Convenient food container

Abstract

A food container includes a base ( 12 ) with a food-holding cavity ( 14 ) and a lid ( 20 ) that closes the cavity, each formed of plastic sheeting. The lid defines an eating utensil ( 32 ) such as a fork, by a breakaway line that extends around the utensil and that can be easily broken to remove the utensil. The base has radially inner and outer upstanding flanges ( 64, 62 ) and an upwardly-opening base groove ( 66 ) between them that receives a lid lip ( 72 ). At an initial opening section ( 60 ) that occupies less than one-fifth of the container perimeter, a section ( 62 A) of the outer base flange is partially separated from the rest of the base by a cut ( 80 ) extending along the base groove and by opposite breakable lines. At that section, the inner base flange ( 64 A) is of reduced width to provide more room for a person to grasp the lid, and there is also a smaller interference fit between the base inner flange with walls of the lid groove.

1 . A food container that includes a base that forms a food-holding cavity and a lid, the base and lid each formed of plastic sheeting, wherein:
 said lid defines an eating utensil in the same plastic sheeting that forms a portion of the lid, and said lid defines a breakaway line that extends around the utensil and that can be broken to remove the utensil from the rest of the lid portion and thereby leave a hole in the plastic sheeting of the lid.   
     
     
         2 . The food container described in  claim 1  wherein:
 said lid center portion includes said eating utensil, and includes a surrounding region that lies primarily in a horizontal plane, said utensil having projecting portions that extend vertically out of said plane.   
     
     
         3 . The food container described in  claim 1  wherein:
 said lid center portion defines an extension that is mountable on said eating utensil to lengthen it.   
     
     
         4 . The food container described in  claim 2  wherein:
 said eating utensil comprises a fork that includes a handle and a head that forms tines, said head having parts that project out of the plane of said surrounding region of said lid center portion.   
     
     
         5 . The food container described in  claim 4  wherein:
 said utensil projecting portions project downward below said horizontal plane, whereby to avoid interference with stacking of a plurality of said food containers.   
     
     
         6 . The food container described in  claim 3  wherein:
 said utensil projecting portions includes an upward projecting utensil part that projects above said horizontal plane, and said base has a downward projecting base support that lies around said upward projecting utensil portion when two identical food containers are stacked on one another.   
     
     
         7 . The food container described in  claim 1  including:
 a label that lies over said eating utensil and over an area surrounding the eating utensil.   
     
     
         8 . The food container described in  claim 1  wherein:
 said eating utensil has a handle with horizontally spaced opposite handle sides, and each of said handle sides has a vertically-projecting flange, whereby to strengthen each handle side to avoid breaking the handle when it is detached from said rest of said lid.   
     
     
         9 . The food container described in  claim 1  including:
 a covering ( 134 ) that is closeable over said base cavity, and where said lid is a storage lid ( 132 ) that is formed from sheet plastic and is stowable under said covering.   
     
     
         10 . The food container described in  claim 1  including:
 a covering ( 134 ), and where said lid is a storage lid ( 132 ) said covering and said storage lid being formed from a single deformed sheet of plastic and that are pivotally connected by a hinge ( 150 ), said eating utensil being formed in said storage lid.   
     
     
         11 . A method for forming an eating utensil and storing it with a food container, comprising:
 forming the eating utensil in a piece of plastic sheeting with said plastic sheeting defining a breakaway line that extends around the utensil and that is breakable to remove the utensil from the rest of the piece of plastic sheeting, and mounting said piece of plastic sheeting on the container.   
     
     
         12 . A plastic food container that has a vertical axis and that includes a base that forms a food-holding cavity and a lid that covers the base, wherein:
 said base has a top peripheral region that forms an upward projecting radially inner base flange, an upward projecting radially outward base flange, and an upwardly opening base groove between said base flanges;   said lid has a downwardly opening lid groove that receives said radially inward base flange, and said lid has a peripheral lid lip that lies in said base groove;   said lid lip is inaccessible except at an initial opening location where said outward base flange has a breakaway section that is breakable by hand to provide access to said lid lip so the lid lip can be grasped and lifted to open the container;   said inner base flange has a predetermined average radial width and has a narrow section that has a smaller average radial width (Y) than said predetermined average width, said narrow section lying directly radially inward of said breakaway section.   
     
     
         13 . The food container described in  claim 12  wherein:
 said lid groove forms an upwardly-facing shoulder and said inner base flange forms a downward facing shoulder, with said base flange having a smaller width than said lid groove to enable said base shoulder to be moved out of alignment with said lid shoulder.   
     
     
         14 . The food container described in  claim 12  wherein:
 said breakaway section of said outward base flange has a pair of radially-extending flattened portions with primarily radial break lines therein, and walls of said base groove form a primarily circumferential cut that connects said radial break lines, said circumferential cut lying closer to said base inner flange than said base outer flange.   
     
     
         15 . A food container that includes a base forming a food-holding cavity and a lid that lies over said base and closes it, wherein:
 said base has a top peripheral region that forms radially inward and radially outward base flanges that each has radially inner and outer flange walls and a connecting top and said base forms a base groove that lies between said base flanges and has a groove bottom wall;   said lid has a lid flange with radially inner and outer flange walls and a top, and that forms a downward opening lid groove that receives said base inward flange, said lid having a lip at a radially outer edge of said lid, said lip lying in said base groove;   the inner and outer flange walls of said outer base flange have upper ends spaced apart by an average first spacing that results in an interference fit of said outer base flange in said lid upward groove, except at an initial opening location where upper ends of said inner and outer flange walls of said outer flange are spaced apart by a second spacing (Y) that is less than said first spacing.   
     
     
         16 . The food container described in  claim 15  wherein:
 at said initial opening location a limited part of said base outer flange and of said base groove bottom wall forms a breakaway section that can be easily hand breakable, to provide access to said lid lip.   
     
     
         17 . The food container described in  claim 16  wherein:
 said breakaway section has a circumferentially-extending cut and at least one primarily radially-extending line that extends primarily radially from and end of said cut to a radially outer edge of said base;   said lid flange covers said cut, to resist accidental breaking of said breakaway section.   
     
     
         18 . The food container described in  claim 16  wherein:
 said lip of said lid that lies in said base groove, and said lip has a corrugation ( 122 ) that forms upstanding ribs ( 122 ).   
     
     
         19 . A food container that includes a base forming a food-holding cavity and a lid that lies over said base and closes it, wherein:
 said base has a top peripheral region that forms radially inward and radially outward base flanges that each has radially inner and outer flange walls and a connecting top and said base forms a base groove that lies between said base flanges and has a groove bottom wall;   said lid has a lid flange with radially inner and outer flange walls and a top, and that forms a downward opening lid groove that receives said base inward flange, said lid having a lip at a radially outer edge of said lid, said lip lying in said base groove;   said lid lip having an outer lid edge that lies adjacent to a radially inner wall of said base outer flange, and said lip having corrugations that form upstanding ribs to stiffen said lip against upward flexing of its outer lip edge.   
     
     
         20 . The food container described in  claim 19  wherein:
 said corrugations form upstanding ribs that are angled from both radial and circumferential directions.   
     
     
         21 . The food container described in  claim 19  wherein:
 said lid flange outer wall and said outward base flange are spaced apart by a radial distance (W) of no more than 10 mm and said lip has a radial width (X) of no more than 10 mm, whereby the lid lip is difficult to grasp.