Poultry tray and method of packaging poultry using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9540143-B2
Application number	US-201414509748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 8, 2014
Priority date	Oct 8, 2013
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A poultry tray for shipping and displaying a dressed poultry. The poultry tray comprises a receptacle including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall having an upper end defining a receptacle opening. The poultry tray also comprises a flap pivotally connected to the receptacle at a rear end thereof. The flap is pivotable between an open configuration wherein the flap extends outwardly from the receptacle opening and a closed configuration wherein the flap covers a section of the receptacle opening and has a distal end detachably secured to the receptacle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A poultry tray for shipping and displaying a dressed poultry, the poultry tray comprising:
a receptacle including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall having an upper end defining a receptacle opening, the bottom wall comprises a supporting surface and two poultry thigh raised sections spaced apart from one another along a transversal axis of the receptacle, extending above the supporting surface and configured to highlight a corresponding poultry thigh, each one of the poultry thigh raised sections being adjacent to the peripheral wall close to a rear end and extending above the supporting surface; and
a flap pivotally connected to the receptacle at the rear end thereof, the flap being pivotable between an open configuration wherein the flap extends outwardly from the receptacle opening and a closed configuration wherein the flap covers a section of the receptacle opening and has a distal end securable to the receptacle, wherein each one of the poultry thigh raised sections comprises at least one of a male member and a female member and the flap comprises at least two of the other one of the male member and the female member, the male and female members being complementary and detachably engageable to one another.

2. The poultry tray of claim 1 , wherein the at least two of the ones of the male and female members provided on the flap are spaced apart from one another along a transversal axis of the receptable by a distance greater than a distance between the other one of the male members and the female members provided on the poultry thigh raised sections.

3. The poultry tray of claim 2 , wherein the ones of the male members and the female members provided on the poultry thigh raised sections are spaced apart from one another along the transversal axis, each one being provided close to a respective one of a longitudinal section of the peripheral wall.

4. The poultry tray of claim 1 , further comprising a poultry breast raised section extending inwardly and centrally from a front end of the receptacle and towards the rear end, the poultry breast raised section having an upper surface extending above the supporting surface, the poultry breast raised section being configured to highlight the breast of the poultry.

5. The poultry tray of claim 4 , wherein the upper surface of the poultry breast raised section is beveled towards the front end of the receptacle.

6. The poultry tray of claim 1 , wherein the poultry thigh raised sections are spaced apart from one another along a transversal axis of the receptacle and each one of the poultry thigh raised sections comprises at least one of a male member and a female member and the flap comprises the other ones of the male members and the female members, the complementary male and female members being detachably engageable to one another.

7. The poultry tray of claim 6 , wherein each one of the poultry thigh raised sections comprises an outer sub-section, adjacent to the rear end of the receptacle and an inner sub-section, adjacent to the outer sub-section and extending towards a front end of the receptacle along the peripheral wall, the outer sub-section having an upper surface extending above an upper surface of the inner sub-section, each one of the poultry thigh raised sections comprising an inner wall extending along the inner sub-section and a longitudinal axis of the receptacle, an upper edge of the inner wall extending above the upper surface of the inner sub-section of the poultry thigh raised sections.

8. The poultry tray of claim 7 , wherein the upper edge of the inner wall extends below the upper surface of the outer sub-section of the poultry thigh raised sections.

9. The poultry tray of claim 7 , wherein each one of the outer sub-sections of the poultry thigh raised sections comprises the at least one of the male and the female members.

10. The poultry tray of claim 1 , wherein the receptacle comprises a rim extending outwardly from the peripheral wall, close to an upper end thereof and the flap is pivotally mounted to the rim.

11. The poultry tray of claim 1 , wherein the receptacle comprises a rim extending outwardly from the peripheral wall, close to an upper end thereof and a flange extending downwardly from an outer edge of the rim and the flap is pivotally mounted to the flange.

12. A method for packaging poultry, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a poultry tray as claimed in claim 1 ;
configuring the poultry tray in an open configuration where the flap extends outwardly from the receptacle opening of the receptacle;
inserting the poultry in the receptacle;
pivoting the flap in a closed configuration where the flap covers a section of the receptacle opening at the rear end of the poultry tray including legs of the poultry; and
securing the flap to the receptacle to maintain the flap in the closed configuration by engaging the complementary male members and female members of the flap and the receptacle.

13. The method for packaging poultry of claim 12 , wherein inserting the poultry in the receptacle further comprises positioning the poultry such that the breast and the thighs of the poultry are respectively supported by a poultry breast raised section and the poultry thigh raised sections of the receptacle, the poultry breast raised sections having an upper surface extending above the supporting surface of the bottom wall of the receptacle.

14. A poultry tray for shipping and displaying a dressed poultry, the poultry tray comprising:
a receptacle including a bottom wall and a peripheral wall having an upper end defining a receptacle opening, the bottom wall comprises a supporting surface and two poultry thigh raised sections, extending above the supporting surface and configured to highlight a corresponding poultry thigh, each one of the poultry thigh raised sections being adjacent to the peripheral wall close to a rear end and extending above the supporting surface and below an upper end of the peripheral wall; and
a flap pivotally connected to the receptacle at the rear end thereof, the flap being pivotable between an open configuration wherein the flap extends outwardly from the receptacle opening and a closed configuration wherein the flap covers a section of the receptacle opening and has a distal end securable to the receptacle.

15. The poultry tray of claim 14 , wherein the distal end of the flap is detachably secured to the receptacle in the closed configuration.

16. The poultry tray of claim 14 , wherein the flap comprises one of male members and female members and the receptacle comprises the other one of the male members and the female members, the male and the female members being complementary and being detachably engageable to one another to secure the flap to the receptacle in the closed configuration.

17. The poultry tray of claim 16 , wherein the flap comprises at least two of the one of the male members and the female members, spaced apart by a flap attachment distance along a transversal axis of the receptacle, the receptacle comprises at least two of the other one of the male members and the female members, spaced apart by a receptacle attachment distance along the transversal axis of the receptacle, the flap attachment distance being greater than the receptacle attachment distance.

18. The poultry tray of claim 17 , wherein the ones of the male members and the female members provided on the receptacle are spaced apart from one another along the transversal axis, each one of the ones of the male members and the female members being provided close

Assignees

• Cascades Canada Ulc

Inventors

• Roberge Mathieu
• Marcoux Philippe
• Blais Serge
• Bédard Simon

Classifications

• B65D1/34

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

• B65D25/10 Primary

  Devices to locate articles in containers {(for protecting articles from mechanical damage B65D81/02)} · CPC title

• B65B25/064

  of poultry (processing of poultry A22C21/00) · CPC title