Food container with breathable patch

Abstract

A rigid polymer food container system for holding fruit and vegetables is described. The system essentially comprises a lid and a tray with complementary mating rims that when assembled together form an airtight seal and which is further releaseably lockable to each other. Additionally, an opening formed into either the lid and/or tray member to permit the flow of air, the opening being further covered with a gas-permeable membrane that is held to the plastic surface by an adhesive. The opening permits some level of oxygenation to delay senescence of the food product and the gas-permeable membrane contributes to minimize bacterial infection and fluid leakage.

1 . A rigid polymer food container system comprising:
 a lid member, the lid member further comprising an airway opening and a continuous rim formed as a first mating element of a snap-fit grip mechanism;   a tray member, the tray member further comprising a plurality of recesses and a continuous rim formed as a second mating element of said snap-fit grip mechanism;   further wherein assembly of the lid and tray members is achieved by mating the first and second mating elements comprising said snap-fit grip mechanism together to form an airtight seal; and   a breathable patch that is located over and covers the airway opening formed in the lid member.   
     
     
         2 . A rigid polymer food container system comprising:
 a tray member, the tray member further comprising an airway opening and a continuous rim formed as one mating element of a snap-fit grip mechanism;   a lid member, the lid member further formed with a plurality of recesses and a continuous rim formed as a second mating element of a snap-fit grip mechanism;   further wherein assembly of the lid and tray members is achieved by mating the first and second mating elements to comprising the snap-fit grip mechanism together thereby forming an airtight seal; and   a breathable patch that is located over and covers the airway opening formed in the tray member.   
     
     
         3 . The claims as in  claims 1  or  2  wherein the snap-fit grip mechanism is releaseably lockable. 
     
     
         4 . The claim as in  claim 3  wherein the snap-fit grip mechanism further comprises a tamper-evident feature. 
     
     
         5 . The claim as in  claims 1  or  2  wherein the material of the lid member and tray member is Polystyrene, Polypropylene, Polyethylene Terephthalate, Polylactide, Polyvinyl Chloride, or other rigid polymers. 
     
     
         6 . The claim as in  claims 1  or  2  wherein the lid member or tray member is constructed using a process taken from the group consisting of thermoforming, injection molding, transfer molding and blow molding. 
     
     
         7 . The claim as in  claims 1  or  2  wherein the lid member and tray member are hingeably attached to each other. 
     
     
         8 . The claim as in  claims 1  or  2  wherein the container system is circular, rectangular, square, and elliptical, or other polygonal shape. 
     
     
         9 . The claim as in  claims 1  or  2  wherein the container system is stackable. 
     
     
         10 . The claim as in  claim 9  wherein the stacking feature is enabled by forming the top lid member with either raised male ribs or female grooves that slotably interfaces with complementary female grooves or male ribs in the bottom of the tray member.