DE8701072U1 - Menu container - Google Patents

Description

Menu container

The invention relates to a menu container according to the preamble of claim 1.

In a known meal container of this type (EP-A2-166 688), the partition is made of plastic and is hermetically sealed on all sides by heat sealing with a coating on the base and the closure. This heat sealing around the partition can only be achieved with a high level of manufacturing effort.

The invention is based on the object of dividing the interior of a standard base in a simple manner, as required, into two or more chambers of any volume.

This object is achieved by the features of claim 1. The lower part can be made of tinplate with a thickness

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Bank account: NORD/LB, NL Bad Gandersheim (BLZ 27fe537 Si), KtarNr. 2&.&idiagr;&iacgr;&bgr; 970 '- Postgiro account: Postgiroamt Hannover (BLZ 250100 30), Kto.-NL 66715-1

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from 0.16 to 0.20 mm or from aluminum sheet with a thickness of 0.18 to 0.22 mm. The base can basically be round, essentially rectangular, oval or of any other shape. If a specific division of the space into chambers is desired in such a "standard" base, only the insert needs to be manufactured accordingly. The base does not need to be changed or adapted to the chamber division. The insert can, for example, be made from polypropylene with an extremely thin wall thickness or from an aluminum foil that is only 0.06 to 0.20 ram thick, since the insert only has the function of tightly separating the individual menu components from one another. The relatively rigid base, on the other hand, ensures the dimensional stability of the menu container.

The features of claim 2 result in a very dimensionally stable meal container. The metal lid and/or the base of the base can have a profile, e.g. a so-called terrace profile, if certain changes in the shape of these parts, e.g. during heat treatment of the closed meal container, are to be permitted or facilitated. A metal lid can be used which can be opened in the conventional* manner with a can opener. The metal lid can be made of tinplate or aluminum in the thickness ranges previously specified for the base. The outer flange of the insert is held firmly in the double fold even after the closure has been opened. The insert normally remains in the opened meal container and is therefore not separated from the base to heat or consume the meal.

The sealing strip according to claim 3 can, for example, consist of a sealing compound based on plastic or rubber that is permitted under food law, such as is used in seam closures.

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OH sen and closure caps« The sealing strip can also be prefabricated and glued on as such* The sealing strip is preferably attached to the underside of the closure* In the case of the sealing compound mentioned above, this is adjusted in such a way that it can be torn through relatively easily when the metal lid is opened.

The features of claim 4 facilitate the sealing of the partition wall with respect to the closure.

The features of claim 5 further facilitate this sealing»

The features of claim 6 also serve the purpose of facilitating the sealing of the closure against the back.

The sealing strip according to claim 7 can be manufactured or designed in the same way as was explained in connection with claim 3.

The recesses according to claim 8 serve to stiffen and - while maintaining the function of the web 20 also to facilitate a

local change in the shape of the closure, e.g. during heat treatment of the closed menu container.

The features of claim 9 facilitate the tearing open of the menu container.

J ₅ 25 According to claim 10, each chamber is tightly closed in the manner of a press-in lid can. In this case, additional sealing strips according to claim 3 or 7 can be dispensed with.

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The features of claim 11 lead to a simplification of production.

The features of claim 12 result in a relatively inexpensive meal container. Preferably, the entire insert is made of heat-sealable plastic. Its outer flange then supplies all or part of the sealing compound for the tight heat-seal connection of this closure with the sealing edge of the lower part. However, the insert can also consist, at least in the area of its outer flange, of aluminum foil that is heat-sealable on both sides.

According to claim 13, a particularly simple seal between the partition and the closure is obtained, which can be easily torn through if the closure is torn open when the meal container is opened. Alternatively, the closure can be cut out in the area of the individual chambers, so that the connection between the closure and the partition can remain.

The design according to claim 14 stiffens the partition wall in the sealing area and facilitates satisfactory heat sealing even with a relatively small thickness of the partition wall.

The sealing strip according to claim 15 has the same possibilities and advantages as the subject matter of claims 3 or 7.

With the features of claim 16, a perfect seal between the partition and the closure can be achieved relatively easily in all of the previously mentioned ways. This applies both to a folded lid and to a sealing film as a closure.

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The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, which show further features and advantages of the invention. It shows:

Fig. 1 the top view of a lower part with inserted insert,

Fig. 2 the top view of an associated closure designed as a sheet metal lid,

Fig. 3 the sectional view along line III-III in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 the sectional view along line IV-IV in Fig. 2 with a part of the set,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 4 through another embodiment of the membrane container,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of a menu container sealed with a heat-sealing film,

Fig. 7 the sectional view along line VII-VII in Fig. 6 in an enlarged view,

Fig. &thgr; the top view of another lower part with inserted foil and three chambers,

Fig. 9 is a plan view of another base with an inserted insert, which has two essentially rectangular chambers,

Fig. 10 a longitudinal section through a further embodiment with a specially designed back of the partition,

Pig. 11 the top view of the insert; of another lower part and

Fig. 12 is a sectional view along line XII-XII in Fig. 11.

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Fig. 1 and 2 show a meal container 1, namely Fig. 1 a circular lower part 2 and Fig. 2 a closure 3 designed as a sheet metal lid that fits the lower part 2.

The lower part "2 is deep-drawn from sheet metal. An insert 4 made of deep-drawn plastic film, complementary to a part of an inner surface of the lower part 2, is inserted into the lower part 2. A substantially diagonally running partition wall 5 is formed onto the insert 4, which has a substantially flat back 6 at the top and divides an interior of the insert 4 into chambers 7 and 8. The partition wall 5 has side walls 9 and 10, which, in relation to each chamber 7, 8, are inclined from the top and outside to the bottom and inside. The insert 4 is provided with a circumferential outer flange 11.

According to Fig. 2, the closure 3 has an at least approximately flat, diagonally extending web 12 which, when the closure 3 is placed on the ^lower part 2, is aligned with the back 6 in the axial direction. A recess 13 and 14 is formed in the closure 3 on each side of the web 12. The cross-sectional area of the recesses 13, 14 corresponds to the cross-sectional area of the chambers 7, 8 in Fig. 1, the inclined side walls 9, 10 of the partition wall 5 continuing around the circumference of the chambers 7, 8.

The closure 3 is a fully tear-open lid. In the recess 13, a known tear-open tab 15 is attached to the lid surface with a rivet 16. The closure 3 has a folded edge on the outside. Side walls 18 and 19 extend downwards from the web 12 and continue around the entire circumference of the recesses 13, 14. The side walls 18, 19 are,

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relative to each recess 13, 14, inclined from above and outside to below and inside.

According to Fig. 3, the side walls 9, 10 of the insert 4 each merge into a flat base 20 and 21 of the associated chamber 1, 8. A side wall 22 of the lower part 2 is inclined in a complementary manner to the majority of the side walls 9, 10 and is designed in the shape of a hollow truncated cone. The lower part 2 has a flat base 23, with the inner surface of which the bases 20, 21 are in contact. The insert 4 therefore largely nestles against the inner surface of the lower part 2 r,n, the only exception being the area of the partition wall 5 due to the design. The insert 4 is therefore well supported and held by the dimensionally stable lower part 2.

The base 23 of the lower part 2 can also be profiled to facilitate changes in shape, e.g. provided with a terrace profile known per se. In this case, the bases 20, 21 of the insert 4 are suitably profiled in a complementary manner, so that in this case too, the insert 4 rests on the inner surface of the lower part 2 over as large an area as possible.

The lower part 2 is provided with a flanged edge 24 on the top and outside, on which the outer flange 11 rests. To close the lower part 2, the closure 3 indicated in Fig. 3 at the top right is placed with its folded edge 17 on the outer flange 11 of the insert 4 and a double fold is produced in a known manner. The outer flange 11 extends into this double fold (not shown) and is held securely by the double fold.

According to Fig. 4, the web 12 has on its underside a sealingly connected with the opposite back 6.

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Effective sealing strip 25 made of a rubber that is permitted under food law. The sealing strip 25 extends outwards on both sides in close contact with a connecting ring 26 (Fig. 3), which creates the transition between the side walls 9, 10 of the insert and the outer flange 11* In Fig. 4, the closure is folded onto the lower part 2* In this state, the sealing strip 25 lies under axial or vertical pre-tension sealingly on the back 6 of the partition wall 5

TO. The chamber is effectively sealed against chamber 8 until the shutter 3 is opened.

In all embodiments, identical parts are provided with identical reference numbers.

In the meal container 1 according to Fig. 5, the lower part 2 and the insert 4 are designed in the same way as in the previously described embodiment, but the insert 4 here consists of aluminum foil, although in this case it could also be deep-drawn from plastic foil. A sealing strip according to the |

Sealing strip 25 in Fig. 4. The seal between the chambers 7, 8 is achieved according to Fig. 5 in that when closing the menu container 1 a tight fit is produced between the side walls 9, 10 of the insert 4 on the one hand and the side walls 18, 19 of the closure 3 on the other. The inclination of the side walls 9 and 18, 19 is selected so that the tight fit after the closure 3 is pressed onto or into the insert 4 allows the side walls to rest against each other under spring pre-tension. The static friction between

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a permanently sealed connection between the insert 4 and the closure 3 until the closure 3 is opened. According to Fig. 5, the closure 3 can also be designed as a full tear-off lid according to Fig. 2. However, it can also be a

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The closure 3 can be used, which can be opened using a can opener. The same applies to the example described above.

In the exemplary embodiment according to Fig. 6, the insert is indicated by dashed lines. The menu container 1 there is closed by a closure 27, which is designed as a circular, heat-sealable film that is sealed onto the entire circumferential outer flange 11 (Fig. 7) of the insert 4.

To open the menu container 1 according to Fig. 6, the closure 27 is cut out in the area of the chambers 7, 8.

Fig. 7 shows that in this embodiment the lower part 2 has a sealing edge 2S onto which the outer flange 11 of the insert 4 is placed together with the outer

^g edge of the closure 27 is sealed. In this embodiment, the partition wall 5 is also sealed against the closure 27 in the area of the back 6 by heat sealing. Instead, a sealing strip corresponding to the sealing strip 25 in Fig. 4 can be arranged between the closure 27 and the back 6.

Another embodiment of the meal container 1 is shown in Fig. 8. The lower part 2 is shown here without a closure, as in Fig. 1. The lower part 2 can be identical to that shown in Figs. 1 and 3. However, in this case the insert 4 has, in addition to the chamber 7, chambers 29 and 30, each of which corresponds to about a quarter of the volume of the lower part 2. Each chamber 29 is partially delimited by a side wall 31 and 32, which are inclined in a similar way to the side wall of the chamber 7. The side walls 31, 32 are connected to one another between the chambers 29, 30 by a substantially flat back 33. The back 33 lies in a

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It is clear that the chambers 7, 29 1 30 according to Fig. 8 can also have other relative volumes. More than three chambers can also be provided in the insert 4. In all these cases the lower part 2 remains completely unchanged, which greatly simplifies the storage of the lower parts 2.

Fig. 9 shows another embodiment of the menu container

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1Ö are square. A heat-sealable film according to Fig. 6 and 7* is used as a closure (not shown in Fig. 9). However, the lower part 2 according to Fig. 9 can also be designed on the outer edge according to Fig. 1 and 3 and then closed with a folding lid.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 10, the partition wall 5 is provided along its edges facing the chambers 7, 8 with sealing ribs 34 and 35 projecting towards the closure 27, which facilitate the sealing of the partition wall 5 to the closure 27.

In the cases of Fig. 6, 7, 9 and 10, the sealing of the closure 27 to the partition wall 5 is facilitated by the partition wall 5 being conveniently positioned on the bottom 23 of the lower part

2 is supported. The partition wall 5 is sufficiently stable so that its side walls 9, 10 do not move sideways during heat sealing or only do so within permissible limits.

In the embodiment according to Fig. 11, the chamber 7 is circular and surrounds the circular partition wall 5. The partition wall 5 encloses the circular chamber 8.

For the lower part 2 shown in Fig. 11, a tear-off lid as shown in Fig. 2 is provided as a closure. However, with such a lid (not shown),

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However, the web 12 according to Fig. 2 is preferably designed concentrically to the center in such a way that this web is arranged axially with the annular back 6 shown in Fig. 11. Outside such an annular web there can be an annular depression corresponding to the depression 13 in Fig. 2, while a circular depression can be arranged inside the web. In this way, a tight fit in the sense of Fig. 5 can also be achieved with a cover made for the lower part 2 according to Fig. 11 between the side walls of its web and the side walls 9, 10 of the partition wall 5. Alternatively, the back 6 can be sealed against the cover by a sealing strip corresponding to the sealing strip 25 in Fig. 4 or sealing compound.

The circular partition wall 5 is a sufficiently rigid structure even with a relatively small thickness of the aluminum foil used for the insert 4, so that the back 6 can also be tightly connected to an opposing sealing foil as a closure by heat sealing. In this case, the outer edge of the insert 4 would be expediently designed according to Fig. 7 and supported on a sealing edge of the lower part 2.

Fig. 12 shows further details of the menu container 1 according to Fig. 11.

Claims (16)

PROTECTION CLAIMS 1. Meal container (1) with a lower part (2) deep-drawn from sheet metal, into which a partition wall (5) can be inserted to create at least two chambers (7,8; 7,29»30) intended for receiving menu components, which are sealed against one another, and with a closure (3;27) tightly closing the lower part (2) and the chambers (7,8; 7,29,30). characterized in that the partition wall (5) is formed onto a tight insert (4) made of deep-drawn foil, in particular plastic or aluminium foil, which is complementary to a part of an inner surface of the lower part (2) and contains the chambers (7,8;7,29,30)* 2. Menu container according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower part (2) and the closure (3) designed as a sheet metal lid are connected to one another by a double fold. -2-PK/HU Bank account: NORD/LB, NL Bad Gandersheim (bank code 2*?9 S3T* 21),W'N« feß &Iacgr;&idiagr;8 WO ■ Postgiro account; Postgiroamt Hannover ¹ (bank code 250100 30), account number 6671 · ■ I 1 I -2- are connected to one another, and that a circumferential outer flange (11) of the insert (4) extends into the double fold. 3. Meal container according to claim 2, characterized in that a sealing strip (25) is arranged between the closure (3) and the partition (5). 4. Menu folder according to claim 2 or 3> characterized in that the partition (5) has at least one back (6j6,33) opposite the closure (3). 5· Menu container according to claim 4, characterized in that the back (6; 6,33) is at least approximately flat. 6. Meal container according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the closure (3) has an at least approximately flat web (12) opposite the at least one back (6; 6, 33). 7. Meal container according to claim 6, characterized in that each web (12) carries the sealing strip (25) which cooperates sealingly with the opposite back (6;6,33). 8. Menu container according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that a recess (13, 14) is formed in the closure (3) on each side of each web (12). 9. Meal container according to claim 8, characterized in that when the closure (3) is designed as a full tear-open lid, a tear-open tab (15) is arranged in the region of one of the recesses (13). ii HW &bull;&igr; it < ' · * I &igr; t &igr;·&igr;<· JtII · < · Hi 10* Meal container according to claim 8 or 9» characterized in that side walls (18,19) of the recesses (13,14) have a tight fit with complementary side walls (9»1&thgr;) of the chambers (7,8;7,29,50) of the insert (4)* 11. Meal container according to claim 10, characterized in that the side walls (9,i0,i8,i9), with respect to each chamber (7,8;7,29,30) and recess (13,14), are inclined from above and outside to below and inside. 12* Meal container according to claim 1, characterized ^ that the lower part (2) has a sealing edge (28), that a peripheral outer flange (11) of the insert (4) extends in axial alignment with the sealing edge (28), that the sealing edge (28) and the outer flange (11) are tightly connected to one another and to the closure (27) designed as a sealing film by heat sealing, and that the partition wall (5) is sealed against the closure (27). 13* Meal container according to claim 12, characterized in that the partition wall (5) is sealed against the closure (27) by heat sealing. 14. Menu container according to claim 13, characterized in that the partition wall (5) is provided along its edges facing the chambers (7,8; 7,29,30) with sealing ribs (34,35) projecting towards the closure (27). 15. Meal container according to claim 12, characterized in that a sealing strip is arranged between the closure and the partition. 16. Menu container according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the partition wall (5) is endless and is surrounded all around by one (7) of the chambers (7, 8).