STORAGE CONTAINER FOR HOLDING DESICCANT AND INSERT TO CONVERT STANDARDIZED STORAGE CONTAINER TO HOLD DESICCANT

Abstract

A container with an insert for a desiccant has a lid, and the insert includes a housing having sidewall portions and a bottom portion with passages for receiving a desiccant to be used with contents of the container. The passages enable air to circulate within the housing, and a cover to be secured to the housing has an upper surface containing adhesive to enable said insert be held to the undersurface of the lid for the container. The insert can be used with traditional containers such as an apothecary glass jar or a glass jar with swing top lid that can be clamped.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a storage container with insert to hold a desiccant for drying materials to be stored, and an insert that can be used with a standard container having a lid, such as a traditional apothecary style jar or jar with swing top clamping lid, to hold a desiccant for drying materials to be stored in the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is often desired to store or dry foodstuffs and other products such as tea, tobacco or even marijuana in a container with a desiccant while holding the desiccant or drying agent away from physical contact with the contents of the storage container. Several products have been proposed to store materials in such a manner, such as the proposals in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,081,137 or 2,676,078 which require specific designs for the lids of such containers to hold a desiccant in the lid. Other proposals, such as those in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,317,882 or 6,986,809 may be adapted for use with existing storage containers, but are difficult to reuse and not readily adapted for use with standardized containers of various types.

It may, however, be desired to use a storage container without the need for a desiccant, or to have the ability to provide a desiccant in an storage container to apply a drying agent to a product already stored in a container, such as a food product stored in an apothecary style jar or a traditional glass jar with swing top clamping lid. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a storage container with an insert for a desiccant, and to provide an insert that can be used with a standard container having a lid, such as a traditional apothecary jar or a jar with swing top clamping lid. In this way, the insert can be removed easily if a desiccating material is no longer needed, or the insert can be applied to a standard storage container to desiccate material stored therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is illustrated by way of example in the attached drawings and includes a storage container with a lid and an insert, and the insert has a housing having sidewall portions and a bottom portion with passages for receiving a desiccant to be used with contents of the container. The passages enable air to circulate within the housing, and a cover to be secured to the housing has an upper surface containing adhesive to enable the insert be held to the undersurface of the lid for the container. The insert can also be used with a standard container having a lid.

These and other objects, and advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the description given below which is made in conjunction with the following drawing figures:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The attached figures illustrate a storage container with a lid and an insert that can also be used with a standard container to hold a desiccant for drying materials to be stored.

FIG. 1 illustrates as an example of an embodiment of the present invention in use with closed glass jar with swing top clamping lid;

FIG. 1A illustrates an example of an embodiment the present invention in use with swing top of the glass jar in open position;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of an embodiment the present invention in an exploded condition showing the constituent parts;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of an embodiment the present invention in its assembled condition.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates a glass jar 10 having a lid 12 that can be held to the jar by hinge 13 and clamped tight by clamping mechanism 14 that is well understood. As can be understood by those skilled in the field, other types of storage containers, such as glass or plastic apothecary jars, glass or metal canisters and the like may also be used with the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an insert 20 of the present invention includes a housing 22 having sidewall portions 24 and a bottom portion 26 for receiving a desiccant shown as packet 28. Slots 30 are formed in the sidewall portions 24 and openings 32 are formed in said bottom portion 26 for providing passages allowing air to circulate within the housing 22. A cover 34 can be secured so as to be removable from the housing 22 by such structures as tab 36 of the cover 34 fitting with bayonet slot 38 of the housing rim.

The upper surface of the cover 34 has a pad 40, carrying on its outer surface an adhesive. In this way, the adhesive pad 40 can be pressed against the undersurface of the lid 12 for the container 10 to secure the insert 20.

In preferred form, the adhesive will securely adhere the cover to the undersurface of the container lid 12. In another form, the adhesive can be of the type that can be released and reused. By use of a an adhesive that can be released, the pad may be removed from the undersurface of the lid 12 to remove the insert if desired to provide more volume for storage of the contents when sufficiently dried.

The pad may be compressible easily and have a dome shaped upper surface. By providing a domed-shape compressible pad 40, the pad may be compressed against the undersurface of the container lid having various configurations. For example, the compressible pad can be flattened against a flat undersurface for the container lid 12 as shown in the exemplary embodiment, or may be pressed against an undersurface of a different configuration, such as the concave surface of the lids of several styles and sizes of apothecary jars, to adhere the housing cover to the container lid. In this way, various pads maybe provided to accommodate containers of differing designs for the undersurface of the lid.

In the embodiment shown, the pad 40 has a flattened upper surface to provide secure adhesion to the flat surface of the jar illustrated.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention would be well understood by those skilled in the field, and the above description is made in connection with an example of the insert of the present invention used with one standard type of storage container. The present invention could also be used with other storage containers, both well known and future developments.

Claims

1. A container for desiccating material, said container having a lid, and an insert including a housing having sidewall portions and a bottom portion for receiving a desiccant to be used with contents of the container, passages in said sidewall portion and bottom portion allowing air to circulate within said housing, and a cover to be secured to said housing and having an upper surface adapted to be held to the undersurface of the lid for said container.

2. An insert as set forth in claim 1, the upper surface of said cover having an adhesive for holding the upper surface of said cover to the undersurface of the lid for said container.

3. An insert asset forth in claim 2, said adhesive being part of a pad attached to the upper surface of said cover.

4. An insert asset forth in claim 2, said passages in said sidewall portions being slots, said passages in said bottom portions being openings.

5. An insert asset forth in claim 1, said passages in said sidewall portions being slots, said passages in said bottom portions being openings.

6. An insert asset forth in claim 1, said cover being adapted to be secured removably to said housing.

7. An insert to be used with a standard container having a lid, including a housing having sidewall portions and a bottom portion for receiving a desiccant to be used with contents of the container, passages in said sidewall portion and bottom portion allowing air to circulate within said housing, and a cover to be secured to said housing and having an upper surface adapted to be held to the undersurface of the lid for said container.

8. An insert as set forth in claim 7, the upper surface of said cover holding an adhesive for holding the upper surface of said cover to the undersurface of the lid for said container.

9. An insert asset forth in claim 8, said adhesive being part of a pad attached to the upper surface of said cover.

10. An insert asset forth in claim 8, said passages in said sidewall portions being slots, said passages in said bottom portions being openings.

11. An insert asset forth in claim 7, said passages in said sidewall portions being slots, said passages in said bottom portions being openings.

12. An insert asset forth in claim 7, said cover being adapted to be secured removably to said housing.

13. An insert to be used with a standard container having a lid, including a housing having sidewall portions and a bottom portion for receiving a desiccant to be used with contents of the container, slots being formed in said sidewall portion and openings being formed in said bottom portion for providing passages allowing air to circulate within said housing, and a cover to be secured to said housing and having an upper surface containing adhesive to enable said insert be held to the undersurface of the lid for the container.

14. An insert asset forth in claim 13 said adhesive being part of a pad attached to the upper surface of said cover.