Confection container

Application filed March 13, 1930. Serial No. 435.446.

The object of my invention is to provide a sectional container for confections, such as candy, candied fruits, bonbons, small cakes, shelled nuts, and the like, consisting of a 5 series of trays adapted for use as serving trays as well as for constituting a container in which the confections are packed, and upon opening the package the confections, as they were packed in the trays and without disturbance or rearrangement, can be served directly from the container trays used as serving trays.

. In the accompanying drawings, which are shown for the purpose of illustration only, ¹³ Fig. 1 is a part side elevational view and part sectional view of one form of container embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the tray shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross section of a form similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but in addition is provided with a locked separator ;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on the -3 lines 4—4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a container in which the upper member is used as a cover only, and the separator is of tray form, and such separator tray and the bottom ³⁰ cover are adapted to be used as serving trays; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section of a modified form showing three packaging trays together with a separator, each of the three ³⁵ trays being adapted for direct use in serving the confections packed therein.

The container 10 illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a lower substantially dish-form tray 12, a similar inverted upper tray 14, -° and a substantially flat separator 16 placed between said trays 12 and 14 to form a twocompartment container.

The trays and separator are preferably formed of pasteboard, composition board, ^4,! or any other inexpensive material, and may be coated with a metallic paint, such as gold or silver, to give the appearance of an expensive metal tray, or decorated in any desired manner.

⁵⁰ The edge formation of the trays and sepa rator is such that they fit snugly together in such manner as to give substantially an interlocking relation. For example, flange 18 of the bottom tray 12 may comprise the upwardly extending or beaded portion 20, 55 the edge of separator 16 may terminate in the downwardly extending marginal part 22 adapted to extend out and down over the beaded member 20 of tray 14, and the upper tray 12 be provided with substantially an co ogee flange 24 to engage and fit over the similarly molded margin 22 of separator 16.

Before packing with the desired confection, shown in the drawings as candy, the upper tray 14 is placed in the same relative g:> position as the tray 12. A soft tissue 26 may be placed in the trays before filling with the candies, as shown in Fig. 1, or the candies may be placed directly in the tray as shown in Fig. 5. A pad 28 of soft puffed paper is 70 placed over the candy which, along with the tissue 20, would entirely surround the candy in the form shown in Fig. 1 and protect same.

The separator 16 is now placed over the 75 filled tray 14, with marginal portions 22 and 24 in engagement, then the tray and separator 16 thereon are inverted and placed over the filled lower tray 12, the whole taking the form shown in Fig. 1. so

The outer edge of the separator 16 projects beyond the trays 12 and 14 for the purpose of obtaining a firm finger grip on the separator to hold same securely against the open face of the tray 14, when the filled tray 85 14 is being inverted for removal from or being placed on the lower tray 12.

After the trays are filled and put together, they are held secure by means of a ribbon 30 which is passed around the container 10 90 with its two ends brought together at the top and fastened, as by means of a snap fastener 29', the cap and plug of which are secured to opposite ends of the ribbon. A bow 32 is formed from a separate piece of ribbon 95 and stitched over the capped end of the ribbon 30 to conceal the snap fastener and give the appearance of a bow-tied package. Retaining notches 34 in the periphery of the separator prevent the ribbon 30 from slipping. 100

1,856,634

Upon removal of the ribbon or other fastening means, the candy is served direct as packaged from the tray 12 and also from tray 14 when inverted and the separator 16 then _ removed.

In Figs. 3 and 41 have shown another form of construction in which the lower tray 12^ahas a bead 20^a formed near the edge, said bead 20^a engaging the recessed portion of a 10 similar bead 22^a on the upper tray IV. The separator 16^a has projections 36 which engage apertures 38 in the wall of the tray 14^ato lock the separator in place with respect thereto and permit the upper , tray of candy/ 15 to be removed without necessity for manually holding the separator 16^a_ against said tray 14^a as in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the forms of Figs. 3 and 4 the candy is served from the trays 12^a and 14^a as before, 2o except that to remove the separator 16^a from off the inverted tray 14^a the tongues 36 are disengaged from the holes 38.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another form which consists of a lower tray 40, a separa25 tor 42 and a cover 44. The candy is served from the separator 42 and lower tray 40, while the upper member or cover 44, which was a serving tray in the forms previously described, is here used as a cover only. In 30 this construction both tiers of candy are in an upright position, whereas in the forms previously described the upper tray of candy as packed was.in an inverted position.

The separator 42 has an inverted V-shaped 35 circular ridge 46 adjacent to its margin, the space 48 within said ridge 46 forming a receptacle for the candy, while the marginal part 49 projecting beyond said ridge forms a supporting surface for the cover 44. The 40 depression 50 formed beneath the ridge 46 is adapted to receive the edge 52 of the lower tray 40. Thus, the three parts 40, 42 and 44 are substantially locked or held together and lateral displacement prevented.

After packing with the desired confection the container of Fig. 5 is held secure by means of a ribbon 30' which engages notches 34' in the separator 42, the ends of the ribbon being then brought together and fastened by ⁵⁰ means of a snap fastener 29' terminating in a notch 56 on the surface of a knob 58 secured to the cover 44. Knob 58 is adapted to be used in removing said cover 44.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 I have pro⁵⁵ vided a three-compartment container which is composed of an inverted upper tray 60, an intermediate tray 62 and a lower tray 64 with a separator 66 placed between the upper and 60 intermediate trays 60 and 62. The intermediate tray 62 rests upon a shoulder 68 provided in the lower tray 64, and the separator 66 is shouldered at 70 where it fits over the intermediate tray 62. The addition of the 65 intermediate tray provides a compartment for smaller candies such as hard candies or the like.

The containers are preferably circular when viewed in plan, as indicated in Fig 2, but other shapes may also be used. to

Candy packaged in these containers is very convenient to use, as by hostesses at bridge parties where each individual tray of candy can be taken as it comes from the package and placed directly on the card table. 75