Punnet

Abstract

The present invention provides a punnet (100) for packaging food, the punnet comprising: a base (102) having one or more side walls (104, 106, 108, 110) extending therefrom, the base and the one or more side walls together defining a receptacle for holding food, wherein the base comprises: a peripheral region (138, 238) arranged to contact a surface on which the punnet is supported, in use, and defining a ground contact plane; and an inner region (150, 550, 250) bounded by and integrally formed with the peripheral region and extending inwardly from the peripheral region into the receptacle, wherein the inner region provides at least one of: one or more connecting portions (144, 544, 644a, 644b) together separating two or more areas of the inner region, the connecting portions extending towards the ground contact plane relative to the respective areas separated thereby; and at least one protrusion (252, 254, 256, 258, 268, 262, 264, 266) extending from the inner region by at least a third of the distance from a peak height of the inner region off the ground contact plane to the ground contact plane.

1 . A punnet for packaging food, the punnet comprising:
 a base having one or more side walls extending therefrom, the base and the one or more side walls together defining a receptacle for holding food,   wherein the base comprises:
 a peripheral region arranged to contact a surface on which the punnet is supported, in use, and defining a ground contact plane; and 
 an inner region bounded by and integrally formed with the peripheral region and extending inwardly from the peripheral region into the receptacle, 
   wherein the inner region provides at least one of:   one or more connecting portions together separating two or more areas of the inner region, the connecting portions extending towards the ground contact plane relative to the respective areas separated thereby; and   at least one protrusion extending from the inner region by at least a third of the distance from a peak height of the inner region off the ground contact plane to the ground contact plane.   
     
     
         2 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein a boundary of at least one of the two or more areas of the inner region defines a non-circular shape. 
     
     
         3 . The punnet of  claim 2 , wherein the non-circular shape comprises one or more non-convex regions. 
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The punnet of  claim 2 , wherein the non-circular shape comprises one or more convex regions. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein at least one portion of the inner region, away from the peripheral region, extends to the ground contact plane. 
     
     
         8 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two or more areas has a longitudinal axis and, extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and parallel to the ground contact plane, a first local maximum width and a second local maximum width, wherein the second local maximum width is greater than the first local maximum width, and wherein a distance between the first local maximum width and a closest one of the one or more side walls to the first local maximum width along the longitudinal axis is less than a distance between the second local maximum width and a closest one of the one or more side walls to the second local maximum width along the longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         9 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein each at least one protrusion is provided by a depression in the inner region of the base. 
     
     
         10 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the inner region is resiliently deformable 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . (canceled) 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more connecting portions is a brace extending between a first portion of the peripheral region adjacent to a first side wall, and a second portion of the peripheral region adjacent to a second side wall, opposite the first side wall. 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more connecting portions extend away from the ground contact plane. 
     
     
         17 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein a maximum height of the one or more connecting portions away from the ground contact plane into the receptacle is less than a maximum height of the two or more areas of the inner region away from the ground contact plane into the receptacle. 
     
     
         18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . The punnet of  claim 1 , wherein a projection of each line defining a border between the one or more connecting portions and each respective one of the two or more areas of the inner region onto the ground contact plane each include one or more bends. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A punnet for packaging food, the punnet comprising:
 a base having one or more side walls extending therefrom, the base and the one or more side walls together defining a receptacle for holding food,   wherein the base comprises:
 a peripheral region arranged to contact a surface on which the punnet is supported, in use, and defining a ground contact plane; and 
 an inner region bounded by and integrally formed with the peripheral region and extending inwardly from the peripheral region into the receptacle, 
   wherein, the base and the one or more side walls of the punnet are arranged such that, for a sphere having a diameter of 3 centimetres in the receptable, when in contact with the one or more side walls and the inner region of the base, an angle between a side wall tangent to a contact point between the sphere and a one of the one or more side walls, and a base tangent to a contact point between the sphere and the inner region is no less than 45 degrees.   
     
     
         22 . The punnet of  claim 21 , wherein when the sphere is in contact with the one or more side walls and the inner region of the base at a corner of the base of the punnet, the angle between a side wall tangent to a contact point between the sphere and a one of the one or more side walls, and a base tangent to a contact point between the sphere and the inner region is no less than 45 degrees. 
     
     
         23 . The punnet of  claim 22 , wherein for any position of the sphere in the punnet, when in contact with the one or more side walls and the inner region of the base at each respective corner of the base of the punnet, the angle between a side wall tangent to a contact point between the sphere and a one of the one or more side walls, and a base tangent to a contact point between the sphere and the inner region is no less than 45 degrees. 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . The punnet of  claim 21 , wherein a projection of at least one line defining a border between the inner region and the peripheral region adjacent to a respective at least one side wall onto the ground contact plane each include one or more bends. 
     
     
         26 . (canceled) 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The punnet of  claim 21 , wherein a footprint of the inner region extends closer to the one or more side walls of the punnet at each corner of the base than at a portion of the footprint away from the corners of the base. 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The punnet of  claim 1 , formed from a recyclable plastic, such as polyethylene terephthalate. 
     
     
         33 . The punnet of  claim 1 , comprising the food. 
     
     
         34 . A mould arranged to form plastics material into the punnet of  claim 1 .