Today in IP

On this day in 1983 patent #4,498,586 was issued to Carmela Vitale for a simple invention that earned her the endearment of pizza lovers everywhere. It was called the "Package Saver" and the patent abstract says it best:

"A temperature resistant molded plastic device is described for use in boxes or packages such as pizza boxes where there is a tendency of large cover portions to sag downwardly to damage the soft pizza or other packaged products. In use, the saver is positioned near the center of the package to support the box cover for protecting the contents."

Remember the times when you would pick up your pizza order to bring home only to find the bottom of the carton lid having sagged down to the top of the pizza by the time you got home? Then one day you got home, opened the pizza box, and there it was, the "Package Saver" protecting your pizza and you think "Why didn't I think of that?". In life many times it is the simple and clever things that holds our admiration. Certainly the "Package Saver" would fit into that category. 

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