Tray Insert Movable Between Collapsed And Erected Positions
OwnerBridget Suzanne Breitfeld, Meina Ibrahim +2inventors
InventorsBridget Suzanne Breitfeld, Meina Ibrahim, Sophia Yang, Jeffrey T. Wright
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A collapsible insert includes a series of adjacent cells. Each cell may include a support surface capable raised to an elevated position above the bottom of the tray by a pair of legs. Each leg may have a lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion of each leg extends below the support surface and can rest on the bottom of the tray, and functions to raise the support surface to the elevated position. The upper portion of each leg extends above the support surface and is used to divide each cell and partially constrain food product within a cell while the insert is in the erected position and disposed within a tray.
Claims15
An insert for use in elevating food products in a tray, the insert convertible between an erected position for elevating food products in the tray and a collapsed position, the insert comprising:
- a plurality of adjacent cells each having an elevated support surface for a food product, a pair of legs associated with each elevated support surface to elevate the support surface and for constraining the food products on the elevated support surface;
- an end one of the product support surfaces having a fold line separating the end one of the product support surfaces into an inner portion and an outer portion,
- the inner portion of the product support surface having a hinge with an inner one of its associated legs to permit the inner portion to be positioned generally parallel to the legs when the insert is in the collapsed position and generally perpendicular to the legs when the insert is in the erected position, and
- the outer portion of the product support surface being moveable between a position generally perpendicular to an outer leg when the insert is in the erected position and a position generally parallel to the outer leg and angled relative to the inner portion when the insert is in the collapsed position;
- and
- the remainder of the product support surfaces each having a hinge with each of its associated legs to permit the remainder of the elevated support surfaces to be positioned generally parallel to the legs when the insert is in the collapsed position and generally perpendicular to the legs when the insert is in the erected position.
A method for moving an insert from a collapsed position to an erected position in a tray, the insert having a plurality of adjacent cells each having a support surface for a food product, a pair of legs associated with each support surface capable of elevating the support surface and for constraining the food products on the support surface and an end one of the support surfaces having a fold line separating the end one of the support surfaces into an inner portion and an outer portion, a tray having a bottom wall and an upstanding sidewall extending about the periphery of the bottom wall, the sidewall having a pair of spaced apart segments with a distance corresponding to a length of the cells, the method comprising:
- moving the outer portion of the end one of the support surfaces from a first position generally perpendicular to the inner portion of the end one of the support surfaces to a second position generally parallel to the inner portion to move each of the support surfaces to a position of greater elevation than each of the support surfaces when in the collapsed position;
- and
- frictionally engaging at least a portion of the sidewall with at least a portion of each tray cell.
A unitary paperboard form with perforations arranged for folding the form comprising:
- a plurality of adjacent cells each having a generally planar support surface, the support surface having a first pair of opposing edges and a second pair of opposing edges, and a pair of legs associated with each support surface, one of each pair of legs having a hinge connecting the leg to an adjacent leg of an adjacent cell and permitting the cells associated with the connecting legs to pivot about the hinge to a position where the first pair of opposing edges of the adjacent cells are facing one another and the second pair of opposing edges of a cell are in line with the second pair of opposing edges of an adjacent cell;
- one of each pair of legs each having a generally planar surface that at least partially overlaps at least a portion of each associated support surface;
- the remaining legs of each pair of legs each having a generally planer surface extending in a plane generally parallel to the plane defined by the support surfaces.
An insert for use in elevating food products in a tray, the insert convertible between an erected position for elevating food products in the tray and a collapsed position, the insert comprising:
- a plurality of adjacent cells each having an elevated support surface for a food product, a pair of legs associated with each elevated support surface to elevate the support surface and for constraining the food products on the elevated support surface;
- one of the product support surfaces having a fold line separating the one of the product support surfaces into a first portion and a second portion, the first and second portions of the product support surface each having a hinge with an adjacent one of their associated legs to permit the first and second portions to be positioned generally parallel to the legs when the insert is in the collapsed position and generally perpendicular to the legs when the insert is in the erected position;
- and
- the remainder of the product support surfaces each having a hinge with each of its associated legs to permit the remainder of the elevated support surfaces to be positioned generally parallel to the legs when the insert is in the collapsed position and generally perpendicular to the legs when the insert is in the erected position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.