Molded Foam Plastic Plate Packing Box

Special receptacles or packages, for plate or sheet, fragile or sensative in Class 206, subclass 454.

U.S. Pat. Nos. Weidel 1,908,940; Scott 4,113,096; and Peckar 4,119,204.

In the boxing of china plates of the dinner plate type great care must be taken to protect them against shock or crushing. Not only must the box itself stand rough handling, but it also must not impose local stresses on the plate within. To avoid local stressing, one object of the invention is to provide a plate packing box having a plurality of opposed ridges and cylindrical surfaces which engage different portions of a conventional dinner-type plate, and which constrain the plate against movement within the box.

A more particular object is to provide, on the hollow box bottom and top, opposed ridges whose free ends provide a nip between which the flange of a dinner-type plate engages, the free ends of which ridges have bevels which engage flatwise against the surfaces of the plate flange. Since the box is molded of resilient foam plastic, and since the ribs are of relatively thin cross section, an extra springy-yieldability is provided along the lines between which the plate flange is nipped.

A further object is to provide a foam plastic plate packing box which will accommodate plates of different diameters. Plate packing boxes have been disclosed in prior patents such as Weidel U.S. Pat. No. 1,908,940; Scott U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,096; and Peckar U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,204 (supra) wherein plates are engaged within packages of molded porous or foam material. However, the boxes disclosed in the prior art do not provided the same type of protection for a plate of one diameter as they do for a plate of another diameter. An object of this invention is to provide a box which will accommodate both relatively large and small diameter plates such that when the box is opened by separation of the top from the bottom, either size plate is displayed on one side in its entirety, and the plate may be removed from the package without need for disconnecting innerlocking tabs or tongues or spacers.

These and other objects will be apparent in the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the subject package in closed condition;

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-section taken vertically through the closed box showing one plate of relatively large diameter in broken lines engaged within the box;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section showing part of a plate of relatively small diameter engaged in the box;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section showing the inner fitting bumps and dimples on the edges of the box bottom and top;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the top; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the bottom.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numerals denote similar elements, the plate packing box 2 is molded of yieldable and somewhat springy foam plastic and is comprised of a bottom 4 and top 6. Bumps 8 on the bottom peripheral flange 36 and interfit with dimples 10 on the top peripheral flange 37 to orient the bottom and top so that the flattened opposite sides 12 and 14 coincide. Either half of the box may be considered as the bottom while the other half may be considered as the top, depending upon how it is desired that the plate be displayed when the box is opened. For purposes of exposition, it will be assumed that the part 4 is the bottom and the part 6 the top. FIG. 2 illustrates the box in closed condition with a plate of relatively large diameter disposed therein with its bottom up. The flat ends 14 provide areas for sealing the box with a flat strip of clear adhesive tape (not shown).

On the inner side of box top 6 is a shallow circular pocket 16 having a short cylindrical end shoulder 18 against which the rib 20 around the bottom 22 of a relatively large plate 24 engages. On the inner sides of the box top and bottom are opposed ridges 26 and 28. The free ends of the ridges are beveled at 29, 29.sup.1, 29a and 29a.sup.1 so that they engage flatwise against the plate-flange. On the peripheral flange 37 of the box top, on its inner side, is a peripheral rib 32. The free end of rib 32 is beveled as at 34 to engage flatwise against the plate flange 30. The outer side of flange 37 is indented to provide a rabbet 38 into which the peripheral flange 36 of the box bottom nests. As will be apparent from FIG. 2, the plate 34 is constrained against relative axial and radial movement within the box by snug confinement by the box at a plurality of radially spaced annular areas.

FIG. 3 illustrates the areas of confinement of a smaller diameter plate which is seated with its upper side up in the box. Box bottom 4 is provided with a shallow circular pocket 16a of slightly less diameter and the pocket 16 in box top 6, the pocket having a cylindrical outer wall 18a against which the rib 20a of the smaller plate engages. The peripheral edge 40 or 40a of the plate flange 30 or 30a engages in the corner 42 or 44 at the base of the inner side of annular rib 36 or 37.

By comparing FIG. 2 with 3, it will be apparent that the relatively smaller plate 24A is confined and protected in virtually the same manner as the larger plate 24. If it is desired that the upper side of the larger plate be displayed when the box is opened, the box as shown in FIG. 2 is simply inverted from its position shown in FIG. 2 and the part 4 designated as the top.

Because there are some variations in plate size, provisions are made for holding smaller variants. There are small raised tabs 52 molder inwardly from shoulder 18 into 6. The tabs are strong enough in the lateral direction to present lateral sliding of a smaller plate, for example, of 8 5/16" or 8 7/16" diameter whereas the tabs, being thin, are compressible so that the rib on the bottom of a standard 81/2" plate will simply compress the tabs and engage against the shoulder 18.

The box is usable for plates of material other than china and it will also protect plates smaller than those described above.