Fruit container

Abstract

A food container that includes upper and lower trays ( 12 ), each of sheet plastic and having a plurality of food-holding recesses ( 30 ) for holding pieces of fruit, with the two trays preferably being identical. The two trays have complementary latches ( 80, 90 ) to latch to each other when the container is closed, the individual trays being stackable in a tight stack for storage and transport, and the closed containers being stackable. The latches are in the form of projection latches ( 80 ), and in the form of socket latches ( 90 ) that receive projection latches. The arrangement of projection and socket latches (and of aligners 70, 72 ) forms mirror image arrangements on opposite sides of a mid plane ( 102 ), so the upper tray is identical to the lower one, and the upper tray can be latched to the lower one by turning the upper tray 180° about an axis ( 100 ) lying on the mid plane. The trays each form recesses ( 30 ) and barriers ( 46 ) between recesses, and the intersection of each group at least three barriers forms a platform ( 50 ) that supports one of the latches. Positioners ( 111 - 114 ) that allow container stacking, include socket positioners ( 113 - 114 ) that each includes a downward projection ( 140 ) that projects down from the bottom of a recess and that forms an upwardly opening passage ( 142 ) with a support wall ( 143 ) that can support a piece of fruit that lies in a recess.

1 . A food container that includes upper and lower trays that each comprises a formed sheet of plastic, the trays being releasably latchable to each other and each tray lying primarily on one side of a horizontal mating plane, and the top and bottom trays being identical, wherein: 
 each of said trays has laterally opposite sides that are spaced in lateral directions and that lie on opposite sides of a longitudinal axis, and has longitudinally opposite ends spaced in longitudinal directions, and each tray has a plurality of latches on laterally opposite sides of a longitudinal plane of symmetry that is normal to said lateral directions, said plurality of latches including a plurality of projection latches on each side of said longitudinal plane that each extends outward beyond said mating plane of the container element, and a plurality of socket latches on each side of said longitudinal plane that are each constructed to receive one of said projection latches inserted inwardly therein and latch to the projection latch;    said projection latches on each side of said longitudinal plane and said socket latches on each side of said longitudinal plane are arranged in mirror image patterns on laterally opposite sides of said longitudinal plane, so when said lower and upper trays lie in identical positions as seen in a plan view, and the upper tray is then raised and turned  1800  about the longitudinal axis, the upper tray can be pushed down so each of said projection latches enters one of said socket latches to latch the trays together.    
     
     
         2 . The container described in  claim 1  wherein: 
 each of said trays forms a plurality of upwardly-concave smoothly curved recesses, and the bottom of each of a plurality of said recesses in the lower tray forms a positioner;    said positioners include projection positioners that project downward and socket positioners, each socket positioner having a downward projection with an upwardly-extending blind hole therein, the blind hole forming a top wall ( 143 ) that lies no higher than an imaginary smoothly-curved extension of adjacent portions of the smoothly-curved recesses.    
     
     
         3 . The container described in  claim 2  wherein: 
 each of said top walls ( 143 ) lies at the height of said imaginary smoothly- curved extension of adjacent portions of the recess.    
     
     
         4 . The container described in  claim 1  wherein: 
 said lower tray forms a plurality of smoothly curved food-holding recesses having concave upper surfaces, and said lower tray forms a plurality of smoothly- curved dividers that each lies between pairs of adjacent recesses;    groups of a plurality of said dividers of said lower tray each forms an upwardly extending platform that forms a flat top platform surface ( 62 ), and the top platform surfaces of said upper and lower trays rest on one another.    
     
     
         5 . The container described in  claim 1  wherein: 
 said upper tray has a plurality of downwardly-concave smoothly curved recesses and has a region without such a recess, said region forming a flat spot lying at the same level as the top of said recesses, and said flat spots of a plurality of stacked containers lie on one another.    
     
     
         6 . A food container that includes upper and lower trays that each comprises a formed sheet of plastic, the trays being releasably latchable to each other, wherein: 
 said trays each forms a plurality of aligners lying at the top of the lower tray and at the bottom of the upper tray, said aligners including projection aligners and including socket aligners that receive the projection aligners;    said lower tray forms a plurality of upwardly concave food-holding recesses and forms a divider between pairs of adjacent ones of said recesses, with the dividers of each of a plurality of groups that each includes a plurality of said dividers, intersecting and forming an upwardly extending platform with an upper portion that forms a platform support surface and that forms one of said aligners;    said upper tray forming a plurality of recesses, forming dividers between adjacent recesses, and forming a plurality of downwardly extending platforms with lower ends forming platform support surfaces and aligners;    said platform support surfaces and said aligners being arranged so when said trays mate the platform support surfaces of said upper and lower trays abut and the projection aligners are received in the socket aligners.    
     
     
         7 . The food container described in  claim 6  wherein: 
 said upper tray is identical to said lower tray;    each of said trays has a lateral axis and a longitudinal axis;    said projection aligners and socket aligners are arranged so the arrangement of aligners is symmetrical about at least one of said axes, so if the lower tray is positioned with its recesses upwardly concave and the upper tray is positioned identically to the lower tray as seen in a plan view, and the upper tray is then turned 180° about one of said axes and placed over said lower tray and pushed down, each projection aligner will fit into a socket aligner.    
     
     
         8 . A food container that includes upper and lower trays that each comprises at least part of a formed sheet of plastic, the trays being releasably latchable to each other, wherein: 
 said lower tray has an upwardly-open recess and has a closed bottom surface and said upper tray has a downwardly-open recess and has a closed top surface;    said closed surfaces of said trays each form positioners for positioning a stack of closed containers on one another;    some of said positioners form projection positioners that each projects beyond a corresponding closed surface, and some of said positioners form socket positioners that is each shaped to receive one of said projection positioners;    each socket positioner in said lower tray includes a passage-forming projection that projects downward below a corresponding closed surface and each socket positioner forms a passage of smaller width than the passage-forming projection and that projects upward into its passage forming projection.    
     
     
         9 . The food container described in  claim 8  wherein: 
 said trays each has a flat spot at a middle of its closed surface, each flat spot lying at the same level as the rest of the closed surface, and said positioners are positioned so flat spots of stacked containers lie on one another.    
     
     
         10 . The food container described in  claim 8  wherein: 
 said recesses are each part of a sphere and said passages each forms a top wall ( 143 ) lying at a height to lie on said sphere.