US 4,738,365 AGranted

Frozen food container

AssigneeRidgway Packaging Corp.

InventorDonald R. Prater

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Abstract

A container for storing a product and for holding it while it is heated in a microwave or a conventional oven. The container includes a tray-like box portion that is adherently sealed and secured inside a leakproof cover. A panel of the tray-like box has a tear-open access flap which may be tightly reclosed after being torn open and which is held in place by an interference fit between two spaced apart shoulders defined along a fold line where the access flap is joined to a reclosure tab. The panel of the tray-like box is imprinted with the instructions for heating the product enclosed within the container, while the cover is imprinted with graphics. The container is turned over during the heating process, so the instructions are visible to the consumer. Tight reclosure of the access flap tends to retain steam inside the container during the heating process thereby reducing the cooking time and retaining moisture in the product.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A container for storing a product and holding the product while it is heated in an oven, comprising:

a first panel having an inner surface and an outer surface, and four edges, each defined by a fold line;
a first and a second side flap;
a first and a second end flap;
a second panel having an inner surface and an outer surface, and four edges, each defined by a fold line;
a first and a second sidewall;
a first and a second end wall;
the first panel being connected along different fold lines to each of the first and the second side flaps at two opposite edges of the first panel, and to each of the first and the second end flaps along two other edges of the first panel, the first and second side flaps and end flaps all being folded along the fold lines so that they are generally normal to the inner surface of the first panel and the side flaps being securedly attached to the end flaps to define a tray-like box;
the first panel further including a tear-open access flap defined by a pair of partially die cut lines that extend across the panel in generally parallel alignment to terminate at two spaced apart points disposed along one of the fold lines defining the edges of the first panel, coterminous with ends of a perforation line that defines a reclosure tab disposed on one of the first and second side flaps and the first and second end flaps;
the second panel being connected along different fold lines to each of the first and second sidewalls at opposite edges of the second panel, and to each of the first and second end walls along two other edges of the second panel, the first and second sidewalls and the first and second end walls all being folded along the fold lines so that they are generally normal to the inner surface of the second panel, the first and second end walls being connected to the first and second sidewalls by four gusseted corners that are folded inwardly of the sidewalls and the end walls and adherently secured and sealed in place, the second panel, the first and second sidewalls and end walls, and the gusseted corners together defining a leakproof cover;
the leakproof cover having been fitted over the tray-like box after the container is filled with the product, with an outer surface of the first and second end flaps being adherently secured and sealed to an inner surface of the corresponding first and second end walls, respectively, and an outer surface of the first and second side flaps being adherently secured and sealed to an inner surface of the first and second sidewalls, respectively;
a slotted tab receiver being defined in one of the first and second endwalls and the first and second sidewalls by a pair of perforation lines and a scored fold line, the slotted tab receiver overlying the reclosure tab and including a slot for receiving the reclosure tab upon reclosure of the access flap after it is opened.

8 more elements

In a container for storing a product and for holding the product while it is heated in an oven, the container including a panel connected along fold lines to four sides and a cover, a reclosure system comprising:

a pair of partially die cut lines defining a tear open access flap, one of the pair of partially die cut lines extending over an inner and the outer extending over an outer surface of the panel in generally parallel alignment, the pair of partially die cut lines terminating at two spaced apart points at a fold line connecting one of the sides to the panel;
a perforation line connecting the two spaced apart points, defining a reclosure tab that is disposed on the one side and
a tab receiver defined by two perforation lines and a fold line in a side of the cover that overlies the reclosure tab, the tab receiver including a slot.

A method for assembling from a first and a second pre-cut blank, a container for storing a product and which is adapted to hold the product while it is heated in an oven, the first pre-cut blank including two end flaps and two side flaps defined respectively along opposite ends and opposite sides of a first panel by scored fold lines, the first panel including a tear open access flap defined by a pair of generally parallel partially die cut lines that extend across the first panel in a generally converging direction toward two spaced apart points disposed on one of the scored fold lines defining one of the two side flaps and two end flaps, coterminous with the ends of a perforation line that defines a reclosure tab disposed on the flap;

the second pre-cut blank including two end walls, and two sidewalls corresponding respectively to the side flaps and end flaps and defined respectively along opposite sides and opposite ends of a second panel by scored fold lines, the end walls being connected to the sidewalls by four gusseted corners, one of the two sidewalls and two end walls that corresponds to the one flap including a slotted tab receiver defined by two perforated lines and a scored fold line, the method comprising the steps of:
folding the end flaps and side flaps along the scored fold lines so that they are substantially normal to an inside surface of the first panel, and securing them in that position, forming a tray-like box;
folding the end walls and sidewalls along the scored fold lines so that they are substantially normal to an inside surface of the second panel and folding the gusseted corners inside;
adherently sealing the gusseted corners in place, forming a substantially leakproof cover;
after filling one of the tray-like box and leakproof cover with the product, inserting the leakproof cover onto the tray-like box so that the inside of the second panel faces toward the product, with the slotted tab receiver overlying the reclosure tab;
and
adherently sealing and securing the outer surfaces of the end flaps and the side flaps to the inner surfaces of the corresponding end walls and sidewalls, except where the slotted tab receiver overlies the reclosure tab.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.