U.S. patent application number 10/190709 was filed with the patent office on 2003-01-30 for hermetic container for frozen food preservation and microwave oven thawing.
Invention is credited to Scarabelli, Dionisio, Scarabelli, Enrico, Scarabelli, Marino.
Application Number | 20030019878 10/190709 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 11448151 |
Filed Date | 2003-01-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030019878 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Scarabelli, Dionisio ; et
al. |
January 30, 2003 |
Hermetic container for frozen food preservation and microwave oven
thawing
Abstract
A food container, particularly a hermetic container for
preserving foods in refrigerators and freezers and for thawing in a
microwave oven, comprising a base body with which a lid can be
associated hermetically, the lid forming a groove that is open
toward the edge of the base body. The lid has a substantially rigid
central portion with which a substantially elastic peripheral
portion that forms the groove is associated. The central portion
reaches, in a radial direction, no further than the region
delimited by the edge.
Inventors: |
Scarabelli, Dionisio;
(Cividino Di Castelli Calepio, IT) ; Scarabelli,
Enrico; (Telgate, IT) ; Scarabelli, Marino;
(Telgate, IT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MODIANO & ASSOCIATI
Via Meravigli, 16
MILANO
20123
IT
|
Family ID: |
11448151 |
Appl. No.: |
10/190709 |
Filed: |
July 9, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/796 ;
220/366.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/1666 20130101;
B65D 2543/00555 20130101; B65D 21/0233 20130101; B65D 2543/00537
20130101; B65D 2543/00296 20130101; B65D 1/22 20130101; B65D
2543/00518 20130101; B65D 2581/3435 20130101; B65D 43/0218
20130101; B65D 2543/0024 20130101; B65D 81/3453 20130101; B65D
2543/00092 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/796 ;
220/366.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 043/08; B65D
051/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 25, 2001 |
IT |
MI2001A001610 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A hermetic food container for preserving frozen foodstuff and
for thawing the frozen foodstuff in a microwave oven, comprising: a
base body having an edge delimiting an edge region thereof; a lid
hermetically connectable to said base body; a groove provided at
said lid that is open toward the edge of said base body, wherein
said lid comprises a substantially rigid central portion and a
substantially elastic peripheral portion that forms said groove,
which is connected to said rigid central portion, with said rigid
central portion extending, in a radial direction, no further than
the edge region delimited by said edge.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein said base body comprises
lateral walls inclined outwardly and having, in transverse
cross-section, a substantially sinusoidal surface shape.
3. The container of claim 2, wherein said lateral walls comprise,
on lateral surfaces thereof, satin-finished bands alternated with
clear bands.
4. The container of claim 2, wherein said sinusoidal surface shape
is constituted by curved portions that have internal radii of
curvature substantially equal to external radii of curvature
thereof.
5. The container of claim 2, wherein said base body is provided
with an outer rim, said edge of said base body being substantially
straight and arranged on continuation of said lateral walls,
proximate to said edge.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein said substantially rigid
central portion is provided peripherally with a protruding tab on
which said peripheral portion made of flexible material is
applied.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein said peripheral portion made
of flexible material comprises an inner lip and an outer lip that
delimit said groove, said inner lip being hermetically connectable
with an inner surface of said edge and said outer lip being
connectable with an outer surface of said edge and with said
rim.
8. The container of claim 7, wherein said tab is delimited by a
radial end thereof that extends radially for a distance being at
least one third of a thickness dimension of said edge.
9. The container of claim 8, wherein said tab comprises a concavity
that is directed toward said base body.
10. The container of claim 8, wherein upon generation of pressure
inside said container during heating, said tab is provided so as to
oscillate to determine inward oscillation of said inner lip of said
groove and outward oscillation of said outer lip.
11. The container of claim 10, further comprising at least one
through hole located on said edge of said base body, above said rim
and at a distance from a free border of said edge that is shorter
than a depth extension of said groove.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a food container,
particularly a hermetic container for preserving foodstuff in
refrigerators and freezers and for thawing the foodstuff in a
microwave oven.
[0002] As is known, food containers are already commercially
available which are devised specifically to be used in
refrigerators and freezers and are manufactured so that they can be
placed in a microwave oven to heat the product contained
therein.
[0003] During heating in microwave ovens, it is necessary to remove
the lid of hermetic containers in order to avoid its violent
removal due to the pressure of the steam generated during the
thawing and subsequent heating of the food.
[0004] This fact causes two kinds of drawback: the first one is
that it is necessary to perform a first thawing step in order to
allow to remove the lid, and the second one is that heating the
container without a lid does not prevent the food from spattering
out of the container.
[0005] The prior art solutions have failed to solve the problem
adequately and in many cases have led to the provision of
complicated structures that nonetheless failed to optimize the
problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The aim of the present invention is to solve the above
mentioned drawbacks by providing a food container that allows to
thaw and heat food contained in the containers in a microwave oven
without having to first remove the lid, thus allowing a single
transfer from the freezer to the microwave oven, reducing the
thawing time required, by eliminating the pause for thawing at
ambient temperature and improving the general processing
conditions, since outward spattering is prevented.
[0007] Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to
provide a food container that can be placed in a microwave oven for
thawing yet is capable of achieving a perfect hermetic seal,
preventing the mixing of odors produced by different foods from
mixing inside the refrigerator.
[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a container
that allows optimum adhesion for the closure of the lid on the
container by performing particularly simple operations.
[0009] Another object of the invention is to provide a food
container that thanks to its particular constructive
characteristics is capable of giving the greatest assurances of
reliability and safety in use.
[0010] This aim and these and other objects that will become better
apparent hereinafter are achieved by a food container, particularly
a hermetic container for preserving foodstuff in refrigerators and
freezers, according to the invention, comprising a base body with
which a lid can be associated hermetically, such lid forming a
groove that is open toward the edge of the base body, characterized
in that said lid has a substantially rigid central portion with
which a substantially elastic peripheral portion that forms the
groove is associated, said central portion reaching, in a radial
direction, no further than the region delimited by said edge.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Further characteristics and advantages of the present
invention will become better apparent from the following detailed
description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of a food
container, particularly a hermetic container for preserving food in
refrigerators and freezers, illustrated by way of non-limitative
example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view, taken along a
transverse line, of a food container according to the
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of multiple stacked base bodies
of the container;
[0014] FIG. 3 is an exploded sectional view of the detail of the
connection between the lid and the base body;
[0015] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the container in the closed
position;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the deformation undergone by
the lid when the product in the container is heated.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] With reference to the figures, the food container,
particularly a hermetic container for preserving food in
refrigerators and freezers, according to the invention, generally
designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a base body 2
advantageously made of a plastics that is compatible for use with
foodstuffs.
[0018] As shown in cross-section, the base body 2 has a lateral
surface that is advantageously inclined outwardly and has a
substantially sinusoidal transverse cross-section.
[0019] Satin-finished bands and clear bands can be present
alternately on the walls 3 in order to better view the contents of
the container.
[0020] Advantageously, the curved portions that define the
sinusoidal path have internal radii of curvature Ri and external
radii of curvature Re that are substantially identical one
another.
[0021] Proximate to the upper part of the side wall there is a
flange-like rim, designated by the reference numeral 5, that
affects peripherally the entire base body 2 and acts as a
stiffening element.
[0022] A lid 10 can be coupled to the base body 2 and forms
perimetrically a groove 11 that is open toward the base body 2.
[0023] In greater detail, the lid 10 has a substantially rigid
central portion 12 that ends peripherally with a protruding tab 13
on which a peripheral portion 20 is applied, such portion forming
the groove 11 and being advantageously made of elastically flexible
material.
[0024] A particularity of the invention is that the tab 13, and
accordingly the rigid portion of the lid 10, reaches or extends in
a radial direction no further than, or substantially up to, the
region delimited by the edge 30 of the base body.
[0025] The edge 30 of the base body is substantially straight and
is preferably provided on the continuation of the lateral surface
of the base body, with an inclination comprised between 0 and at
the most 10.degree..
[0026] The peripheral portion, which is made of elastically
flexible material, defines in practice an inner lip 21 and an outer
lip 22, between which the groove 11 is located; the inner lip mates
with the inner surface, achieving an excellent hermetic seal, in
cooperation with the outer lip 22, which mates both with the outer
surface of the edge 30 and with the flange rim 5 that engages by
contact the lower edge 22a of the outer lip.
[0027] This arrangement provides an optimum hermetic seal, since it
produces a synergistic effect between the elastic peripheral
portion and the rigid central portion, which in conditions of
normal use increases the adhesion that occurs between the lips 21
and 22 and the edge 30.
[0028] It should also be noted that the radial end of the tab 13
reaches at least one third of the thickness of the edge 30, and
therefore the rigid portion can surmount, in practice, the edge
that enters the groove 11 but can never protrude radially with
respect to the outside and the inside.
[0029] Thereby the particular shape of the tab 13, which has a
concavity directed toward the base body, when the container is
placed in the microwave oven, the pressure generated inside the
container applies an outward thrust to the rigid portion or central
portion of the lid 10, which causes an oscillation of the tab 13
that surmounts the inner lip 21, which is forced to rotate, moving
away from the inner surface of the edge 30, thus weakening the
seal.
[0030] Likewise, due to this deformation, the outer lip 22 that
engages an upper portion of the edge 30 splays outward, thus
forming a sort of reduced seal region that allows to vent outward
the steam that acts as a lubricant on the resting region and, by
venting gradually out, avoids the expulsion of the lid.
[0031] It should be added to the above that on the edge 30, above
the region affected by the rim 5, it is possible to provide through
holes 40 arranged at a distance from the free border of said edge
that is shorter than the depth of the groove 11. The holes 40 are
designed to further facilitate the escape of steam during heating
and the escape of air in the initial steps of the depressurization
of the container, before it is placed in the refrigerator, such
depressurization occurring by applying to the lid a pressure from
the outside toward the inside.
[0032] The thicknesses of the inner lip and outer lip, which are
made of elastically flexible material, can have different mutual
ratios, although the best results have been obtained by using
substantially identical thicknesses.
[0033] In practical operation, as shown in FIG. 5, the steam, by
applying force to the inner surface of the lid, forces it to deform
inward the tab 13, separating the inner lip 21 from the inner edge
30, allowing the steam to be interposed between the two surfaces,
lubricating them and facilitating the lifting of the lid without
explosion.
[0034] It is therefore evident from the above description that the
invention achieves the intended aim and objects; the fact is
further stressed that the particular mutual arrangement of the
rigid parts and the soft parts of the cover allows to obtain a
gradual venting of the steam without having to resort to the use of
valves and without risking any violent expulsions of the lid or
even explosions.
[0035] The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous
modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of
the appended claims.
[0036] All the details may further be replaced with other
technically equivalent elements.
[0037] The materials used, so long as they are compatible with the
specific use, as well as the contingent shapes and dimensions, may
be any according to requirements.
[0038] The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No.
MI2001A001610 from which this application claims priority are
incorporated herein by reference.
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