Container or packaging for food and method of manufacture thereof

Abstract

A container suitable for food having a tray means with a base member 12 and a plurality of wall members 14 extending therefrom. At least one of the wall members has at least one flap member 24 to be e

Description

The present invention relates to containers or packaging, particularly packaging for foodstuffs and the manufacture, assembly and sealing of the same. Although the present invention refers to packaging or containers for holding fresh produce such as vegetables, fruit and the like, the skilled person will appreciate that the present invention could be used as packaging and / or storage for pre-prepared or processed foodstuffs and is not limited to fresh or raw foodstuffs. Conventionally to seal a cardboard tray, a peripheral lip or flange is provided m substantially the same plane that depends from the edge of the walls of the tray. Typically, the cardboard tray is folded out of an unfolded sheet. The lips or flanges of such a tray are sheet parts folded into a horizontal plane to provide a circumferential flange in the horizontal plane. Often, when a lid or foil top is sealed or adhered onto the lip or flange, the foil pulls the flanges towards each other, such that the lid or foil is not under tension. When the lid or seal foil is not under tension, the top sealed cardboard trays cannot be stacked on top of each other. It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a container or tray that addresses the abovementioned problems. It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a method of producing a container or tray that addresses the abovementioned problems. In a first aspect of the invention there is provided packaging or container for food, said container including; a tray means at least partially defined by a base member or bottom sheet surface and a plurality of wall members extending therefrom, at least one of the wall members including at least one flap member or formation to be engaged with and / or adhered to an adjacent wall member to form a bowl or tray type container in use, said at least one wall member further including lip or flange members providing a surface for a lid means to be secured to in use, characterised in that the lip or flange members comprise at least three portions including at least first and second portions joined by a fold line and configured to form a lip or flange of at least two layers and at least one securing portion or formation at least part of which is configured to be secured and / or adhered to at least part of the flap member or formation. In one embodiment at least the tray means is assembled from a blank. Typically during construction the blank is assembled or moved from a substantially flat configuration to an in use configuration. In a preferred embodiment the wall members extend from the periphery or edge of the base member. Typically the flap members and / or securing portion extend from the wall members. In one embodiment the base member is substantially square or rectangular. Typically the container is constructed from card, paper, paperboard, cartonboard, cardboard or similar such material. Preferably the container is constructed from cartonboard. Typically the container material includes a barrier coating. In one embodiment said lip or flange member comprises a substantially square or rectangular pair of layers. Preferably the container includes a lid means. Typically at least part of said lid means being removable or at least partly removable from the container thereby moving the container from a closed configuration to an open configuration. In one embodiment the lip members including one or more slot means formed therein. Typically said slot means are configured to receive and / or engage with at least part of a lid means and / or adjacent lip or flange member. In one embodiment the lid or foil means is adhered to the lip or flange members. Typically the lid or foil means is adhered to the first lip or flange portions. Further typically the lid or foil means is tensioned because the first and second flange portions are double folded and significant strength is obtained by adhering the securing portions to the flap members before securing the flap members to adjacent wall members. In one embodiment the second lip flange portion is folded against the first flange portion and extends on both ends, such that the extending portions overlap with an adjacent second flange portions of an adjacent wall members and / or second flange portions. Typically a circumferential lip flange is formed by folding together first and second lip or flange portions on at least a pair of opposite wall members. Further typically one or more wall members include a simple single layer or folded flange or lip portion. In one embodiment the wall members with a single layer lip or flange are alternately arranged between the wall members with the two layer or double layer lip or flange members. Further typically the lip or flange members, at least two portions of which are folded double provide the connection with the flange portions of adjacent wall members and thereby a substantially flat or coplanar circumferential lip or flange is obtained without any significant height differences, such that a lid or foil means can be adhered or sealed thereto. In one embodiment the lid or foil means is made of plastics material. Typically the plastics material includes a biodegradable and / or recyclable polymer. In one embodiment the lid or foil means includes polylactic acid (PLA). In one embodiment the lid or foil means comprises a polyethylene (PE) and / or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Typically the PET is recycled PET (rPET). In an embodiment the securing portions are substantially elongate sections that are connected parallel and / or along an edge or section of a wall member. Typically the securing portion is a flap or tab formation that is adhered to the inside of a flap member of the wall member. Typically when the securing portion is adhered to the flap member and the said flap member is subsequently adhered or secured to an adjacent wall member, the position of the lip or flange member is secured. Further typically when a lid or foil member is sealed to the circumferential lip or flange member, the securing portion prevents the first and second lip portions forming the lip members from being pulled up or significantly out of position, such that the sealed lid or foil can remain tensioned and sealing the cardboard tray. Typically by arranging the adhesive and position of the securing portion and / or the flap member the flange or lip member can slope substantially downwards and any tension formed by attaching the lid or foil member can be maintained and / or increased. Further typically when the tray assembly is arranged in a top sealer, the lip or flange member is urged towards a horizontal position or plane, when the lid or foil member is sealed to the lip or flange member. On removal the lip or flange portions are configured depend towards a downwards position, thereby placing tension on the lid or foil member. In one embodiment of the invention adjacent wall members are connected to each other by flap members including at least one overlapping glue flap arranged to one of the two adjacent wall members and being adhered to the other of the two adjacent wall members. The connection of the lip or flange members to adjacent wall members via adhesive attachment of the securing portions to the flap members provides further strength and rigidity to the tray as well as tension to the lip or flange. In yet another embodiment of the invention corner parts are arranged between each of two adjacent wall members, said corner parts are folded double and adhered to one of the two adjacent wall members. In a further preferred embodiment a liner layer is arranged on the sheet or blank that is formed into the container means. Typically the liner layer is a layer of plastics or polymer material. Further typically the polymer material includes a biopolymer material. The liner further improves the leak-tight construction of the tray and allows for storage of more fluid foodstuffs. In a second aspect of the invention a cardboard tray folded from an unfolded sheet of cardboard or blank, which tray comprises; a base member or bottom sheet surface and a plurality of wall members extending therefrom, at least one of the wall members including at least one flap member or formation to be engaged with and / or adhered to an adjacent wall member to form a bowl or tray type container in use, said at least one wall member further including lip or flange members providing a surface for a lid means to be secured to in use, characterised in that the lip or flange members comprise at least three portions including at least first and second portions joined by a fold line and configured to form a lip or flange of at least two layers and at least one securing portion or formation at least part of which is configured to be secured and / or adhered to at least part of the flap member or formation. In a third aspect of the invention there is provided a cardboard tray folded from an unfolded sheet of cardboard or blank, which tray comprises a base member or bottom sheet surface and a plurality of wall members extending therefrom, said wall members including at least one formation to be engaged with and / or adhered to an adjacent wall member to form a bowl or tray type container in use, at least one of the wall members including lip or flange members providing a surface for a lid means to be secured to in use, characterised in that at least one of the wall members includes lip or flange members comprising at least two portions including at least first and second portions configured to be secured together forming a lip or flange of at least two layers and a third securing portion configured to be adhered to the at least one formation that is engaged with and / or adhered to an adjacent wall member. In a fourth aspect of the invention there is provided a method of forming a tray or container from a blank, said tray including; a base member or bottom sheet surface and a plurality of wall members extending therefrom, at least one of the wall members including at least one flap member or formation which is engaged with and / or adhered to an adjacent wall member to form a bowl or tray type container, said at least one wall member further including lip or flange members providing a surface for a lid means to be secured to in use, characterised in that the lip or flange members comprise at least three portions including at least first and second portions joined by a fold line and forming a lip or flange of at least two layers when folded along said line and at least one securing portion or formation at least part of which is secured and / or adhered to at least part of the flap member or formation. Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the following figures wherein: O O Figure 1 shows a cross sectional side view of a wall and lip or flange arrangement in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 shows a blank and fold lines of a tray in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The present invention enables the efficient packaging of fresh produce in tray like containers that can be sealed by a lid which preferably can be tensioned across at least part of the rim of the container. Shown in figure 1 is a cardboard blank 10 is folded into a container in a tray configuration with a base 12 and two pairs of wall members 14a, 14b depending therefrom forming a rectangular tray when assembled. Depending from opposite pair of wall members 14a is a flange portion 16 which forms a double layered lip or flange 18 when folded about or along the fold line 20. The flange 18 is formed be folding the wall member along the fold line 18 and gluing the securing portions, in this example tabs 22 to flaps 24 that extend from wall members 14a. As shown in figures 2a and 2b an adhesive or glue is applied to the tabs 22 and then the lip is folded along the fold line 20 and the tab 22 adhered or stuck to the flap 24. Figure 2a shows this process on the first wall member of a pair 14a and figure 2b on the second, opposite or parallel wall member of the pair 14a. Following this, adhesive or glue is applied to the inside of the flaps 24 and then the flaps 24 are folded around and adhered to the outside of walls 14b thereby forming a tray with at least one flange or lip 16 under tension, biased and / or resiliently biased to a downwards direction or towards the base when assembled. This provides some degree of force or bias to tension and lid applied to the assembled tray. In the figures, hatched sections 26 on the flap members 24 show where tabs 22 are stuck. In addition hatched sections 28 on the parallel wall members 14b show where the flap members are stuck, after the tabs are first adhered, thereby forming the tray.

Claims

24 12 241. A container for food, said container including;5 a tray means at least partially defined by a base member or bottomsheet surface and a plurality of wall members extending therefrom,at least one of the wall members including at least one flap member or formation to be engaged with and / or adhered to an adjacent wall member to form a bowl or tray type container in use,10 said at least one wall member further including lip or flangemembers providing a surface for a lid means to be secured to in use, characterised in that the lip or flange members comprise at least three portions including at least first and second portions joined by a fold line and configured to form a lip or flange of at least two layers15 and at least one securing portion or formation at least part of which is configured to be secured and / or adhered to at least part of the flap member or formation.

2. A container according to claim 1 wherein at least the tray means is20 assembled from a blank and during construction the blank is assembled or moved from a substantially flat configuration to an in use configuration.

3. A container according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the wall members25 extend from the periphery or edge of the base member and the flap members and / or securing portion extend from the wall members.24 12 244. A container according to claims 1-3 wherein the base member is substantially square or rectangular and the container is constructed from card, paper, paperboard, cartonboard, or cardboard.5 5. A container according to claim 4 wherein the container isconstructed from cartonboard.

6. A container according to claims 4 or 5 wherein the container material includes a barrier coating.

107. A container according to claims 1-6 wherein the lip or flange member comprises a substantially square or rectangular pair of layers.

8. A container according to claims 1-7 wherein the container includes 15 a lid means, at least part of said lid means being removable or at least partly removable from the container thereby moving the container from a closed configuration to an open configuration.

9. A container according to claim 8 wherein the lip members including 20 one or more slot means formed therein, said slot means configured toreceive and / or engage with at least part of a lid means and / or adjacent lip or flange member.

10. A container according to claims 1-9 wherein the lid or a foil means 25 is adhered to the lip or flange members.

11. A container according to claim 10 wherein the lid or foil means is adhered to the first lip or flange portions.24 12 2412. A container according to claim 11 wherein the lid or foil means is tensioned because the first and second flange portions are double folded and significant strength is obtained by adhering the securing portions to the flap members before securing the flap members to 5 adjacent wall members.

13. A container according to claim 12 wherein the second lip flange portion is folded against the first flange portion and extends on both ends, such that the extending portions overlap with an adjacent second 10 flange portions of an adjacent wall members and / or second flange portions.

14. A container according to any preceding claim wherein a circumferential lip flange is formed by folding together first and second 15 lip or flange portions on at least a pair of opposite wall members.

15. A container according to claim 14 wherein one or more wall members include a simple single layer or folded flange or lip portion.20 16. A container according to claim 15 wherein the wall members witha single layer lip or flange are alternately arranged between the wall members with the two layer or double layer lip or flange members.

17. A container according to claim 16 wherein the lip or flange 25 members, at least two portions of which are folded double provide the connection with the flange portions of adjacent wall members and thereby a substantially flat or coplanar circumferential lip or flange is obtained without any significant height differences, such that a lid or foil means can be adhered or sealed thereto.24 12 2418. A container according to claim 10 wherein the lid or foil means is made of plastics material.5 19. A container according to claim 18 wherein the plastics materialincludes a biodegradable and / or recyclable polymer.

20. A container according to any preceding claim wherein the securing portions are substantially elongate sections that are connected parallel 10 and / or along an edge or section of a wall member.

21. A container according to claim 20 wherein the securing portion is a flap or tab formation that is adhered to the inside of a flap member of the wall member and when the securing portion is adhered to the 15 flap member and the said flap member is subsequently adhered or secured to an adjacent wall member, the position of the lip or flange member is secured.

22. A container according to claims 10 and 21 wherein when a lid or 20 foil member is sealed to the circumferential lip or flange member, the securing portion prevents the first and second lip portions forming the lip members from being pulled up or significantly out of position, such that the sealed lid or foil can remain tensioned and sealing the cardboard tray.2523. A container according to claim 22 wherein by arranging the adhesive and position of the securing portion and / or the flap member the flange or lip member can slope substantially downwards and any24 12 24tension formed by attaching the lid or foil member can be maintained and / or increased.

24. A container according to any preceding claim wherein adjacent wall 5 members are connected to each other by flap members including at least one overlapping glue flap arranged to one of the two adjacent wall members and being adhered to the other of the two adjacent wall members thereby providing further strength and rigidity to the tray as well as tension to the lip or flange.1025. A method of forming a tray or container from a blank, said tray including;a base member or bottom sheet surface and a plurality of wall members extending therefrom, at least one of the wall members including at least 15 one flap member or formation which is engaged with and / or adheredto an adjacent wall member to form a bowl or tray type container, said at least one wall member further including lip or flange members providing a surface for a lid means to be secured to in use, characterised in that the lip or flange members comprise at least three portions 20 including at least first and second portions joined by a fold line andforming a lip or flange of at least two layers when folded along said line and at least one securing portion or formation at least part of which is secured and / or adhered to at least part of the flap member or formation.2515

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