HK1161205A - A receptacle for produce - Google Patents

Description

Container for products

Technical Field

The present invention relates broadly to a container. The invention relates in particular to containers having labels with bar codes.

Background

Products are typically packaged and sold in containers having a sloped sidewall defining an open mouth. Once the container is filled with a product such as mushroom, the open mouth is typically sealed by a cling film (cling wrap) rather than a lid to cover the uneven surface formed by the uppermost layer of product.

It is common practice to provide information about the product and a bar code on a label for attachment to the container. In view of the impracticality of adhering labels to uneven surfaces, previous attempts have been made to adhere labels to the bottom or side walls of containers.

A disadvantage of adhering labels to the bottom surface is that information about the product is not readily visible when the containers are stacked on top of each other. A disadvantage of adhering the label to the side wall is that reading a bar code by a code reader often fails due to the angle at which the walls are arranged.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a container that can facilitate efficient reading of bar codes by a bar code reader, or at least provide a useful alternative.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for a product, the container comprising:

a side wall; and

a label area for a label comprising a code, the label area being substantially flat and located on the sidewall, the label being adapted to adhere to the label area;

wherein the walls are disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a container and label combination for a product, the container and label combination having:

a side wall;

a label area substantially planar and located on the sidewall, the label affixed to the label area;

wherein the walls are disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

Preferably, the selected angle is greater than 4 degrees. Most preferably, the selected angle is substantially 6 degrees from vertical.

Preferably, the label is adhered to the label area by an adhesive, such as glue.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of labelling a container having a side wall including a flattened label region for a label, said method including the steps of:

disposing the sidewall at a selected acute angle to vertical; and

attaching the label to the label area.

Drawings

The invention will be better understood from the following non-limiting description thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the container of FIG. 1 showing the side wall;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the container of FIG. 1 showing another sidewall; and is

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a container according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

It will be appreciated that the container of the present invention is most suitable for containing products such as mushrooms which are normally packaged for sale in a container. It should be understood, however, that the container may be used to hold other products and may be used in combination with a refill cap.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a container 10 for products includes four sidewalls 12, 14, 16, and 18 and a bottom 20. The four side walls 12, 14, 16 and 18 collectively define an open mouth 22 (fig. 2).

Turning to fig. 3, the sidewall 12 includes a label area 24 for a label 26. It should be understood that the label area 24 may be disposed on any one or more of the other walls 14, 16, and 18. The label 26 has a bar code 28 and other information detailing, for example, the origin, brand, weight and price of the product. The label area 24 is substantially flat and is located on the side wall 12.

As shown in fig. 3, the label 26 is made of polyethylene terephthalate PET (also known as APET) and is adhered to the label area 24 by an adhesive such as glue.

Referring to fig. 2, the wall 12 is disposed at an acute angle, denoted by α, from the vertical to facilitate separation of the container 10 from the mold during manufacture. The acute angle α is 6 degrees in this embodiment, but may be any angle greater than 4 degrees to facilitate efficient reading of the bar code 28 by a code reader (not shown) that includes a scanning head that may be fixed at a counter or movable.

Referring to FIG. 4, another embodiment of the container 32 of the present invention has a differently configured bottom 34. The angle between the inclined side wall supporting the label and the vertical direction remains the same as in the above embodiment.

Having described preferred embodiments of the invention in some detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the container of the invention may provide at least the following advantages:

1. which can easily separate the container from the mold during the manufacturing process;

2. which facilitates efficient scanning of bar codes on containers; and

3. which allows the label to be displayed in a position visible to the consumer when the container is stacked on the shelf.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. All such variations and modifications are to be considered within the scope and spirit of the present invention, the nature of which is to be determined from the foregoing description.

Claims (9)

1. A container for a product, the container comprising:

a side wall; and

a label area for a label comprising a code, the label area being substantially flat and located on the sidewall, the label being adapted to adhere to the label area;

wherein the walls are disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the selected angle is greater than 4 degrees.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the selected angle is substantially 6 degrees from vertical.

4. A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the label is adhered to the label area by an adhesive, such as glue.

5. A container and label combination for a product, the container and label combination having:

a side wall;

a label area substantially planar and located on the sidewall, the label affixed to the label area;

wherein the walls are disposed at a selected acute angle to the vertical to facilitate reading of the code by a code reader.

6. A method of labelling a container having a sidewall including a flattened label region for a label, said method comprising the steps of:

disposing the sidewall at a selected acute angle to vertical; and

attaching the label to the label area.

7. A container for a product substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

8. A container and label combination substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.

9. A method of labelling a container substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the accompanying drawings.