CONTAINER FOR STORING CHEESE AND OTHER TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE FOOD AND ITEMS IN WINE REFRIGERATION UNITS, WINE STORAGE ROOMS AND WINE CELLARS
The invention is a container for storing and serving food, especially practical for cheese, and other items that would benefit from being stored in a temperature and environment similar to those recommended for wine. The invention addresses food storage requirements including moderated refrigeration and enhanced humidity control while addressing odor migration thus maintaining the flavor and other characteristics of cheese and other temperature sensitive items. The invention does so by taking a novel approach in that it repurposes one or more of the wine bottle storage bays found in commercially available refrigerated wine storage units and the bottle bays of wine storage racks found in wine cellars and wine storage rooms. By virtue of the container's size and contour the container will fit stably into the bottle bays in the vast majority of commercially available refrigerated wine storage units and in those bottle bays of wine storage racks found in wine cellars and wine storage rooms. It will also rest stably on a flat surface such as a table or countertop thus facilitating the filling of the container, access to its contents and its use as a serving vessel.
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This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application “Cheese storage unit for use in wine refrigerators/cellars” EFS ID 1748917, Application Number 60916336, Confirmation Number 9922 filed 2007 May 7 by the present inventor(s)
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the storage and serving of food, especially cheese, and potentially the storage of other items that would benefit from being stored in a temperature and environment similar to those recommended for wine storage, such as those environments found in commercially available refrigerated wine storage units, wine cellars and wine storage rooms.
2. Prior Art
Prior art does not sufficiently address how to store cheese or other items in more optimal temperature conditions, maintain sufficient humidity to prevent drying, prevent foreign (non-cheese) odors from creating undesirable flavors, and prevent cheese odors from escaping the environment. Some prior art is too general and not tailored for this purpose for example, Food Storage Container or the Like (U.S. Pat. No. D282,809—Daenen; Robert H. C. M.—Mar. 10, 1982) addresses the issue of odor migration and, to some extent, loss of hydration. But they do not address the fact that quite often cheeses, butter and other items are more optimally stored in temperatures that range significantly below room temperature but above those temperatures customarily maintained in refrigeration units being used for the purpose of storing and preserving freshness of other foods. Even prior art specifically designed for cheese, while addressing issues of odor migration, dehydration and even slicing and serving cheese, do not address the temperature or enhanced humidity requirements of cheese storage. These include Storage and Serving Dish for Cheese (U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,554—Daenen; Robert H. C. M.—Mar. 27, 1981), Combined Storing and Slicing Device for a Stick of Butter or Margarine or The Like (U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,501—Lee; Jong S.—Feb. 14, 1983), Device for Slicing and Storing food such as Cheese and the Like (U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,488—Cole; Gregory B.—Mar. 4, 1985) Slicing and Storing Device (U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,083—Alonso; Modesto C.—May 19, 1987). While there is some prior art designed to address the specialized storage requirements of cheese they are too complex, large and costly thus making them impractical for use in the home. An example of this is Apparatus for Storing and Ventilating Cheeses (U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,377—van Buytene; Arie J.—Jun. 25, 1984)
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThis invention is a container for storing and serving food, especially practical for cheese, and other items that would benefit from being stored in a temperature and environment similar to those recommended for wine. In particular cheese, depending on its variety, is, in essence, a living organic entity that can be damaged or whose flavor can be significantly diminished by storing it at the average food refrigeration temperature or in too warm an environment. The invention addresses food storage requirements including moderated refrigeration and enhanced humidity control while addressing odor migration thus maintaining the flavor and other characteristics of cheese and other temperature sensitive items. The invention does so by taking a novel approach in that it repurposes one or more of the wine bottle storage bays found in commercially available refrigerated wine storage units and the bottle bays of wine storage racks found in wine cellars and wine storage rooms. By virtue of the container's size and contour the container will fit stably into the bottle bays in the vast majority of commercially available refrigerated wine storage units and in those bottle bays of wine storage racks found in wine cellars and wine storage rooms. It will also rest stably on a flat surface such as a table or countertop thus facilitating the filling of the container, access to its contents and its use as a serving vessel.
In
The container lid 53 is fitted to close the container 50 and protect its contents. The top of the lid 53 is rounded 58 also to maximize useable storage space within the container without interfering with the next layer of racking in the vast majority of wine racks. In this case the bottom of the container 51 is ribbed 54 in order to provide friction between it 51 and the rack to keep the container 50 from turning upside down. The footings shown 55 not only provide additional rotational stability for the container 50 while it is seated in a wine rack, the footings 55 also keep the container 50 stable and prevent it from rolling over on a flat surface like a table or countertop. A specially sized and fitted board 57 provides a flat surface on which to store, cut and serve the cheese or other items. The board 57 also keeps the contents of the container away from the moisture reservoir in the bottom 51 of the container. The board 57 is dimensioned shorter than the container 50 allowing the user to room to reach in between the board 57 and the container 50 and lift the board 57 out.
The container 50 is also shown with a “bottle neck” handle 56 that is positioned and dimensioned similarly to where the neck of a wine bottle would appear with respect to its body. Besides providing a means for grasping and holding the container 50 with one hand the “bottle neck” handle also provides a means for seating the container 50 in wine racks that utilize the wine bottle neck for supporting the bottle as in the “saw-tooth” configured wine rack in wine racks in
Thus the reader will see the invention is an excellent container for storing and serving food, especially practical for cheese, and other items that would benefit from being stored in a temperature and environment similar to those recommended for wine. The invention addresses food storage requirements including moderated refrigeration and enhanced humidity control while addressing odor migration thus maintaining the flavor and other characteristics of cheese and other temperature sensitive items. The invention does so by taking a novel approach in that it repurposes one or more of the wine bottle storage bays found in commercially available refrigerated wine storage units and the bottle bays of wine storage racks found in wine cellars and wine storage rooms. By virtue of the container's size and contour the container will fit stably into the bottle bays in the vast majority of commercially available refrigerated wine storage units and in those bottle bays of wine storage racks found in wine cellars and wine storage rooms. It will also rest stably on a flat surface such as a table or countertop thus facilitating the filling of the container, access to its contents and its use as a serving vessel.
While the above description contains many detailed specifics, these should not be construed as limitations on the invention but rather as examples of several preferred embodiments thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example, the above specifications have shown examples of containers that span one or two wine bottle bays, but these containers could be designed to occupy three or more wine bottle bays if needed. Since many wine racks can hold two horizontal rows, front and back, on the same rack, it follows that the container can be dimensioned longer, up to two bottle lengths or more, in order to take advantage of the deeper wine racks. The invention can also be enhanced, adapted, compartmentalized and fitted to hold a plurality of other temperature sensitive foods, scientific samples, chemical items or virtually any small item that would benefit from being stored in a modified or moderated refrigerated environment. The footing arrangements shown that allow the container to remain stable on a flat surface are by no means exhaustive. As such, variations of stabilizing elements could include among many a single horizontal stabilizing member in a variety of positions or a removable set of footings or even a tabletop cradle for the container. Furthermore the ribbed friction surface on the bottom of the container could be substituted with a raised-dot surface or any number of raised or indented patterns providing frictional resistance to changes in axial orientation. The handle depicted in the preferred embodiments can be enlarged or streamlined or an additional handle or handles can be added. Also there is a great potential for variation in the types of materials used to make the container including but not limited too, glass, ceramics, wood and plastics. It follows that there is also great potential for variation in the types of lids and means of securing those lids to the container including but not limited too, hinged lids, self-sealing and snap-on lids, and sliding covers.
Claims
1. A primary container dimensioned to be substantially similar to the body of a wine bottle wherein said primary container can be received inside the bottle bays in a plurality of commercially available wine storage refrigerators or wine storage racks with said primary container having an opening allowing substantially unobstructed access to the storage capacity of said primary container and with said primary container having means, integrated or otherwise, to assure proper axial orientation when removed from said bottle bays and placed on a flat surface.
2. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said primary container has means to assure proper axial orientation when seated in said bottle bays in a plurality of commercially available wine storage refrigerators or wine storage racks.
3. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said means to assure proper axial orientation of said primary container both inside said bottle bays and on said flat surface comprise a secondary container, substantially similar to said primary container wherein said secondary container is attached to said primary container such that said secondary container overlaps into an adjacent bottle bay in a plurality of commercially available wine storage refrigerators or wine storage racks thus assuring proper and stable axial orientation for said primary container and said secondary container as well as providing additional continuous or divisible storage volume augmenting said primary container.
4. The secondary container of claim 3 wherein said secondary container has a bottom that is contoured with a narrowed footing thus reducing its contact area with and its potential interference with the racking arrangements in said adjacent bottle bay wherein making said primary container in combination with said attached secondary container more likely to be seated with proper and stable axial orientation in a larger plurality of commercially available wine storage refrigerators or wine storage racks.
5. The primary container of claim 1 wherein the vertical middle portion of its storage volume is made rectangular at a distance sufficient to ensure clearance from racking arrangements both above and below in a plurality of commercially available wine storage refrigerators or wine storage racks wherein said rectangular storage volume increases the capacity of said primary container and wherein said rectangular storage volume provides additional means to assure proper axial orientation.
6. The primary container and attached secondary container of claim 3 wherein the vertical middle portion of their combined storage volume is made rectangular at a distance sufficient to ensure clearance from racking arrangements both above and below in a plurality of commercially available wine storage refrigerators or wine storage racks wherein said rectangular storage volume increases the capacity of said primary and said attached secondary container.
7. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said means to assure proper axial orientation of said primary container inside said bottle bays is a friction surface on the bottom portion of said primary container contacting the racking arrangement in said bottle bays such that said primary container is inhibited from rotating thus providing stable axial orientation of said primary container and its contents.
8. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said means to assure proper axial orientation of said primary container on said flat surface is one or more attached members dimensioned to make contact with said flat surface wherein said attached member or members do not interfere with the majority of said bottle bays and wherein said member or members are dimensioned to inhibit rolling and provide stable axial orientation on said flat surfaces.
9. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said means to assure proper axial orientation of said primary container on said flat surface is one or more attachable or conformable members dimensioned to make contact with said flat surface wherein said attachable or conformable member or members are dimensioned to inhibit rolling and provide stable axial orientation on said flat surfaces.
10. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said means to assure proper axial orientation of said primary container on said flat surface is a rotational member inset such that it substantially conforms to said contoured bottom of said primary container but provides stability on said flat surface when rotated into its deployed position.
11. The primary container of claim 1 wherein said means to assure proper axial orientation of said primary container on said flat surface is achieved by substantially flattening the bottom of said primary container while maintaining a sufficient amount of contact surface on the bottom hemisphere of said container wherein said contact surface within said bottle bays inhibits said container from rotating thus providing proper and stable axial orientation of said primary container and its contents.
12. The primary container of claim 1 wherein an elongated member dimensioned and oriented substantially in the position of the neck of a typical wine bottle is attached to the back of said primary container thus providing a handle for said primary container and additional contact surfaces for stable seating inside said bottle bays wherein making said primary container useable in a larger plurality of said commercially available wine storage refrigerators or said wine storage racks.
13. The primary container of claim 1 wherein a horizontally oriented board suitable for cutting and serving food can stably rest or be inserted into the bottom of the container volume of said primary container.
14. The primary container of claim 1 with integrated cutting and serving board of claim 13 with the space below said cutting board dimensioned and reserved for a moisture conduit, controller or reservoir.
Type: Application
Filed: May 6, 2008
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2008
Applicant:
Inventors: John Otto Bachmann (Montclair, NJ), Kathryn Junell Bachman (Montclair, NJ), Ryan H. Behroozi (Brooklyn, NY)
Application Number: 12/116,196
International Classification: B65D 85/20 (20060101);