Patents Assigned to Dixie Consumer Products LLC
  • Patent number: 7845514
    Abstract: The invention relates to tear-back thermoformed high impact polystyrene lids having from at least 10% to about 15% of filler and the specified configuration of the tear-back portion. In particular, the tear back lid comprises a tear back portion defined by two sets of tear back indentations and a left and a right notch cut into a skirt defined by the outer diameter of the lid. The combination of the filler amount and tear-back configuration allows an improved tearability for the filled polystyrene lids.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Jonathan E. Rush, Trung Tran, Virginia Lam, legal representative
  • Patent number: 7845935
    Abstract: A die assembly for producing paperboard pressware includes a lightweight knockout assembly having a long and narrow ejection member positioned within a slotted adapter plate. The provision of a lightweight knockout assembly reduces frictional wear-related maintenance and downtime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Albert D. Johns, Stephen K. Milligan, Mircea Sofronie
  • Patent number: 7841974
    Abstract: The present invention provides a container (10) suitable for providing insulation wherein the container has an inner shrink film (14) liner. The sidewalls of the container, which can be made from paperboard or other suitable material, are vented to allow ambient air to freely flow through the sidewall of the container during activation of the shrink film (14) with hot liquid or other suitable material. When the container is filled with material having a temperature of from about 130° F. to up to about 212° F., the shrink film (14) is activated and the container (10) provides excellent insulation, thereby allowing the container to be held in a consumer's hand for an extended period without causing burns or excessive discomfort. Method of making this container (10) are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Timothy P. Hartjes, Michael A. Breining, Gerald J. Van Handel, David C. Brown, Walter Malakhow
  • Patent number: 7819790
    Abstract: An improved apparatus for making pressware features a vacuum belt feeder which accelerates and decelerates a feed blank for controlled insertion into a forming die as well as retainers to limit bounce back of the blank off of forward stops. A pneumatic ejector on the forming ram facilitates product removal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Grigory I. Grischenko, Alois A. Schmidtner, Paul J. England, Albert D. Johns, Thomas W. Zelinski
  • Patent number: 7802695
    Abstract: An improved lidded container includes a receptacle portion with a brim having a plurality of lateral substantially straight brim wall segments provided with medial sealing beads extending between corners of the brim. The medial sealing beads are characterized in that they project away from the respective walls upon which they are disposed a maximum distance at a central portion of the wall and the medial sealing beads extend over a major portion of the length of the lateral sealing wall upon which they are disposed. Most preferably, the beads are tangent with and terminate at rounded corners between the wall segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Loren G. Baker, Jonathan E. Rush, Rebecca E. Whitmore, Gerald J. Van Handel
  • Patent number: 7767049
    Abstract: The present invention relates to insulated containers useful for serving, for example, hot beverages. Specifically, the present invention relates to multilayer containers comprising a corrugated sheet as an inner insulating liner wherein the liner comprises interruptions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventor: Claus E. Sadlier
  • Patent number: 7757885
    Abstract: A container comprising at least one receptacle wall defining an opening. A brim is formed about the opening. The brim includes a brim curl in a first configuration. The brim curl is adapted to deform into a second configuration. The container may further comprise a lid removably and sealingly engaged to the receptacle. The lid is adapted to deform the brim curl upon removal of the lid from the receptacle. The lid cannot sealingly engage the deformed brim curl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Harold J. Goeking, Rebecca E. Whitmore, William Schultz, Janica S. Behnke
  • Publication number: 20100126685
    Abstract: A paper product includes a paperboard comprising a substrate layer, a filler layer, and a cap layer, wherein the filler layer is disposed between the substrate layer and the cap layer, wherein the filler layer includes a filler material, wherein the cap layer includes a polylactic acid based resin, and wherein the cap layer is substantially free of filler material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Gregory Michael Fike, Joseph Robert Pounder
  • Publication number: 20100084418
    Abstract: A cutlery utensil dispenser having at least one utensil compartment and a dispensing mechanism is disclosed. Each utensil compartment is so dimensioned and configured to house a stack of utensils. The dispensing mechanism includes a drive member in operable communication with at least one driven member, each driven member being associated with a respective one of the compartments. Actuation of the drive member causes simultaneous actuation of each driven member that causes a utensil to be dispensed from each compartment in repeatable succession one at a time. Also disclosed is a cutlery utensil dispenser having an electric motor in operable communication with the dispensing mechanism, and a controller in operable communication with the motor. The controller includes a processing circuit responsive to computer executable instructions which when executed on the processing circuit facilitates dispensing of a utensil from the utensil compartment by operation of the motor on command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 8, 2008
    Publication date: April 8, 2010
    Applicant: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Christopher M. Reinsel, Brian Durant, Stephen J. Drabant, Thomas J. Steimer
  • Patent number: 7658296
    Abstract: A container ensemble for food packaging comprising a substantially planar lid member formed of a polymeric material which has a plurality of substantially planar lids which are integrally formed and separably joined to each other, each of the lids including a sealing channel around its perimeter and a skirt extending outwardly therefrom. The lid member is provided with tearable portions to facilitate separation. The other component of the ensemble is a cup member formed of a polymeric material defining a plurality of cups which are integrally formed and also separably joined to each other, the cups including a bottom, a sidewall, and a brim about an upper opening of each cup. Each cup has a skirt extending outwardly from its brim provided with tearable portions to facilitate separation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Gerald J. Van Handel, Rebecca E. Whitmore, Loren G. Baker, Jonathan E. Rush
  • Patent number: 7614993
    Abstract: The sidewall portion of a cup or other container for a heated beverage or other hot liquid comprises a relatively rigid outer wall and a relatively flexible inner liner. The wall and liner are attached together at respective upper and lower circumferential bands and at least an intermediate portion of the liner between the upper and lower circumferential bands is separable from the outer wall, to thereby form a sealed void between the outer wall and the inner liner which extends circumferentially along the entire comfort band and which defines a comfort band encircling at least a middle region of the cup. In one embodiment, a liner preform is placed on a tapered mandrel provided with selectively heated circumferential bands for sealing the upper and lower circumferential bands of the liner to an inner surface of the outer wall. Preferably, the container is a stackable disposable cup with a liner formed of a heat shrinkable material which is activated (i.e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventor: Gerald Van Handel
  • Patent number: 7600669
    Abstract: A container blank comprises at least one substrate layer made of disposable material and at least one film layer disposed substantially over the substrate layer and having at least one portion adapted to shrink away from the substrate layer upon application of heat. The shrunk film layer portion is adapted to thermally insulate the substrate layer located substantially behind the shrunk film layer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventor: Gerald J. Van Handel
  • Publication number: 20090173775
    Abstract: A disposable servingware container press-formed from a generally planar paperboard blank includes: (a) a bottom panel; (b) a first annular transition portion extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottom panel defining a first radius of curvature; (c) an optional sidewall portion extending upwardly and outwardly from the first annular transition portion; (d) a second annular transition portion flaring outwardly with respect to the first annular transition portion; and (e) an outer flange portion extending outwardly with respect to the second annular transition portion. The paperboard blank is generally sized with nano starch in an amount of greater than 20 lbs per 3000 ft2 ream and preferably exhibits a starch layer concentration of greater than about 1.7 lbs/ream/mil.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2009
    Publication date: July 9, 2009
    Applicant: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Dean P. Swoboda, Greg A. Wendt
  • Patent number: 7540833
    Abstract: Disposable containers include peripheral tabs which are useful for positioning and processing the containers and operate as separators. In a preferred embodiment, the tabs correspond to tabs on a paperboard blank where the tabs are useful for controlling the orientation of the blanks so that printed and shape features may be kept in registration during manufacturing of a disposable servingware container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Albert D. Johns, Mark B. Littlejohn, Jay S. Lester, Mircea Sofronie, Thomas W. Zelinski, William R. Pucci, Richard J. Rogers, Erik J. Sjogren
  • Publication number: 20090110855
    Abstract: The present invention provides polymer formulations containing 20 to about 40 weight percent of a filler, such as calcium carbonate. Multilayer polymer structures containing a filler in at least one layer of the multilayer structure, and methods of making these multilayer structures, are also disclosed. Articles of manufacture, such as food service articles, including cups, lids, plates, trays, containers, cutlery, and the like, derived from these formulations and multilayer structures are also provided in the present invention.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2007
    Publication date: April 30, 2009
    Applicant: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Donald C. McCarthy, William Pucci, Anthony J. Swiontek
  • Patent number: 7513386
    Abstract: A container comprising a sidewall and an inner liner. The inner liner includes an intermediate portion affixed to the sidewall about a periphery of the intermediate portion. The sidewall includes a vent disposed within the periphery of the intermediate portion. The intermediate portion is adapted to separate from the sidewall such that ambient air flows through the vent to form an air pocket between the intermediate portion of the inner liner and the sidewall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Timothy P. Hartjes, Michael A. Breining, Gerald J. Van Handel, David C. Brown, Walter Malakhow
  • Patent number: 7510098
    Abstract: The present invention provides a container suitable for providing insulation wherein the container has an inner shrink film liner. The sidewalls of the container, which can be made from paperboard or other suitable material, are vented to allow ambient air to freely flow through the sidewall of the container during activation of the shrink film with hot liquid or other suitable material. When the container is filled with material having a temperature of from about 130° F. to up to about 212° F., the shrink film is activated and the container provides excellent insulation, thereby allowing the container to be held in a consumer's hand for an extended period without causing burns or excessive discomfort. Methods of making this container are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventors: Timothy P. Hartjes, Michael A. Breining, Gerald J. Van Handel, David C. Brown, Walter Malakhow
  • Patent number: 7482053
    Abstract: A thermoformed disposable food container having a wall caliper of from about 10 to about 80 mils consisting essentially of from about 30 to about 80 percent by weight of a matrix polymer composition consisting predominantly of a polypropylene polymer and optionally including a polyethylene polymer, from about 10 to about 50 percent mica, from about 2.5 to about 25 percent calcium carbonate, and up to about 5 weight percent titanium dioxide, exhibits enhanced rigidity when the calcium carbonate has a mean particle size of less than about 8 microns. The extrudable compositions are likewise useful for film, sheet and injection molding applications.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventor: Anthony J. Swiontek
  • Patent number: 7464856
    Abstract: A container blank comprises at least one substrate layer made of disposable material and at least one film layer disposed substantially over the substrate layer and having at least one portion adapted to shrink away from the substrate layer upon application of heat. The shrunk film layer portion is adapted to thermally insulate the substrate layer located substantially behind the shrunk film layer portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventor: Gerald J. Van Handel
  • Patent number: D591104
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: Dixie Consumer Products LLC
    Inventor: Shawn A. Oakes