Tray and Sleeve Food Packaging Solution with a Frictional Fit Between the Sleeve and Resilient External Flanges of the Tray

Abstract

A food packaging solution features a food-containing tray to be frictionally retained within an outer sleeve. External flanges of the tray are each resiliently flexible from a normal default condition into a down-turned condition bent more downwardly away from the open top end of the tray than in the normal default condition, and the sleeve is shaped and dimensioned to accommodate the tray between the opposing side walls of the sleeve only when the flanges of the tray are in the down-turned condition. When received inside the sleeve, the resilient flanges of the tray bias themselves upwardly in a spring-like manner forcing their distal outer ends into tighter frictional engagement with the sleeve walls.

1 . A food packaging apparatus comprising:
 a tray having a floor panel, a plurality of perimeter walls upstanding from the floor panel around a perimeter thereof including an opposing pair of perimeter side walls, an open top end delimited by the perimeter walls at upper ends thereof, and a pair of external flanges projecting outwardly from the opposing pair of the perimeter side walls;   a sleeve having a base panel, an opposing upper panel, a pair of opposing side walls spanning upwardly from the base panel to the upper panel to support said upper panel at upper ends of said side walls that are spaced above the base panel in order to define an internal space that is bound between the base panel, the upper panel and the pair of opposing side walls and that has an open end for sliding receipt of the tray into said internal space;   wherein the external flanges of the tray are each resiliently flexible from a normal default condition into a down-turned condition bent more downwardly away from the open top end of the tray than in the normal default condition, and the sleeve is shaped and dimensioned to accommodate the tray between the opposing side walls of the sleeve only with the flanges of the tray in the down-turned condition.   
     
     
         2 . A food packaging apparatus comprising:
 a tray having a floor panel, a plurality of perimeter walls upstanding from the floor panel around a perimeter thereof including an opposing pair of perimeter side walls, an open top end delimited by the perimeter walls at upper ends thereof, and a pair of resiliently flexible external flanges projecting outwardly from the opposing pair of perimeter side walls;   a sleeve having a base panel, an opposing upper panel, a pair of opposing side walls spanning upwardly from the base panel to the opposing upper panel to support said upper panel at upper ends of said side walls that are spaced above the base panel in order to define an internal space that is bound between the base panel, the upper panel and the pair of opposing side walls and that has an open end for sliding receipt of the tray into said internal space;   wherein a dimension of each side wall of the sleeve measured between an internal corner at an intersection of said side wall with the upper panel and an internal corner at an intersection of said side wall with the lower panel is less than a dimension of the tray that is measured between an external corner at an intersection of the floor panel of the tray with a respective one of the opposing pair of perimeter side walls and a top corner of a respective one of the external flanges at a distal end thereof opposite said perimeter side wall with said flange in the normal default condition.   
     
     
         3 . The food packaging apparatus of  claim 1  wherein a dimension of each side wall of the sleeve measured between an internal corner at an intersection of said side wall with the upper panel and an internal corner at an intersection of said side wall with the lower panel is less than a dimension of the tray measured between an external corner at an intersection of the floor panel of the tray with a respective one of the opposing pair of perimeter side walls and a top corner of a respective one of the external flanges at a distal end thereof opposite said perimeter wall with said flange in the normal default condition. 
     
     
         4 . The food packaging apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the tray is received within the internal space of the sleeve and is maintained therein purely by way of a frictional engagement between the sleeve and the flanges of the tray. 
     
     
         5 . The food packaging apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the tray is received within the internal space of the sleeve and is maintained therein purely by way of a frictional engagement between the sleeve and the flanges of the tray. 
     
     
         6 . The food packaging apparatus of  claim 3  wherein the tray is received within the internal space of the sleeve and is maintained therein purely by way of a frictional engagement between the sleeve and the flanges of the tray. 
     
     
         7 . A method of providing a frictional fit between a tray and a sleeve in a food packaging apparatus, the method comprising:
 providing a pair of external flanges on the tray that project outwardly from an opposing pair of perimeter walls thereof and that are resiliently flexible from a normal default condition to a down-turned condition bent more downwardly away from an open top end of the tray than in the normal default condition to enable receipt of said tray within an internal space of the sleeve that will accommodate the tray therein when the external flanges in the down-turned condition, but not when the external flanges are in the normal default condition.   
     
     
         8 . A method of providing a frictional fit between a tray and a sleeve in a food packaging apparatus, the method comprising:
 for a tray having a pair of external flanges thereon that projecting outwardly from an opposing pair of perimeter walls of the tray and that are resiliently flexible from a normal default condition to a down-turned condition bent more downwardly away from an open top end of the tray than in the normal default condition, providing a sleeve with an internal space shaped and sized to enable receipt of said tray when the external flanges in the down-turned condition, but not when the external flanges are in the normal default condition.   
     
     
         9 . A method of providing a frictional fit between a tray and a sleeve in a food packaging apparatus, the method comprising:
 providing the tray and the sleeve with prescribed dimensions in which a dimension of each of two opposing side walls of the sleeve measured between an internal corner at an intersection of said side wall with an upper panel of the sleeve and an internal corner at an intersection of said side wall with a lower panel of the sleeve is less than a dimension of the tray that is measured between an external corner at an intersection of a floor panel of the tray with a respective one of two opposing perimeter walls of the tray and a top corner at a distal end of a respective one of two resiliently flexible flanges that project from said opposing perimeter walls of said tray when said external flanges are in a normal default position with the tray situated outside the sleeve.