Food tray with lid locking mechanism
AssigneeInline Plastics Corp.
InventorDanny Kalmanides
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a one-piece plastic thermo-formed foodtray with a lower tray portion which may be closed by a folding upper lid portion. The lid portion is locked over the tray portion by the interlocking of interior upright cylindrical elements formed from a flange about the periphery of the tray portion into exterior upright cylindrical elements formed from a flange about the periphery of the tray portion. Raised lands are provided adjacent to the exterior upright cylindrical elements in order to protect the same from pressure and subsequent degradation and deformation during the interlocking process by limiting the depth of depression with the thumb of the interlocking cylindrical elements.
Claims12
A container for carrying food comprising:
- a tray portion,
- a lid portion directly hinged to the rear of said tray portion for movement towards and away from said tray portion to open and close the same, and
- means for locking said lid portion to said tray portion,
- said locking means including:
- a horizontal flange extending around the periphery of said tray portion,
- a horizontal flange extending around the periphery of said lid portion adapted to be seated on the horizontal flange of said tray portion,
- one or more upright male elements extending upwardly from said horizontal flange on said tray portion towards said lid portion,
- one or more upright female elements extending upwardly from said horizontal flange on the periphery of said lid portion in positions corresponding to those of said one or more upright male elements, each of said one or more female elements receiving one of said one or more upright male elements in interlocking engagement as said lid portion is folded over said tray portion in a closed position, and
- raised lands extending upwardly from said horizontal flange on the periphery of said lid portion and being discrete from said one or more female elements, said lands being provided on opposite sides of and adjacent to each of said one or more upright female elements on said horizontal flange of said lid portion.
A container for carrying food comprising:
- a tray portion,
- a lid portion directly hinged to the rear of said tray portion for movement towards and away from said tray portion to open and close the same, and
- means for locking said lid portion to said tray portion,
- said locking means including:
- a horizontal flange extending around the periphery of said tray portion,
- a horizontal flange extending around the periphery of said lid portion adapted to be seated on the horizontal flange of said tray portion,
- one or more upright male elements extending upwardly from said horizontal flange on said tray portion towards said lid portion,
- one or more upright female elements extending upwardly from said horizontal flange on the periphery of said lid portion in positions corresponding to those of said one or more upright male elements, each of said one or more female elements receiving one of said one or more upright male elements in interlocking engagement as said lid portion is folded over said tray portion in a closed position;
- means extending upwardly from said horizontal flange on the periphery of said lid portion and being discrete from said one or more upright female elements for pressing in combination with said one or more upright female elements when locking the lid portion to the tray portion, said upwardly extending discrete means being provided on opposite sides of said one or more upright female elements to limit the deformation of the interlocking upright male and female elements;
- and
- said upwardly extending means further comprising raised lands being spaced apart from said one or more female elements, said lands being provided on opposite sides of and adjacent to each of said one or more upright female elements on said horizontal flange of said lid portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.