U.S. patent application number 12/758761 was filed with the patent office on 2010-10-21 for personalizable food storage container.
Invention is credited to Ann R. Dery, Jill Weiss Pollina.
Application Number | 20100263399 12/758761 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42979949 |
Filed Date | 2010-10-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100263399 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pollina; Jill Weiss ; et
al. |
October 21, 2010 |
PERSONALIZABLE FOOD STORAGE CONTAINER
Abstract
A storage container has an outer case that defines a plurality
of cooling areas adapted to receive individual cooling packs. A
food storage tray is carried within the outer case. The food
storage container has individual compartments that are aligned with
the cooling areas. Cooling packs may be selectively placed in the
cooling areas to cool selected compartments of the food tray. The
inner food tray may carry a separate latch or may be held closed by
the outer case. The food storage tray is provided with movable
dividers to allow the user to customize the size and configuration
of the compartments in the food storage tray. In one configuration,
the invention provides a food container having a built in dry erase
board and a dry erase pen. A reusable fork and spoon may be
removably secured to the inside of the outer lid. In one
configuration, the invention provides a storage container in
combination with a removable peg board for designated pegs to be
inserted for personalization.
Inventors: |
Pollina; Jill Weiss; (Pepper
Pike, OH) ; Dery; Ann R.; (Beachwood, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FRED ZOLLINGER III
P.O. BOX 2368
NORTH CANTON
OH
44720
US
|
Family ID: |
42979949 |
Appl. No.: |
12/758761 |
Filed: |
April 12, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61212378 |
Apr 10, 2009 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/331 ;
62/457.2 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25D 2303/082 20130101;
F25D 3/08 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/331 ;
62/457.2 |
International
Class: |
F25D 23/00 20060101
F25D023/00; F25D 3/00 20060101 F25D003/00 |
Claims
1. A food storage container comprising: an outer case having a base
and a lid; a removable inner food tray defining a plurality of
compartments for holding items; one of the container and lid
defining a plurality of cooling areas aligned with the
compartments; and a cool pack disposed in at least one of the
cooling areas.
2. The container of claim 1, further comprising: a dry erase board
carried by one of the base and lid.
3. The container of claim 1, further comprising a pen and reusable
fork and spoon carried by one of the base and lid.
4. The container of claim 1, further comprising a removable peg
board for designated pegs to be inserted for personalization; the
removable peg board being removable carried by one of the lid and
base.
5. The container of claim 1, further comprising a movable divider
carried by the food tray.
6. The container of claim 1, wherein the removable inner tray
includes a gasket that seals the tray when the tray is closed.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the removable inner food tray
is held closed when the lid and base of the outer case are closed.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 61/212,378 filed Apr. 10, 2009; the
disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Technical Field
[0003] The invention generally relates to storage containers and,
more particularly, to food transport and storage containers. The
invention also relates to storage container that may be
personalized by the user. Specifically, the invention provides a
personalizable food storage container having an inner food tray
having different customizable compartments that may be individually
cooled.
[0004] 2. Background Information
[0005] In packing lunch for my twin son and daughter, I have
encountered many lunch containers which are ineffective. Many of
the lids are too hard for even an adult to remove. Many of the
compartments can barely hold a full-sized sandwich and one side
item let alone two or three side dishes (e.g. carrots, chips and a
cookie). Many require the use of disposable materials such as tin
foil or plastic wrap or other type of sealing material for the
sandwich or side dishes. The containers do not allow for effective
individual cooling of selective food items (e.g. cooling the
sandwich but not the chips or cookie).
[0006] There is also a desire for the personalization of a lunchbox
by the user. A personalization option allows the parent packing a
lunch to provide a message to the child during the school day.
Personalization also allows the child to customize the
container.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The invention provides a storage container having an outer
case that defines a plurality of cooling areas adapted to receive
individual cooling packs. A food storage tray is carried within the
outer case. The food storage container has individual compartments
that are aligned with the cooling areas. Cooling packs may be
selectively placed in the cooling areas to cool selected
compartments of the food tray. The inner food tray may carry a
separate latch or may be held closed by the outer case.
[0008] The invention also provides a configuration wherein the food
storage tray is provided with movable dividers to allow the user to
customize the size and configuration of the compartments in the
food storage tray.
[0009] In one configuration, the food storage tray has a lid that
seals with a base to seal the individual storage compartments.
[0010] In one configuration, the invention provides a food
container having a built in dry erase board and a dry erase pen. A
reusable fork and spoon may be removably secured to the inside of
the outer lid. A common mount may be used to hold the dry erase
board, the pen, and a napkin.
[0011] The invention also provides a configuration having a drink
holder that fits within one of the compartments of the food
tray.
[0012] In one configuration, the invention provides a storage
container in combination with a removable peg board for designated
pegs to be inserted for personalization. Alternate boards may fit
into the same pegboard slot with various images, such as sports
team logos, names and holiday figures. The invention provides that
the storage container used with the peg board may be a food storage
container or another container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front of the
container in a closed condition.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outer lid of the
container open to expose the inner food tray.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the inner food tray in an
opened position.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the outer base and lid of
the container opened with the inner food tray removed showing the
cooling areas that selectively receive the ice packs to cool
selective areas of the inner food tray.
[0017] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary
configuration of the container of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary peg
used with the peg board of the container.
[0019] FIG. 6B is a longitudinal section view of the peg of FIG.
6A.
[0020] FIG. 6C is a view similar to FIG. 6B with the two portions
connected.
[0021] Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the
specification.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] An exemplary configuration of a personalizable storage
container is shown in the form of a lunch box in the accompany
drawings and is indicated generally by the reference numeral 100.
Container 100 is a complete food storage system and generally
includes an outer case 102 (FIG. 4) and a removable inner food tray
104 (FIG. 3). Outer case 102 (FIG. 4) may be made from a hard,
molded plastic in the shape of a rectangle with rounded corners. A
handle 30 may be pivotably mounted to container 102 with hinges 19
that are disposed through bosses on container 100. A latch 15, 16,
18, 34 is provided to hold outer case 102 closed.
[0023] Container 102 generally includes a base 106 and a lid 108
that are movable between open and closed configurations with latch
15, 34 being used to maintain lid 108 in the closed and sealed
condition. A hinge 5 may used to connect base 106 and lid 108.
Hinge 5 also may be an integral living hinge to allow base 106 and
lid 108 to be integrally molded.
[0024] The exterior of outer case 102 may include a placard 31 that
carries the lunch box logo on it and a place for a piece of paper
with the child's name and grade/teacher to be inserted. Below the
placard 31 is a removable peg board 32 which can hold small,
insertable pegs 110 (FIG. 6) with a familiar image on it (i.e.
alphabetical letters, numbers, animated characters, sports figures
or characters).
[0025] The inside of the outer case lid 108 receives a reusable
fork 29 and spoon 6 that each has a hollowed area or opening
defined by their lower portions which attaches to lid 108 by
pushing them onto a protruding piece of plastic 112. The connection
may be a releasable and reusable snap fit. In between fork 29 and
spoon 6 and centered on the inside of lid 108 is a rectangular dry
erase board 3. One elongated mount 2 is secured to lid 108 behind
dry erase board 3 to hold a dry erase pen 4 above dry erase board
3. Mount 2 provides a tab 114 that holds a reusable napkin below
dry erase board 3 between mount 2 and lid 108.
[0026] Base 106 of outer case 102 defines a plurality of cooling
areas 120 that each removably receives a cooling pack 20, 21, 22.
There may be five cooling areas 120. Cooling areas 120 may be
separated by walls that may be full height of partial height. Each
wall may contact the base 23 of food tray 104. Cooling areas may be
integrally formed in base 106 or in a cover 17 that fits within
base 106. Cooling packs 21 and 22 may be mirror images of each
other so that they may fit in multiple cooling areas 120. The top
two cooling packs 22 are the same shape being long and narrow with
rounded sides, centered below that there is a square cooling pack
20 surrounded by two square shaped packs 21 with rounded sides.
There are finger indentations 35 defined by each cooling area 120
to allow for the easy removal of the pack 20, 21, 22. There is a
hidden insulation layer 26 made up of EPS insulating foam which is
disposed under insulation cover 17, between the bottom of the ice
packs 20, 21, 22 and inner surface of base 106. Layer 26 acts to
prevent base 106 from being cooled and gathering condensation.
[0027] On top of the cooling packs sits inner food tray 104 that
includes a base 23 and a lid 7 movable between open and closed
conditions. Tray 104 may be made from a clear plastic material.
Tray 104 is rectangular in shape with rounded sides to fit within
outer case 102. Tray 104 has a lid 7 that closes and seals onto the
tray base 23 which attaches by a gooseneck hinge mechanism 23A that
is secured to the tray base 23. When the lid 7 closes onto the tray
base 23 a seal is formed by the use of a gasket lining 23B which is
disposed on top of the perimeter of tray base 23 and tray base
fixed dividers 23C, 23D and movable dividers 8, 9 which may be
selectively inserted into tray base 23 as desired. The gasket may
be made from a thermoplastic elastomeric material. Lid 7 is held
closed by a clamping force applied when outer case 102 is closed
shut by its latch. The clamping force compresses the gasket to seal
tray 104. A rib (shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5) may project from the
inner surface of lid 108 outwardly of fork 29 and spoon 6 and above
pen 4 and below tab 114. This rib engages the outer surface of lid
7 near the perimeter of lid 7 to press lid 7 closed when outer case
102 is latched closed.
[0028] The tray base 23 includes two fixed plastic dividers 23C,
23D and two adjustable plastic dividers 8, 9 which are designed to
not lean or shift positions by using a wide flange 8A and 9A on
their bottoms and sides. One fixed divider 23C is horizontal and
extends the full length of the tray base 23. The other fixed
divider 23D is vertical and is in the bottom portion of the tray
below the fixed horizontal divider 23C. One of the vertical
adjustable dividers 9 is sized for use in the top portion of tray
base 23 and the other 8 is sized for use in the bottom portion of
tray base 23. The two adjustable dividers 8, 9 can slide within
their portion of the tray base 23 to change the size of the
compartment to allow for more or less of that food item. The
dividers may be used to create compartments that are aligned with
cooling areas 120.
[0029] The bottom vertical fixed divider 23D creates a compartment
in the bottom right hand portion of tray base 23. In that
compartment there is a removable drink container 10, 11, 12.
Container 10 may be clear on the body and colored on the removable
lid 11. The lid 11 has a retractable straw 12. The body of the
drink container has an indent 10A for finger placement. The drink
container 10 is the same shape as the compartment 23E that receives
container 10 such that container 10 has a rounded corner.
[0030] An accompanying small plastic container 27, 28 is included
in the tray base 23 and may be placed in any of the compartments.
This container 27, 28 may be small and rectangular in shape with a
removable colored lid 28 and a rectangular base 27 and may be
filled with dip or sauce or condiment.
[0031] All features of this lunch box 100 may be made from any
material including but not limited to plastic, metal and/or rubber.
All colors may be used in this lunch box including but not limited
to opaque, clear, blue, green and yellow.
[0032] This versatile lunch box 100 may be appealing for carrying a
meal to school, work, vacation and other occasions where food is to
be provided. An adult version of the box will also be available
without the peg board or name card.
[0033] In the exemplary configuration, container 100 includes: (1)
a container of sufficient size which allows for a sandwich and 2-3
side items; (2) a lid which is easy to remove yet will contain the
food without leakage; (3) a totally "green" product which will
create no waste and will be reusable; (4) a container which will
allows the cooling of certain food items while not cooling
others.
[0034] Another consideration in the design of the lunch box is the
personalization of the box through messaging and personal
expression. First, the dry erase board on the inside of the box
which may serve as a place for a caregiver to write a loving
sentiment or simply an important daily reminder to the child.
Second, the peg board on the outside of the box may hold individual
pegs which allow the child to represent their interests or personal
style. He or she can spell out their name or use numbers and
various characters that he or she feels are special. The pegs may
be traded among friends and continually purchased for all holidays
and special occasions.
[0035] In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used
for brevity, clearness, and understanding. No unnecessary
limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of
the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes
and are intended to be broadly construed. Moreover, the description
and illustration of the invention is an example and the invention
is not limited to the exact details shown or described. For
example, the different features of the container may be used in
different combinations to provide alternate configurations of the
container. Throughout the description and claims of this
specification the word "comprise" and variations of that word, such
as "comprises" and "comprising," are not intended to exclude
additives, components, integers, or steps.
* * * * *