Fort James Corporation

Georgia-pacific Corporation

Dixie Consumer Products LLC

Jerome G Dees

Mark B Littlejohn

Rebecca E Whitmore

Gerald John Van Handel

Kirk Kimbel

Thomas W Zelinski

Debra D Bowers

Mark Cruz

Derek Riemer

Luther A Gross

Margaret P Neer

Paul R Kaknes

Robert J Aloisi

Andrew W Taylor

A sealable food container includes a base serving member such as a plate having a generally planar central portion, a sidewall extending generally upwardly and outwardly therefrom and a base outer flange portion extending outwardly from the sidewall. The sidewall defines a sealing area with an undercut annular sealing surface disposed between the substantially planar central portion of the base serving member and the base outer flange portion. The sidewall portion of the plate defines a base stop ridge adjacent the upper edge of the undercut annular sealing surface of the sidewall as well as a laterally extending retaining shelf adjacent the lower edge of the undercut annular sealing surface of the base serving member. A matching sealing lid is typically provided with a dome, a flexible sidewall and an annular sealing portion configured to cooperate with the base stop ridge and the sealing surface of the serving member sidewall of the base serves to position the sidewall engaging cover during sealing of the container. In a preferred embodiment, the sidewall of the lid has upwardly projecting flutes and the base has an outer recess at the lower portion of its sidewall configured to engage the upwardly projecting flutes to render the containers securely stackable.

Sealable food container with improved lidding and stacking features

There is provided a container having both male and female sealing regions disposed about its periphery in a pattern making it possible to seal a container with another container having substantially identical sealing regions. The male sealing regions used in the practice of the present invention may take the form of a U-shaped ridge which is undercut along at least one leg of the U in a radial direction. Typically, a container will be thermoformed from lightweight thermoplastic material giving the U-shaped ridge considerable flexibility. The female sealing regions used in the practice of the invention may take the form of an undercut channel adapted to receive and match the undercut U-shaped ridges found in the male portion of the container wherein the walls and base of the channel are sufficiently flexible that the undercut portions of the U-shaped ridge are urged into engagement with the undercut portions of the channel. Transition regions between the channels and ridges have arculate undercut profiles to further seal the container. The containers are further provided with asymmetric stacking features and inclined separator tabs.

Food container with interchangeable lid&#x2014;base seal provided with undercut sealing profile and asymmetric interlockable stacking ridges

There is provided a container having both male and female sealing regions disposed about its periphery in a pattern making it possible to seal a container with another container having substantially identical sealing regions. The male sealing regions used in the practice of the present invention may take the form of a U-shaped ridge which is undercut along at least one leg of the U. Typically, a container will he thermoformed from lightweight thermoplastic material giving the U-shaped ridge considerable flexibility. The female sealing regions used in the practice of the invention may take the form of an undercut channel adapted to receive and match the undercut U-shaped ridges found in the male portion of the container wherein the walls and base of the channel are sufficiently flexible that the undercut portions of the U-shaped ridge are urged into engagement with the undercut portions of the channel and the crest of the ridge is urged into the channel.

Food container with interchangeable lid&#x2014;base seal design

In a preferred construction, a food container includes: (i) a container base such as a serving planer, plate or howl having (a) a substantially planar central area, (b) a container base sidewall extending outwardly and upwardly from the central area having: (1) a recessed frustal tapered container base sealing area formed in the container base sidewall, and (2) a container base stop ridge adjacent the frustal tapered container base sealing area, and (c) an outwardly extending convex rim adjoining the container base stop ridge having an outer lip formed thereabout; and (ii) a resilient mating domed lid.

Disposable serving plate with sidewall-engaged sealing cover

The present invention is directed to rigid disposable food containers provided with a relatively steep sidewall with a generally linear profile and an outwardly flared arcuate flange portion. The containers are further characterized by a flange outer vertical drop wherein the ratio of the length of the vertical drop to the characteristic diameter of the container is greater than about 0.01. By virtue of unique geometry, the containers of the invention exhibit improved rigidity and/or rim stiffness yet have favorable runnability in pressware manufacturing systems characteristic of plates of lower strength.

Disposable food container with a linear sidewall profile and an arcuate outer flange

Disposable plastic kettle

Sealable food serving container

Composite paperboard containers formed from a first substantially planar sheet of paperboard material having a content contacting surface and a back surface, a first embossed sheet of paperboard material having a plurality of raised portions adhered to the back surface of the first planar sheet and a second embossed sheet of paperboard material having a plurality of raised portions adhered to the first embossed sheet of paperboard material. Additional planar sheets or embossed sheets may be added as desired in order to achieve the desired flexural stiffness and thermal resistance. Such containers being in the form of cups, plates, bowls or trays and formed by providing the substantially planar sheet of paperboard material, forming the planar sheet of paperboard material into a container shell, providing a first embossed sheet of paperboard material having raised portions and adhering the raised portions of the first embossed sheet of paperboard material to the planar sheet of paperboard material, providing a second embossed sheet of paperboard material having raised portions and adhering the raised portions of the second embossed sheet of paperboard material to the first embossed sheet of paperboard material. Alternatively, the embossed sheets of paperboard material may be previously adhered to one another and subsequently adhered to the planar sheet of paperboard material.

Containers formed of a composite paperboard web and methods of forming the same

Disposable flatware with arcuate handle

Containers formed of a composite paperboard web and methods of forming

Growing community of inventors

Appleton, WI, United States of America

Jerome G Dees