U.S. patent application number 12/917140 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-26 for modular storage container.
Invention is credited to Gary Rein.
Application Number | 20120018317 12/917140 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45492687 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120018317 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Rein; Gary |
January 26, 2012 |
MODULAR STORAGE CONTAINER
Abstract
A modular storage candle container includes a base and a lid
with a candle disposed on said lid. Specifically, the lid is
dimensioned and configured to receive the candle that is releasably
held in the exterior of the lid. The candle may be a faux candle or
a wax candle. When a wax candle is used, the candle is designed to
have a convex base and a concave interior so when the wax melts,
the wax is directed toward a central portion of the concave
interior thereby extending the life of the candle. In other
embodiments, the candle may be replaced with a memorabilia insert
or modular insert. On an underside of the lid is an interior insert
positioned to extend down and into the compartment when the lid is
position over the base. The interior insert includes a holding
device such as a basket, jewelry holder or pill dispenser.
Inventors: |
Rein; Gary; (New York,
NY) |
Family ID: |
45492687 |
Appl. No.: |
12/917140 |
Filed: |
November 1, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61366424 |
Jul 21, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/216 ;
220/694 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 51/26 20130101;
B65D 51/245 20130101; F21V 35/00 20130101; F21V 33/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/216 ;
220/694 |
International
Class: |
B65D 71/00 20060101
B65D071/00; B65D 90/00 20060101 B65D090/00 |
Claims
1. A discreet storage unit comprising: a base, said base having a
compartment and an open end; a lid, said lid having an exterior
side and an underside, said exterior side defining a cradle, said
lid being dimensioned and configured to cover said open end of said
base in a first position and expose said open end in an second
position; and at least one exterior insert, said exterior insert
being dimensioned and configured to be releasably held in said
cradle of said lid.
2. The storage unit of claim 1, wherein said compartment is
dimensioned and configured to receive personal use products.
3. The storage unit of claim 1, wherein said exterior insert
includes a candle, a faux candle, a memorabilia insert and a
modular insert.
4. The storage unit of claim 1, further comprising an interior
insert, said interior insert being suspended from said underside of
said lid and extending within said compartment when said lid is in
said first position.
5. The storage unit of claim 4, wherein said interior insert
includes a basket, a holder, and a dispenser.
6. The storage unit of claim 4, wherein said interior insert
includes a denture storage basket, a jewelry holder, and a pill
dispenser.
7. The storage unit of claim 1, wherein said base has an exterior
surface, said exterior surface includes graphics.
8. The storage unit of claim 7, wherein said exterior surface
includes a graphics compartment, said graphic compartment receiving
a graphic sleeve therein.
9. A discreet storage unit comprising: a base, said base having a
compartment and an open end; a lid, said lid having an exterior
side and an underside, said exterior side defining a cradle, said
lid being dimensioned and configured to cover said open end of said
base in a first position and expose said open end in an second
position; and a candle, said candle being dimensioned and
configured to be releasably held in said cradle of said lid.
10. The storage unit of claim 9, wherein said candle has a base
said base having an inner surface opposite an outer surface, said
inner surface being concave and said outer surface being
convex.
11. The storage unit of claim 10, wherein legs are disposed on said
outer convex surface, said legs supporting said candle within said
cradle.
12. The storage unit of claim 9, wherein said candle is a
faux-candle.
13. The storage unit of claim 9, wherein wax is retained in said
concave inner surface with a wick disposed in a central portion of
said concave inner surface, wherein as said wick burns melted wax
is directed along sides of the concave inner surface to said
central portion of said concave inner surface thereby extending the
life of the candle.
14. A discreet storage unit comprising: a base, said base having a
compartment and an open end; a lid, said lid having an exterior
side and an underside, said exterior side defining a cradle, said
lid being dimensioned and configured to cover said open end of said
base in a first position and expose said open end in an second
position; at least one exterior insert, said exterior insert being
dimensioned and configured to be releasably held in said cradle of
said lid; and an interior insert, said interior insert being
suspended from said underside of said lid and extending within said
compartment when said lid is in said first position.
15. The storage unit of claim 14, wherein said exterior insert
includes a candle, a faux candle, a memorabilia insert and a
modular insert.
16. The storage unit of claim 14, wherein said interior insert
includes a basket, a holder, and a dispenser.
17. The storage unit of claim 14, wherein said interior insert
includes a denture storage basket, a jewelry holder, and a pill
dispenser.
18. The storage unit of claim 15, wherein said candle has a base
said base having an inner surface opposite an outer surface, said
inner surface being concave and said outer surface being
convex.
19. The storage unit of claim 18, wherein wax is retained in said
concave inner surface with a wick disposed in a central portion of
said concave inner surface, wherein as said wick burns melted wax
is directed along sides of the concave inner surface to said
central portion of said concave inner surface thereby extending the
life of the candle.
Description
PRIORITY AND RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Design patent
application Ser. No. 29/365,132, filed Jul. 2, 2010, entitled
COMBINATION CONTAINER AND CANDLE, to U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No. 61/366,424, filed Jul. 21, 2010, entitled
MODULAR STORAGE SYSTEM, and to U.S. Design patent application Ser.
No. 29/375,088, filed Sep. 17, 2010, entitled MODULAR STORAGE
SYSTEM, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to storage containers.
Specifically, the present invention relates to modular storage
containers having dual functions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Storage containers exist for a variety of objects and come
in a variety of shapes and sizes. The options available in the
realm of storage containers for personal hygiene products are
practical but insipid. For instance, containers used to hold
flushable wipes or hemorrhoid pads are white or colored plastic
tubs having a lid. Such containers are easily recognizable these
days especially when located in the bathroom. Containers for
dentures, retainers likewise are stored in standard issued vessels
that are also easily recognizable in the public.
[0004] What is desired is a discreet container with lid that can
store a broad range of personal hygiene and related personal use
products. A container is also desired that allows a user to
position the container for convenient usage in plain view, while
disguising the personal nature of the contents within the
container. A container is further desired that has a modular
attachment system of interchangable elements or exterior inserts on
an exterior of the lid which includes a wide variety of externally
visible elements such as faux-candles, live candles, LED candles,
and memorabilia inserts. It is also desired that a container with
lid include interior inserts for elements that suspend on an
underside of the lid into the storage container. Such interior
inserts include, but are not limited to a two-stage, drop-down
denture storage basket that suspends dental appliances discreetly
within the container with or without solution, a two-stage
drop-down jewelry holder that suspends jewelry discreetly within
the container with or without solution, and a multi-cavity pill
dispenser that organizes and suspends pills discreetly, down within
the interior of the container. It is further desired that an
exterior portion of the storage container accept a variety of
printed or dimensional over-wraps that conform to the exterior of
the storage base, and change the overall look of the individual
product.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] A modular storage container provides a dual purpose
container for discreetly storing items therein and publicly
displaying or serving as a candle mount. The modular storage
container includes a base and a lid with an insert disposed on said
lid. Specifically, the lid is dimensioned and configured to receive
the insert that is releasably held in the exterior of the lid. The
insert may be a faux candle, a wax candle or any other insert types
such as a memorabilia insert or modular insert. When a wax candle
insert is used, the candle is designed to have a convex base and a
concave interior so when the wax melts, the wax is directed toward
a central portion of the concave interior thereby extending the
life of the candle. On an underside of the lid is an interior
insert positioned to extend down and into the compartment when the
lid is positioned over the base. The interior insert includes a
holding device such as a basket, jewelry holder or pill
dispenser.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0006] FIG. 1A is an exploded view of the modular storage container
of the present invention showing an exterior insert, a lid, and a
base.
[0007] FIG. 1B is an open view of an alternate embodiment of the
modular storage container of the present invention showing a lid,
and a base.
[0008] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a wax candle insert of the
present invention.
[0009] FIG. 2B is a side view of FIG. 2A.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an empty base of a wax
candle insert of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the modular storage container
of the present invention showing a plurality of exterior
inserts.
[0012] FIG. 5A is an exploded view of an alternate embodiment of
the modular storage container of the present invention showing an
interior insert showing the interior insert in an extended
position.
[0013] FIG. 5B is a view the interior insert shown in FIG. 5A in an
retracted position.
[0014] FIG. 6 shows the base of FIG. 1A with a sleeve able to be
disposed on the exterior of the base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] FIG. 1A shows a modular storage container 100 having a base
150, a lid 130 and an a wax candle exterior insert 110 which is one
embodiment of a number of exterior inserts 180, see FIG. 4. The
base 150 has an open end 152 to permit access to a compartment 154
therein. The base 150 may have a grooved area 156 for receiving lid
130. Alternatively, the lid 130 can be press-fit to the base 150,
as shown in FIG. 1A, screwed on to the base 150 or hinged to the
base, see FIG. 1B. The lid 130 has a top exterior side defining a
cradle 132 and an underside 134. The cradle 132 is dimensioned and
configured to receive the exterior insert 110 while the underside
134 receives interior inserts. See FIG. 4. The lid 130 helps create
a modular attachment system of interchangeable elements via the lid
using the exterior inserts 110. The lid 130 can incorporate a wide
variety of exterior inserts 180 including, but not limited to
faux-candles, live candles, LED candles, and memorabilia
inserts.
[0016] The exterior insert 110 shown in FIG. 1A is embodied as a
wax candle insert 110. FIGS. 2A-C provide closer looks at the wax
candle insert 110. The wax candle insert has an angled lead-in base
112 having an inner surface 116 opposite an outer surface 114. The
inner surface is concave and the outer surface is convex. Disposed
about the convex exterior 114 are legs 118 that support the base
112 on any surface and when within the cradle 132 of the lid 110.
Wax is disposed within the concave inner surface 116 with a wick
122 being disposed in a central portion of said concave inner
surface 116. FIG. 3 shows the lead-in base 112 without wax
providing a better understanding of the concave inner surface 116
and how the wick 122 may be insertable therein during
manufacturing. Here the wick 122 is positioned in a centermost
portion of the base 112 and held in place with tabs located therein
subsequently wax may be poured in the base 112. The angled lead-in
shape of the base 112 permits melted wax to be directed along the
sides of the concave inner surface 116 toward the central portion
of said concave inner surface 116 as the wick 122 burns. This
arrangement provides the benefit of extending the life of the wax
candle insert 110. The wax candle insert 110 is just one example of
exterior inserts 180 available for use in the present invention.
FIG. 4 shows a number of exterior inserts 180 which may include and
are not limited to a faux candle insert, an LED candle insert 126,
a memorabilia insert 128 or a perfumed solid insert 124.
[0017] The underside 134 of the lid 130 has provisions to allow for
a series of interior inserts 140 to hold elements and suspend the
elements below the lid 130 and into the storage base 150 when the
lid is placed on the base 150. See FIG. 5A-5B. The interior insert
140 is fixedly or removably attached to the underside 134 and has a
stem 142 and a platform 144. The platform 144 provides a resting
surface for any item and the stem 142 extends the platform 144 of
the interior insert 140 down away from the lid 130 at a distance.
The interior insert 140 permits a user to conceal any item from
public view when the lid 130 is placed over the open end 152 of the
base 150 and the interior insert 140 is disposed within the
interior compartment 154 of the base 150.
[0018] The platform 144 of the interior insert 140 may include but
is not limited to a two-stage, drop-down holder that suspends items
within the base. For instance, the platform 144 may be a two-stage,
drop-down holder being a denture storage basket, as shown in FIGS.
5A-5B, a jewelry holder, or a multi-cavity pill dispenser. FIG. 5A
shows the dental basket in an extended position, while FIG. 5B
shows the basket in a retracted position. The dental basket
embodiment of the platform 144 is shown having an upper denture
support 146 having a series of raised ridges and a lower denture
support 148. The items held by the interior insert 140 within the
base 150 may be held with or without a liquid solution. When the
items are exposed to a solution, the platform 144 may include a
vents to allow the item held by the interior insert 140 to be
easily submerged in solution.
[0019] The exterior surface of the base 150 may be embellished,
accept a variety of printed or dimensional over-wraps that conform
to the exterior of the base 150 or retain graphics for
advertisements, amusement, etc. purposes. FIG. 6 shows a graphic
sleeve 190 that may be disposed on the exterior of the base 150.
The embellishing of the exterior of the base 150 allows a user to
change the overall look of the modular storage container 100 for
reasons of product differentiation.
[0020] The present invention as described above provides a discreet
storage container for a broad range of personal hygiene and related
personal use products. The unique configuration of the invention
allows the user to position the product for convenient usage in
plain view, while disguising the personal nature of the contents
within the container. While the present invention has been
described in conjunction with specific embodiments, those of normal
skill in the art will appreciate the modifications and variations
can be made without departing from the scope and the spirit of the
present invention. Such modifications and variations are envisioned
to be within the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *