Food storage tray

Abstract

Food storage trays are provided. A tray for holding a plurality of food items is provided that includes a bottom wall portion and a side wall portion that together define a plurality of compartments that are separated from one another by dividers and are each configured to hold a stack of the food items. Each of the dividers is interconnected to the side wall portion by a pair of scalloped protrusions. The side wall portion of the tray includes two side panels, each of which includes a reinforcing rib that extends along only a portion of the side panel but not along its entire length. The tray is configured such that, in response to a compressive force being applied to the tray in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second side panels, the side wall portion of the tray deflects in a direction away from the food items.

Description

[0001] This application is an application filed on August 9, 2019, of PCT International Application No. PCT / US2019 / 045848, and entered the Chinese National Phase on January 25, 2021, as Chinese Patent Application No. 201980049519.X, entitled “Food Storage Tray,” and is a Divisional Application of the aforementioned application. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to trays for storing items, and in particular, to food storage trays that resist compressive forces to reduce and / or eliminate damage to food items. BACKGROUND

[0003] Various food items, such as cookies, crackers, and the like, are often stored in multi-compartment trays, where each compartment stores a stack of cookies or crackers. Such trays are often constructed from a thin polymeric material and are susceptible to deformation due to compressive forces that can be applied to the trays during manufacture, packaging, and / or shipping of the trays. For example, during packaging, cookie trays can abut one another as they are moved on a conveyor such that adjacent trays can apply compressive forces to some of the trays. Such compressive forces can cause buckling of the trays and / or deformation / distortion of individual compartments or multiple compartments of the retail cookies. Such deformation / distortion is undesirable because it can cause damage (e.g., breakage, cracking, etc.) to the food items stored therein such that such trays are not usable for sale to consumers. SUMMARY

[0004] A tray for holding a plurality of items, such as food products, includes a plurality of compartments separated by one or more dividers. The tray includes a bottom wall portion, a side wall portion extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion, and one or more dividers. The bottom wall portion, the side wall portion, and the one or more dividers together define a plurality of interconnected compartments each configured to hold a stack of food products accessible via an opening opposite the bottom wall portion. A flange portion is disposed about the opening and at opposite ends of the side wall portion relative to the bottom wall portion. The flange portion includes a peripheral rim extending outwardly from the side wall portion. Each of the one or more dividers separates adjacent compartments from one another. Each of the one or more dividers extends upwardly from the bottom wall portion and terminates adjacent the peripheral rim. Each of the dividers has a pair of opposing divider walls positioned at an angle relative to one another and joined at an apex. Each of the one or more dividers is connected to the peripheral rim by a pair of scalloped protrusions, one at each end of the divider. The side wall portion includes a pair of opposing end walls each having a reinforcing rib extending from adjacent the bottom portion toward the flange portion and spaced apart from the flange portion by a section of the end wall. In response to a compressive force in a direction substantially perpendicular to the end walls, the angle between the divider walls of each of the one or more dividers increases compared to when the compressive force is not present.

[0005] In some embodiments, each of the end walls includes a non-corrugated portion that does not include a reinforcing rib, where the non-corrugated portion extends from a distal end of the reinforcing rib to the peripheral rim. In one aspect, each of the two side panels includes a curved portion including a reinforcing rib and a straight non-corrugated portion that does not include a reinforcing rib.

[0006] If the tray includes three compartments, the bottom wall portion includes a first bottom panel, a second bottom panel, and a third bottom panel, and each of the first, second, and third bottom panels is generally rectangular and planar and does not include any of the reinforcing ribs. If the tray includes four compartments, four such bottom panels can be included.

[0007] In some aspects, each of the compartments of the tray includes a front panel and a back panel that does not include a reinforcing rib and at least one side panel that includes a reinforcing rib extending along its entire length. In some embodiments, each of the first and second dividers includes two interconnected side panels that include a reinforcing rib extending along their entire length.

[0008] The perimeter rim can include an upwardly facing surface having an inner edge that intersects the sidewall portion and an outer edge that intersects the raised perimeter. The outer flange can include an upwardly facing surface having an inner edge that intersects the raised perimeter and a free outer edge. The upwardly facing surface of the perimeter rim can include a plurality of downwardly extending projections configured to rest on the perimeter rim of a second tray when the second tray is stacked on top of the tray. The downwardly extending projections are sized such that the perimeter rim of each projection in the stack is spaced apart to facilitate nesting of the trays with the stack.

[0009] In some embodiments, the substantially horizontal upwardly facing portion of each of the scalloped projections includes a reinforcing rib extending inwardly from the sidewall portion. Each of the scalloped projections can be interconnected with a respective one of the first and second dividers by the reinforcing rib. The substantially vertical inwardly facing portion of each of the scalloped projections can extend upwardly from the reinforcing rib along the sidewall portion and terminate at the perimeter edge. The angled inwardly facing portion of each of the scalloped projections extends upwardly from the horizontal portion of each of the scalloped projections and terminates at the perimeter edge.

[0010] The tray can be made of at least one material including, but not limited to, general purpose polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene-ethylene copolymer, foamed polymers, paperboard, and combinations thereof. The compartments of the tray can be shaped to each hold a plurality of substantially circular food items. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 Perspective view of a food storage tray depicting an embodiment having three compartments and showing a bottom wall, upstanding sidewalls, and a perimeter flange portion surrounding a tray opening;

[0012] Figure 2 Front elevational view of the food storage tray of Figure 1

[0013] Figure 3 Side elevational view of the food storage tray of Figure 1

[0014] Figure 4 Top plan view of the food storage tray of Figure 1

[0015] ​​​Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the food storage tray of Figure 1

[0016] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the food storage tray of Figure 4 taken along line 6-6 Figure 1

[0017] Figure 7 is a close-up view of the perimeter flange portion of Figure 6

[0018] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the food storage tray of Figure 1 stacked in an outer surrounding wrapper and containing cookies, and showing the wrapper with flaps in a partially open position to allow access to the cookies; and

[0019] Figure 9 is a perspective view of the food storage tray of Figure 1 undergoing compression forces at opposite ends, and showing the tray buckling. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Figure 1 An exemplary embodiment of a tray 100 for holding a generally circular food item 90 is shown. Exemplary food items 90 that can be held in the tray 100 can include, but are not limited to, cookies, crackers, and the like.

[0021] The tray 100 has a unitary construction, and can be thermoformed, injection molded, blow molded, and the like. In some embodiments, the tray 100 is made of one or more polymer-based materials, and includes one or more polymers, copolymers, and / or plastic materials. For example, the tray 100 can be constructed of general purpose polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene-ethylene copolymer, foamed polymers, paperboard, and the like, or combinations thereof. While the tray 100 has been shown in the drawings as being made of an opaque material, it should be understood that the tray 100 can be made transparent, such that the portion of the food item 90 held in the tray 100 (indicated in dashed lines in Figure 3

[0022] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 3 ​​​​The tray 100 includes a first floor 120, a second floor 122, and a third floor 124. In some embodiments, the first floor 120, the second floor 122, and the third floor 124 are each generally rectangular in shape, planar, and do not include any of the reinforcing ribs formed in some of the floors of the sidewall portions 112 of the tray 100 discussed in more detail below. As can be seen in Figure 3 each of the floors 120, 122, 124 is substantially straight and oriented in a horizontal plane so as to allow the tray 100 to sit stably on a planar support surface, such as a shelf or table, when the floors 120, 122, 124 are in contact with the planar support surface.

[0023] Figure 1 and Figure 3 The sidewall portions of the exemplary tray 100 include a first front floor 126, a second front floor 128, a third front floor 130, a first back floor 132, a second back floor 134, a third back floor 136, first side floors 138, 142, and 146, and second side floors 140, 144, and 148. The three compartments 114, 116, 118 are partially defined by these floors, with each of the compartments 114, 116, and 118 being sized and shaped to hold a plurality of food items 90 therein.

[0024] The first compartment 114 of the exemplary tray 100 includes the floor 120, the front floor 126, the back floor 132 opposite the front floor 126, the first side floor 138, and the second side floor 140 opposite the first side floor 138. The second compartment 116 of the exemplary tray 100 includes the floor 122, the front floor 128, the back floor 134 opposite the front floor 128, the first side floor 142, and the second side floor 144 opposite the first side floor 142. The third compartment 118 of the exemplary tray 100 includes the floor 124, the front floor 130, the back floor 136 opposite the front floor 130, the first side floor 146, and the second side floor 148 opposite the first side floor 146. In the illustrated embodiment, the compartments 114, 116, and 118 are shaped to hold a plurality of substantially circular food items 90 therein in a stacked arrangement.

[0025] The compartments 114, 116, 118 can be sized and shaped to accommodate various commonly commercially available substantially circular cookies, wafers, etc. having diameters of about 2.4 inches to about 2.6 inches, and in some examples about 2.5 inches. The compartments 114, 116, 118 can all be the same size, or can have different sizes. For example, in some embodiments, each of the compartments 114, 116, 118 can have a diameter of about 2.4 to about 2.6 inches. In one aspect, the second compartment 116 has a diameter of about 2.469 inches, and the first compartment 114 and the third compartment 118 each have a diameter of about 2.413 inches. It will be appreciated that the tray 100, as well as the compartments 114, 116, and 118, are not drawn to scale, and that the compartments 114, 116, 118 of the tray 100 can be configured to have various sizes suitable for holding various commercially available substantially circular food items 90.

[0026] Referring to Figure 1 , the front panel 126, the back panel 132, and the first side panel 138 of the first compartment 114 extend upwardly from the bottom panel 120 to the peripheral rim 150. The second side panel 140 of the first compartment 114 also extends upwardly from the bottom panel 120, but terminates at a height below the peripheral rim 150. The front panel 128 and the back panel 134 of the second compartment 116 extend upwardly from the bottom panel 122 to the peripheral rim 150. The first side panel 142 and the second side panel 144 of the second compartment 116 also extend upwardly from the bottom panel 122, but terminate at a height below the peripheral rim 150. The front panel 130, the back panel 136, and the second side panel 148 of the third compartment 118 extend upwardly from the bottom panel 124 to the peripheral rim 150. The first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 also extends upwardly from the bottom panel 124, but terminates at a height below the peripheral rim 150.

[0027] As can be seen with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 3 , the second side panel 140 of the first compartment 114 and the first side panel 142 of the second compartment 116 are attached to each other and together form a first divider 152 that separates the interior of the first compartment 114 from the interior of the second compartment 116. Similarly, the second side panel 144 of the second compartment 116 and the first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 are attached to each other and together form a second divider 154 that separates the interior of the second compartment 116 from the interior of the third compartment 118. In other words, the first divider 152 is formed from two interconnected side panels 140 and 142, each having a reinforcing rib 156 extending along its entire length, and the second divider 154 is formed from two interconnected side panels 144 and 146, each having a reinforcing rib 156 extending along its entire length.

[0028] Referring toFigure 3 Each of the first side panels 138, 142, and 146, and each of the second side panels 140, 144, and 148, is generally curved and may be fully curved along their entire length, or may include curved and straight portions along their length. The second panel 140 of the first compartment 114, the first panels 142 and 144 of the second compartment 116, and the first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 each include a plurality of interconnected reinforcing ribs 156, which provide a corrugated appearance along the entire length of the panels 140, 142, 144, and 146. Although in the illustrated embodiment, the second panel 140 of the first compartment 114, the first panels 142 and 144 of the second compartment 116, and the first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 each include thirteen reinforcing ribs 156, it should be understood that the number of ribs is shown by way of example only, and the number of ribs may vary depending on the size of the tray and / or the size of the reinforcing ribs 156. In a non-limiting example, the orientation and dimensions of the reinforcing ribs 156 are designed such that the distance between the vertices of adjacent reinforcing ribs 156 is about 0.25 inches to about 0.26 inches, and more preferably about 0.255 inches. It should be understood that the ribs may have cross-sectional shapes other than those shown in the figures, such as V-shaped, rectangular, trapezoidal, concave, or convex.

[0029] In the non-limiting embodiment shown, the tray 100 has as Figure 4 The overall rectangular shape is shown, and the dimensions of tray 100 are approximately 8.5 inches to approximately 8.6 inches, preferably 8.59 inches to approximately 8.60 inches, along its longer dimension, and approximately 4.7 inches to approximately 4.8 inches, preferably approximately 4.78 inches to approximately 4.79 inches, along its shorter dimension. In some aspects, the distance between the front panels 126, 128, 130 and the rear panels 132, 134, 136 is approximately 4.1 inches to approximately 4.2 inches, preferably approximately 4.15 inches.

[0030] The first panel 138 of the first compartment 114 and the second panel 148 of the third compartment 118 also include a plurality of interconnected reinforcing ribs 156 that provide a corrugated appearance to the panels 138 and 148, but the reinforcing ribs 156 do not extend along the entire length of each of the panels 138 and 146, but rather only along a portion of the length of each of the panels 138 and 146. Thus, each of the panels 138 and 148 includes a non-corrugated portion 159 that does not include any reinforcing ribs 156 and does not have a corrugated appearance. The non-corrugated portion 159 of each of the panels 138 and 148 adds structural integrity to the pallet 100 and increases stiffness in certain directions, such as parallel to the central axis of the ribs, advantageously making the pallet 100 less susceptible to undesirable deformation during manufacturing, packaging, shipping, sorting, etc., and facilitating stability.

[0031] With reference to Figure 1 The perimeter rim 150 of the pallet 100 encircles the interiors of the three compartments 114, 116, 118, and includes an upwardly facing surface 151 having an inner edge 153 that intersects the sidewall portions and an outer edge 155 that intersects the raised perimeter portion 160. The perimeter rim 150 also includes a downwardly facing surface 157. In the illustrated embodiment, the pallet 100 includes a raised perimeter portion 160 that extends upwardly from the outer edge 155 of the upwardly facing surface 151 of the perimeter rim 150. The exemplary pallet 100 also includes an outer flange 166 that extends outwardly from the raised perimeter portion 160 of the perimeter rim 150. The outer flange 166 includes an upwardly facing surface 168 having an inner edge 169 that intersects the raised perimeter portion 160 and terminates at a free edge 170 that extends outwardly in a direction away from the raised perimeter portion 160 of the perimeter rim 150, as shown in the view of Figure 7

[0032] As shown in the view of Figure 4 ​As can be seen, the width of the outer flange 166 is substantially less than the width of the perimeter rim 150. For example, in some embodiments, the width of the perimeter rim 150, measured from the intersection of the sidewall portion 112 with the perimeter rim 150 to the intersection of the perimeter rim 150 with the raised perimeter portion 160, is about 0.24 inches to about 0.26 inches, more preferably about 0.25 inches. In contrast, the width of the outer flange 166, measured from the intersection of the raised perimeter portion 160 with the outer flange 166 to the free edge 170, is about 0.06 inches to about 0.07 inches, more preferably about 0.063 inches. In some embodiments, the height of the raised perimeter portion 160, measured from the intersection of the raised perimeter portion 160 with the upwardly facing surface 151 of the perimeter rim 150 to the intersection of the raised perimeter portion 160 with the outer flange 166, is about 0.1 inches to about 0.2 inches, more preferably about 0.12 inches to about 0.13 inches. It will be appreciated that these dimensions are provided by way of example only, and that the tray 100 can have dimensions outside of these example values if suitable for food products 90 of different sizes (e.g., smaller or larger).

[0033] In some implementations, when another (i.e., second) tray is stacked on top of the illustrated tray 100, portions of the other tray that are complementary to the tray 100 can come into contact with portions of the upwardly facing surface 151 of the perimeter rim 150 and / or portions of the raised perimeter portion 160 and / or portions of the upwardly facing surface 168 of the outer flange 166. In Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, to facilitate stacking of another tray on top of the tray 100, the tray 100 includes a plurality of recesses 162 (when viewed from the top) that form a plurality of protrusions 164 (when viewed from the side or bottom of the tray). The protrusions can have a diameter of about 0.2 inches to about 0.3 inches, more preferably about 0.21 inches to about 0.22 inches. The protrusions 164 that extend downward from the downwardly facing surface 157 of the perimeter rim 150 can have a length of about 0.1 inches to about 0.2 inches, more preferably about 0.11 inches to about 0.12 inches. Preferably, but not necessarily, four protrusions 164 are provided, with two disposed on opposite sides of the perimeter rim 150, respectively. Regardless of the number, the spacing of the protrusions 164 is different on each side. For example, different molds can be used to produce trays having different locations of the protrusions 164. The purpose of the protrusions 164 is to have adjacent trays 100 stack slightly spaced apart at their perimeter rims 150, such that the perimeter rims 150 do not directly engage, but rather the protrusions 164 of an upper tray will rest on the perimeter rim 150 of a lower tray, in order to facilitate non-cupping of the tray-to-tray stack.

[0034] In the illustrated embodiment, the first divider 152 is interconnected with the peripheral rim 150 by two scalloped protrusions 172, 174, while the second divider 154 is interconnected with the peripheral rim 150 by two scalloped protrusions 176, 178. The scalloped protrusions can resemble truncated ginkgo leaves or (non-mathematical) hyperbolic shapes. In fact, a portion of the scalloped protrusions projects beyond the adjacent side walls, as shown in Figure 7 , and into the flange portions, as shown in Figure 4 . The scalloped protrusions serve to allow the compartments to flex away from each other when the end walls of the tray are subjected to compressive forces by pivoting about the apex of the dividers, such that the opposing divider walls can move away from each other, e.g., the angle between the opposing divider walls (e.g., 140, 142) increases.

[0035] A portion of each of the scalloped protrusions 172, 174, 176, 178 forms an upper portion of an end portion 173, 175, 177, 179, respectively, of the divider. As can be seen, for example, in Figure 4 , the end portion 173 extends inwardly from the inner surfaces of the rear panels 132 and 134, the end portion 175 extends inwardly from the inner surfaces of the front panels 126 and 128, the end portion 177 extends inwardly from the inner surfaces of the rear panels 134 and 136, and the reinforcing rib 179 extends inwardly from the inner surfaces of the front panels 128 and 130. The end portions of the dividers can be devoid of ribs or corrugations, such that they are more likely to flex, particularly at their intersections with the adjacent side walls, as compared to the intermediate sections of the dividers.

[0036] In the illustrated embodiment, each of the scalloped protrusions 172, 174, 176, and 178 includes an inclined inwardly facing portion 181, 183, 185, 187, and a substantially horizontal upwardly facing portion 189, 191, 193, 195, respectively, as can be seen, for example, in Figure 1 , Figure 4 , and Figure 6 . With reference to Figure 1 , each of the inclined inwardly facing portions 181, 183, 185, 187 of the respective scalloped protrusions 172, 174, 176, and 178 extends upwardly along the side wall portion 112 from its respective substantially horizontal upwardly facing portion 189, 191, 193, 195 and terminates at the peripheral rim 150. With reference to Figure 1 , and Figure 6 , the substantially horizontal upwardly facing portions 189, 191, 193, 195 each form an uppermost surface of its respective reinforcing rib 173, 175, 177, 179, which in turn interconnects its respective scalloped protrusion 172, 174, 176, and 178 to the respective one of the first divider 152 and the second divider 154.

[0037] In the illustrated embodiment, the second side panel 140 of the first compartment 114 and the first side panel 142 of the second compartment 116 are oriented such that as they extend downward from their respective scalloped protrusions 172 and 174 and in a direction toward the bottom panels 120 and 122 of their respective compartments 114 and 116, they diverge from one another. In some embodiments, the angle between the initial diverging portion and the substantially straight portion of the second side panel 140 of the first compartment 114 and the first side panel 142 of the second compartment 116 is about 10°. Similarly, the second side panel 144 of the second compartment 116 and the first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 are oriented such that as they extend downward from their respective scalloped protrusions 176 and 178 and in a direction toward the bottom panels 122 and 124 of their respective compartments 116 and 118, they diverge from one another.

[0038] Referring to Figure 3 , the second side panel 140 of the first compartment 114 and the first side panel 142 of the second compartment 116 are oriented such that as they extend downward from their respective scalloped protrusions 172 and 174 and in a direction toward the bottom panels 120 and 122 of their respective compartments 114 and 116, they diverge from one another. In some embodiments, the angle between the initial diverging portion and the substantially straight portion of the second side panel 140 of the first compartment 114 and the first side panel 142 of the second compartment 116 is about 10°. Similarly, the second side panel 144 of the second compartment 116 and the first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 are oriented such that as they extend downward from their respective scalloped protrusions 176 and 178 and in a direction toward the bottom panels 122 and 124 of their respective compartments 116 and 118, they diverge from one another. In some embodiments, the angle between the initial diverging portion and the substantially straight portion of the second side panel 144 of the second compartment 116 and the first side panel 146 of the third compartment 118 is about 10°. The first side panel 138 of the first compartment 114 and the second side panel 148 of the third compartment 118 are oriented such that as they extend downward from their respective portions of the perimeter rim 150 and in a direction toward the bottom panels 120 and 124 of their respective compartments 114 and 118, they converge toward one another. In some embodiments, the angle between the substantially straight portions of the first side panel 138 of the first compartment 114 is about 5° with respect to a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the perimeter rim 150. Similarly, in some embodiments, the angle between the substantially straight portions of the second side panel 148 of the third compartment 118 is about 5° with respect to a vertical plane that is perpendicular to the perimeter rim 150.

[0039] It is believed that the fan-shaped protrusions 172, 174, 176, and 178, along with their respective reinforcing ribs 173, 175, 177, and 179, advantageously provide the tray 100 with greater structural rigidity, thereby limiting and / or preventing undesirable deformation / distortion of the tray 100 and / or the sidewall portions 112 of the compartments 114, 116, 118 during manufacturing, packaging, shipping, etc., thereby reducing and / or eliminating damage to the food products 90 caused by such undesirable deformation or distortion of the compartments 114, 116, 118 inwardly toward the food products 90.

[0040] Generally, and without wishing to be bound by theory, there are several structural features that exist in conventional cookie trays that are believed to contribute to the undesirable buckling of conventional cookie trays. First, in some conventional cookie trays, reinforcing ribs formed in the outermost sidewall panels of the tray extend along the entire length of the sidewall panels or end walls and into the perimeter rim, thereby creating a natural weak point in the outermost sidewall panels to buckle and / or kink, thereby causing an inwardly directed deformation of the compartments containing the food products. Further, in conventional trays, the transitions between the dividers and the sidewalls are very robust in height and width such that they undesirably create a large footprint on the sidewalls, thereby creating a natural bend / kink point around their perimeter, which often results in an inwardly directed deformation of the front and back panels of the sidewalls.

[0041] The tray 100 overcomes the inward buckling tendency of conventional cookie trays by increasing the rigidity of the tray 100, while at the same time providing increased buckling resistance to the tray 100 in response to external front, back, and / or side compression forces that the tray 100 can experience during packaging or shipping. For example, as described above, the tray 100 includes first and second sidewalls 138 and 148 having reinforcing ribs 156 that do not extend along the entire length of each of the panels 138 and 146, but rather only along a portion of the length of each of the panels 138 and 146, which provides each of the panels 138 and 148 with a non-corrugated portion 159 that does not include any reinforcing ribs 156. The portions 159 of each of the panels 138 and 148 provide the panels 138 and 148 with a solid, non-corrugated structure, thereby increasing the structural integrity and increasing the rigidity of the sidewall portions 112 of the tray 100, which advantageously makes the tray 100 less susceptible to undesirable deformation during manufacturing, packaging, shipping, sorting, etc. Further, the fan-shaped protrusions 172, 174, 176, and 178 and their respective reinforcing ribs 173, 175, 177, and 179 each have a narrow footprint on the sidewall portions 112 such that they do not create natural areas that are susceptible to buckling or kinking, which is different from conventional trays.

[0042] Without being limited by theory, the tray 100 according to the embodiments described herein is configured such that when a compressive force is applied to the tray 100 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first and second side panels 138, 148, the sidewall portion 112 of the tray 100 deflects in a direction away from the food 90 (e.g., where the longest dimension of the perimeter rim 150 is warped in a direction away from the floor 120, 122, 124, as shown in Figure 9 or in a direction toward the floor 120, 122, 124), such that the sidewall portion 112 does not flex or kink inwardly into the compartment 114, 116, 118, thereby limiting and / or preventing damage to the food 90 that would typically result from flexing or kinking of conventional trays.

[0043] The tray 100 can be part of a package, as shown in Figure 8 and can include an outer, surrounding wrapper and a plurality of articles, such as cookies 90, disposed in each of the compartments. The wrapper 102 can optionally include a reclosable flap 104, as shown in Figure 8 as well.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many other modifications, permutations, and combinations are possible in light of the above description, and such modifications, permutations, and combinations will fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tray for holding a plurality of food items, the tray comprising: a bottom wall portion, a side wall portion extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion, and one or more dividers, the bottom wall portion, the side wall portion, and the one or more dividers together defining a plurality of interconnected compartments, each compartment configured to hold one or more of the food items accessible via an opening opposite the bottom wall portion; a flange portion disposed about the opening and at opposite ends of the side wall portion relative to the bottom wall portion, the flange portion including a peripheral rim extending outwardly from the side wall portion; each of the one or more dividers separating adjacent compartments from one another, each of the one or more dividers extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion and terminating proximate the peripheral rim, each of the one or more dividers connected with the peripheral rim by a pair of scalloped protrusions, each of the dividers having a pair of opposing divider walls positioned at an angle relative to one another and joined at an apex; wherein a portion of each of the scalloped protrusions protrudes beyond the opposing divider walls and into the peripheral rim; wherein the side wall portion includes a pair of opposing end walls each having a reinforcing rib extending from proximate the bottom wall portion toward the flange portion and spaced apart from the flange portion by a segment of the end wall; and wherein in response to a compressive force applied to the peripheral rim in a direction substantially perpendicular to a face of each of the end walls, the divider walls of each of the one or more dividers move in a direction away from one another and increase the angle between the divider walls of each of the one or more dividers.

2. The tray of claim 1, wherein the tray has three compartments and two dividers, the dividers extending generally parallel to the end walls.

3. The tray of claim 1, wherein each of the end walls includes a curved portion including the reinforcing rib and the segment of each of the end walls includes a planar portion.

4. The tray of claim 2, wherein the bottom wall portion includes a first floor, a second floor, and a third floor, each of the first, second, and third floors spaced apart from one another and generally rectangular and planar.

5. The tray of claim 2, wherein each of the compartments of the tray includes a pair of opposing panels of the side wall portion, the opposing panels of adjacent compartments connected via the dividers and the scalloped protrusions.

6. The tray of claim 1, wherein the peripheral rim includes an upwardly facing surface having an inner edge intersecting the side wall portion and an outer edge intersecting a raised perimeter extending upwardly from the upwardly facing surface of the peripheral rim. ​ 7. The tray of claim 6, further comprising an outer flange extending outwardly from the raised perimeter of the perimeter rim, the outer flange comprising an upwardly facing surface, the upwardly facing surface of the outer flange having an inner edge that intersects the raised perimeter of the perimeter rim and a free outer edge.

8. The tray of claim 1, wherein a downwardly facing surface of the perimeter rim comprises a plurality of projections configured to support the tray on a perimeter rim of a second tray when the second tray is stacked on top of the tray.

9. The tray of claim 1, wherein a substantially horizontal upwardly facing portion of each of the scalloped projections comprises a portion of a reinforcing rib extending in a direction away from the sidewall portion.

10. The tray of claim 9, wherein each of the scalloped projections is interconnected with a respective one of the dividers by the reinforcing rib.

11. The tray of claim 10, wherein an inclined inwardly facing portion of each of the scalloped projections extends upwardly from the horizontal upwardly facing portion of each of the scalloped projections.

12. The tray of claim 1, wherein the tray comprises at least one of the following: general purpose polystyrene (PS), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polypropylene-ethylene copolymer, and combinations thereof.

13. The tray of claim 1, wherein the flange portion comprises a raised perimeter portion extending upwardly from the perimeter rim, and an outer flange extending outwardly from the raised perimeter portion.

14. The tray of claim 1, in combination with an outer, surrounding wrapper, and containing a plurality of cookies in each of the compartments.

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