Die-dried molded pulp egg carton

Claim 1

An egg carton molded of fibrous pulp material having a pocketed bottom formed to provide a plurality of downwardly dished egg pockets with a vertical depth at least as great as one-half the length of an egg of the size which the carton is dimensioned to accommodate, and a closeable cover integrally hinged to the pocketed bottom for folding between a closed position overlying the egg pockets and an open position which permits a like empty carton to be nested therein in a stack of such cartons, the improvement being characterized in that the closeable cover has compact thickness, rigid firmness, densified hardness and detectable surface qualities obtained by being simultaneously dried and finish-formed between mating heated pressing molds, the outer surface of the closeable cover having a smooth feel and appearance as produced by being finish-formed with a smoothly polished, heated metal pressing surface, and in that the pocketed bottom has egg holding and protecting qualities comparable to such qualities as are obtained with molded pulp which is first suction molded and then oven dried, the inner surface of the pocketed bottom having egg holding and protecting portions protruding from thinner supporting side wall portions, the thinner side wall portions of the inner surface having compact thickness, rigid firmness, and densified hardness qualities obtained by being simultaneously dried and finish-formed between mating heated pressing molds but the egg holding and protecting portions of the inner surface having non-compacted consistency, resilient softness, and an irregular fibrous feel and appearance as produced by being dried in a free space without finish-forming pressure, the protruding egg holding and protecting portions being formed and arranged to provide cushioning areas within each egg pocket to support an egg of the size which the carton is dimensioned to accommodate.