Pizza box
AssigneeInternational Paper Company
InventorsWayne H. Kuhn, Frank Pizzitola
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A folded food carton is formed from a matable, lay flat blank for retaining, transporting and serving hot food such as pizza. The blank includes an arrangement of end panels, side panels and cover panels foldable relative to a bottom panel such that, in the erected carton, the cover panels overlap and are interlocked with the side panels by means of offset locking tabs. The end panels slant upwardly and inwardly from the bottom panel to add rigidity and save material for the carton. The side panels flare upwardly and outwardly from the bottom panel and extend above the cover panels to enhance stackability and prevent shifting of stacked cartons one on top of the other. Several methods of packaging pizza in the folded carton are disclosed.
Claims17
A pizza box formed from an integral blank of material, the pizza box comprising:
- a substantially flat and rectangular bottom panel;
- a pair of opposed end panels and a pair of opposed, first transverse fold lines, each end panel being hingedly joined to the bottom panel along its respective first transverse fold line;
- a pair of opposed cover panels and a pair of opposed, second transverse fold lines, each cover panel being bingedly joined to its respective end panel along its respective second transverse fold line, each cover panel having opposed longitudinal edges, and each cover panel having a set of opposed locking tabs extending outwardly from the longitudinal edges;
- a pair of side panels hingedly joined to the bottom panel along a pair of opposed longitudinal fold lines, each side panel having openings for frictionally receiving the locking tabs on the cover panels;
- and,
- wherein the pizza box is foldable along the fold lines into a closed position by folding the side panels, end panels and cover panels, the cover panels being generally parallel to the bottom panel, overlapping each other and interlocking with the side panels via the locking tabs, the end panels slanting inwardly and upwardly relative to the bottom panel, the side panels slanting outwardly and upwardly relative to the bottom panel, and the side panels extending above the cover panels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.