Envelopes – wrappers – and paperboard boxes – Paper or paperboard cup
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-10
2001-02-06
Gehman, Byron P. (Department: 3728)
Envelopes, wrappers, and paperboard boxes
Paper or paperboard cup
C229S104000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06182890
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsible, disposable container for holding foodstuffs, and more specifically to such a container which may be foldably assembled from a section of substantially rigid, flat stock material, which collapses flat for storage, and which easily expands to an open operable position for containing foodstuffs. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a container which is dimensioned, constructed and arranged to be stably insertable into a standard vehicle cup holder without deformation, which has an improved ergonomic design which may be easily gripped, and which may optionally include a smaller, secondary body for containing supplemental foodstuffs, such as condiments.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Foodstuff containers are well known, with typical applications related to the fast food industry. There are many known foodstuffs containers which are made from a folded unitary piece of paperboard or other somewhat rigid flat material, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,324. These types of containers may additionally be made foldably collapsible for shipping, storage, or other purposes, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,185,764 and 5,720,428. However, the known foldably collapsible foodstuff containers are not able to be stably inserted into a standard vehicle cup holder without deformation, and do not have an ergonomic design allowing them to be easily gripped.
There are also many known containers having a circular base which will fit within a standard vehicle cup holder, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,358,175; 5,427,269; and 5,433,337. These containers are not collapsible for shipping or storage, and cannot be foldably assembled from a unitary flat piece of material.
Furthermore, there are many known collapsible foodstuffs containers which also have a secondary receptacle or other means for containing supplemental foodstuffs; such as condiments, or which support a supplemental foodstuffs container. Some such containers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. D373,081; 5,417,364; 5,540,333; and 5,875,957. These containers are not formed or folded from a unitary flat piece of material, but require additional processing to attach an additional wall, pocket, or other means to support or contain supplemental foodstuffs.
There are also known foodstuffs containers provided with a tear panel, which may be torn away to provide additional access to the foodstuffs, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,235, but they do not provide a tear panel which can be folded or otherwise formed into a supplemental foodstuffs container.
Although the known collapsible and disposable foodstuffs containers are effective for their intended purposes, there remains a need in the art for such a container which is simply constructed from a single, flat blank, but which may be easily fitted into a standard vehicle cup holder without substantial deformation, and which has an improved ergonomic design to allow for easy gripping thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed to overcome the foregoing limitations and disadvantages of conventional disposable containers for foodstuffs, and to generally fulfill a need in the art for a disposable, collapsible foodstuffs container which may be foldably assembled from a unitary piece of flat material, which is adapted to be stably inserted into a standard vehicle cup holder substantially without deformation, and which has an improved ergonomic design which may be easily gripped. Furthermore, in one particular embodiment thereof, the present invention fulfills a need in the art for a foodstuffs container of the type described which further has an optional, smaller, second body for containing supplemental foodstuffs, such as condiments.
According to the invention there is provided a collapsible, disposable food container, including a main body which is selectively adjustable between an operative, open position and a collapsed, flat position thereof. The container is constructed from a unitary piece of flat stock material folded and glued back on to itself to define front, back side, and bottom walls. Preferably, the bottom portion of the container is shaped substantially as a truncated cone when the main body is in the operative open position, such that the bottom portion may be inserted in, and stably engage the walls of a circular opening. Preferably, the lower portion of the container main body fits within a circular area in a range between 2.5 and 3 inches in diameter, and most preferably, 2.75 inches in diameter.
It is preferable that each of the side walls includes a support leg extending below the bottom wall for stably supporting the container on a flat surface. For additional support, it is preferable that the container includes overlapping panel sections extending from each of the side walls, respectively, and connected to portions of at least one of the front and back walls in an overlapping manner, and that the overlapping panel sections also have support legs extending below the bottom wall, which align with, and are connected to the side wall support legs.
For even further improved support on a flat surface, it is preferable that the bottom wall includes a front section, and a rear section which is wider than the front section, and that the front and rear sections of the bottom wall are non-symmetric to each other.
According to another preferred aspect of the invention, each side wall includes an indentable gripping brace region, intermediate of upper and lower portions of the side wall, wherein the indentable gripping brace region can be flexed inwardly of the upper and lower portions of the side walls, when inwardly directed pressure is applied thereto. It is preferable that the indentable gripping brace regions be made substantially football shaped.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the container further includes a smaller secondary body defining an auxiliary pocket which is integrally connected to one of the front, back or side walls of the main body, wherein the secondary body is also constructed from the unitary piece of flat stock material used to form the main body.
It is preferable that the container further include a horizontal contour relief slit defined through one of the front, back or side walls of the main body for nestingly receiving a tear-away portion of the container back wall therein during formation of the secondary body. Where used, the horizontal contour relief slit corresponds with and is located adjacent the secondary body.
Wherefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a foodstuffs container which collapses flat for storage, which easily expands to an open position for containing foodstuffs, and which is adapted to be stably inserted into a standard vehicle cup holder without deformation.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a foodstuffs container of the above-described type, which container may be foldably assembled from a unitary piece of flat material.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a foodstuffs container which may be foldably assembled from a unitary piece of flat material, which collapses flat for storage, which easily expands to an open position for containing foodstuffs, and which has an improved ergonomic design which may be easily gripped.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a foodstuffs container which may be foldably assembled from a unitary piece of flat material, which collapses flat for storage, which easily expands to an open position for containing foodstuffs, and which includes an optional, smaller, secondary body for containing supplemental foodstuffs, such as condiments.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the reader is referred to the following detailed description section, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description and in the drawings, like numbers refer to like parts.
REFERENCES:
patent: D
Dimitroff Gregory A.
Sattler Andrew J.
Blackman William D.
Carrier Joseph P.
Carrier Blackman & Associates P.C.
Gehman Byron P.
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