product manufacturing apparatus and methods |
US6048440A (en) * | 1993-02-16 | 2000-04-11 | Moulded Fibre Technology, Inc. | Molded product manufacturing apparatus and methods |
US20050012009A1 (en) * | 2003-07-17 | 2005-01-20 | Sweeney Richard C. | Cup holder having frusto-conical cavities |
US7225927B2 (en) | 2003-07-17 | 2007-06-05 | Pactiv Corporation | Cup holder having frusto-conical cavities |
US7762400B2 (en) * | 2004-12-22 | 2010-07-27 | Easy Pad Limited | Packaging tray |
US20090114552A1 (en) * | 2004-12-22 | 2009-05-07 | Easy Pad Limited | Packaging Tray |
US20100212827A1 (en) * | 2005-02-09 | 2010-08-26 | Pactiv Corporation | Method Of Forming A Container Having An Internal Reservoir |
US8083887B2 (en) | 2005-02-09 | 2011-12-27 | Pactiv Corporation | Method of forming a container having an internal reservoir |
US20070178197A1 (en) * | 2005-11-14 | 2007-08-02 | Larue Jon M | Container Having Internal Reservoir |
US7921992B2 (en) | 2005-11-14 | 2011-04-12 | Pactiv Corporation | Container having internal reservoir |
US20100031829A1 (en) * | 2008-08-08 | 2010-02-11 | Terry Vovan | Food container liquid isolation |
US20100258471A1 (en) * | 2009-04-08 | 2010-10-14 | PWPI Industries | Rotisserie chicken tray |
US20130256181A1 (en) * | 2012-03-30 | 2013-10-03 | Apple Inc. | Tray configured for packaging, packaged product assembly, and method for packaging a product |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
ZA743273B (en) | 1975-05-28 |
DK134270B (da) | 1976-10-11 |
AU474026B2 (en) | 1976-07-08 |
BR7405157A (pt) | 1976-02-24 |
SE403750B (sv) | 1978-09-04 |
SE7406988L (de) | 1974-12-27 |
DE2428960A1 (de) | 1975-01-16 |
FR2234209A1 (de) | 1975-01-17 |
FR2234209B1 (de) | 1979-05-11 |
JPS6024012B2 (ja) | 1985-06-11 |
AU6936974A (en) | 1975-11-27 |
DE2428960C2 (de) | 1983-10-13 |
IT1014334B (it) | 1977-04-20 |
NL173731B (nl) | 1983-10-03 |
NL173731C (nl) | 1984-03-01 |
NL7407832A (de) | 1974-12-30 |
DK134270C (de) | 1977-03-14 |
GB1461112A (en) | 1977-01-13 |
CA1009991A (en) | 1977-05-10 |
JPS5042995A (de) | 1975-04-18 |
DK324674A (de) | 1975-02-17 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US3885727A (en) | Packaging tray with juice trapping viewing windows | |
US3885728A (en) | Packaging tray with upper and lower viewing windows | |
US3700096A (en) | Food packaging tray | |
US3104776A (en) | Plastic container | |
US3651976A (en) | Molded packaging tray | |
US3575287A (en) | Packaging container for meat products and the like | |
US3718274A (en) | High strength open bottom packaging trays | |
US20110132791A1 (en) | Packaging unit | |
US3146929A (en) | Multiple pocket container | |
US3463378A (en) | Stackable container constituted by a cardboard outer container and a plastic inner container | |
US3845896A (en) | Open bottom tray with multiple pedestal display platform | |
US3203612A (en) | Partition member | |
US3682365A (en) | High strength open bottom meat container | |
US3865299A (en) | Egg carton with flexible window well | |
US1975127A (en) | Package and container for fragile articles | |
JPH0479912B2 (de) | ||
US2591471A (en) | Molded pulp container | |
US2978162A (en) | Molded pulp carton | |
US3764057A (en) | High strength open bottom packaging tray | |
US3643857A (en) | Plastic egg package | |
US3761011A (en) | Food packaging tray | |
US3756492A (en) | High strength open bottom packaging tray | |
US3698623A (en) | Open bottom meat container | |
US3741461A (en) | Article-revealing carton for fragile objects | |
JPH01500821A (ja) | 特に食料品のための密封容器 |