Plastic moulded container with detachable eating utensil
AssigneeCarter Holt Harvey Limited
InventorPeter John Waterhouse
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a moulded plastic container which defines at least one receptacle for receiving a food material or the like, the container further including a utensil such as a spoon which is frangibly detachable from the container when the utensil is to be used for mixing, stirring or eating purposes. In a preferred form of the invention the moulded plastic container has two receptacles adjacent each other wherein the utensil is provided between the two receptacles along a fold axis between each of the receptacles, the fold axis allowing for the pivoting of each of the receptacles relative to each other for the transferring of contents from one receptacle to the other.
Claims48
A moulded plastics tray, said tray having been formed from a sheet of a thermoplastics sheet material having a machine direction in a plane in which the sheet has been extruded, comprising
- at least one receptacle formed out of the plane of the sheet, and
- an elongate utensil capable, when detached from the remainder of the material of the tray, of being used either
- (i) as an eating utensil for a product to be positioned within said at least one receptacle, or
- (ii) as a mixing or lifting utensil for a product to be positioned within said at least one receptacle,
- said sheet, at least substantially in said plane,
- (a) defines a rim about a top of said at least one receptacle, and
- (b) fully surrounds a perimeter of said elongate utensil,
- and a part of the sheet surrounding the elongate utensil is bridged to said utensil only at a region substantially midway along a length thereof,
- and rupture of the bridging being facilitated by the machine direction being at least substantially aligned to a longitudinal axis of said elongate utensils, and
- a fold axis defined in said material of the sheet, a fold line extending along said fold axis, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil, whereby folding at said fold axis assists in the rupturing of the bridging.
A moulded plastics tray, said tray having been formed from a sheet of a thermoplastics sheet material, comprising
- at least one receptacle formed out of a plane of the sheet, and
- an elongate utensil capable, when detached from a remainder of the material of the tray, of being used as an eating utensil for a product to be positioned within said at least one receptacle,
- said sheet at least substantially in said plane
- (a) defines a rim about a top of said at least one receptacle, and
- (b) fully surrounds a perimeter of said elongate utensil,
- and a part of the sheet surrounding the elongate utensil being bridged to said utensil by readily rupturable bridges,
- and said bridges being located spaced from a portion of said utensil adapted to be inserted into a user's mouth,
- and at least a portion of a perimeter of the utensil is cut whilst the sheet material is within the forming mould,
- a fold axis defined in said material of the sheet, a fold line extending along said fold axis, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil, whereby folding at said fold axis assists in the rupturing of the bridges.
A moulded plastics trays formed from a sheet of a thermoplastics material and comprising
- a first receptacle,
- at least a second receptacle, and
- an elongate utensil capable, when detached from a remainder of the material of the tray, of being used either
- (i) as an eating utensil, or
- (ii) as a mixing or lifting utensil,
- said sheet
- (a) defines a rim about each of said receptacles, and
- (b) fully surrounds a perimeter of said utensil,
- said utensil being connected to the tray only by bridges capable of being readily ruptured to allow utensil removal,
- and said elongate utensil being positioned to extend substantially below a plane extending between downwardly depending walls of the at least two receptacles,
- a fold line defined in said material of the sheet, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil.
A unitary moulded plastics tray comprising
- a) two proximate receptacles capable of containing a material each having an opening and a substantially planar rim defining region, a portion of said rim defining region located intermediate said two receptacles having a line of weakening adapted to allow pivotal rotation of said receptacles relative to each other to aid in transfer of material from one of said receptacles to the other of said receptacles,
- b) a frangibly detachable utensil of longitudinal shape, detachable and useable within said at least one receptacle, said frangibly detachable utensil being located between and formed from said portion of the rim defining regions located intermediate of said two receptacles, a fold line extending along said line of weakening, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil.
A method of packing a material in a tray comprising a) two proximate receptacles capable of containing a material each having an opening and a substantially planar rim defining region, a portion of said rim defining region located intermediate said two receptacles having a line of weakening adapted to allow pivotal rotation of said receptacles relative to each other to aid in transfer of material from one of said receptacles to the other of said receptacles, b) a frangibly detachable utensil of longitudinal shape, detachable and useable within said at least one receptacle, said frangibly detachable utensil being located between and formed from said portion of the rim defining region located intermediate of said two receptacles, a fold line extending along said line of weakening, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil, said method comprising
- filling the at least one receptacle of said tray with said material, thereafter overlying and affixing about the opening of the material containing receptacle with a foil or other web material.
A unitary moulded plastics tray comprising
- a) two proximate receptacles capable of containing a material, each having an opening and a substantially planar rim defining region, a portion of said rim defining region located intermediate said two receptacles having a line of weakening adapted to allow pivotal rotation of said receptacles relative to each other,
- b) a frangibly detachable utensil of a longitudinal shape, detachable and useable within said at least one receptacle, said frangibly detachable utensil being located between and formed from said portion of the rim defining regions located intermediate of said two receptacles, a fold line extending along said line of weakening, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil,
- at least one pair of frangible bridging regions for said frangibly detachable utensil, each of said at least one pair of bridging members being located on each side of said line of weakening whereby upon pivotal rotation of said receptacles and the resultant displacement of said at least one pair of bridging regions causes at least one of said pair of bridging regions to rupture to thereby allow easy removal of said frangibly detachable utensil.
A moulded plastics tray, said tray having been formed from a sheet of thermoplastics sheet material, said tray comprising
- two receptacles formed out of a plane of the sheet, and
- an elongate utensil formed out of the plane of the sheet intermediate of said two receptacles and capable, when detached from a remainder of the material of the tray, of being used as an eating utensil,
- said sheet
- (a) defines a rim about said receptacles, and
- (b) fully surrounds a perimeter of said elongate utensil, and
- (c) is provided with a line of weakness for folding of said two receptacles relative to each other, a fold line extending along said line of weakening, said fold line being split by a length of said utensil such that each split is located on an opposite side of the utensil,
- and a part of the sheet surrounding the elongate utensil being bridged to said utensil by readily rupturable bridges,
- and said bridge being spaced from a portion of said utensil adapted to be inserted into a user's mouth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.