U.S. patent application number 13/491533 was filed with the patent office on 2013-12-12 for container having an arched portion and lid therefor.
The applicant listed for this patent is Robert R. Turvey. Invention is credited to Robert R. Turvey.
Application Number | 20130327770 13/491533 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49714452 |
Filed Date | 2013-12-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130327770 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Turvey; Robert R. |
December 12, 2013 |
Container having an arched portion and Lid Therefor
Abstract
A container includes a bowl having a bottom and a sidewall,
wherein a ledge is disposed on an inner surface of the sidewall and
includes two opposing horizontal portions having a lowermost
portion defining a first plane therebetween. A paperboard lid is
removably retained within the bowl, wherein the lid includes an
apex that lies in a second plane, which is parallel to the first
plane. The distance between the first plane and the second plane is
between about 0.15 cm to about 1.3 cm.
Inventors: |
Turvey; Robert R.; (Sanford,
MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Turvey; Robert R. |
Sanford |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49714452 |
Appl. No.: |
13/491533 |
Filed: |
June 7, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/212 ;
220/200; 220/305; 220/787 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2543/00694
20130101; B65D 2543/00629 20130101; B65D 43/021 20130101; B65D
2543/00101 20130101; B65D 2543/00842 20130101; B65D 2543/00574
20130101; B65D 2543/00268 20130101; B65D 2543/0049 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/212 ;
220/200; 220/787; 220/305 |
International
Class: |
B65D 43/04 20060101
B65D043/04; B65D 51/24 20060101 B65D051/24; B65D 25/02 20060101
B65D025/02 |
Claims
1. A container, comprising: a bowl including a bottom and a
sidewall, wherein a ledge is disposed on an inner surface of the
sidewall and includes two horizontal portions on opposing portions
of the inner surface of the sidewall, the two horizontal portions
having a lowermost portion defining a plane Y therebetween; and a
paperboard lid removably retained within the bowl, wherein the lid
arches upwardly in a continuous curve to an apex that lies in a
plane Z, which is parallel to the plane Y, and wherein the distance
between the plane Y and the plane Z is between about 0.15 cm to
about 1.3 cm.
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the paperboard lid includes
first and second pairs of parallel edges.
3. The container of claim 1, wherein the ledge includes at least
one arched portion having a radius of curvature of between about 15
cm to about 160 cm.
4. The container of claim 2, wherein at least one nub is disposed
above the ledge and wherein the at least one nub and the ledge form
a gap therebetween.
5. The container of claim 4, wherein the first and second pairs of
parallel edges are disposed within the gap when the lid is retained
within the bowl.
6. The container of claim 5, wherein the lid includes a tab.
7. The container of claim 6, wherein the bowl includes at least two
nubs having a space therebetween for receiving the tab therein.
8. The container of claim 7, wherein the bowl includes a plurality
of spaces such that the lid can be inserted in multiple
orientations.
9. A bowl for a container, comprising: a bottom; a sidewall; and a
ledge disposed on an interior surface of the sidewall, wherein the
ledge includes at least one arched portion and at least one
horizontal portion, wherein the arched portion has a radius of
curvature of between about 15 cm to about 160 cm.
10. The bowl of claim 9, wherein the sidewall comprises first,
second, third, and fourth portions.
11. The bowl of claim 9 further including at least one nub disposed
above the ledge, wherein the at least one nub and the ledge define
a gap therebetween for retaining a lid therein.
12. The bowl of claim 11, wherein the bowl includes a plurality of
nubs of varying lengths.
13. The bowl of claim 9, wherein the ledge includes two opposing
arched portions.
14. The bowl of claim 13, wherein the ledge includes two opposing
horizontal portions having angled surfaces.
15. A lid, comprising: a body portion having a planar profile in a
non-deflected state and first and second pairs of opposing edges,
wherein the first and second pairs of edges are coextensive with
the planar profile of the body portion in the non-deflected state
when not placed on a container, and wherein the first pair of edges
is coextensive, and the second pair of edges is not coextensive,
with the planar profile of the body portion in the deflected state
when the body portion is placed on a container.
16. The lid of claim 15, wherein the second pair of edges have a
radius of curvature of between about 15 cm to about 160 cm when the
lid is in the deflected state.
17. The lid of claim 15 further including a tab.
18. The lid of claim 15 further including a communication member
attached thereto.
19. The lid of claim 18, wherein the communication member is
attached to the lid by a perforated portion.
20. The lid of claim 15, wherein the lid is seated on a container
to cause the second pair of edges to be placed into the deflected
state.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable
REFERENCE REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable
SEQUENTIAL LISTING
[0003] Not applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Background
[0005] The present disclosure relates to a container having a
disposable paper lid.
[0006] 2. Description of the Background
[0007] Consumers have a variety of food storage needs, which have
been provided for by various disposable containers for storing food
products and other contents. Typically, these containers include a
bowl or other receptacle with a lid that fits on the bowl to seal
the container. These containers are typically designed to be
throwaway items that can only be used one time, or are fashioned
from non-biodegradable materials that allow the container and lid
to be re-usable to consumers indefinitely. Thus, there is a need
for a less expensive, semi-disposable container, made out of
environmentally friendly materials.
[0008] Single use containers having lids made of paperboard or
other similar materials are also known in the art. However, these
container are not reusable. Rather, the containers and lids are
designed to be used once and then disposed of. Besides not being
reusable, concerns have arisen over the seal provided by such
containers and paper lids.
[0009] Moreover, prior art containers with paper lids are incapable
of withstanding significant loads being placed thereon and have
therefore not been traditionally used in connection with food
storage. For example, a container with a paper lid that is placed
in a lunch bag, which might also separately contain fruit, drinks,
snacks, or other items that could be placed on top of the
container, would likely exert too great of a force on the lid and
cause same to become unsealed from the container. Alternatively,
these prior art containers used the food product within the
container to support the lid from below to prevent it from
collapsing under a load from above. As such, only foodstuffs that
would not deflect or be damaged by a load from above could be used
with these containers and paper lids.
[0010] Thus, the prior art fails to provide for a container having
a disposable paper lid that provides a good seal with a container.
Additionally, the prior art fails to provide for containers with
paper lids that are capable of withstanding loads without deforming
the lid or the contents within the container.
[0011] It is an object of the present invention to address the
above mentioned disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] According to one embodiment, a container includes a bowl
having a bottom and a sidewall, wherein a ledge is disposed on an
inner surface of the sidewall and includes two opposing horizontal
portions having a lowermost portion defining a plane Y
therebetween. A paperboard lid is removably retained within the
bowl, wherein the lid includes an apex that lies in a plane Z,
which is parallel to the plane Y. The distance between the plane Y
and the plane Z is about 0.15 cm to about 1.3 cm.
[0013] According to another embodiment, a bowl for a container
includes a bottom, a sidewall, and a ledge disposed on an interior
surface of the sidewall. The ledge includes at least one arched
portion and at least one horizontal portion. The arched portion has
a radius of curvature of about 15 cm to about 160 cm.
[0014] According to yet another embodiment, a lid includes a body
portion having a planar profile in a non-deflected state and first
and second pairs of opposing edges. The first and second pairs of
edges are coextensive with the planar profile of the body portion
in the non-deflected state when not placed on a container. The
first pair of edges is coextensive and the second pair of edges is
not coextensive with the planar profile of the body portion in the
non-deflected state when the body portion is placed on a container
and in a deflected state.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a first embodiment of a
container including a lid and a bowl;
[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded, isometric view of the container of
FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1
taken along the line 3-3 thereof;
[0018] FIG. 3A is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of FIG.
3;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1
taken along the line 4-4 thereof, wherein the lid has been omitted
for purposes of clarity;
[0020] FIG. 4A is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of FIG.
4;
[0021] FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial top plan view of the bowl of
FIG. 1;
[0022] FIG. 5A is an enlarged partial top plan view of another
embodiment of the bowl of FIG. 1;
[0023] FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a bottom wall and two
sidewalls of a further embodiment of a bowl for a container;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of another embodiment of a lid
including a removable disc; and
[0025] FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the bowl of FIG. 6 showing
the removable disc of FIG. 7 inserted into the bottom wall of the
bowl.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of a container 100 that
includes a bowl 102 and a removable lid 104. While the container
100 is illustrated as being generally square, it is contemplated
that the container 100 may have any different shape, such as
circular, rectangular, or any curvilinear or polygonal shape, for
example.
[0027] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lid 104 of the present
embodiment includes a generally planar body portion 106 having two
pairs of parallel opposing edges 106A:106C and 106B:106D. When the
lid 104 is not in use, the edges 106A-D have substantially no
curvature, and a plane X defined by the planar body portion 106
also has substantially no curvature (see FIG. 2). The lid also
includes a tab 108 for assisting in removing the lid 104 from the
bowl 102. However, it is contemplated that in other embodiments the
tab 108 may be omitted. The lid 104 is preferably made of a
disposable material such as paperboard, micro-corrugate paper, and
the like and may be coated in a wax or a polyethylene film layer to
provide moisture resistance and waterproofing. Paper lids are
beneficial for many reasons, including that they are cheaper to
manufacture than non-paper lids, they are biodegradable, and it is
relatively easy to print graphics and text on paper lids.
[0028] The bowl 102 generally includes a bottom 110 for resting on
a support surface (not shown) and a continuous sidewall 112
extending upwardly and outwardly from the bottom 110 to define a
bowl cavity 114. The sidewall 112 terminates in a continuous rim
116, which defines an opening 118 of the bowl 102. The bowl 102 is
preferably reusable and integrally molded from a seamless
thermoplastic such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyolefin, or
other resilient polymeric material. As will be described in more
detail below, the engagement between the bowl 102 and the lid 104
can generally be described as an interference fit, in which the
body portion 106 of the lid 104 is larger than the opening 118 of
the bowl 102. The interference fit causes the lid 104 to press
against the bowl 102, thus frictionally engaging the bowl to
provide a seal between the bowl 102 and the lid 104.
[0029] With reference again to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sidewall 112 of
the bowl 102 includes four sidewall portions 112A, 112B, 112C, 112D
connected by corner portions 120A, 120B, 120C, and 120D. A
peripheral ledge 122 is provided within the bowl cavity 114 on an
inner surface 124 of the sidewall 112. In a preferred embodiment,
the ledge 122 includes horizontal portions 122A and 122C, which are
substantially parallel to the bottom 110 and disposed on the
sidewall portions 112A and 112C, respectively. It is preferred that
the horizontal portions 122A, 122C have substantially no curvature.
As shown in FIG. 4, the horizontal portions 122A, 122C define a
plane Y, which is substantially parallel to the bottom 110 of the
bowl 102. More particularly, because it is envisioned that the
bottom 110 of the bowl may comprise various continuous and/or
discontinuous curved or polygonal structural elements, the bottom
110 of the bowl is generally characterized as being defined by
portions thereof that interact with a planar support surface as
depicted by plane S. Further, to the extent that alternative
embodiments include varying portions defining the ledge 122, the
plane Y is to be defined by the lowermost portion of the ledge 122,
i.e., portions of the ledge 122 closest to the bottom 110 and the
inner surface 124 of the sidewall 112. With respect to sidewall
portions 112B and 112D, the ledge 122 includes generally arched
portions 122B and 122D, respectively. However, it is also
contemplated that each portion 122A-D of the ledge 122 may be
horizontal, i.e., planar with respect to the bottom 110, or each
portion 122A-D of the ledge 122 may be arched, i.e., non-planar
with respect to the bottom 110, or any combination of the portions
122A-D may be horizontal or arched. In a preferred embodiment, the
arched portions 122B and 122D of the ledge have a radius of
curvature R of between about 15 cm to about 160 cm.
[0030] As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the bowl 102 further
includes a plurality of nubs 126 disposed around the periphery of
the inner surface 124 of the bowl 102 above the ledge 122. The nubs
126 generally follow the curvature of the portions 122A-D of the
ledge 122 and maintain a substantially uniform distance D above the
ledge 122. The distance D is preferably between about 100% to about
300% of a thickness T of the lid 104. In the present embodiment,
the thickness T of the lid 104 is about 0.05 cm and the distance D
is about 0.1 cm. The nubs 126 extend inwardly toward a center of
the container from the inner surface 124 of the sidewall 112 a
distance or length L. The length L is preferably between about 0.01
cm to about 0.2 cm. The length L of the nubs 126 may be uniform or
may vary as described in more detail below. In the present
embodiment, thirty-two nubs 126 are disposed above the ledge 122,
however, greater or fewer numbers of nubs 126 may be used.
Exemplary embodiments may utilize any number of nubs 126, but it is
preferable to include at least one to fifty nubs 126. For example,
the bowl 102 may include eight nubs 126. Alternatively, the bowl
102 may include a single nub 126 disposed around the entire
periphery of the inner surface 124 of the bowl 102.
[0031] Turning to FIGS. 3-4, the ledge 122 of the present
embodiment is generally defined by a surface 130, which extends
from an innermost portion 132 adjacent the sidewall 112 to a distal
end 134 closer to an interior of the bowl 102. Preferably, the
surface 130 defining the arched portions 122B and 122D of the ledge
122 lies in a plane that is generally parallel with the plane Y and
the bottom plane S (see FIG. 4). In contrast, the surface 130 of
the horizontal portions 122A and 122C is angled to assist in
imparting curvature to the lid 104 during use, which will be
described in greater detail below. Preferably, the angled surface
130 has an angle O of between about 2 degrees to about 10 degrees
(see FIG. 3A). In this embodiment, the plane Y is defined as
extending through the innermost portion 132 of the ledge 122.
Further, it is also contemplated that in other embodiments one or
more portions of the sidewall 112 may be provided with flat and/or
angled surfaces.
[0032] The plurality of nubs 126 and the ledge 122 are designed to
enhance the sealing integrity between the bowl 102 and the lid 104.
The nubs 126 and the ledge 122 define a gap 135 therebetween for
retaining the lid 104 within the bowl 102. The gap 135 may be best
characterized as the distance D between the innermost portion of
the ledge 132, i.e., the portion of the ledge 122 adjacent the
inner surface 124 of the bowl 102, and the corresponding portion of
the nub 126. In a preferred embodiment, as noted above, the
distance D is uniform. However, it is also contemplated that the
distance D may vary throughout the length of the sidewall 112. For
example, the ledge 122 and/or nubs 126 of the sidewall portions
112A-D of the present embodiment may be modified, i.e., spaced from
one another, to create a uniformly narrowing or expanding distance
D as the ledge 122 and nubs 126 extend toward the corner portions
120A-D. In one embodiment, it is contemplated that the variation in
distance D may be from about 0% to about 200% of the distance D,
and more preferably from about 10% to about 100% of the distance D,
and most preferably from about 10% to about 50% of the distance D.
In use, the nubs 126 provide resistance as the lid 104 is inserted
and removed from the bowl. 102. To remove the lid 104 from the bowl
102, the edges 106A-D of the lid 104 must be moved past the
relatively rigid nubs 126. Thus, the plurality of nubs 126 assist
in maintaining the engagement between the lid 104 and the bowl
102.
[0033] The operation of the plurality of nubs 126 and the ledge 122
to engage the lid 104 with the bowl 102 is best understood by
reference to FIGS. 3-4. To close the container 100, a user first
loosely aligns the lid 104 within the opening 118 of the bowl 102
and subsequently presses down on the lid 104. As the user presses
on the lid 104, the edges 106A-D of the planar body portion 106 are
forced downwardly pass the plurality of nubs 126 and rest on the
ledge 122 within the gap 135 between the ledge 122 and the nubs
126. Because of the size difference between the lid 104 and the
opening 118 of the bowl 102, forcing the edges 106A-D of the lid
104 into the gap 135 impinges the lid 104 and creates a sealing
force between the lid 104 and the bowl 102. This sealing force
releasably seals the lid 104 to the bowl 102, without interfering
with the subsequent removal of the lid 104 from the bowl 102. The
sealing force between the lid 104 and the bowl 102 preserves the
freshness of the contents within the container 100. In one
embodiment, the amount of water vapor lost from the contents of the
bowl 102 through the seal is less than or equal to about 0.5%.
[0034] When placed in a pre-operative position above the bowl 102,
the plane X defining the body portion 106 of the lid 104 is
substantially coextensive with the plane Y of the ledge 122. The
arched portions 122B and 122D of the ledge 122 cause the lid 104 to
arch upwardly from the planes X and Y to an apex 136 as shown in
FIG. 3. An in-use plane Z is thereby defined, which is parallel to
the plane Y and coextensive with the apex 136. The distance D2 of
the plane Z above the plane Y is preferably about 0.15 cm to about
1.3 cm. In the present embodiment, the distance D2 is about 0.48
cm. The lid 104 also includes a radius of curvature of between
about 15 cm to about 160 cm, which may be greater than the radius
of curvature of the second parallel edges 106B:106D. The second
pair of parallel edges 106B and 106D also have a maximum height H
above the plane Y, which is preferably in the range of about 0.15
cm to about 2 cm. In one embodiment, the maximum height H is
coextensive with the distance D2 of the plane Z, however, in other
embodiments the maximum height H is lower than the distance D2. In
the present embodiment, the first pair of parallel edges 106A:106C
are co-extensive with the plane Y.
[0035] In one alternative embodiment, the portions 122A-D of the
ledge 122 are all horizontal and the edges 106A-D of the lid are
all substantially disposed entirely coextensive with the plane Y.
In this embodiment, the lid 104 is slightly larger than the opening
118 of the bowl 102, which when the lid 104 is wedged within the
bowl 102, causes the lid 104 to arch upwardly while the edges
106A-D of the lid 104 remain substantially coextensive with the
plane Y.
[0036] Having the lid 104 arch gives the paper lid 104 a greater
ability to withstand a vertical load F without relying on contents
within the container 100 to support the lid 104 from below. The
arched lid 104 allows the container 100 to hold food and other
contents that are not rigid enough to support a paper lid from
below without smashing, crushing, or otherwise exerting unwanted
forces on the food or other contents of the container 100. If the
lid 104 was not arched, any vertical load F on the top of the lid
104 would cause it to deflect inwardly, thereby unsealing the lid
104 from the bowl 102 and potentially harming the contents disposed
within the container 100. The arched lid 104 of the present
embodiment can withstand a maximum vertical load F of about 8 N to
about 18 N before the lid 104 begins to deflect.
[0037] In addition to withstanding greater vertical loads F than
traditional flat paper lids, another advantage of the arched lid
104 is that it deflects condensation away from the contents of the
container 100. For example, when a sandwich is placed within a
container or plastic bag, condensation may form within the
container or bag, thereby causing the sandwich to become soggy or
otherwise filled with unwanted moisture. In the present embodiment,
the bottom 110 of the bowl 102 includes a raised surface 138. The
raised surface 138 and the sidewall 112 define a trough 140
therebetween (see FIGS. 2 and 3). In use, a sandwich or other
content is placed onto the raised surface 138 of the container 100.
When the container 100 is closed, condensation may form on an
underside 142 of the lid 104. Any condensation formed will run down
the arched lid 104 toward the sidewall 112. The condensation is
thereafter directed down the sidewall 112 of the container 100
where it is captured within the trough 140. The raised surface 138
prevents the sandwich or other contents within the container 100
from coming in contact with the condensation collected in the
trough 140 and from becoming soggy or otherwise filled with
unwanted moisture. It is also contemplated that instead of the
trough 140 and raised surface 138, a condensation shield wall (not
shown) may extend upwardly from the bottom wall 110 near the
sidewalls 112 of the container 100 to prevent the condensation from
reaching the contents of the container 100.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, each sidewall portion 112A, 112B, 112C,
and 112D of the present embodiment includes a space 144A, 144B,
144C, 144D, respectively (spaces 144A and 144B are not shown, but
are a mirror image of 144C and 144D, respectively), between the
nubs 126. The spaces 144A-D are designed to accommodate the tab 108
of the lid 104 therein when seated within the bowl 102. The spaces
144A-D also facilitate the removal of the lid 104 from the bowl 102
while maintaining the integrity of the seal. For example, to remove
the lid 104, the user grasps the tab 108 and pulls the lid 104 out
from under the plurality of nubs 126. The spaces 144A-D are located
in substantially similar locations on each of the sidewall portions
112A-D, thereby allowing the spaces 144A-D to receive the tab 108
of the lid 104 no matter how the user aligns the lid 104 before
insertion. The corresponding locations of the spaces 144A-D
therefore allow the user to insert the lid 104 without thinking
about how the lid 104 should be aligned, thereby protecting against
the user's incorrect insertion of the lid 104. The provision of the
spaces 144A-D further prevents the tab 108 from interfering with
the plurality of nubs 126. If the tab 108 rests over a nub 126,
there would be a space between the lid 104 and the bowl 102,
thereby compromising the seal of the container 100 and the
freshness of the contents within the container 100. In embodiments
where the lid 104 does not include a tab 108, the spaces 144A-D may
be omitted.
[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 5A, the present embodiment
provides for varying lengths L of the plurality of nubs 126 to
accommodate for variations in lid 104 sizes. The length L is
defined as the distance between an innermost portion 146 of the nub
126 adjacent the inner surface 124 of the sidewall 112 to a distal
portion 148 closer to the interior of the bowl 102 (see FIGS. 3A
and 4A). As shown in FIG. 5, the nubs 126 extend farther into the
bowl cavity 114, i.e., the length L is greater, as one moves from
the corner portions 120A-D of the sidewall 112 toward the spaces
144A-D or a central portion of the sidewall 112. The longer nubs
126 allow for slightly smaller lids 104 to be used with the bowl
102 without the risk of improperly sealing the container 100. For
example, if a lid 104 is slightly smaller than normally desired, it
may still be retained under the longer nubs 126 of the bowl 102.
Further, providing nubs 126 with smaller lengths L adjacent the
corners 120A-D of the sidewall 112 assists in allowing peripheral
corner portions of appropriately sized lids to deflect past the
nubs 126 and be otherwise seated properly. The square-shaped lid
104 of the present embodiment provides for significantly less
deflection adjacent corners 150 of the body portion 106 (see FIG.
2). Thus, the lid 104 is able to deflect over the larger nubs 126
adjacent the spaces 144A-144D, but would not be able to (or would
otherwise encounter significant resistance that might alarm a user
or harm the lid) deflect a sufficient amount to pass over longer
nubs near the corners 120A-D of the bowl 104. Therefore, by
reducing the length L of the nubs 126 adjacent the corner portions
120A-D, placement and removal of the lid 104 is facilitated. Using
a similar tapering length profile to the nubs 126 is also
beneficial to other bowls that have shapes that include corners,
e.g., other polygonal shapes, such as a hexagon.
[0040] The variation in the length of the nubs 126 may be provided
as a continuous tapering or in discrete stepped intervals about
entire nubs or portions of one or more nubs 126. In the present
embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the individual nubs have a uniform
length L that is smaller for the nubs nearer the corner portions
120A-D. FIG. 5A shows an alternative embodiment, in which the
length L of a single nub 126 may vary along a width W of the nub
126 so that the length L is larger near the space 144D and
continuously tapers inwardly to a smaller length L adjacent the
corner portion 120C of the sidewall 112. It is contemplated that
the greatest length L is preferably provided within a range of
about 0.01 cm to about 0.2 cm. In the present embodiment, the
length L of the nubs 126 nearest the spaces 144A-D will have a
length L of about 0.11 cm.
[0041] In certain embodiments, the bowl 102 is successively reused
with a plurality of disposable lids 102. To illustrate, in one
example, a user places food within the bowl 102 of the container
100 and uses a first disposable lid 104 to seal the bowl 102. At
lunch, the disposable lid 104 is removed, the food consumed, and
the disposable lid. 104 is thereafter disposed of while the bowl
102 kept for later re-use. The bowl 102 may be washed and made
available for use with another disposable lid 104. In other
embodiments, a life span of the disposable lid 104 is beyond a
single use, such as a discrete number of uses or a set time frame.
It is also contemplated that the lid 104 can be used as a sanitary
surface upon which the user may place his or her food while eating,
prior to disposing of the lid 104.
[0042] Referring now to FIGS. 6-8 another embodiment of a container
200 is shown, which is similar to the container described above
except for the differences noted below. In this embodiment an
underside 202 of the bottom 110 of the bowl 102 includes a
reservoir 204 that is designed to receive a removable communication
member 206 therein (see FIG. 7). In the present embodiment, the
reservoir 204 is designed to retain a generally rectangular
communication member 206, however, the reservoir 204 could be
designed to receive communication members 206 of various shapes and
sizes. Turning again to FIGS. 6 and 8, the reservoir 204 includes a
sidewall 208 having two flanges 210 disposed on opposing sides of
the sidewall 208. The flanges 210 are designed to retain the
communication member 206 within the reservoir 204. Two finger
spaces 212 interrupt the sidewall 208 on opposing sides thereof.
The finger spaces 212 assist the user in removing the communication
member 206 from the reservoir 204. In alternative embodiments the
finger spaces 212 are omitted.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 7, the lid 104 is adapted to include the
removable communication member 206. The communication member 206 is
attached to the main body portion 106 of the lid 104 by a
perforated edge 214. In use, a user removes the communication
member 206 from the lid 104. In some embodiments, the user may
write a note on the communication member 206. In other embodiments,
the communication member 206 may have a graphic or note already
printed thereon. After separating the communication member 206 from
the lid 104, the user inserts the communication member 206 into the
reservoir 204 (see FIG. 6). The communication member 206 passes the
flanges 210 disposed on the sidewall 208 and is seated and held
within the reservoir 204. The bowl 102 may be transparent such that
the graphic or note on the communication member 206 can be viewed
through the bowl 102 when the communication member 206 is retained
within the reservoir 204 (see FIG. 8). To remove the communication
member 206 the user, or a different user, inserts his or her
finger(s) into the finger spaces 212 and pops the communication
member 206 out of the reservoir 204.
[0044] Although the present invention has been described in detail
with reference to certain embodiments, one skilled in the art will
appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other
than the described embodiments, which have been presented for
purposes of illustration and not of limitation. Therefore, the
scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the
description of the embodiments contained herein.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0045] Numerous modifications will be apparent to those skilled in
the art in view of the foregoing description. Accordingly, this
description is to be construed as illustrative only and is
presented for the purpose of enabling those skilled in the art to
make and use what is herein disclosed and to teach the best mode of
carrying out same. The exclusive rights to all modifications which
come within the scope of this disclosure are reserved.
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