	US 12,187,484 B2
	Multi-compartment tray
Jerald William Knitter, Bourbonnais, IL (US); and Timothy Leo Ridley, St. John, IN (US)
Assigned to Winpak Portion Packaging, Inc., Sauk Village, IL (US)
Filed by Winpak Portion Packaging, Inc., Sauk Village, IL (US)
Filed on Dec. 9, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/116,256.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/952,524, filed on Dec. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0188476 A1, Jun. 24, 2021
Int. Cl. B65D 1/36 (2006.01)

CPC B65D 1/36 (2013.01)

13 Claims

1. A multi-compartment tray, comprising:

a. first and second compartments conjoined along a first longitudinal axis and each of which contains an edge that extends along the first longitudinal axis and in a first plane;

b. a perforation region that conjoins the first and second compartments and comprises:

i. a plurality of first and second cut-away regions formed in the edges of the first and second compartments, respectively, wherein each first cut-away region is laterally spaced from every other first cut-away region along the first longitudinal axis, further wherein each second cut-away region is laterally spaced from every other second cut-away region along the first longitudinal axis, additionally wherein each of the plurality of first and second cut-away regions includes a perforation wave having a wave thickness;

ii. a first plurality of perforation tabs joining the first and second compartments and extending in series along a second longitudinal axis that is parallel to and vertically offset from the first longitudinal axis, wherein each of the first plurality of perforation tabs has a first tab thickness, and wherein the first tab thickness is less than the wave thickness; and

iii. a second plurality of perforation tabs joining the first and second compartments and extending in series along a third longitudinal axis that is parallel to and vertically offset from the first and second longitudinal axes, whereby the first and second plurality of perforation tabs provide enhanced rigidity to the multi-compartment tray and rotationally bending the first and second compartments relative to one another about the first longitudinal axis causes them to snap and break the first and second plurality of perforation tabs forming the connection between the first and second compartments, wherein each of the second plurality of perforation tabs has a second tab thickness, and wherein the second tab thickness is less than the wave thickness;

wherein the perforation region is substantially sinusoidal and comprises a series of undulating crests and troughs to facilitate separating the first compartment from the second compartment by snapping and breaking the first plurality of perforation tabs and the second plurality of perforation tabs, wherein the perforation tabs are only arranged at the crests and troughs of the perforation region, wherein only one perforation tab is arranged at each of the crests or troughs such that the sole attachment between the first and second compartments is achieved through connection of the perforation tabs at the crests and troughs, and wherein the first and second cut-away regions are longitudinally aligned along the first longitudinal axis.