Microwave container assembly

Claim 1

A container assembly for the packaging of frozen foodstuffs which are to be cooked and browned in a microwave oven, the assembly including an outer carton formed of dielectric material and including a top panel, bottom panel, opposite sidewalls, and opposite end walls, said top panel including means to facilitate its manual removal from the remaining portions of the outer carton, a tray in the carton, the tray being formed from dielectric sheet material, such as paperboard, the tray including a bottom wall having upwardly sloping, opposite sidewalls, said sidewalls having upper, longitudinally extending edges, the tray bottom wall being parallel to and spaced from the outer carton bottom panel, the tray having a supporting foot at each opposite end thereof extending downwardly relative to said bottom wall of the tray and contacting the bottom wall of the tray, each foot being substantially hollow and elongated and being in the form of a tube where it contacts the tray bottom, having a surface thereof resting on said bottom panel of the outer carton, the ends of each said elongated foot abutting a respective opposite side wall of the outer carton to thereby inhibit relative movement between the tray and the outer carton, at least a portion of the tray bottom wall and tray sidewall surfaces carrying a microwave interactive material, the upper, food contacting surfaces of the tray bottom and sidewalls coated with a polymer.