In 1894 Chicago based inventor Fredrick Weeks was issued a patent for what he called the “paper pail.” Inspired by Japanese origami, the box was made of a single folded piece of waxed paper secured with a metal handle. The design resulted in an inexpensive, sturdy, disposable, leak proof container. The contents could be eaten directly from the box, easily slipped onto a plate or eaten on the unfurled box itself — serving as a disposable paper plate. Weeks designed these containers to transport raw oysters, but due to its ability to hold moist, sauce-based foods it was adopted by “Chinese” take-out restaurants in the United States after WWII. It was also occasionally used to sell honey.
Over the years the design has stood the test of time. It is still being widely used with few if any alterations. The boxes are still being manufactured in the United States for the US market and are predominately exported to other Western countries. Ironically, you will be hard pressed to find these containers in China or other parts of Asia. In the 1970s Fold-Pak, the major manufacturer of the paper pail, started printing a graphic on their boxes using Chinese symbols and the image of a pagoda. Interestingly, the graphic designer responsible for the imagery remains unknown. Although today this ingenious container has become an icon of “Chinese” take-out food, some argue this ingenious take-out box is as American as apple pie.