International Paper Company

Paul D Roosa

Robert L Gordon

Barbara Mesquida

Kurt D Jensen

A package particularly useful for either conventional oven or microwave heating of refrigerated or frozen foodstuffs includes a lower paperboard tray, an upper frangible paperboard cover, and an intermediate compartmentalized plastic food tray. The bottom of the plastic tray food compartments rest on the tray bottom. The plastic tray side edges are clamped between laterally extending side flanges on the lower tray and edges of the top cover. The top cover is removed by ripping along tear lines. After consumption of the food, the plastic tray is readily removed to thereby facilitate separation for recycling. The package construction also facilitates the use of relatively thin plastic for forming the compartmentalized plastic tray because the weight of the foodstuffs in the plastic tray components is partially borne by the lower tray. In an embodiment, the plastic tray is inserted into the either end of a paperboard rectangular sleeve or tube and the tube ends closed, with only the two ends of the plastic tray supported by the paperboard lower tray portion.

Multi-compartment ovenable food container

A pyramidal, truncated container is fashioned from a unitary blank of paperboard. The inner two of four top closure panel each carry a semicircular handle cut from the blank and extend upwardly in surface contact with each other to form a two ply handle. The outer two of four top closure panels carry respective slits which fold over and become aligned and receive the handles. The free edge of the topmost inner top closure panels is provided with two spaced slots each of which receives a respective lower end of the two ply handle. The paperboard material on both sides of each of these slots extends beyond the free end of the bottommost inner top closure panel. The ends of the slits and the ends of the handles resiliently and frictionally engage each other to effect a firm top closure sealing action. The container exhibits special utility as a carry out container for food.

Takeout container with integral handles

In a first embodiment, a flip top container of partially irregular hexagonal transverse cross section is formed from a unitary blank of paperboard or other stiff, foldable and resilient sheet material. In a second embodiment of the container, another unitary blank of paperboard is employed to form a cigarette container having the same partially irregular hexagonal transverse cross sectional shape, except that a panel having tongue which is reclosable after opening is employed in lieu of a flip top closure.

Hexagonal cigarette container

A sandwich pouch is formed from a unitary blank of Kraft paper or other easily biodegradable, flexible sheet material. The blank is of generally rectangular form and includes a plurality of generally rectangular panels, joined side by side and foldably secured together by generally transversely extending fold lines. The ends of a pair of middle panels are each provided with a generally rectangular end seal flap. The blank is also provided with a pair of longitudinally extending tear lines which permit the pouch formed from the blank to be torn open at either or both ends to gain access to its contents. The pouch is opened by bending back an upper front closure panel for insertion of a food product such as a hamburger.

Sandwich pouch

A carbon formed from a unitary blank of paperboard and being of rectangular parallelepiped shape. The carton is particularly adapted to contain a food product, such as a frozen juice concentrate or a frozen mass of other food product. The invention relates to a top closure construction which enables the consumer to remove the top closure so that the carton contents, particularly if in the form at a frozen brick, can easily be removed. Further, after such removal, the remainder of the carton can function as a measuring container for pouring any liquids therein which are to be added to the food product. These functions are achieved by the provision frangible lines, such as perforated tear lines, straight across the carton sidewalls, contiguous to the top of the carton sidewalls. The carton top closure is provided with a pull tab or a fin having a free end which can be manually grasped by the consumer. Upon pulling the pull tab or fin, the perforated lines are ruptured and the container top closure can be displaced from the remainder of the container and thus permit sliding removal of the frozen food product. The interior surface of the carton is provided with a frangible barrier layer, such as a conventional polyethylene or other extruded layer, to cover the perforations of the perforated lines and thus prevent leakage and also contamination of the carton contents through the perforations.

Paperboard carton for frozen foodstuffs

A clamshell or other hinged top cover type carton for hamburgers is provided with a divider sheet formed from paperboard or a paperboard laminate. The ends of the divider sheet extend laterally beyond the side edges of the carton. A bun heel and hot hamburger patty are located in the lower half of the container and a bun crown and various toppings are located in the top container half. The divider sheet separates the hot meat patty from the cooler toppings. For hamburger consumption, the user pulls a laterally extending edge of the divider sheet laterally away from the carton, the bun crown and toppings fall on to the hot hamburger patty and bun heel, thereby preparing the hamburger sandwich. The consumer now opens the carton to gain access to the sandwich.

Paperboard food carton and divider

A pair of relatively small spaced apart identical tray type containers for packaging products such as food are formed from a one-piece blank arranged so that, when completed with the contents enclosed, the containers can only be opened by ripping apart integral tamper-proof tear-away portions, not by just separating the flaps or panels. In some embodiments tear strips are provided across the middle panel portion to allow easy severance of the containers from each other.

Twin tray container

A frence fry scoop/container formed from a unitary blank of paperboard. One sidewall of the container has a projecting tongue which functions both as a scoop and as a resilient or snap top closure. The second sidewall is provided with two parallel rows of tear perforations, to enable its major portion to be torn away. When the filled scoop/container is laid flat on the first sidewall, the second sidewall is ripped away, thereby exposing the entire stack of contents (french fries) and thus enabling the purchaser to add any desired additional condiments to the french fries.

Growing community of inventors

Saugerties, NY, United States of America

Paul D Roosa