Disposable oil drip pan

Claim 1

A disposable oil drip pan formed of an imperforate stiffened oil-resistant sheet material and comprising: a plurality of interconnected accordion folds; each of said accordion folds including a pair of side walls and a ridge formed at the intersection of the pair of side walls; each of said accordion folds being movable between a flattened position with the side walls in contacting relation and an open position with the side walls inclined upwardly toward the ridge; a plurality of valleys with each valley positioned between an adjacent pair of accordion folds; each valley being formed by the intersection of a side wall of one accordion fold with the side wall of an adjacent accordion fold and each valley having an undersurface which runs along said intersection; foldablE gusset closures positioned at the ends of each of said valleys; said gusset closures being shaped and positioned to close the ends of the valleys with the accordion folds in an open position and to extend inwardly of the outer ends of said valleys and lie flat between adjacent accordion folds with the accordion folds in a flattened position, and means to retain the accordion folds in an open position with the oil drip pan positioned on a supportive surface through contact of the undersurfaces of said valleys with the supportive surface, whereby the oil drip pan forms a compact package for carrying or storage with the accordion folds in a flattened position and may be opened to separately receive oil in the valleys by moving the accordion folds to an open position and retaining the accordion folds in an open position with the oil drip pan positioned on a supportive surface.