Abstract: A container having a base, a lid, and a tamper-evident, closed band. The base includes a sealing section and defines a space and an opening at a periphery that has an outwardly extending base flange with a contact surface. The lid has a lid sealing section and an outwardly extending lid flange having a contact surface. The base sealing section and the lid sealing section form a reclosable snap fit. The lid and base flanges can also include a removed portion to create an increased distance between contact surfaces on the lid and base flanges. The tamper-evident, closed band can attach at a first end to one of the base and lid, with a free second end, can be substantially detachable from the base or lid as a closed band, and can also extend to substantially prevent direct manual access to the lid and base flanges.

Abstract: A molding apparatus can include a primary mold, a stripper, and a swinging member. The swinging member can comprise a molding surface defining an undercut portion of a molded item. The swinging member can directly contact or attached to the stripper and the primary mold. To facilitate removal of a molded item, the swinging member can withdraw through a hole in the primary mold as a direct result of a motion of the stripper to pull the molded item off the primary mold. The molded item can then be easily removed.

Abstract: A container of sheet plastic reveals when it has been opened after a clerk loaded it with food. The container has a base (12) and lid (14) that remain latched together until they are separated at an initial opening region (40) where the lid has a radially-outward projecting lid tab (44) and the base has a tear-away part (52) with a blocker (60) that blocks access to the lid tab. The blocker surrounds the radially outward edge and opposite sides of the tab. The blocker prevents access to the lid tab to lift it to open the container until the tear-away part (52) is torn along a tear line (81). The fact that the tear-away part is torn away, reveals that the container has been tampered with.

Abstract: A tamper-evident rigid plastic food container system wherein the outer periphery of the mating surfaces of the lid and tray are permanently bonded together after the food product has been placed in the tray, a set of perforated rows at an inner periphery, the interconnect of which needs to be torn in order to open the lid. Intentional, inadvertent, or malicious ingress into the container can only be made by tearing at the perforations and thereby evidencing the potential tampering and contamination of the packaging contents. The lid and tray edges may further include mechanical interference fits, including snap-fit grips that may be of the releasably lockable kind to permit sealing, release, and re-sealing multiple times without deterioration in reliability, and which can further prevent or minimize leakage of liquid food product.

Abstract: A container comprising a base (12) and lid (14) each formed of sheet plastic, wherein after food is loaded into a base cavity (20) and the lid is closed, the lid resists opening. To open the lid, a move-away tab (64) lying along the base rim portion (30) is moved by tearing along at least one line (70) so a lid rim part (50) is exposed and can be grasped to lift the lid. The base has an outer raised rib (32) that blocks access to the lid rim part until the tab, which lies between two gaps (62, 63) in the outer rib, is moved out of the way. The base also has an inner raised rib (34) that projects into a groove (46) in the lid to form a seal.

Abstract: A container which indicates if the lid (14) has been opened after a clerk loaded food into the base (12) and closed the lid. The base and lid each has a trapping portion (20, 22) and a pull-open portion (24, 32) with a tear-tab, or tear -open barrier (80). To close the lid, a clerk projects a tab (30) on the pull-open portion of the lid through a slot (26) in the pull-open portion of the base, and then presses down the entire trapping portion of the lid into the trapping portion of the base. The lid cannot be lifted up because the tear-open barrier (80) forming the top wall of the slot lies over the tab. To open the container, a person tears the barrier (80, FIG. 8) along a tear line (90, 92) extending from the slot (26) to the outer edge (50) of the base, or the person tears the tab to leave a short tab part that clears the barrier. The tab has a partially vertical stiffener (77) to prevent radially inward tab movement through the slot.

Abstract: A container (16) that is especially useful to hold hot baked goods to vent moisture and thereby increase the life of the baked goods. The container includes base and lid elements (12, 14), both formed of plastic sheeting, with especially the lid element having a plurality of small (preferably not more than ?th inch diameter) vent holes (50, 40, 42, 44, 52) that allow the escape of moisture while resisting the entry of dirt or objects.

Abstract: A container (10) with lower and upper parts of formed plastic sheeting, is constructed of two identical elements (12, 14) that can close and latch to each other to form a closed container by turning a second of the elements upside down to make it the upper element, and pressing it down against the lower first element. The lower element includes a base wall (20) which is the bottommost wall and which has a vertical axis (22), upstanding side walls (24), and a flange (30) extending radially away from the top of the side walls. Along a left half (34) of the lower element, the flange forms an upward projection(s) (42), and along the right half (36) of the lower element the flange forms an upwardly-opening groove (44). Each projection and groove extends in a zig-zag line along the flange.

Abstract: A tamper-evident rigid plastic food container system wherein the outer periphery of the mating surfaces of the lid and tray are permanently bonded together after the food product has been placed in the tray, a set of perforated rows at an inner periphery, the interconnect of which needs to be torn into order to open the lid. Intentional, inadvertent or malicious ingress into the container can only be made by tearing at the perforations thereby evidencing the potential tampering and contamination of the packaging contents. The lid and tray edges may further include mechanical interference fits, including snap-fit grips that may be of the releasably lockable kind to permit sealing, release and re-sealing multiple times without deterioration in reliability, and which can further prevent or minimize leakage of liquid food product.

Abstract: A bowl assembly (10) for steaming food as in a microwave oven, includes a bowl (12), a platform (14) that lies in the bowl for supporting food, and a lid (16) and lidding film (13) that close the bowl. The platform includes a plate (22) and one or more upstanding handles (46) that allow a person to lift or tilt the plate with food thereon even while the plate is hot. The bowl has a bottom wall (26) with a convexly curved upper surface (80), and with a middle that forms a recess (72) that receives a downwardly-protruding latch (70) of the plate to latch the plate to the bowl. The plate has a plurality of depressions that form liquid guiding channels (40) with holes (42) for draining liquids. The periphery of the plate is supported on an interrupted up-step (60) at the periphery of the bowl bottom wall, with gaps (18) left between the up-steps though which liquids can drain.

Abstract: Base and cover elements (12, 14) of a food container (10) can be rapidly closed at a plant and can be easily opened and closed by a customer. The cover has a lower rim wall (44) with a plurality of radially inward cover projections (50) spaced about the container axis (20), and the base has a base rim wall (32) with a plurality of recesses (52) with undercut grooves (60) that each receives a cover projection to hold the cover closed on the base. The bottom surface (86) of the cover projections and the top surface (80) of the base rim wall are beveled, so the cover can be installed by forcefully pushing it down, at any rotational position of the cover on the base. The cover then can be easily removed by turning it, with the cover projections moving along undercut base grooves (60), until the cover projections reach vertical passages (54) through which the projections can be easily lifted.

Abstract: A container with a base (12) and lid (14), clearly indicates if the lid has been opened after a clerk loaded food into the base and closed the lid. The base and lid each has a respective lid tab and a base tab, with one tab forming a slot (26) and the tab other projecting through the slot, and with the base tab forming a barrier wall (80) that lies over the lid tab. One of the tabs has a weakened severable line (90, 92) that can be torn to allow the lid tab to be lifted to open the container.

Abstract: A container clearly indicates that it has been opened after a store clerk loads food into the base of the container and closes a covering of the container onto the base. The covering (16) includes a peripheral cover portion (22) that becomes fixed to a peripheral base portion (32) when the clerk initially closes the container. To thereafter open the container, a person forcefully lifts a tab (30) on the covering to tear the covering along a long tear line (26) that separates the peripheral cover portion (22) from a lid (24) formed by a radially inner covering portion. The base (12) is fixed to the peripheral covering portion (22), and together they form a base device (40). After the lid has been torn free of the peripheral covering portion, the lid can be closed and latched to the base device and then can be easily opened again.

Abstract: Food containers formed of sheet plastic are latchably stackable on one another. Each container has base (14) and lid (16) elements, with one of them having an outer rim part with a pair of long handle sections (80, 82) that can be pivoted up to form a handle assembly for carrying the container. The sections that form handles are formed in the lid element (16) rather than in the base element (14), so a person does not have to contend with long bouncing sections if the person eats a meal out of the base. One of the elements has vertically undercut grooves (50) and the other element has horizontal projections (52) that slide into and along the grooves. The grooved element has vertical passages (120) along which the projections can move vertically until they can slide into and along the grooves.

Abstract: A food container (14) that can be mounted on a cup (12), includes a container bottom recess (30) that receives the top (22) of the cup. Walls of the recess form a groove (44) that extends around the container axis (26) and snaps onto a bead (24) at the top of the cup to hold the container securely to the cup. The groove (44) lies at the top of a leadin wall (42) that extends at an inward and upward incline, so the leadin wall is deflected by the cup bead until the bead snaps into the groove.

Abstract: A food container formed from plastic, can be loaded with food and then closed by a clerk, and thereafter cannot be opened without tearing apart first sides (24, 26) of the base (12) and lid (16). The container is formed by a single sheet of plastic that forms a base and lid with second sides (20, 22) that are latched together and with adjacent first sides that are joined by a joint line (30) in the plastic that is creased and that has slits (40). At the joint line, the lid has a projecting lid tab (32) and the base has a projecting base tab (36). A person grasps both tabs, and lifts only the lid tab to tear apart the first sides of the base and lid along the joint line (30). Thereafter, the lid can be easily closed and reopened on the base.

Abstract: A food bowl assembly includes a bowl (12) and a food platform (14) that lies in a lower portion of the bowl. The platform supports solid food and allows grease and other fluids to flow to a lower compartment (34) that lies under the platform. The platform has support surfaces (40) on which food lies, has recesses (42) that lie slightly below the level of the support surfaces and into which fluid drains, and has drain holes (50) in the recess though which fluids flow to the lower compartment. All of the holes lie closer to the vertical axis (16) of the bowl assembly than to the rim (24) of the platform, which avoids fluids spilling out of the holes when the bowl assembly is tipped. The bottom of the bowl or the platform, forms a deflector (64) around a region below the holes, with gaps in the barrier that allow fluid to flow to the periphery of the lower compartment.

Abstract: An improvement to a container of the type that includes a vacuum formed transparent base and lid, the container having opposite sides that each forms a base flap (20) and a lid flap (22) that lie adjacent and parallel to each other, wherein the container indicates if it has been opened after a store clerk has loaded food into the container. An indicator sheet (34) lies between the base and lid and has cut-out characters (60) lying in holes (62) of a carrier (64), the carrier being bonded to the base flap and the characters being bonded to the lid flap. The container is opened by a person pulling up the lid flap, with the characters lifting out of their holes as they move up with the lid flap, and with the carrier that forms the character holes remaining on the base flap. When the lid is closed by pressing down the lid flap against the base flap, there will be some misalignment of the characters with the holes that they previously lay in, creating gaps that are readily noticeable.

Abstract: A molding apparatus can include a primary mold, a stripper, and a swinging member. The swinging member can comprise a molding surface defining an undercut portion of a molded item. The swinging member can directly contact or attached to the stripper and the primary mold. To facilitate removal of a molded item, the swinging member can withdraw through a hole in the primary mold as a direct result of a motion of the stripper to pull the molded item off the primary mold. The molded item can then be easily removed.

Abstract: A food container system that comprises a tray member that is the primary storage container, a first lid member that is molded to comprise a plurality of recesses of either similar or varying sizes to house various foodstuffs, and optionally a third lid member. When assembled, the foodstuff in the first lid member may be retained by a foil that adheres to the mouths of the recesses or the optional third lid member which may be formed to snugly fit over the recesses of the first lid member. The foodstuffs may be mixed in any combination desired. Embodiments of the invention will include for the tray member that may be releaseably attached to either the first or second lid member via a snap-fit grip mechanism; additionally, the first and second lid members may be releaseably attached to each other in a similar manner. The utility of the container system is magnified through the multi-compartmentalized lid member.