Talk:Clamshell (container)

My blueberry clamshell container has a number #1 in the triangle. But no websearch article gives a number but for a news piece about recycling where the author can't recycle his #2 clamshell. My impression is that the numbers are not useful with clamshell.

Driscoll’s ‘invention’ of clamshell containers

The claim I added comes directly from the reputable source I cited, a Businessweek article claiming the clamshell is "a Driscoll’s invention" introduced in the 1990's. (This claim had already been cited in the Wikipedia article on Driscoll's, but I thought it also belonged here since it is highly pertinent.)

However, I have doubts. After adding this, I recalled the polystyrene foam clamshell containers that McDonald's used for its deluxe hamburgers in the 1970's (much earlier than the Driscoll's claim). So clearly the Businessweek author was overly broad in crediting Driscoll's with the invention of clamshells. I edited my addition to narrow the claim somewhat (adding "clear plastic" so that the claim is not broader than what I know anecdotally to be true), but this too may be too broad. Perhaps Driscoll's was just the first to use clamshells for berries, or produce.

I'll let the claim stand because it is directly supported by the cited source from a reputable publication. However, it would be great to find a definitive source on the origin of clamshells, such as a patent. (The patents cited in this article came decades after clamshells originated, and are for specific innovations, rather than the basic invention of clamshell packaging.) ScribeMonk (talk) 19:46, 12 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Since it's just been newly marked as dubious:

"it was Driscoll’s idea to put berries into clamshells in the first place." The New Yorker
"1990's: Driscoll’s introduces the clear clamshell package, which revolutionizes the way berries and other fruits and vegetables are packaged." driscolls.com
"In the 90’s, Driscoll’s introduced the clamshell to better protect berries." driscolls.com

I don't think they invented the clamshell container, they would say so boldly on their site if they had. (Hohum ^@) 01:48, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]

- Driscols did not "invent" the clamshell. Businessweek is OK for general business news but is not a Wikipedia:Reliable sources for recording inventions. The US Patent Office has a patent classification: B65D43/162 Non-removable lids or covers hinged for upward or downward movement the container, the lid and the hinge being made of one piece. This lists over one thousand clamshell type inventions, some dating back over a hundred years ago. Driscols may have implemented a clamshell to berries but that's all. Pkgx (talk) 14:57, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]
- I have expanded and revised the History section to reflect this. Pkgx (talk) 20:38, 27 February 2024 (UTC)[reply]