Cardboard food tray and puppet device

Claim 1

A generally rectangular sheet of self-supporting material for forming, in a folded condition, a carrying tray convertible into a hand puppet, comprising: at least one opening in said sheet for receiving a food item; a first pair of parallel fold lines extending along a length of said sheet to form a first tray side portion flanked on one side by one edge of a top panel and on the other side by one edge of a bottom panel; a second pair of parallel fold lines extending along a length of said sheet adjacent the other edge of said top panel to form a second tray side portion for cooperating with said first tray side portion in said folded condition to space apart said top panel from said bottom panel to form a tray cavity, each end of said first and second tray side portions being provided with an arcuate surface; a hinge line extending across one of said panels, said hinge line substantially bisecting said one of said panels; a perforated tear line provided on said sheet in colinear relationship with said hinge line and extending continuously from said hinge line to opposite edges of said sheet, whereby said hand puppet may be provided by separating said tray along said tear line and folding said tray about said hinge line; cut lines in one of said panels and in at least one of said tray side portions for receiving decorative elements extending from said panels and said side portions; a side retaining tab extending from one of said second pair of parallel fold lines, said side retaining tab being adapted to be engaged under the other edge of said bottom panel to secure said sheet in said folded condition; a transverse fold line extending across the width of each panel adjacent each end thereof, a first end of each of said arcuate surfaces on said first tray side portion abutting an associated one of the transverse fold lines on said top panel and a second end of each of said arcuate surfaces on said first tray side portion abutting an associated one of the transverse fold lines on said bottom panel; an end wall extending from each of said transverse fold lines; a retaining slot provided in each of the end walls on one of said panels; a retaining tab extending from each of the end walls on the other of said panels, each of said retaining tabs being provided with arcuate hook portions for retaining receipt by an associated one of said slots for closing the ends of said carrying tray when said sheet is in said folded condition; and a set of simulated teeth provided on said top panel adjacent each of said end walls on said top panel, each set of said simulated teeth being formed by providing cut lines in said top panel, whereby each set of simulated teeth may be folded to a position approximately normal to the surface of said top panel.