IE61895B1

IE61895B1 - Combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particulary meat products

Info

Publication number: IE61895B1
Application number: IE14191A
Authority: IE
Inventors: Hendricus Bernardus Th Marinus; Adrianus Laurentius Jo Tabbers
Original assignee: Boers Vleeswaren Bv
Priority date: 1990-01-16
Filing date: 1991-01-16
Publication date: 1994-11-30
Also published as: PT96500A; IE910141A1; DE69103537T2; NL9000102A; DE69103537D1; EP0439221B1; EP0439221A1

Abstract

A combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products, comprising a flat tray-like receptacle (1) with a cover sheet (3) of transparant material fastened on its top, means being provided in the top region for suspension of the receptacle in a display case. According to the invention the bottom (5) of the tray, as seen along an axis going through the center of the suspension means, is sloping upwardly towards at least one side of the tray, whereby the surface if the sloping bottom portion (5b) is provided with protuberances (8) which form surface unevennesses.

Description

The invention relates to a combined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products, comprising a flat tray-like receptacle with a cover sheet of transparent material fastened on its top, means being provided in the top region for suspension of the receptacle in a display case.

Packages of this type are widely used for displaying products in a suspended position within refrigerated display cases in stores. Thereafter, upon removal of the cover sheet, such packages may be used by the consumer as a dish up tray on the table.

US-A-3 792 181 discloses such a displaying package for various kinds of food, including sliced bacon. More specifically fig. 3 and fig. 5 of this reference shew a displaying package for bacon. The opshaped package has a bottom with opposite end portions slanting upwardly to the adjacent cup side walls. The slanting bottom end portions have a smooth upper surface. Moreover in the well-known package the contents of the packaging cups (bacon slices) are in a way locked in place by the cover sheet which is pressed with its central portion into the cup to conform to the upper surface of the contents (i.e. the edges of the mutually overlapping bacon slices). So the slices are prevented from sliding one across the other when the package is held in a suspended position.

The present invention aims at providing a package for sliced products in which the slices are prevented from sagging out into the lower part of the tray in a suspended position of the latter, without having to rely on the contact pressure of the cover sheet cn the slice package.

In accordance with the invention this aim is achieved in that the bottem of the tray, as seen along an axis going through the center of the suspension means, is sloping upwardly towards at least one side of the tray, the surface of the sloping bottom portion is provided with protuberances which are formed by a plurality of successive steps extending transversely to said axis.

As a result of the bottem sloping in steps towards the lowermost rim portion of the tray in the suspended position of the latter the individual slices in the slice package will, with the anti-slide effect of the steps of the bottom surface, be effectively prevented from sliding across the bottem and across one another also when the cover sheet remains substantially out of contact with the slice package.

It is to be noted that U5-A-3,671,271 discloses a package for sliced luncheon meat, comprising a rectangular tray having a bottcm provided with rib-like protuberances. This well-known tray, however, does not have suspension means, but is designed to be slided into a box which has a window. Moreover there is no bottcm portion which is sloping upwardly towards a side of the tray.

An upwardly sloping bottcm portion is provided with the paint roller pan disclosed in CA-A-1,187,045, which pan has also a flange with a suspension eye for suspension in the empty position. The upwardly sloping bottcm portion is situated beyond the proper (paint) receptacle and merely serves as a striker surface for the paint roller upon having immersed the latter within the proper receptacle.

The invention will be hereinafter further explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 shews a plan view of the package according to the invention; fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line H-H in fig. 1, with the package in a suspended position and fig. 3 shows a plan view of a modification of the package of fig. 1.

The package shown in fig. 1 and 2 is a rectangular tray 1 which is made e.g. by vacuum forming of a suitable plastics material, such as polyethylene; flanges 2 are laterally extending from the upper sidewall edges of this tray. A cover sheet made of a suitable transparent plastics material, preferably polyester, is indicated at 3 and functions to close the tray 1 after the meat products (not shown in the drawing) have been put therein. The fastening of the cover sheet 3 j 5 is usually taking place by heat sealing, whereby a layer of polyethylene is put in the respective marginal portions of the polyester a cover sheet 3. An opening 4 is provided in the middle of one of the short sidewall flanges 2, through which a pin or suspension hook may be inserted. Fig. 2 shews the tray in a suspended position by a cross10 sectional view through an axis going through the suspension point. The uppermost portion 5a of the bottom 5, which is disposed closest to the suspension opening 4, has the usual flat form and extends parallel to the plane of the sidewall flanges 2. The lowermost bottom portion 5b, however, has a stepped figuration, such that the tray depth is de15 creasing stepwise as seen in the lowermost short sidewall of the tray.

The successive steps 6 constitute ribs 7, which function as an anti-slide means on the meat package laid onto the respective bottom portion 5b. Besides shoulders 8 are formed, which may serve as supporting surfaces for the lower edges of thinner sub-packages, which have been superimposed in a mutually overlapping fashion so as to obtain a still more attractive presentation.

At the short sidewall turned away from the suspension means 4 the bottom 5 is provided with two impressions 10 located in the respective comers of the tray, which impressions extend up to a tray depth, which is equal to the depth as measuT-pd between the cover sheet 3 and the flat bottom portion 5a. These impressions hardly interrupt the supporting surface for the luncheon meat products but on the other hand provide for the required stability when the tray is put on a horizontal (table) surface as a d-igh up tray. The bottom portion 5 may also be provided with protuberances or ribs respectively so cis to also apply an anti slide effect on the uppermost portion of the luncheon meat package within the tray. These protuberances or ribs respectively may be formed, if desired, by having the bottom portion 5 sloping upwardly towards the upper side of the tray along at least a portion of the wridth of the tray.

In the modification according to fig. 3 the successive steps 6# have an arcuate form, so that the ribs and shoulders obtained thereby have a corresponding arcuate shape. Such an embodiment may be advantageous for round slices of luncheon meat.

Claims

1. A ccmbined display and consumer's use package for sliced products, more particularly meat products, comprising a flat tray-like receptacle (1) with a cover sheet (3) of transparent material fastened on its top, means (4) being provided in the top region for suspension 5 of the receptacle (1) in a display case, characterized in that the bottom (5) of the tray (1), as seen along an axis going through the center of the suspension means, is sloping upwardly towards at least one side of the tray, the surface of the sloping bottom portion (5b) is provided with protuberances (7) which are formed by a plurality of 10 successive steps extending transversely to said axis.

2. A package according to claim 1, characterized in that the steps (6, 7) are arranged in an arcuate pattern.

3. A package according to either of claims 1-2, characterized in that impressions (10) are made in the bottom (5) adjacent the tray 15 sidewall turned away from the suspension means (4) and positioned an both sides of the axis through the center of the suspension means (4), said impressions extending downwardly up to the maximum tray depth.

4. A combined display and consumer's use package according to any preceding claim, substantially as hereinbefore 2Q described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.