Box With Internal Platform for Vertical Stacking of Products

The present invention relates to a box with a movable interior platform for the vertical stacking of products and in particular, food products interiorly of the box.

In view of the competitive nature of the pizza industry, some pizza companies now offer two pizzas for the price of one. The traditional packaging for these two pizzas is in the form of an elongated box where the pizzas sit side by side with one another. These boxes become extremely cumbersome particularly if one purchases a large or a party size pizza further increasing the side by side style box dimensions.

In another food area, one will often purchase two or more pies, cakes, etc. at one time. These food products are typically packaged in individual boxes because there is presently no convenient way of packing a plurality of pies or the like in a single box without damaging the pies.

The present invention provides a box which, although useful in other areas, is particularly useful for the packaging of a plurality of food type products. The box of the present invention is one which has an internal vertical stacking capacity and comprises a base, a top and at least one platform, between the top and the base. The platform is provided with downwardly extending spacing means which spaces the platform above the base and below the top thereby leaving two spacing cavities, one above and one below the platform. These spacing cavities are used for the vertical stacking of products and in particular, food products interiorly of the box.

One of the keys of the present invention is that the platform is movably secured to the box for lifting the platform out of the way and exposing the box base beneath the platform with the platform remaining attached at all times to the box. The attachment means for the platform then provides a guide for refitting of the platform back into the box. According to an aspect of the present invention, the box is specifically designed for the vertical stacking of pizzas and overcomes the problems associated with much larger boxes presently used for the side by side sale of pizzas sold on a two for one basis.

The above as well as other advantages and features of the present invention will be described in greater detail according to the preferred embodiments of the present invention in which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view looking down on an opened box including a vertical stacking platform shown in an out of the way position with the box being used for the vertical stacking of pizzas according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a further perspective view looking down on the box of FIG. 1 with the vertical stacking platform in its use position.

FIG. 3 is a further perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 1, again with the platform in the use position and showing the top of the box in an open position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the box shown in FIG. 3 with the top in a closed position.

FIG. 5 is a top view looking down on a box blank used to make the box of FIGS. 1 through 4.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the assembly of the box blank shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view looking through the assembled and closed box of FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an alternate box according to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 1 through 4 show a box with internal stacking capacity generally indicated at 1. This box is specifically designed for the vertical stacking of pizzas commonly sold in the pizza industry on a two for one basis or simply for the sale of more than one pizza. The unique feature of this box over and above a conventional pizza box is the provision of an internal platform 7 which, as best seen in FIG. 8 of the drawings, provides two separate cavities or product receiving regions, one beneath the platform and one above the platform. The two pizzas are placed in these two product receiving regions.

The construction of the box is best described having reference to FIGS. 5 through 7 of the drawings which show the assembly of the blank from which the box is made. This blank includes a box base 2 having opposing sidewall portions 3 and further opposing sidewall portions 3a and 25. Extending at opposite ends of the two sidewall portions 3 are flaps 5 and 6. Flap portion 9 which forms a platform attachment to the box is movably or hingedly secured to sidewall portion 3a and platform 7 is in turn movably or hingedly secured to flap portion 9.

Located at the opposite end of the blank from the platform is a box top 19 hingedly secured to sidewall portion 25.

Platform 7 includes platform wall forming flaps 11 which are bendable at 90.degree. relative to the platform while box top 19 includes similar flaps 21 again bendable at 90.degree. relative to the box top.

A tab 15 is prescored extending from sidewall portion 3a through flap portion 9 and into the platform 7. During the assembly of the blank, this tab is punched out leaving a tab opening 17 seen for example in FIG. 1 of the drawings. The base of the box 2 is provided with a recess 16 for receiving tab 15 after it has been punched out from its prescored position.

FIG. 6 shows the initial assembly of the box where the side walls 3 are bent upwardly at right angles to the base 2. The flaps 5 and the flaps 6 are bent inwardly relative to the sidewalls 3. Note that the flaps 6 extend all the way across the one end of the box while flaps 5 do not cover the other end of the box.

As seen in FIG. 7, tab 15 is punched out of the box blank and the side wall 3a is bent upwardly at 90.degree. relative to base 2. Tab 15 is then bent downwardly over the two flaps 6 and locks into the tab recess 16 to both hold sidewall 3a in its upright position and secure the one end of the box. From here, flaps 11 are bent inwardly at right angles to the platform 7 and the platform itself is bent outwardly at right angles to flap portion 9.

Although not shown in FIG. 7, the next step is the inward bending of flaps 21 relative to the box top 19 so that it then takes on the same general configuration as platform 7.

Returning to FIG. 1, platform 7 is moved to its use or operating position by bending the flap 9 downwardly over flaps 6 with the side flaps 11 remaining in their downwardly bent positions so that the platform then assumes the FIG. 2 set up. From here in order to close the box, sidewall portion 25 is bent upwardly at 90.degree. relative to the base of the box and to the outside of flaps 5 and then the top 19 is bent inwardly at the upper end of sidewall 25 to close the box with the top flaps 21 bent to their downward position relative to the box top. Flaps 21 fit to the inside of the box sidewalls as shown in FIG. 8 of the drawings.

The actual useage of the box is best seen again referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. With the platform 7 lifted up and out of the way, but still secured to the box by means of hinge flap 9, a first pizza is loaded into the box directly on the box base 2. From here, platform 7 is bent downwardly and inwardly where the hinge flap 9 provides a guide for the fitting of the platform. The flaps 11 to the outside of the platform sit on the box base 2 as best seen in FIG. 8. These flaps therefore provide support spacers preventing the platform from moving down directly on the top of the already loaded pizza as seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings. A second pizza is then loaded directly on top of the supported platform at which point the box top is closed over the top pizza and again prevented from moving downwardly too far by means of its spacer flaps 21 which sit on the top of the platform 7 as seen in FIG. 8 of the drawings.

A number of further features have been added to the box to accommodate the fitting of pizzas and in particular, hot pizzas in the box. Firstly, sidewall flaps 11 on the platform 7 include upwardly arched regions 13 to accommodate the round edged contour of the lower pizza which is then able to tightly fit within the confines of the box with the pizza edge extending through the upwardly arched regions. Note that it is the portions 14 of flaps 11 to the opposite ends of the arched regions that provide the vertical stacking support for the platform.

Each of the flaps 21 on the box top include a similar upwardly arched region 23 with support portions 24 once again to accommodate the round edge of the top loaded pizza.

In addition, the box is provided with venting means to air out the box from hot moist vapour given off by a hot pizza. A natural vent is provided by the tab opening 17 and additional vents 8 are provided in the platform 7. Further vents 26 are provided in flap 25 and as seen in FIG. 8 of the drawings, vents 26 are located above platform 7 when the box top is closed. With this venting arrangement vapours from the lower pizza are able to pass upwardly through tab opening 17 as well as the vents 8 to the upper storage region and those vapours as well as vapours given off by the upper pizza then move outwardly of the box through the vent openings 26.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 of the drawings, the box blank has substantially the same construction as that shown for example in FIG. 7, with the exception that in FIG. 9, the box blank includes two tabs 15a and two corresponding tab or vent openings 17a. In this embodiment tab or vent openings 17a are off center of the box and provide sufficient venting from the lower to the upper compartment so as to eliminate the requirement of any further vent openings through the platform.

A further difference in the embodiment of FIG. 9 is the inclusion of vent openings 26a in replacement of vent openings 26. When the internal platform is lowered, the lower of the two vent openings 26a is positioned below the platform while the upper of the two vent openings 26a is positioned above the platform for respective venting of the upper and lower compartments. It is to be appreciated that although specific reference has been made to the use of the box for receiving pizzas, other food items such as pies and the like can equally as well be fitted into the box. In addition, the box including an internal platform can also be used for the packaging of non-food related products where it is desirable for vertical separation of those products.

Although various preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.