Protective hood for carry-out food and foldable blank therefor

Claim 2

A protective hood for use in covering prepared food while same is held in a container and carried to destination prior to consumption thereof, said hood being foldable to a flat shipment or storage condition and erectable to a service or stand-by stacked condition and comprising: a. a generally vertically extending sleeve with means for supporting and retaining a food container enclosed within said sleeve; b. an open bottom; and c. an overhead covering member.

Claim 3

The hood of claim 1 wherein said means for supporting and retaining a food container comprises a plurality of horizontally aligned holes spaced around said sleeve for reception of projecting portions of a food container of suitable size enclosed within said sleeve.

Claim 4

The hood of claim 2 wherein said sleeve is truncated in vertical cross-section with side wall portions thereof inclined slightly with respect to a vertical axis whereby a food container plate or tray may be introduced into said sleeve and inserted therein until edge portions of such plate or tray project becomes aligned with and project through said plurality of holes and are retained therein.

Claim 5

The hood of claim 3 wherein said side wall portions and said sleeve converge in the downward direction.

Claim 6

The hood of claim 4 wherein said side wall portions are formed with intersecting edges with one of said plurality of holes located at each of intersecting edges.

Claim 7

The hood of claim 5 wherein said sleeve is formed with said side wall portions including a first side wall having a free edge and an edge integral with and hinged to an intermediate side wall and a side wall intersecting said first side wall at the free edge thereof.

Claim 8

The hood of claim 6 wherein said side wall intersecting said first side wall is hinged to an extension which extend beyond said free edge of said first side wall and is in lapped relationship therewith.

Claim 9

The hood of claim 7 wherein said extension is adhesively adhered to said first side wall and further includes a scored tear strip.

Claim 10

The hood of claim 8 wherein said sleeve includes an overhead opening through which a generally rectangular food container may be introduced and lowered into said sleeve until corner portions thereof project into said holes and the container is thereby retained and supported.

Claim 11

The hood of claim 9 wherein said overhead covering member is integral with one of said side wall portions of said sleeve along a hinge line and extends to an opposite side wall portion and further includes a hinged flap which may be tucked within said sleeve against said opposite side wall portion.

Claim 12

The hood of claim 10 wherein a pair of oppositely situated ones of said side walls each has a generally vertically extending hinge lines bisecting the respective ones of said side walls.

Claim 13

The hood of claim 3 wherein said side wall portions diverge in the downward direction so that a food containEr may be introduced through the bottom of said sleeve.

Claim 14

The hood of claim 12 wherein said sleeve is generally in the form of a truncated cone.

Claim 15

The hood of claim 13 wherein said plurality of holes are in the form of elongate slots situated opposite of each other whereby a round edge food container introduced through the bottom of said sleeve may be moved upward into said sleeve until its opposite edges project through said elongate slots and is thereby supported and retained.

Claim 16

The hood of claim 14 wherein said sleeve is formed with a pair of generally vertical hinge lines spaced 180* apart whereby said sleeve may be folded into flat condition.

Claim 17

The hood of claim 15 whereby said sleeve is formed with one or more apertures provided for ventilation to prevent condensation of steam within said hood.

Claim 18

The hood of claim 16 wherein said sleeve includes an overhead opening through which food may be placed on a container after the latter is introduced into and retained in said hood.

Claim 19

The hood of claim 17 wherein said overhead covering is integral with said sleeve and extends along a hinge line.

Claim 20

The hood of claim 18 wherein inwardly foldable flaps hinged to said sleeve are provided to each side of and to the front of said overhead covering.

Claim 21

The hood of claim 19 wherein said inwardly foldable flap to the front of said overhead covering is hinged to said sleeve along a crease line and slit means are formed in said crease line, tuck flap means extending from the front edge of said overhead covering adapted to be inserted into said slit means.

Claim 22

The hood of claim 20 wherein said sleeve includes a scored tear strip formed thereon.

Claim 23

The hood of claim 18 wherein inwardly foldable flaps hinged to said sleeve are provided to each side of said overhead covering.

Claim 24

A blank of foldable cardboard or like material for forming a protective hood for covering carry-out food comprising a plurality of generally quadrilateral sections disposed in a series, each of said sections being integrally hinged to adjacent ones of said sections along a common side, a plurality of spaced-apart holes in at least two of said sections for receiving projecting edge portions of a food container when the blank is assembled and erected for use, a generally rectangular section integral with and extending from one of said sections along a hinge line not in said series, said generally rectangular section forming an overhead covering in the assembled hood, each of said spaced-apart holes being situated in adjacent sections at the common side thereof, and at one end of said series an end section of said series having a free edge and at the other end of said series an adhesive section having a scored tear strip and being integrally hinged to the section at said other end of said series along a common edge.

Claim 25

A blank of foldable cardboard or like material for forming a protective hood for covering carry-out food comprising a plurality of generally quadrilateral sections disposed in a series, each of said sections being integrally hinged to adjacent ones of said sections along a common side, a plurality of spaced-apart holes in at least two of said sections for receiving projecting edge portions of a food container when the blank is assembled and erected for use, a generally rectangular section integral with and extending from one of said sections along a hinge line not in said series, said generally rectangular section forming an overhead covering in the assembled hood, each of said spaced-apart holes being situated in adjacent sections at the common side thereof, and at one end of said series an end section of said series having a free edge and at the other end of said series an adhesive section having a scored tear strip and being integrally hinged to the section at said other end of said series along a common edge.

Claim 26

A blank of foldable cardboard or like material for forming a protective hood for covering carry-out food comprising a plurality of generally quadrilateral sections disposed in a series, each of said sections being integrally hinged to adjacent ones of said sections along a common side, a plurality of spaced-apart holes in at least two of said sections for receiving projecting edge portions of a food container when the blank is assembled and erected for use, a generally rectangular section integral with and extending from one of said sections along a hinge line not in said series, said generally rectangular section forming an overhead covering in the assembled hood, said spaced-apart holes being in the form of elongate slits situated in the proximity of a lower edge of the respective section for reception of projecting edges of a food container in the assembled hood, one of said sections having a generally rectangular panel integrally hinged thereto along an upper edge portion thereto with said rectangular panel forming a covering member for the assembled hood, and a generally trapezoidal panel disposed on opposite sides of said rectangUlar panel and integrally hinged to an upper edge portion of one of said sections.

Claim 27

A blank of foldable cardboard or like material for forming a protective hood for covering carry-out food comprising a plurality of generally quadrilateral sections disposed in a series, each of said sections being integrally hinged to adjacent ones of said sections along a common side, a plurality of spaced-apart holes in at least two of said sections for receiving projecting edge portions of a food container when the blank is assembled and erected for use, a generally rectangular section integral with and extending from one of said sections along a hinge line not in said series, said generally rectangular section forming an overhead covering in the assembled hood, said spaced-apart holes being in the form of elongate slits situated in the proximity of a lower edge of the respective section for reception of projecting edges of a food container in the assembled hood, one of said sections having a generally rectangular panel integrally hinged thereto along an upper edge portion thereto with said rectangular panel forming a covering member for the assembled hood, and a generally trapezoidal panel disposed on opposite sides of said rectangUlar panel and integrally hinged to an upper edge portion of one of said sections.

Claim 28

The blank of claim 24 wherein each of said generally trapezoidal panels has a semi-circular extension along its lower edge and cut-out from the section to which it is integrally hinged whereby an aperture may be opened in the assembled hood to allow for breathing and to prevent condensation of steam.

Claim 29

The blank of claim 25 wherein a free edge extends along the section at one end of said series and an adhesive section with a scored tear strip is integrally hinged to the section at the other end of said series.