Food package having compartmentalized tray configured to stand-up

Abstract

A food package is provided that includes a rigid plastic base tray having a plurality of compartments and being covered by a flexible film which is air tightly sealed to flanges of the tray to hermetically seal the respective compartments. The tray is constructed and arranged to stand-up on at least one of its four sides.

1 . A food package comprising:
 a generally rectangular rigid plastic base tray having at least three compartments, a top surface defined by peripheral and internal flanges defined about and between open ends of said compartments, and a bottom defined by closed bottom ends of said compartments, said peripheral flanges defining four side edges of the base tray, each said compartment being defined by side walls extending downwardly from said peripheral and internal flanges, said peripheral and internal flanges having a width sufficient for air tightly sealing a flexible film thereto, and wherein a food product is disposed in at least one of said compartments; and   a flexible film secured to said peripheral and internal flanges to substantially seal at least said compartments containing food product,   wherein said side walls and said peripheral flanges are constructed and arranged so that the food package can stand on at least one of said four side edges.   
   
   
       2 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein a label is adhered to bottom walls of a least two compartments of said tray. 
   
   
       3 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein a bottom foot is defined peripherally of said closed bottom ends of said compartments so as to define a recessed collective bottom wall and a substantially continuous peripheral foot projecting beyond said bottom wall. 
   
   
       4 . A food package as in  claim 3 , wherein a label is secured to the bottom ends of at least two of said containers in said recessed portion. 
   
   
       5 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein said side walls of said containers are inclined to vertical. 
   
   
       6 . A food package as in  claim 5 , wherein said angle of inclination is about 3 degrees from vertical. 
   
   
       7 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral flange along one of said side edges has a width less than a width of the peripheral flange along at least one other of said side edges. 
   
   
       8 . A food package as in  claim 7 , wherein the width of the peripheral flange along said one side edge is about 0.13 inches and a width of the peripheral flange along another one of said side edges is 0.25 inches. 
   
   
       9 . A food package as in  claim 8 , wherein a vertical height of the compartment side walls along said one side edge is about 1.81 inches. 
   
   
       10 . A food package as in  claim 9 , wherein said side walls of said containers are inclined to vertical. 
   
   
       11 . A food package as in  claim 10 , wherein said angle of inclination is about 3 degrees from vertical. 
   
   
       12 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein a standing angle of said package defined as an angle between a bottom plane of said package and a horizontal surface when said package is disposed in a standing position is about 81 degrees. 
   
   
       13 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein portions of at least some of said compartments are shallower than other portions of said compartments and wherein a label is disposed on the bottom of the shallower portion of those compartments. 
   
   
       14 . A food package as in  claim 1 , wherein said flexible film is an air impermeable film secured to said peripheral and internal flanges. 
   
   
       15 . A food package as in  claim 14 , wherein said flexible film is micro-perforated to allow passage of air between ambient atmosphere and at least one of said compartments. 
   
   
       16 . A food package as in  claim 15 , wherein said at least one compartment contains a fresh vegetable.