CA1232241A - Egg roll container - Google Patents

Abstract

A B S T R A C T
An egg roll container embodied by an open-topped tray of generally rectangular shape. The bottom of the tray is formed with at least two parallel rows of nests in alternately staggered relationship.
Each nest is formed by a pair of spaced-apart ridges and a common trough portion. Each nest conforms in dimension and shape to the longitudinal marginal portion of a standard egg roll placed therein with the opposite flat ends of the egg roll in upright position. The container prevents egg roll breakage and enables storing in a minimum of space.

Description

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PHYLA OF EYE INVENTION
Ike present invention relates to the art of packaging food-stuffs morn specifically to a novel container for masfl-produced egg rolls .
BACKGROUND OF TIRE INVENTION
A is well known, egg rolls have a unique shape which may be described no generally cylindrical at their middle portion and greenly tapering outwardly to pair of--oppo~ite flat and slightly flared ends.
These flat opposite ends are substantially coplanar. Apart from their shape, egg roll have a relatively fragile crust which can be easily damaged even when frozen. It will be readily appreciated that, taking these two characteristics Unto consideration, it is difficult to pack erg rolls properly for shipping from a factory where they ore produced.
Till now, such packing has made use of ordinary thin cardboard or similar material boxes hnvlng dimensions corresponding more or less to the dip mentions of egg rolls packed therein side by side, or lengthwise. The egg rolls packed in these boxes are not supported in any Way except against each other; hence, they may easily be cracked, chipped or crushed.
OB.IEClS OF TIRE INVENTION
In view of the above it is an important object of the present invention to provide an egg roll container integrally formed with a plurally of newts which support each individual egg roll in orderly rows .
It 19 another equally importune object of the invention to pro-vise an ego roll container of the character described in which the nests are in parallel and alternately staggered relationship in order to pack the erg rightly in minimum space.
It 18 Jill another object of the invention to provide an ego roll container which can be stacked one within the other when empty.
It Lo yet another object of the invention to provide an I roll container of the above type which is made of thin pLa~Lc material nod _ I _ - ~Z32;~1 yet strong enough to permit stacking of full container.
SUMMERY OF THE INVENTION
to above and other objects and advantages of the prevent in-mention are realized according to a preferred embodiment comprising a container in the form of an open-topped and generally rectangular tray.
ye tray has a bottom surface, a pelf of parallel spared lateral Allah .... _ and a pair of parallel spaced longitudinal walls merging with the lateral wall at their respective opposite ends.
Preferably these walls are formed with a plurality of outward-lye protuberant reinforcing ribs which are in parallel spaced apart relstLorlshLp. The ribs are desirable to lend structural strength to the tray if the latter is made of a thin plastic material as it envisioned.
Each wall is further preferably formed at its top edge with an outwardly extending horizontal flange by which the tray is reinforced and also can be en~lly grasped for carrying.
The four upper corners of the tray where the four horizontal flanges meet are preferably downwardly recessed to further reinforce the tray upper corners.
The bottom surface of the tray is integrally formed with at lest two spaced-apart and parallel row of nests which are in alternate-lye Staggered relationship. Each nest is formed by a pair of adjacent end spaced-apart riciges and a common trough portion which conforms to the shape of the longitudinal marginal portion of an egg roll placed thereon.
Us the ego rolls are firmly supported in their individual nests and, should the tray be inadvertently shaken or otherwise disturbed, the arrangement of the nest in staggered relationship ensures that the ends of the egg roll non-movingly abut each other thereby effectively pro-venting any damage to the egg rolls. The staggered arrangement of the nests also ennoble egg roll Ytorlng in a minimum space.
ROUGH DESCRIPTION OF THE RINKS
the above will be more clearly ~Inders~ood by referring to the AL

Description of the Preferred Embodiments and the following annexed drawings, in which:
Figure 1 it a perspective view of the ego roll container according to a laureate embodiment;
Jogger 2 is another perspective view of the egg roll container according to a second embodiment;
Figure 3 is A top plan view of the embodiment of Figure l;
Figure 4 it a top plan view of the embodlmen~ of Flogger 2;
Figure 5 it a cro~s-sectional view taken along lint 5-5 of Figure. 3;
Figure 6 I a lon~ltudlnal elevation of Figure l; and Figures 7, 8 and 9 are cross-sections taken on fines 7-7, 8-8 and 9-9 respectively of Figure 4, the end wall being absent in Figure 8 o'er renter clarity Like number indicate like element throughout the drawings.
ANTS
Both embodiment illustrated in the figures comprise a try without a cover. referring firstly to the first embodiment, shown in Figures 1, 3, 5 end 6, tray 1 it made of a thin but rigid pl~stlc and brought to form by, for example, vacuum mounding.
Tray 1 it rectangular and ha a pelf of spaced, parallel end walls 2, another pair of spaced, parallel longitudinal walls 3 and a bottom 4. Wolff 2 and 3 are all integrally formed with a plurality of paced apart vertical outwardly protruding ribs 6 to runoffs the tray.
Transverse ribs 6 generally terminate at the Lowry edges of each wall, while the longitudinal rib 6 extend a certain distance in bottom 4.
'ye upper edges of all the walls 2, 3 are provided with horizontal and outwardly extending flanges 7 which are preferably up-turned at their outer edge 7' and which also include peripheral down-wardly-protruding ribs 7".
The zipper portions of walls 2, 3 a well as the inner portions 3LZ322~
of flanges 7 are further integrally formed with short, sucker outwardly-protruding ribs 5, again to reinforce the tray at its upper portion.
Bottom 4 constitutes the creative and navel aspect of the invention. It is integrally formed with a plurality of egg roll nests 8, which æ e longitudinally oriented and arranged in three parallel rows transverse to longitudinal walls or As best seen in Figure 3, the nests 9 of anyone row are staggered relative to the nests of an adjacent row, and the two ends of the nests of two adjacent rows are interdigitated. To achieve the staggered configuration, the middle row is shortened and the middle segment of longitudinal walls 3 are recessed at 9.
Each nest 8 supports one egg roll 10. Nests 8 are defined by a plurality of ridges 11 having sloping sides, and a trough portion 12. Ridges 11 are shorter in length than an egg roll, while trough portions 120f the two outer news are formed by a continuation of the longitudinal ribs 6 in bottom 4. Trough portions 12 of the middle row are also formed with outwardly-protruding ribs 6' of the same length as an egg roll.
Roth sides of each ridge 11 are preferably formed with a pair of spaced,outwardly-protruding reinforcing ribs 13.
Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, the shape of trough portions 12 is clearly shown: they are substantially intermediately horn-zontal and curve downwardly at their opposite ends 12'. m is shape thus serves to support the center portion of egg rolls 10 (shown in dashed outline in Figure 5), but not their end portions which are slightly flared, each egg roll 10 being placed such that its flat ends are upright in a nest 8.
Figures 2 and 4 depict a second preferred embodiment. Tray Al is very similar in construction to tray 1, including lateral walls

2', longitudinal walls 3', a bottom rubs 6 ", flanges 15, outer edges 15' and ribs 15" and secondary ribs 5'. The difference button the two emkcdiments is that the second embodiment is formed with Tao ,., rows of nests 8' instead of three. Lucy two news are also staggered as descried above, which staggering is achieved by indent-in the diagonally-opposite portions ill of both longitudinal WrdllS

3'. also, the longitudinal ribs 6'' on either side of tray 1' extend inwardly to form the trough portions of nests 8'.
As best seen in Figures 1 and 2, the four upper corners of trays 1 and 1' are each font with a cup-shaped recess 14, 14' respectively. Recesses 14, 14' serve as a reinforcing means at the four upper corners.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 show -the transverse shape of nests 14, 14' of either embodiment.
It is to be noted that either embodiment of the container can also be vertically stacked when empty or full of egg rolls. m e walls slightly if ye upwardly for stacking when empty. When full, the containers are sealed by a suitable cover, such as by stretching a sheet of flexible, sticky, transparent material, over the open top.
m is also allows stacking of the fly trays, because the upper portions of the nested egg rolls are not as high as the upper edges of the trays.

Claims (4)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED, ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A container for receiving egg rolls of the type including an elongated body, of generally oval cross-section, with flattened and flared end portions, said container including a bottom wall and four side walls parallel two by two, egg roll-receiving nests integrally formed in said bottom wall, each nest including a pair of spaced-apart elongated, parallel ridges having sloping concave sides conforming to the cross-sectional shape of the lower part of an egg roll horizontally supported in said nest with its opposite flat end portions upright, said ridges shorter than a standard egg roll, the portion of the bottom wall between said ridges being longitudinally straight and extended at both ends by downwardly-sloping portions to clear the flattened ends of said standard egg roll, said nests disposed in rows with the ridges of the nests of anyone row parallel to one another and to a pair of side walls, the nests of anyone row being staggered relative to the nests of an adjacent row, the sloping portions of the bottom wall of the nests of two adjacent rows being interdigitated, said side walls higher than egg rolls nested in said nests, to support at their upper edge a cover overlying said egg rolls.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the portions of the side walls adjacent the outermost nests of each row have a bottom portion defining a cross-sectional shape similar to that of said ridges to define with a ridge a nest for housing an egg roll adjacent wall portion, the wall portions opposite adjacent rows staggered one relative to the other.

3. A container as defined in claim 1; wherein side walls adjacent the outer rows of nests and normal to said nests are provided with inner upright grooves along the centerline of the nests, said grooves adapted to receive an end portion of egg rolls located in said nests, in order to move positively maintain said end portion in upright position.

4. A container as defined in claim 1, 2 or 3, made from a vacuum-molded sheet of thermoplastic material.