Waddington North America, Inc.

Michael G Evans

Matthew J Wichmann

John Kevin Bruce

Ashish K Mithal

Johnny B Strunk

Curtis Heverly

The present invention relates to a food container assembly comprising a base and a lid wherein the base and the lid are structurally identical in one of the embodiments. The base and the lid include inter-cooperating sealing areas in the form of ridges and mating grooves. The base and the lid can be joined via a first hinge/latch combination in a mutually hingeable relationship along a pair of corresponding sides, and in addition, can be mutually secured along an opposing pair of corresponding sides via a second hinge/latch combination. According to one embodiment of the invention, the container base includes a bottom wall; a sidewall; and a peripheral rim having a ridge portion, a groove portion, a hinge flap and a locking area; wherein the container base is adapted for engagement and latching with another identical container base disposed in an inverted and superjacent relationship therewith.

Food container assembly with integral hinge/latch combination and method therefor

Food tray and mating cover system

A disposable plastic lid with folding side tabs for holding and drinking from hot beverage cups. The lid is applied in the usual fashion to the pre-filled beverage cup. A shorter tab adjacent the drinking spout accommodates the user's thumb. A longer tab opposite the spout accommodates a multi-finger opposing grip. There is a additional top side finger grip in the lid opposite the drinking spout. The side tabs are attached by two point hinge mechanisms with a slit running between the hinge points along the radius of the flange dividing the tab from the flange. The flange retains its full diameter about the circumference of the lid. The tabs are pre-formed with a raised rib pattern and shaped to fit the curvature of the sidewall of the cup. The two point hinge allows the tabs to be folded down and inward below the lid flange into contact with the sidewall of the cup, providing thermal insulation to the user's grip. The two point hinge mechanism and conforming sidetab minimizes structure protruding beyond that of the lid flange.

Lid with folding side tabs for hot beverage cup

A hot beverage lid having thermal protective flex-guards or flaps extending from opposite sides of a cover portion of the lid for protecting a consumer's fingers from heat emanating from the side of a cup. A first flap extends a first distance from under a drinking opening having sufficient area for a thumb. A second flap extends a second distance which is greater than the first flap from the opposite side of the lid and has sufficient area for at least two fingers. Each flap is contoured to conform to the curvature or the sidewall of the cup and each flap comprises swirled rib embossing for improved retention against fingers holding the cup. The top of the cover portion is concave with a hole in the center to allow liquid spillage to reenter the cup. Also, a channel surrounding the base of a circular plateau on top of the cover of the lid is provided for collecting fluid spillage.

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Cincinnati, OH, United States of America

Michael G Evans