Container, forming tool, and method for forming a container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10022932-B2
Application number	US-201514843156-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2015
Priority date	Nov 12, 2010
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

A container formed from a blank, a forming, tool and a method of forming a container are disclosed. The container includes features that are formed by a plurality of score lines in a marginal portion of the blank. The container has a bottom wall, a side wall, and a flange extending from the side wall. The flange has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the blank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a container for holding and heating a food product, the method comprising:
obtaining a blank comprising a central portion, an outer edge, and a marginal portion between the outer edge and the central portion, the blank comprising a radius extending from a center of the blank to the outer edge, the marginal portion comprising a plurality of radial score lines having an angular spacing between respective adjacent radial score lines, the blank having a first thickness;
positioning the blank in a forming tool;
closing the forming tool comprising compressing the blank; and
forming a container having a bottom panel, at least one side panel extending upwardly from the bottom panel, and a flange extending laterally outward from an upper edge of the at least one side panel, wherein the forming the container comprises:
forming a cavity by upwardly folding the side panel relative to the bottom panel, and
forming a plurality of pleats at the radial score lines, each pleat extending in the flange and extending into at least a portion of the at least one side panel, and
compressing each pleat to a second thickness along the entire radial length of the flange from the upper edge of the at least one side panel to a free edge of the flange and compressing each pleat to a third thickness that is different than the second thickness along the at least a portion of the side panel, the second thickness being approximately two times the first thickness and the second thickness being greater than the third thickness, each pleat being radially spaced apart from an adjacent pleat by a portion of the flange having a thickness that is less than the second thickness.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of pleats are radially interspersed by portions of the side panel having a thickness less than the third thickness.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the forming the plurality of pleats comprises overlapping portions of the blank at the score lines to form overlapped portions of the blank along at least a portion of the flange and at least a portion of the at least one side panel.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the overlapped portions of the blank along the at least a portion of the flange include protrusions that extend from a lower surface of the flange and have a height, and the closing the forming tool comprises compressing the overlapped portions of the flange to the second thickness that includes the height of the protrusions.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the closing the forming tool comprises forming a substantially flat top surface of the flange.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the overlapped portions of the blank extend from the free edge of the flange and into at least a portion of the at least one side panel.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the closing the forming tool comprises compressing the overlapped portions of the blank along the at least a portion of the at least one side panel to the third thickness.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the closing the forming tool further comprises forming at least one first corner formed at a first junction between the at least one side panel and the flange and forming at least one second corner at a second junction between the at least one side panel and the bottom panel.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one first corner and the at least one second corner are curved.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the forming tool comprises a first tool assembly and a second tool assembly, at least one of the first tool assembly and the second tool assembly is moveable between an open position wherein the blank is received between the first and the second tool assembly and a closed position wherein the blank is formed into the container, the first tool assembly comprises a nose having an external surface shaped to generally correspond to at least a portion of the container and the second tool assembly comprises a cavity block having a recess shaped to correspond with at least a portion of the container, the closing the blank in the tool comprises compressing the blank between the nose and the cavity block to form the container from the blank when the nose is at least partially received in the cavity block.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the nose and the cavity block have respective flat surfaces that cooperate to form the flange of the container.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the nose and the cavity block have respective first curved surfaces that cooperate to form the at least one first corner and the nose and the cavity block have respective second curved surfaces that cooperate to form the at least one second corner.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the blank comprises a base layer of paperboard and a microwave interactive layer secured to the base layer.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pleats extend in at least a portion of the side panel, the forming the plurality of pleats comprises overlapping portions of the blank at the score lines to form overlapped portions of the blank along at least a portion of the flange and the at least a portion of the side panel, and wherein the closing the forming tool comprises compressing the overlapped portions of the blank along the at least a portion of the side panel to the third thickness.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein each pleat has the second thickness along the entire radial length of the flange from the upper edge of the at least one side panel on an interior surface of the container to the free edge of the flange.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the upper edge of the at least one side panel on the interior surface of the container faces the cavity.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the upper edge of the at least one side panel forms an upper corner that connects the at least one side panel to the flange.

Assignees

• Graphic Packaging Int Inc
• Graphic Packaging Int Llc

Inventors

• Wnek Patrick H

Classifications

• B65D2581/3477

  Iron or compounds thereof · CPC title

• B65D2581/3447

  Heat attenuators, blocking agents or heat insulators for temperature control · CPC title

• B65D81/3453

  Rigid containers, e.g. trays, bottles, boxes, cups · CPC title

• B65D1/34

  Trays or like shallow containers {(B65D81/3813 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65D2581/3497

  attached to the side walls · CPC title