# US 4,396,147 A · Container construction

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- Number: US 4,396,147 A
- Document ID: US4396147A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/210,501
- Filed: 1980-11-24
- Granted: 1983-08-02
- Earliest claimed: 1978-05-30
- Assignees: Mobil Oil Corporation
- Inventors: William B. Jackson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4396147A

## CPC

- B65D 85/324: {Containers with compartments made of pressed 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

## Abstract

A container, which is adapted for nesting together with similar containers during transport and storage thereof, comprising an exterior surface which bears printed indicia. The printed indicia is carried on one or more portions of the container that have been formed so that surfaces of such printed portions lie in a plane below the plane of the surrounding surface area. Thermoplastic foam egg cartons such as polystyrene cartons are especially suitable as containers constructed in accord with the invention.

## Claims

### Claim 1

In a nestable egg carton structure formed from thermoplastic foam comprising a bottom cellular section and an inverted dish-like cover section hinged thereto along a common side edge, said cover comprising a relatively planar top wall, two longitudinally extending side wall members depending downwardly and outwardly from said top wall and two end walls located, and depending downwardly from, opposite ends of said top wall, the improvement which comprises at least one flat, recessed, panel area located on the outer surface of at least one cover side wall, said recessed area bearing printed indicia on the surface thereof, and wherein said recessed area comprises a substantially flat portion of reduced thickness relative to the surrounding area, so that said recessed area is at least substantially surrounded by raised surface areas to keep said printed indicia completely out of contact with the inside surface of an adjacent cover side wall during carton nesting, the inside surface of the carton lid wall opposite the recessed area is in the plane of the remainder of the surface of said wall.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A nestable egg carton according to claim 1, where said thermoplastic foam is polystyrene.