(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/ A1

Transcription

1 US A1 (19) United States (12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2002/ A1 Melton (43) Pub. Date: Jun. 20, 2002 (54) PRINTED INSERTS FOR THERMOFORMED Related U.S. Application Data PLASTIC DISPOSABLE FOOD CONTAINERS (63) Non-provisional of provisional application No. (76) Inventor: Bruce W. Melton, Hinsdale, IL (US) 60/225,122, filed on Aug. 14, Correspondence Address: Publication Classification Hugh A. Abrams, Esq. Sidley Austin Brown & Wood (51) Int. Cl." - A47G 19/22 Bank One Plaza (52) U.S. Cl /713; 206/ S. Dearborn Street Chicago, IL (US) (57) ABSTRACT (21) Appl. No.: 09/929,466 A beverage container lid has an insert area for placement of (22) Filed: Aug. 14, 2001 a paper insert with graphics printed thereon. Hot Dome Lid Insert Sip Hole 1 Paper inner lid 3 Recessed flange 5

2 Patent Application Publication Jun. 20, 2002 Sheet 1 of 6 US 2002/ A1 igure 1: Hot Dorne Lid Insert Sip Hole 1. Paper inner lid 3 Recessed flange st Figure 1A: Hot Dome Lid Insert Side View Figure 3: Hot Flat Lid Insert Figure 2A: Dome Lid Insert Tab for easy removal Of insert H - Figure 3A: Hot Flat Lid Insert

3 Patent Application Publication Jun. 20, 2002 Sheet 2 of 6 US 2002/ A1 Figure 4: Cold Lid Insert Snap in rim Straw entry Paper insert card? Figure 5: Cold Lid Insert Mu TTTTop a go -- R Figure 4A: Cold Lid Insert Side View y Figure 5A: Cold Lid Insert Side View aw was Figure 6A: Cold Lid Insert Side Wiew

4 Patent Application Publication Jun. 20, 2002 Sheet 3 of 6 US 2002/ A1 - Figure 7: Clamshell Box Clear upper half of clamshell food container is Paper inner lid insert Bottom half of clamshell food container jq Figure 8: Clamshell Box, Multiple insert rims Figure 8B: Clamshell Box) Multiple Insert rims SideView

5 Patent Application Publication Jun. 20, Sheet 4 of 6 US 2002/ A1 1 Clear or translucent cover 27 Paper insert card 29 (EA, W / Figure 9B: Deli Tray Figure 10: Plastic Plate or delitray bottom l Snap rim 27 Figure 10B: Plastic Plate : Side View

6 Patent Application Publication Jun. 20, 2002 Sheet 5 of 6 US 2002/ A1 Custom Text and Graphics Figure ll: Thermoformed container top with large insert panel Nutritional Information Figure 12: Thermoformed container top with small insert panel; enhances display of container contents Business Card Figure 13: Thermoformed container top with small insert area for standard size business card

7 Patent Application Publication Jun. 20, 2002 Sheet 6 of 6 US 2002/ A1 Figure Printed card on Top of container Side view Thermu?ormed container wall Small indented "snap" rim Figure S. Printed card on Bottom of container Side view Thermoformed container wall Printed card insert Small indented "snap" rim FIG,. Figure : finger indents For card removal Figure Side View A Figure "Top View 2.

8 US 2002/ A1 Jun. 20, 2002 PRINTED INSERTS FOR THERMOFORMED PLASTIC DISPOSABLE FOOD CONTAINERS 0001) This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provi sional Application Serial No. 60/225,122 filed Aug. 14, 2OOO. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 0002 Thermoformed plastic disposable food containers, trays, plates, cups, and cup lids, clamshell boxes and the like (collectively, thermoformed disposable food containers ) are becoming increasingly common. From a manufacturing point of View, thermoformed containers have distinct advan tages over other types of plastic containers, chiefly, those that are injection-molded. For example, thermoformed dis posable food containers are thinner, lighter, and use less resin material than injection-molded containers. A variety of resins and pigments are available, Singly or in combination that can be used to produce a variety of colors and degrees of transparency in thermoformed disposable food contain ers, from black to crystal clear, and Some current clamshell designs use two different colors bonded together. Thermo forming also involves a one-sided mold, Substantially reduc ing moldmaking costs when compared to the two-sided mold needed for injection molding. But, most important of all, thermoforming is Substantially faster than injection molding From a foodservice operator's point of view, ther moformed disposable food containers are beneficial because they are widely available, relatively inexpensive, Stack in a fairly compact way, and are highly effective at containing foods and liquids The state of the art in thermoforming today, how ever, has its drawbacks. With rare exception, thermoformed disposable food containers cannot be economically manu factured in Small quantities. Indeed, Successful thermoform ers aim to run one thermoforming "line' running with the same mold 24 hours a day for months on end. The result is that all thermoformed disposable food containers basically look alike. Because it is difficult to differentiate thermo formed disposable food containers unless they have a unique, patented functional feature, this type of commod ity thermoforming is highly competitive Thus, from a food service provider's point of view, thermoformed disposable food containers are viewed as little more than efficient food packaging. With rare excep tion, foodservice retailers use Stock' cup lids, clamshell boxes, and the like because custom thermoforming is much more costly. For example, a restaurant that wanted to include its name in a thermoformed food container would need to have a mold made (or an insert to a larger mold made) Specifically for that customer's use. Because the mold must be tailored to an individual customer's needs, mold costs are relatively high, and the cost to the manufacturer of turning off its thermoforming line to change molds for different customers is also Substantial. Finally, because So few ther moformers will undertake low-volume custom' work, the costs of Shipping thermoformed disposable food containers from a far-off custom thermoformer can be relatively high. Putting aside the higher costs of custom thermoformed disposable food containers, the technology offers no oppor tunity for the use of a contrasting color and, because the mold for each letter of text or recessed area of an image must have a vacuum hole, it is difficult and prohibitively expen Sive to produce a thermoforming mold with more than a few words of text or a simple image In today's foodservice market, however, branding and image is essential. Foodservice retailers invariably print logos, custom designs, entertainment "tie-in promotions, and the like on paper bags and cups. Cup lids and thermo formed plastic food containers are, however, typically the Same from retailer to retailer. In many instances, the ther moformed disposable plastic food container is the foodser Vice operator's last link to its customers: they sip through cup lids and they eat or serve from the clamshell box or deli tray. Some foodservice operators have used printed, adhe Sive-backed Stickers to enhance the appearance of thermo formed disposable plastic food containers, Such as Sandwich boxes and deli trays, but this method of customization is expensive, has significant Size limitations, and the final appearance of the package depends on the skill with which the foodservice employee attaches the Sticker. The glossy look of most Stickers might also be unappealing in certain Situations, e.g., on the top of a hot cup lid. Some thermo formers are printing directly on the plastic during the manufacturing process, but, again, these technologies are complicated due to the nature of the hot plastic, the molding process, and the presence of Static electricity. And, even without these limitations, changing from one custom-printed thermoforming job to another will be quite costly because the thermoforming line must be shut down during the transition process. SUMMARY OF INVENTION The present invention takes advantage of the quantities of Scale' offered by thermoforming and com bines it with low-cost and widely available flat paper print ing technologies to overcome many of the "image' disad Vantages of thermoformed disposable food containers today. The invention is a shallow recess incorporated into existing or new thermoforming molds; this recess, when combined with a Small Snap rim, would accommodate thin printed cards. The cards could be printed, embossed, or otherwise marked on a wide variety of materials, including plastic, foil, and films, although paper would most likely be the least expensive and the most popular. The Snap rim' is indicated in FIGS O008) 0009) 0010) 0011) 0012) 0013) 0014) ) 0018) BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a hot dome lid insert; FIG. 1A shows a side view of a hot dome lid insert; FIG. 2 shows a hot dome lid insert; FIG. 2A shows a dome lid insert; FIG. 3 shows a hot flat lid insert; FIG. 3A shows a side view of a hot flat lid insert; FIG. 4 shows a cold lid insert; FIG. 4a shows a side view of a cold lid insert; FIG. 5 shows a cold lid insert; FIG. 5a shows a side view of a cold lid insert; FIG. 6 shows a cold lid insert;

9 US 2002/ A1 Jun. 20, FIG. 6a shows a side view of a cold lid insert; 0020 FIG. 7 shows a clamshell box; 0021 FIG. 7A shows a side view of a clamshell box; (0022) FIG. 8A shows a clamshell box wit multiple insert rims, 0023 FIG. 8B shows a side view of a clamshellbox with multiple insert rims, 0024 FIG. 9A shows a deli tray; 0025 FIG. 9B shows a side view of a deli tray; 0026 FIG. 10A shows a plastic plate or deli tray bottom; 0027 FIG. 10B shows a side view of a plastic plate; 0028 FIG. 11 shows a thermoformed container top with large insert panel; 0029 FIG. 12 shows a thermoformed container top with Small insert panel, enhances display of container contents, 0030 FIG. 13 shows a thermoformed container top with Small insert area for Standard-size business card; FIG. 14 shows a side view of a printed card on top of container; 0032 FIG. 15 shows a side view of a printed card on bottom of container, 0033) FIG. 16 shows finger indents for card removal; 0034 FIG. 16A shows a side view of finger indents for card removal; 0035 FIG. 16B shows a top view of finger indents for card removal; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 0036) As indicated in FIGS. 1 through 13, the foregoing Snap rim/printed card invention has wide application in thermoformed plastic disposable hot cup lids, cold cup lids, clamshell boxes, deli trays, and plates. The invention covers all of these embodiments and any other in which a recess and Snap rim are molded into a thermoformed disposable food container for purposes of accepting a flat card. The insert includes Sip hole 1, paper inner lid 3 and recessed flange The shallow recess and rim could be molded into current thermoformed molds with only minor modifications and without detracting from the appearance of the finished product. Indeed, most thermoformed disposable food con tainers already incorporate inset panels to add Strength and enhance appearance. Thus, a thermoformed disposable food container could be modified slightly to incorporate the new technology, and the packaging would be as useful as it was before even if the foodservice operator did not want to use custom-printed inserts in the container Custom-printed inserts would, however, offer food Service operators significant advantages. Visually, a printed insert, in up to four colors, would be far more eye-catching than a plain commodity thermoformed plastic disposable food container. The insert could be customized not only to identify the foodservice operator and reinforce its brand image, but also to Serve as a convenient removable cou pon,' advertising flyer, or Self-addressed feedback card uses for which the current labeling alternative, Self-adhesive stickers, are impractical. In this regard, FIGS. 16A and 16B indicate a thermoformed recess and Snap rim that has Small indents around the periphery of the printed card to allow for easy removal. A small tab 7 could also be included in the printed card to facilitate removal, as indicated in FIG. 3. The insert cards could also serve as games, toys, or collectibles. For example, the donut-shaped insert in FIG. 6 could be printed to depict a flying Saucer toy that could be removed and used by a child after the beverage is consumed. Another embodiment would be to use a card that, when likely, just before the formed and slightly cooled pieces are die-cut) or after the thermoforming (either mechanically or by hand). Equally important, however, is the prospect of allowing foodservice operators to contract for their own printing in the Standard sizes. Thus, a foodservice operator could cus tomize the lids themselves, adding the printed cards at Some point in the preparation and Serving process. For the Smallest foodservice operators, the insert cards could be produced with a personal computer and an attached printer. Again, it is anticipated that the shapes and sizes of the insert cards would, ideally, follow Standard printing formats, e.g., busi ness cards, 4x5 inch notecards, half sheets of paper, and the like, to simplify the printing process and utilize card Stock most efficiently. 0039) None of the inconveniences and costs associated with custom thermoforming applies to conventional printed card inserts. Print shops are numerous and widespread, certainly more so than thermoformers. Indeed, printing is a highly competitive and price Sensitive industry; if anything, it is more of a commodity business than the thermoform ing industry. Printing allows Virtually photographic detail and fine-point text. Four-color graphics are visually exciting and permit images to be rendered quite realistically In short, the use of a printed card insert and a shallow Snap rim design in a thermoformed disposable food container would allow virtually unlimited customization of thermoformed disposable food packaging without it affect ing the Speed and efficiency of a thermoforming line or a printing line. The technologies could be combined in the thermoforming process, by the thermoformer after the con tainer has been cut and before it is packaged, by a Separate jobber prior to final delivery, or by the foodservice operator immediately before serving. The invention thus offers new opportunities for customizing food packaging at a relatively low cost. What is claimed is: 1. A lid for a beverage container, comprising: a container attachment portion for attachment to an asso ciated beverage container, a cover portion extending radially inward from Said container attachment portion, a drinking opening formed in Said cover portion, and an insert area formed in Said cover portion, Said insert area positioned to hold a separate paper insert with graphics printed thereon.