GB2580679A

GB2580679A - Burger tray

Info

Publication number: GB2580679A
Application number: GB1900943.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mccaffrey Thomas; Boyle Kevin; Wild Richard
Original assignee: Quinn Packaging Ltd
Current assignee: Quinn Packaging Ltd
Priority date: 2019-01-23
Filing date: 2019-01-23
Publication date: 2020-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-23
Also published as: GB201900943D0; GB2580679B

Abstract

A burger tray 100 that defines specific receiving regions for individual burgers 200. The tray has first and second areas (140, 145, figure 1) for receiving first and second burger patties and these lie along the axis A-A’ and lie in a first plane. Third and fourth receiving areas (150, 155, figure 1) for receiving third and fourth burgers. The third and fourth receiving areas are on a both on a second axis B-B’ and are co-planar in a second plane. A-A’ and B-B’ are offset at an angle from one another and the first plane and second plane are offset from one another. Preferably the second plane is above the first plane. The third and fourth burgers may be supported on two ledges (900, 910, figure 1). Curved contact surfaces 170 may define an arc which extends around about half of the burger. The flange may comprise a sealing surface 310. A method of forming the tray by thermoforming from a PET containing sheet is given.

Description

Burger tray

Field

The present application relates to trays for foodstuffs and in particular to a plastics tray that is specifically configured for storing a plurality of individual burgers or meat patties.

Background

It is well known in the food industry to provide sealed containers within which a foodstuff is retained prior to purchase by an end consumer. These containers typically comprise a tray within which the foodstuff is placed and a sealing film which is then subsequently applied to a top surface of the tray to form the sealed container. The sealing film may be secured in a variety of different ways to the tray, through the use for example of an adhesive or for example through a heat sealing process.

It is known to manufacture the tray and the sealing film from a variety of plastics. For example Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) is commonly used and within the art it is known to use amorphous PET (APET) containers where there is desire for visibility of the product within the tray. It is also known to use crystalline PET (CPET) where there is a desire for the product to be used in a heat and eat application. Polypropylene (PP) is another common material for this use in manufacture of trays and as will be understood by those of ordinary skill it is also known to form sealing films from polyethylene.

Known plastics trays come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Where used for a food product such as minced meat, the base and side walls of the tray will typically define a single receiving volume within the meat is placed and then a sealing film is used to seal the environment around the meat.

For meat products such as burgers which are provided in a defined shape and where there is a desire for that shape to be retained until use, it is known to provide a contoured interior volume of the tray with individual regions of the receiving volume being dimensioned to receive individual burgers. For example, it is known to provide a tray with two receiving volumes, each receiving volume being dimensioned to receive a single burger or a stack of burgers. Where a stack is provided, the individual burgers may be provided one on top of the other. This causes certain challenges in that the lower most burgers are not always visible from the top of the tray or there is a possibility of individual burgers that are in intimate contact with one another sticking to each other. This latter issue can be addressed by interleaving each burger within the stack with a piece of paper or other separation material. Evidently this introduces additional complexity and material into the packing process.

It is also possible, where providing multiple burgers in a single tray, to simply provide a larger area tray. Issues with this approach include the fact that the footprint of the tray may be too large for retail shelving/consumer storage and the amount of plastic that is required in fabricating the trays is increased. This latter issue is particularly relevant in today's awareness of amount of plastics in circulation and a desire to both reduce that volume and also recycle more.

Summary

These and other problems are addressed by the present teaching by a burger tray defining a receiving volume providing a plurality of defined individual locations at which individual ones of a plurality of individual burger patties may be located.

In a first arrangement, the present teaching provides a burger tray for receiving a plurality of burger patties, the tray comprising: a first area for receiving a first burger patty, a second receiving area for receiving a second burger patty, and wherein the first and second receiving areas are arranged along a first axis and are coplanar in a first plane; a third receiving area for receiving a third burger patty, a fourth receiving area for receiving a fourth burger patty, and wherein the third and fourth receiving areas are arranged along a second axis and are coplanar in a second plane wherein the first axis and second axis are offset at an angle from one another and the first plane and second plane are offset from one another.

By providing individual receiving areas for individual burger patties, the burgers will retain their shape during transportation and storage. The receiving areas define contact surfaces upon which the burger patties are operatively placed.

Desirably, the first plane is coincident with a base of the tray. In such an arrangement, the base of the tray provides the contact surfaces of each of the first and second receiving areas.

The second plane is desirably above the first plane relative to the base.

As detailed above, each of the receiving areas define at least one surface upon which a burger patty is operatively placed. In a preferred configuration each of the third and fourth receiving areas desirably provide first and second surfaces upon which a burger patty may be placed. The first and second surfaces are desirably spaced apart from one another to define first and second ledges of each of the third and fourth receiving areas. The ledges of each receiving areas are separated by a channel such that a located patty spans across the channel from the first ledge to the second ledge. The channel desirably disects the third and fourth receiving areas and is typically coincident with the second axis.

The channel is desirably defined by the base of the tray and side walls of the tray that extend from the base to each of the first and second surfaces. The side walls defining the channel provide structural support to each of the first and second 30 surfaces. When viewed from below the tray, surfaces of the channel provided by the side walls and base define a first and second foot that supports the ledges of each of the third and fourth receiving areas.

Each of the receiving surfaces desirably further comprise a curved contact surface that is defined by the side walls of the tray. The curved contact surfaces of each receiving area are dimensioned to be consistent with dimensions of the burger patties that are to be received within the tray. In a preferred arrangement the curved contact surfaces of each receiving area define an arc which operatively extends circumferentially about at least a portion of the burger patty that is located within the respective receiving area. In a more preferred arrangement the contact surfaces operatively extend about half the circumference of the burger.

The first and second receiving areas each define surfaces that desirably support their respective burger patties across their entire width. Within the first and second receiving areas, lower surfaces of the burger patties are in continuous intimate contact with surfaces of the tray. In contrast, the third and fourth receiving areas only partially support their respective burger patties across their width. In preferred arrangements the third and fourth receiving areas are dimensioned and located relative to the first and second receiving areas such that a burger located within one of the third and fourth receiving areas will project across burgers provided within each of the first and second receiving areas. In certain configurations, between about 1/4 to % of a burger provided within either the third and fourth receiving area will project across the burgers provided in each of the first and second receiving areas. Depending on the structural integrity of an in individual burger-its weight, thickness etc-this portion that projects or is cantilevered off the surfaces that are defined in the third or fourth receiving area may support its own weight or may rest on the burgers that are provided in each of the first and second receiving areas.

The sidewalls desirably define a sealing surface against which a sealing film may be operably sealed. The sealing surface extends continuously around the top of the sidewalls and defines a planar contact surface against which the sealing film will operably contact. The height of the sidewalls is such that when burgers are provided within the tray, the sealing surface is located above an upper most surface of any burger provided within the third and fourth receiving areas.

Accordingly there is provided a tray as detailed in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are provided in the dependent claims.

Brief Description Of The Drawings

The present application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a plan view from above of a tray in accordance with the present teaching.

Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the tray of Figure 1 with four burger patties placed into the tray.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 2 from above and the side showing features of the interior volume of the tray.

Figure 4 is a section through the tray of Figure 3 bisecting the two lower most burger patties and showing the position of an upper most patty relative to the lower most patties.

Figure 5 is a plan view from above of the tray of Figure 1 with three burger patties placed into the tray.

Figure 6 is a side view of the tray of Figure 3 visualising the relative positioning of each of the three patties.

Figure 7 is a plan view from above of the tray of Figure 1 with two burger patties placed into the tray.

Figure 8 is a side view of the tray of Figure 7 visualising the relative positioning of each of the two patties.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the tray of Figure 7 from above and the side showing features of the interior volume of the tray.

Figure 10 is a section through the tray of Figure 9 bisecting the two lower most burger patties and showing the location of a receiving area for receipt of an upper most patty relative to the lower most patties.

Figure 11 is a perspective view from above of an empty tray showing features of the channel and surfaces that define the third and fourth receiving areas.

Figure 12, 13 and 14 are plan views from above of a tray in accordance with the present teaching with stacking features that facilitate a stacking of individual trays and subsequent separation.

Figure 15 is a plan view of a packed tray with a wrap around label in accordance with the present teaching.

Detailed Description Of The Drawings

Figures 1 to 15 show a burger tray 100 according to the present teaching. The tray 100 comprises a base 110 and sidewalls 120 extending upwardly from the base.

The side walls and base define the perimeter surfaces of the tray. The base and side walls defining a receiving volume 130 within which a plurality of burgers may be operably placed.

In the exemplary arrangement shown, the tray is configured for receiving four individual burger patties or burgers 200. Each of the burger patties are allocated a specific location within the receiving volume 130. In this way and as shown in the drawings, the tray defines a first receiving area 140 for receiving a first burger patty, a second receiving area for receiving a second burger patty 145, a third receiving area 150 for receiving a third burger patty and a fourth receiving area 155 for receiving a fourth burger patty. The first receiving area is desirably a mirror image of the second receiving area. The third receiving area is desirably a mirror image of the fourth receiving area. In this way features the define the first receiving area will be understood as also being present in the second receiving area and similarly features that define and will be described with reference to the third receiving area have counterparts in the fourth receiving area. By providing a tray whose receiving areas are symmetrically arranged about, and equidistant from, a mid-point of the tray, the tray facilitates the storage and transportation of multiple visible burgers in a smaller tray than traditionally provided. The use of a smaller tray to achieve a concurrent display of multiple individual burgers, per the present teaching, has been estimated by the present inventors to save up to about 30% in area of plastic used. This evidently has benefits in environmental considerations as less plastic is required for transportation and storage of product than heretofore provided.

As shown in Figure 1, the first and second receiving areas are arranged along a first axis A-A' and are coplanar in a first plane which is coincident with the base of the tray. The third and fourth receiving areas are arranged along a second axis B-B' and are coplanar in a second plane which is above the first plane. The first axis A-A' and the second axis B-B' are offset at an angle from one another, in this example they are substantially perpendicular to one another. In this way, it will be appreciated that the burgers are laid out in an X configuration. In this way, each of the burgers when placed in the tray are equidistant from a mid-point of the tray-the point of intersection 160 of each of the two axis. The first plane and second plane are also offset from one another such that, as shown in for example Figures 2 -10, burgers that are located in the first and second receiving areas are located below burgers that are located in the third and fourth receiving areas. In this way, where the first plane is coincident with a base of the tray such that the base of the tray provides the contact surfaces of each of the first and second receiving areas and the burgers that are supported on the second plane are above the first plane relative to the base.

By providing individual receiving areas for individual burger patties the burgers will retain their shape during transportation and storage. The receiving areas define contact surfaces upon which the burger patties are operatively placed and also contact surfaces which constrain any movement of the burgers in a direction away from the mid-point 160 of the tray, the mid-point being the point of intersection of each of the first and second axis.

To constrain the movement of the burgers away from the mid-point 160, each of the receiving surfaces desirably comprise a curved contact surface 170 that is defined by the side walls of the tray. The curved contact surface of each receiving area is dimensioned to be consistent with dimensions of the burger patties that are to be received within the tray. In a preferred arrangement the curved contact surfaces of each receiving area define an arc which operatively extends circumferentially about at least a portion of the burger patty 200 that is located within the respective receiving area. In a more preferred arrangement and as shown for example in Figures 2, 5 and 7, the contact surfaces operatively extend about half the circumference of the burger.

The first and second receiving areas each define surfaces that desirably support their respective burger patties across their entire width. This is advantageously enabled by using the base 110 of the tray to define supporting contact surfaces of the first and second receiving areas. As shown in the section and side views of Figures 4, 6, 8 and 10, within the first and second receiving areas, lower surfaces of the burger patties are in intimate contact with the base surface of the tray. A lip or rib 400 may be defined in each of the first and second receiving areas to project upwardly from the base of the tray. The primary purpose of this rib 400 is to provide structural integrity to the base of the tray as it provides rigidity and helps to keep the base flat. As a secondary function, it may assist in facilitating a removal of a burger from the tray. It will be seen for example from the section view of Figure 4, that burgers will seat against the lip 400 and a gap 410 may be provided between side walls of the lip and the lower surface 420 of the burger to prevent a sealing of the burger to the base of the tray.

In contrast, to the first and second receiving areas where a burger is supported across its width, the third and fourth receiving areas only partially support their respective burger patties across their width. In preferred arrangements and as shown in Figures 2, 5, and 7 for example, the third and fourth receiving areas are dimensioned and located relative to the first and second receiving areas such that a burger 200 located within one of the third and fourth receiving areas will project across burgers provided within each of the first and second receiving areas. In these exemplary configurations, between about 1/4 and % of a burger 200 provided within either the third and fourth receiving area will project across the burgers 200 provided in each of the first and second receiving areas. Depending on the structural integrity of an in individual burger-its weight, thickness etc-this portion that projects or is cantilevered off the surfaces that are defined in the third or fourth receiving area may support its own weight or may rest on the burgers that are provided in each of the first and second receiving areas.

As is evident from inspection of Figures 4, 5 and 6 the upper most burgers in the tray-i.e. those that are located in the third and fourth receiving areas-will typically project to about'/ way across the lower most burgers. In this way, and as shown in Figure 4, a second through the tray that bisects the burgers in the first and second receiving areas will typically not cut through the burgers in either the third or fourth receiving areas.

As detailed above, each of the receiving areas define at least one surface upon which a burger patty is operatively placed. In a preferred configuration and as shown in the Figures, in addition to only partially supporting their respective burger patties across their width, each of the third and fourth receiving areas desirably provide first 900 and second 910 surfaces upon which a burger patty may be placed. The first and second surfaces are desirably spaced apart from one another to define first 900 and second 910 ledges of each of the third and fourth receiving areas. The ledges of each receiving areas are separated by a channel 920 such that a located patty spans across the channel from the first ledge to the second ledge. The channel desirably disects the third and fourth receiving areas and is typically coincident with the second axis B-B'. In the examples shown, the channel bisects the third and fourth receiving areas but it will be appreciated that it is not necessary to strictly divide each of the third and fourth receiving parts into two equal parts.

The channel is desirably defined by the base 110 of the tray and side walls 120 of the tray that extend from the base to each of the first 900 and second 910 surfaces. The channel extends from a first side of the tray to a second side of the tray. The side walls 930 defining the channel provide structural support to each of the first and second surfaces. When viewed from below the tray-see Figure 3 for example, surfaces of the channel provided by the side walls and base define a foot 300 that supports the ledges of each of the third and fourth receiving areas-only one foot is visible from the perspective view of Figure 3.

The sidewalls desirably define a sealing surface 310 against which a sealing film (1501 in Figure 15) may be operably sealed. The sealing surface extends continuously around the top of the sidewalls and defines a planar contact surface against which the sealing film will operably contact. The height of the sidewalls 120 is such that when burgers are provided within the tray, the sealing surface is located above an upper most surface of any burger provided within the third and fourth receiving areas. The sealing surface extends continuously around the top of the sidewalls and defines a planar contact surface against which the sealing film will operably contact.

As shown in Figures 12, 13, and 14, a tray in accordance with the present teaching will desirably include one or more denesting features 1200, 1300, 1400. These features desirably facilitate a separation of stacked trays from one another.

A tray in accordance with the present teaching is desirably fabricated by a thermoforming process and as such features that are visible from the top and perspective views provided within the receiving volume 130 will have corresponding features identifiable in the outer surfaces of the tray. For example, the channels that disect the third and fourth receiving areas form structurally robust feet that are identifiable in the outer surfaces of the tray. The use of thermoforming process which can be implemented using standard thermoforming technology and techniques is particularly useful where the tray is fabricated from PET or PP. It will be appreciated that per the configuration exemplified above, when packed with a plurality of burgers in multiple rows within the tray, a consumer looking into the tray from above has visibility on the number of burgers. For example, as shown in the plan view of Figure 2, four individual burgers 2-are visible. The consumer can readily identify each burger and can ascertain their size. This is particularly advantageous for packaging purposes where for example a large wrap around label 1500 is provided, such as shown in Figure 15. Despite providing a label 1500 that occupies about a third of the foot print of the top of the tray, the user can still identify each of the four burgers 200. In the event that the label is at least partially transparent, viewing of the burgers is even more evident.

As discussed above, a tray in accordance with the present teaching is desirably thermoformed. Such a tray can be manufactured using conventional thermoforming processes including heating a plastic sheet to a pliable forming temperature, forming the sheet to define at least one burger tray having the structural features identified above and trimming the sheet to isolate the at least one burger tray. Typically, a plurality of trays will be concurrently thermoformed on a thermoforming line. The plastic sheet may comprise at least one PET layer.

Modifications can be made to the exemplary arrangement described herein without departing from the scope of the present teaching.

The words comprises/comprising when used in this specification are to specify 25 the presence of stated features, integers, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, components or groups thereof.

Claims

Claims 1. A burger tray for receiving a plurality of burger patties, the tray comprising a base and side walls defining a receiving volume, wherein the receiving volume comprises: a first area for receiving a first burger patty, a second receiving area for receiving a second burger patty, and wherein the first and second receiving areas are arranged along a first axis and are coplanar in a first plane; a third receiving area for receiving a third burger patty, a fourth receiving area for receiving a fourth burger patty, and wherein the third and fourth receiving areas are arranged along a second axis and are coplanar in a second plane; and wherein the first axis and second axis are offset at an angle from one another and the first plane and second plane are offset from one another.
2. The tray as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of the receiving areas define contact surfaces upon which the burger patties are operatively placed.
3. The tray as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein the first plane is coincident with a base of the tray such that the base of the tray provides contact surfaces of each of the first and second receiving areas.
4. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the second plane is above the first plane relative to the base.
5. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each of the receiving areas define at least one surface upon which a burger patty is operatively placed and wherein each of the third and fourth receiving areas provide first and second surfaces upon which a burger patty may be placed.
6. The tray as claimed in claim 5 wherein the first and second surfaces are spaced apart from one another to define first and second ledges of each of the third and fourth receiving areas, the ledges of each receiving areas being separated by a channel such that a located burger patty spans across the channel from the first ledge to the second ledge.
7. The tray as claimed in claim 6 wherein the channel bisects each of the third and fourth receiving areas.
8. The tray as claimed in claim 5 or 6 wherein the channel is defined by the base of the tray and side walls of the tray that extend from the base to each of the first and second surfaces, the side walls defining the channel providing structural support to each of the first and second surfaces.
9. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each of the receiving surfaces comprise a curved contact surface that is defined by the side walls of the tray.
10. The tray as claimed in claim 9 wherein curved contact surfaces of each receiving area are dimensioned to be consistent with dimensions of the burger patties that are to be received within the tray.
11. The tray as claimed in claim 10 wherein the curved contact surfaces of each receiving area define an arc which operatively extends circumferentially about at least a portion of the burger patty that is located within the respective receiving area.
12. The tray as claimed in claim 11 wherein the contact surfaces operatively extend about half the circumference of the burger.
13. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first and second receiving areas each define surfaces that support their respective burger patties across their entire width.
14. The tray as claimed in claim 13 wherein within the first and second receiving areas, lower surfaces of the burger patties are operatively in continuous intimate contact with surfaces of the tray.
15. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the third and fourth receiving areas operatively only partially support their respective burger patties across their width.
16. The tray as claimed in claim 15 wherein the third and fourth receiving areas are dimensioned and located relative to the first and second receiving areas such that operatively a burger located within one of the third and fourth receiving areas will project across burgers provided within each of the first and second receiving areas.
17. The tray as claimed in claim 16 being dimensioned such that operatively between about''/ and 1/2 of a burger provided within either the third and fourth receiving area will project across the burgers provided in each of the first and second receiving areas.
18. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the first receiving area is a mirror image of the second receiving area and the third receiving area is a mirror image of the fourth receiving area.
19. The tray as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the sidewalls define a sealing surface against which a sealing film may be operably sealed, the sealing surface extending continuously around the top of the sidewalls and defining a planar contact surface against which the sealing film will operably contact, the height of the sidewalls being such that when burgers are provided within the tray, the sealing surface is located above an upper most surface of any burger provided within the third and fourth receiving areas.
20. The tray as claimed in any preceding claims being thermoformed plastic.
21.A method of fabricating a burger tray, the method comprising heating a plastic sheet to a pliable forming temperature, forming the sheet to define at least one burger tray as defined in any preceding claim and trimming the sheet to isolate the at least one burger tray.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the plastic sheet comprises at least one PET layer.