Envelopes – wrappers – and paperboard boxes – Paperboard box – Elevated bottom wall included in a one-piece box construction
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-17
2001-09-18
Elkins, Gary E. (Department: 3727)
Envelopes, wrappers, and paperboard boxes
Paperboard box
Elevated bottom wall included in a one-piece box construction
C206S511000, C206S512000, C229S120000, C229S169000, C229S172000, C229S178000, C229S906000, C229S915000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290122
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to cartons made of foldable material and, in particular, to paperboard cartons for food products such as pizza.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Each year millions of hot pizzas are sold for delivery and carry-out. The physical and perceived quality of those pizzas are, in large part, determined by the type of packaging used for transporting them.
The most prevalent prior art packaging for pizza is the standard square corrugated pizza box with the double-panel front wall, in which corner flaps attached to the front end of the side walls are enclosed between the two panels of the double-panel front wall, thereby engaging the front wall structure with each of the side wall structures.
Problems pertaining to that standard pizza box include:
1) Inability to easily cut the pizza in the box with a rocker knife without deforming the side walls of the box; and
2) Contact of the hot bottom panel of the box with the customer's table top, resulting in loss of heat by conduction from the box bottom into the table top and also condensation build-up on the table.
Pertaining to the first problem, prior art structure can be defined in terms of wall-engaged versus non-wall-engaged cartons. As used herein, a wall-engaged carton is a carton in which at least two wall structures are engaged one to the other. This engagement enables the particular wall structures to remain upright when the carton is in open disposition, or when the cover has been removed or laid back from the top of the carton. An example of a wall-engaged pizza carton would be the standard square pizza box with the double-panel front wall structure. A carton that has wall structures designed for engaging one to another is referred to, herein, as a “wall-engageable carton.”
As used herein, a non-wall-engaged carton is a carton in which none of the wall structures have been engaged to one another. This situation results in all of the wall structures being easily pushed into a horizontal position when the carton is in open disposition. Therefore, the distinguishing difference between a wall-engaged and a non-wall-engaged carton is whether the wall structures can be pushed to horizontal disposition when the carton is in open disposition. An example of a non-wall-engaged carton is shown in Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,651 (Matable Blank and Food Carton) granted May 19, 1998.
Both types of cartons have advantages and drawbacks as regards pizza. An advantage of the engaged-wall type of carton is that it has a rigid structure in open disposition. However, because of the upright walls, it has a drawback of being somewhat awkward for loading and cutting a pizza. In addition, it does not allow a pizza to be easily cut in the box using a rocker knife, the preferred cutting tool of many pizza operators.
The non-engaged-wall type of carton, on the other hand, has an advantage of being relatively easy for loading and cutting pizza, but it has a drawback of having floppy walls when the cover is open, which can result in an unappealing carton.
A variation of an engaged-wall carton is shown in Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,948 (Expandable Pizza Box and Method of Use) granted Mar. 16, 1999. The patent discloses an expandable pizza box having side walls that can assume an angled disposition when the box is open. This provides for easier box loading but it still does not allow a pizza to be easily cut in the box with a rocker knife.
Two other variations of an engaged-wall carton are shown in Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,949 (Box) granted Jan. 17, 1995, and Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,806,755 (Product-protecting Pizza Carton) granted Sep. 15, 1998. These patents each disclose a box with side walls engaged with a front wall. What's unique about these boxes is that the walls can be disengaged after opening the cover. Although this allows for use of a rocker knife, it requires extra time and trouble in disengaging the wall structures.
So there has remained a need for a single pizza carton that combines the advantages of the wall-engaged and non-wall-engaged types of cartons, while eliminating the drawbacks of both. That need has not been solved by the prior art, but is solved by my invention. By solving that need a pizza company can provide a higher-quality delivery/carry-out pizza.
Pertaining to the second problem, that of eliminating contact of the box bottom with the table top, two prior patents of mine—namely, Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,130 (Multi-function Pizza Carton) granted Nov. 10, 1998, and Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,035 (Designer Pizza Box with Enhancements) granted Oct. 5, 1999, each disclose thermal-legs, a means for elevating a box bottom above a table top. The instant invention discloses further inventive structure pertaining to thermal-legs and, in certain aspects, combines that new structure with the structure of those two prior patents to produce enhanced pizza box functionality. A problem not solved by the prior art is how to stack multiple thermal-leg-equipped cartons in a level stack when the cover front flap is projecting forward (to enable easy retrieval of a box from the stack). The instant invention solves that problem.
In addition, France U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,800 granted Oct. 19, 1993, discloses an elevating means for an open-ended, topless corrugated tray. However, France's structure is not adaptable for use in a one-piece, four-sided carton, particularly a carton having the basic type of structure used in the standard pizza box with the double-panel front wall.
Finally, Correll U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,241 (Interlock for Stackable Boxes) granted Aug. 27, 1996, shows a box with tabs projecting downward from the front and rear walls. However, it does not disclose elevating means of the type disclosed in the present invention.
So, the two above-described problems have not been solved by the prior art but are solved by my invention. By solving those problems, a higher quality pizza and superior package can be obtained.
OBJECT AND ADVANTAGES
Accordingly, the object of my invention is a carton that is more functional than a standard square pizza box and does a better job of enhancing the real and perceived quality of delivery/carry-out pizza. More specifically, the object of my invention is a carton that does one or more of the following:
(1) can be formed into a non-wall-engaged format prior to loading the pizza (when pre-folded cartons are stacked up) and, subsequently, can be folded into a wall-engaged format after loading the pizza,
(2) provides an improved elevating means for holding the bottom of a loaded box above a table top, and
(3) can be stacked in a level stack even though the carton has elevating means and the cover front flap is projecting forward (to allow for easy grabbing of the box from the stack).
The advantage of my invention is enhanced quality of delivery-carry-out pizza and resulting increased customer satisfaction and sales.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, related drawings, and appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
My invention is a carton that can incorporate one or more of the following features:
1) Has engageable wall structures that are disposed in a non-engaged format even though the carton is in erected disposition;
2) Has thermal-legs of unique structure;
3) Has a hole-covering flap attached to the inner panel of a double-panel wall, the hole-covering flap performing the dual functions of (a) covering an opening in the bottom of the box and (b) holding the inner panel of the double-panel wall in engaged or upright mode (the opening being typically created from formation of a thermal-leg that's adjacent the double-panel wall);
4) Has a reduced-width cover front flap, thereby enabling multiple thermal-leg-equipped cartons to be stacked relatively level when the cover front flap is projecting forward.
My invention typically would be used for packaging relatively flat food products such as pizza; however, it could take other forms for other purposes, as well.
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