Convertible Food Transporting Box and Method

A self-contained box both for transporting food and for elevating the box to support food in an elevated position, said box comprising:

• a food container section comprising a floor member and side walls;
• a lid section;
• joint means for connecting the container section to the lid section and for facilitating the rotation of the lid section from a first position in which the lid section substantially covers the floor member of the container section, to a second position in which the lid section is underneath the container section;
• and
• leg means for elevating and supporting both the container section and the lid section, said leg means located substantially within and forming a portion of the lid section when the box is in the first position and said leg means being extended outward from the lid section in the second position.

A self-contained box both for transporting food and for elevating the box to support food in an elevated position, said box comprising:

• a food container section comprising a floor member and sidewalls;
• a lid section comprising a plurality of perforated inserts which, in a first position, are located substantially within and form a portion of the lid section, and in a second position are connected to and extend outwardly from the lid section, whereby in the first position the lid section substantially covers the floor member of the container section and in the second position the lid section is located underneath the container section and the inserts elevate both the container section and the lid section;
• joint means for connecting the container section to the lid section and for facilitating the rotation of the lid section from the first position to the second position;
• and
• locking means for securing the container section and the lid section in the second position.

A one piece flat blank constituting a food transport and food elevating box, said blank comprising:

• a container section having a floor section and side wall sections connected by fold lines to the cover section;
• a lid section comprising a plurality of inserts located substantially within and forming a part of the lid section, each insert being bordered by perforations and fold lines;
• and
• an intermediate section connected to the lid section by a first fold line and connected to the container section by a second fold line, said intermediate section comprising a fold line hinge joint extending substantially the length of the intermediate section.

A method for converting a box for transporting food to an elevated food containing tray, the steps comprising:

• providing a box having a food container section having a floor section and a lid section, the lid section substantially covering the floor section and having perforated inserts located substantially within and forming a portion of the lid section;
• lifting the lid section from the container section;
• pushing the inserts out of the lid section so that they extend outwardly from lid section;
• rotating the lid section downward and away from the container section, then;
• rotating the lid section upward and toward the container section to a position in which the lid section is directly underneath the container section;
• and
• supporting the box on the outwardly extending inserts in said position in which the container section is underneath the lid section.