US 4,427,705 A · Commestible package

Abstract

A package is disclosed for containing a commestible and includes an integrally formed plastic base member and an integrally formed plastic top member. The base member includes a centrally disposed commestible receptical defined by a commestible supporting bottom portion and side wall portions extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom, with the side wall portions being bounded by an upwardly projecting engagement lip. The side wall portions have on oppositely disposed sides side wall peak portions having a greater height, and normally thereto side wall valley areas having a lesser height. Extending substantially horizontally from the lip is a lip re-enforcement flange. The integrally formed top member includes a centrally disposed commestible containing portion bounded by structures which matingly engage with those of the base member to enclose the commestible. In preferred embodiments, the base member bottom portion includes a plurality of congruent corrugations, which may further include a radially disposed tacking corrugation for urging the base member bottom portion upwardly in a spring-like fashion to hold the commestible into a substantially snug fit with the planar portion of the top member. The tacking corrugation may include an evacuating surface for insertion of an evacuation needle for supplying a vacuum to the sealed package.

Claims22

Dependent claims

In an evacuated package containing a comestible having a longitudinal dimension, said package having a top member, said top member including a generally planar cover portion for covering the top of the comestible, and a base member for engaging said top member, said base member having a bottom portion for supporting the comestible, the improvement comprising:

a plurality of integrally formed congruent corrugations disposed about at least the periphery of said base member bottom portion, to permit said bottom portion to flex to accommodate variances in the longitudinal dimension of the comestible to be contained by the package;
and
at least one tacking corrugation disposed radially across and connecting said congruent corrugations for urging said congruent corrugations upwardly to form a spring-like bottom structure for urging the top of the comestible into substantial proximity to the planar cover portion for more prominent display of the comestible.

A package containing a comestible, said package comprising:

an integrally formed plastic base member;
and
an integrally formed plastic top member;
said base member including a substantially centrally disposed comestible receptacle for receiving and supporting the comestible, said comestible receptacle having a transverse cross-sectional shape which is substantially congruent with the transverse cross-sectional shape of the comestible for a substantially snug fit of the comestible therein, said comestible receptacle having a comestible supporting bottom portion and side wall portions connected to said bottom portion, an oppositely disposed pair of said wall portions being of a greater height than the side wall portions normal thereto to form oppositely disposed side wall valley areas disposed normal thereto, said side wall peak and valley areas comprising means for resisting crushing of the package from the top and bottom, for guiding the comestible thereinto during filling, for providing oppositely disposed top and bottom access means for withdrawal of a portion of the comestible, and for holding the bulk of the comestible therein upon opening and removal of a portion of the comestible;
an upwardly projecting engagement lip, said lip having an inside wall formed from said side wall, a lip top portion disposed substantially normal thereto, and an exterior wall connected to said lip portion and extending downwardly therefrom, said lip continuously disposed around the top of said side wall portion, and said lip being of a substantial and substantially uniform width around said side wall for engagement with a mating structure on said top member and said engagement lip comprising means for further cooperative resisting crushing of the package from the top and bottom, for cooperating with the peak areas of the base member to guide the comestible into the comestible receptacle of said base member, for providing oppositely disposed top and bottom access means for withdrawal of a portion of the comestible, and for cooperation with said peak areas of said side wall of said base portion to hold the bulk of the comestible therein upon opening and removal of a portion of the comestible;
and
an integrally formed lip reenforcement flange projecting exteriorly of and substantially normal to said upwardly projecting lip, said lip reenforcement flange projecting from the bottom of said lip exterior wall throughout substantially the entirety of the circumference thereof;
said base member bottom portion including a plurality of integrally formed congruent corrugations disposed around at least the periphery of said base member bottom portion to permit said bottom portion to flex to accommodate variances in the longitudinal dimension of the comestible to be contained by the package in order to provide a substantially snug fit of the comestible disposed between said bottom portion of said base member and said planar portion of said cover of said top member;
and
said integrally formed top member including a substantially centrally disposed comestible cover for covering said comestible and having a transverse cross-sectional shape which is substantially congruent with the transverse cross-sectional shape of the comestible for a substantially snug fit of the comestible therein, said comestible cover having a substantially planar portion for confining the top of the comestible and having cover side wall portions connected to and extending downwardly from said planar portion, and oppositely disposed pair of said cover side wall portions being of greater length than the side wall portions disposed normal thereto to form oppositely disposed top member side wall peak areas and oppositely disposed top member side wall valley areas, which are respectively of a size, shape and circumferential disposition to correspond to those of said base member peak areas and base member valley areas;
a lip engagement rim having a rim top portion normally disposed and projecting outwardly from the bottom surface of said top member side wall and having an exterior rim wall extending downwardly from said rim top portion cover to have a size, shape and circumferential disposition for matingly engaging said lip of said base member;
and
an integrally formed lip engagement rim re-enforcement flange projecting exteriorly of and substantially normal to the bottom of said exterior rim wall of said lip engagement rim and having size, shape and disposition for mating engagement with said lip re-enforcement flange of said base member.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Commestible package

Life of this patent

Commestible package

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22