FOOD CONTAINER
A container including a lower portion and lid. The lower portion has a sidewall and a base portion that define a hollow interior having an opening defined by a distal portion of the sidewall. The sidewall has a keyway. The lid has a body portion with a peripheral portion. A flap is attached to the peripheral portion. A key member is positioned on the flap. The key member is receivable inside the keyway of the lower portion. The body portion is configured to be pivoted relative to the flap when the key member is received inside the keyway to position the body portion adjacent the distal portion of the sidewall to close the opening of the hollow interior. The lid may include additional flaps with tabs configured to be received inside recesses formed in the lower portion. A tray and/or freezer pack may be positioned inside the hollow interior.
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The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Design patent application No. 29/434,598, filed on Oct. 15, 2012, and titled FOOD CONTAINER.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed generally to food containers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many people store food in sealable food containers. For example, food containers may be used to store and transport meals, such as lunch. Food containers sized and shaped to store sandwiches may be particularly useful. Further, containers configured to help maintain food at a desired temperature and prevent the contents of the container from leaking are particularly desirable. The present application provides these and other advantages as will be apparent from the following detailed description and accompanying figures.
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The containers 10A and 10B may each be used to transport one or more food items (e.g., a sandwich 70 illustrated in
The lid 20 may be constructed from a flexible plastic material suitable for food storage. If desired, the lid 20 may be transparent or translucent.
In the embodiment illustrated, the lid 20 is generally square or rectangular in shape. Thus, the peripheral edge portion 210 has four substantially linear edges 214A-214D. In the embodiment illustrated, the flaps 212A-212D are positioned along the edges 214A-214D, respectively. However, this is not a requirement. In alternate embodiments, more than one flap may be positioned along one or more of the edges 214A-214D. Further, one or more of the edges 214A-214D may not have a flap positioned therealong. Additionally, the lid 20 may have shapes other than square or rectangular. For example, the lid 20 may have a shape this generally triangular, circular, trapezoidal, arbitrary, fanciful, and the like as may the portions of the lower portion 30 to which the lid is attached.
Each of the flaps 212A-212D is selectively rotatable (at or near where the flap connects to the peripheral edge portion 210) relative to the body portion 200 between an unlatched position (see
In the embodiment illustrated, each of the flaps 212A-212D is selectively bendable (at or near where the flap connects to the peripheral edge portion 210) relative to the body portion 200 between the unlatched and latched positions. In the embodiment illustrated, the flaps 212A-212D each have a thinner hinge portion 226 positioned adjacent the peripheral edge portion 210. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge portion 226 is shown as a living hinge. However, other types of hinges may be used. The hinge portion 226 defines a bending location for each of the flaps 212A-212D. Each of the flaps 212A-212D has an inwardly facing surface 220 that faces the lower portion 30 when the flap is in the latched position (see
The flap 212A has a key member 230 positioned along the inwardly facing surface 220. The flaps 212B-212D without the key member 230, each have an inwardly projecting tab 240 positioned along the inwardly facing surface 220. Each of the flaps 212B-212D also has a gripable distal end portion 222 that curves outwardly away from the lower portion 30 when the lid 20 is coupled to the lower portion 30. In the embodiment illustrated, the inwardly projecting tab 240 is adjacent the gripable distal end portion 222.
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The lower portion 30 may be constructed from a flexible or rigid plastic material suitable for food storage. Turning to
The sidewall 312 has a distal portion 330 that has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the lid 20. In the embodiment illustrated in
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A passage 360 is formed in the overhang portion 354. The passage 360 is configured to receive the support portion 250 (see
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To couple the lid 20 to the lower portion 30, the key member 230 is first positioned inside the lower portion 350 (see
Separation may also be convenient for placement of one or more food items, one of the optional trays 50A or 50B, and/or the optional freezer pack 60 inside the interior compartment 320 or for their removal therefrom.
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The seal 40 may be constructed from a flexible or compressible material suitable for food storage. Turning to
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An outwardly projecting portion 516 is positioned along the upper edge portion 514. In the embodiment illustrated, the outwardly projecting portion 516 extends continuously along the entire upper edge portion 514. However, this is not a requirement and embodiments in which the outwardly projecting portion 516 extends along less than the entire upper edge portion 514 and/or is discontinuous along the upper edge portion 514 are within the scope of the present teachings. The outwardly projecting portion 516 has a lower support surface 518 (see
In the embodiment illustrated, a gap 520 is defined between the tray (e.g., the tray 50A or the tray 50B) and the lower portion 30. Together the tray (e.g., the tray 50A or the tray 50B) and the lower portion 30 (with air in the gap 520) provide double-walled insulation for any food items stored in the tray. This double-walled insulation may be used to help maintain the temperature of warm (or heated) food items stored inside the container 10A or the container 10B. Alternatively, the double-walled insulation may be used to help maintain the temperature of cool (or frozen) food items inside the container 10A or the container 10B. Further, the optional freezer pack 60 may be positioned inside the gap 520.
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The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
Claims
1. A container comprising:
- a lower portion comprising a base portion and a sidewall extending away from the base portion, the sidewall comprising a distal portion opposite the base portion, the sidewall further comprising a keyway, the base portion and the sidewall defining a hollow interior having an opening defined by the distal portion of the sidewall; and
- a lid removably couplable to the sidewall of the lower portion, the lid comprising a body portion having a peripheral portion, a flap positioned on the peripheral portion, and a key member positioned on the flap, the key member being receivable inside the keyway, the body portion of the lid being configured to be pivoted relative to the flap when the key member is received inside the keyway to position the body portion adjacent to the distal portion of the sidewall to close the opening of the hollow interior defined by the distal portion of the sidewall.
2. The container of claim 1, further comprising:
- a seal extending along the distal portion of the sidewall of the lower portion, the seal being positioned between the peripheral portion of the body portion of the lid and the distal portion of the sidewall of the lower portion to form a leak proof seal therebetween when the body portion is adjacent the distal portion of the sidewall and closing the opening of the hollow interior defined by the distal portion of the sidewall.
3. The container of claim 1, further comprising:
- a removable tray positioned inside the hollow interior of the lower portion.
4. The container of claim 3, further comprising:
- a freezer pack positioned between the base portion of the lower portion and the tray.
5. The container of claim 3, wherein the lower portion comprises at least one support projecting into the hollow interior from the sidewall, and
- the tray comprises an outwardly projecting portion configured to rest upon and be supported by the at least one support of the lower portion.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein the tray comprises a base portion, and
- the at least one support of the lower portion is positioned such that when the outwardly projecting portion of the tray rests upon and is supported by the at least one support of the lower portion, a gap is defined between the base portion of the tray and the base portion of the lower portion.
7. The container of claim 6, further comprising:
- at least one freezer pack or at least one warming element sized to be positionable within the gap.
8. The container of claim 1, further comprising:
- a removable tray positioned inside the hollow interior of the lower portion, the tray comprising an upwardly opening interior divided into a plurality of sub-compartments each configured to hold one or more food items.
9. The container of claim 1, wherein the sidewall of the lower portion comprises a first recess having an upper portion adjacent a lower portion,
- the keyway is formed in the upper portion of the first recess,
- the lower portion of the first recess is configured to receive the key member, and
- the key member is receivable inside the keyway by sliding the key member within the first recess from the lower portion into the keyway formed in the upper portion of the first recess.
10. The container of claim 9, wherein the flap is a first flap,
- the sidewall comprises a second recess having a lip portion,
- the lid further comprises a second flap positioned on the peripheral portion of the body portion,
- the second flap comprises a tab, and
- the second flap is pivotable relative to the body portion to position the tab inside the second recess and into engagement with the lip when the body portion of the lid is positioned adjacent the distal portion of the sidewall and closes the opening of the hollow interior defined by the distal portion of the sidewall.
11. The container of claim 9, wherein the key member has a support portion and an overhang portion that at least partially overhangs the support portion,
- the keyway has an overhang portion that partially encloses a portion of the upper portion of the first recess,
- a passage is formed in the overhang portion of the keyway,
- the support portion of the key member is configured to pass through the passage to position the overhang portion of the key member inside the partially enclosed portion of the keyway, and
- the overhang portion of the keyway prevents lateral removal of the overhang portion of the key member from the keyway.
12. The container of claim 1, wherein the flap is a first flap,
- the sidewall comprises a recess having a lip portion,
- the lid further comprises a second flap positioned on the peripheral portion of the body portion,
- the second flap comprises a tab, and
- the second flap is pivotable relative to the body portion to position the tab inside the recess and into engagement with the lip when the body portion of the lid is positioned adjacent to the distal portion of the sidewall and closes the opening of the hollow interior defined by the distal portion of the sidewall.
13. A food container for storing one or more food items, the container comprising:
- a lower portion having an opening into an interior compartment configured to receive and store the one or more food items, a keyway spaced apart from the opening, and a recess spaced apart from both the opening and the keyway; and
- a lid removably couplable to the lower portion to close the opening, the lid comprising a key member positioned on a first flap and a tab positioned on a second flap, the lid being coupled to the lower portion when the key member is positioned inside the keyway and the tab is received inside the recess, the lid being selectively rotatable toward and away from the lower portion when the key member is inside the keyway, and the second flap being rotatable relative to the lower portion to selectively position the tab inside and outside the recess.
14. The container of claim 13, wherein the first flap is bendable, and
- the first flap bends when the key member is inside the keyway and the lid is rotated toward the lower portion.
15. The container of claim 13, further comprising:
- a seal positioned between the lid and the lower portion, the seal being configured to seal the opening into the interior compartment to prevent leaks therefrom.
16. The container of claim 13 for use with the one or more food items having a temperature, the container further comprising:
- a tray positionable inside the interior compartment of the lower portion configured to receive and store the one or more food items, an insulating air gap being defined between the tray and the lower portion when the tray is positioned inside the interior compartment of the lower portion, the insulating air gap helping to maintain the temperature of the one or more food items.
17. The container of claim 13, further comprising:
- a freezer pack; and
- a tray positionable inside the interior compartment of the lower portion configured to receive and store the one or more food items, a gap being defined between the tray and the lower portion when the tray is positioned inside the interior compartment of the lower portion, the gap being sized to receive the freeze pack therein between the tray and the lower portion.
18. The container of claim 13, wherein the lid and the lower portion are each dishwasher safe.
19. A container comprising:
- a lid having a peripheral portion with a plurality of flaps positioned therealong, a key flap of the plurality of flaps having a key member, others of the plurality of flaps being locking flaps each having a tab, each of the plurality of flaps being rotatable relative to the peripheral portion; and
- a lower portion having an interior compartment at least partially defined by a sidewall, the sidewall having a plurality of recesses formed therein, a keyway recess of the plurality of recesses having a keyway formed therein, others of the plurality of recesses being locking recesses each having a lip formed therein, the key member of the key flap being receivable inside the keyway of the keyway recess, the peripheral portion of the lid being positionable adjacent the sidewall of the lower portion when the key member is received inside the keyway, the tab of each of the locking flaps being positioned to be received inside a corresponding different one of the locking recesses to engage with the lip formed therein to couple the lid to the lower portion when the peripheral portion of the lid is adjacent the sidewall of the lower portion.
20. The container of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of flaps is connected to the peripheral portion of the lid by a hinge portion that defines a bending location for the flap, each of the plurality of flaps being bendable at the bending location and thereby rotatable relative to the peripheral portion.
21. The container of claim 19, wherein the keyway recess has an upper portion adjacent a lower portion,
- the keyway of the keyway recess is formed in the upper portion of the keyway recess,
- the lower portion of the keyway recess is configured to receive the key member of the key flap,
- the key member is receivable inside the keyway by sliding the key member within the keyway recess from the lower portion into the keyway formed in the upper portion of the keyway recess,
- the key member has a support portion and an overhang portion that at least partially overhangs the support portion,
- the keyway has an overhang portion that partially encloses a portion of the upper portion of the keyway recess,
- a passage is formed in the overhang portion of the keyway,
- the support portion of the key member is configured to pass through the passage to position the overhang portion of the key member inside the partially enclosed portion of the keyway, and
- the overhang portion of the keyway prevents lateral removal of the overhang portion of the key member from the keyway.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 26, 2012
Publication Date: Apr 17, 2014
Applicant: Pacific Marketing International, LLC (Seattle, WA)
Inventor: Michael Carl Beckman (Seattle, WA)
Application Number: 13/727,303
International Classification: B65D 1/34 (20060101);