One-Piece Food Container having an Integral Hinge with Latching Mechanisms and a Full Perimeter Seal

Abstract

The present invention relates to a one-piece food container with an integral hinge and one or more latching mechanism, a full perimeter seal, and ribbed or ridged support structures. The food container is fabricated from hybrid bio-based and polymeric a material that has heat resistance capabilities. In particular, the present apparatus and method utilize a hybrid slurry of simple, abundant and renewable materials, such as food or plant starch and calcium carbonate (limestone), and a polymeric material, that uses high temperature and high pressure presses. An optional coating, such as wax, is applied to the surface of the food container. The present invention one-piece food container has a plurality of ridges that are incorporated into the container to provide rigidity and resisting folding or bending. Lastly, the one-piece food container with has enough rigidity and strength to be stackable for efficient storage for distribution to a user. The resulting one-piece food container is strong, light, heat-resistant, and attractive.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to a food container apparatus comprised of a hybrid of bio-based and polymeric materials, and in particular to an one-piece food container apparatus having a full perimeter seal, integral hinge, one or more latching mechanisms, ridge support structures and having heat resistance capability.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]A popular type of disposable food container is a hinged one-piece takeout container having a clamshell configuration. These containers are typically made by thermoforming a sheet of plastic or polymeric foam material into two adjacent trays interconnected by a integral hinge. The two adjacent trays are disposed on either side of the hinge mechanism and respectively define a bottom container tray and a top lid tray. The container is held closed by some type of latching mechanism.[0003]Hinged one-piece clamshell containers may be constructed from foam materials including expanded polystyrene commonly...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The present invention relates to a one-piece food container with an integral hinge and one or more latching mechanisms, a full perimeter seal, a plurality of ridge support structures and fabricated from a hybrid bio-based and polymeric material that has heat resistance, and alternately may be biodegradable and/or compostable. The one-piece food container has a bottom portion and top portion that are joined together with the integral hinge. In the preferred embodiment, the one-piece food container has two latching mechanisms that engage together to removably secure the top portion to the bottom portion. There is also a pair of ear tabs near the outer edge of the top and bottom portion that are offset and are designed to facilitate the separation of the latching mechanism engaged top and bottom portions. The one-piece food container also has a plurality of ridges that are incorporated into strategic locations both on the top and bottom portions to provide rigidity and resisting folding or bending.

[0013]Regarding the fabricatio...

Problems solved by technology

Foam clamshell containers are one of the cheapest solutions of the industry and are not considered environmentally conscious.

A disadvantage of one-piece hinged takeout containers is that they are somewhat cumbersome to handle.

Also, the typical fabrication materials for the one-piece container package does not convey to the consumer an environmentally conscious resource, is wasteful, and is responsible for a high volume of waste that is filing up waste disposal dumping sites at an ever increasing pace.

In addition, most one-piece or clamshell containers are not heat resistant and therefore cannot be use in a oven environment or used with hot food.

Due to some of the inherent disadvantages of one-piece co...

Images