Serving Bowl with Cooling Means

Abstract

A serving bowl having cooling means for maintaining food at a low temperature. The serving bowl includes a bowl having one or more recessed areas on a sidewall thereof. The recessed areas removably receive one or more panels in which a refrigerant is enclosed. The panels can be placed in a freezer or refrigerator so as to lower the temperature of the refrigerant therein, and the panels can then be removably secured to the bowl such that the panels cool the bowl and the food therein. The panels are securable to the recessed areas on the exterior of the sidewalls of the bowl and are secured via a press fit or frictional fit. The base of the bowl may further include a recessed area and a panel removably securable thereto.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/069,501 filed on Oct. 28, 2014. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to food serving bowls. More specifically, the present invention provides a serving bowl having cooling means, wherein the device comprises a bowl having a plurality of recessed areas on the sidewalls and base thereof. The recessed areas are adapted to receive panels that enclose a refrigerant, wherein the panels help to cool the bowl and the contents thereof.

[0003] Many types of food are intended to be served cold or chilled, such as salads, dips, fruit, and vegetables among others. However, once the food is removed from a refrigerator, the food becomes warm due to exposure to ambient temperatures. The food can become unpalatable if it becomes too warm, and as the temperature increases, bacteria can begin to grow on the food rendering it unsafe for consumption. Ensuring that food remains cooled or chilled is particularly problematic at outdoor events, such as picnics, barbecues, and other types of parties.

[0004] In order to keep food cold while outdoors, many people place the serving bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice. However, the ice can quickly melt preventing the food from remaining cool for an extended period of time. Further, as the ice melts, water can begin to spill from the larger bowl and the water may also spill into the serving bowl in which the food is positioned. Thus, maintaining the serving bowl at a low temperature using ice alone can be ineffective.

[0005] Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to food storage containers. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2011/00136744 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,793 relate to removable frozen inserts for containers. Other devices, such as U.S. Pat. No. 8,695,373, U.S. Pat. No. 8,800,806, and U.S. Published Patent Application Number 2007/0180850 relate to containers have refrigerant material therein.

[0006] These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. The devices in the prior art fail to disclose a bowl having removable panels with a refrigerant therein. Some devices provide containers or bowls having refrigerant material therein. However, these devices can be inconvenient to use as the entire bowl must be placed in a refrigerator or freezer, wherein the bowl consumes considerable space. Further, the user may desire to use the bowl without it first being cooled or frozen. Other devices with removable freezable sections do not disclose a container having recessed areas adapted to receive the freezable sections such that the freezable sections do not obstruct the interior volume of the bowl.

[0007] In light of the devices disclosed in the prior art, it is submitted that the present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing serving bowl devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of bowls with cooling means now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new serving bowl having cooling means wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when maintaining food at a low temperature while the food is being served.

[0009] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved bowl device having cooling means that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

[0010] It is another object of the present invention to provide a bowl device having cooling means comprising a bowl having a plurality of recessed areas adapted to removably receive panels in which a refrigerant is enclosed.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a bowl device having cooling means wherein one or more panels are removably securable to the bowl and wherein the panels enclose a refrigerant that is adapted to remain at a low temperature for an extended period of time after being refrigerated.

[0012] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a bowl device having cooling means comprising a bowl having a plurality of recessed areas disposed on the exterior of the sidewalls of the bowl.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to provide a bowl device having cooling means that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

[0014] Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

[0016] FIG. 1A shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the bowl of the present invention having panels positioned for securement.

[0017] FIG. 1B shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the bowl of the present invention having panels secured thereon.

[0018] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the underside of an embodiment of the bowl.

[0019] FIG. 3 shows a cross sectional view of a panel of the bowl.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the bowl of the present invention. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for maintaining food at a cool temperature while the food is being served. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

[0021] Referring now to FIGS. 1A and 1B, there are shown perspective views of the bowl of the present invention with panels as positioned for insertion and as secured to the bowl, respectively. The serving bowl 11 comprises a bowl 12 having a base 13, sidewalls, and an open upper end 14, defining an interior volume 15. In the illustrated embodiment, the bowl 12 comprises a circular configuration, however in alternate embodiments the bowl 12 comprises other configurations, such as an oval, square, or rectangular configuration.

[0022] The exterior of the sidewall of the bowl 12 comprises one or more recessed areas 16 thereon. Each recessed area 16 is adapted to removably receive a panel 17 therein. Preferably, the recessed areas 16 are arranged around the entirety of the bowl 12, such that the sidewall of the bowl 12 is substantially covered by recessed areas 16. The recessed areas 16 and panels 17 comprise a wedge-like configuration, and preferably the recessed areas 16 are of the same size and shape as one another. In this way, any panel 17 can be placed in any recessed area 16.

[0023] The panels 17 are preferably secured within the recessed areas 16 via a press fit or frictional fit, such that no additional fasteners are required. In this way, the user can easily insert and remove the panels 17 by pressing the panels 17 into position within the recessed areas 16. Once the panels 17 are inserted within the recessed areas 16, the exterior surface of the panel 17 is flush with the sidewall of the bowl 12 so that the bowl 12 has a continuous and uniform exterior surface.

[0024] In operation, the user can refrigerate one or more panels 17 so as to lower the temperature of a refrigerant material stored therein. The refrigerant is adapted to remain cool for an extended period of time once removed from refrigeration. After refrigerating the panels 17, the user can remove the panels 17 and can insert the panels 17 into the recessed areas 16 of the bowl 12. The refrigerant allows the panels 17 to remain cool for an extended period of time after being removed from a refrigerator. In this way, the panels 17 serve to cool the bowl 12 and the contents thereof, so that the food within the bowl can remain at a low temperature while the food is being served.

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a perspective view of the underside of an embodiment of the bowl. The base 13 of the bowl 12 also includes a recessed area 18. Preferably, the recessed area 18 is circular so as to cover a substantial portion of the base 13 of the bowl 12. A base panel 19 is provided that is removably securable within the recessed area 18. The base panel 19 serves to cool the base 13 of the bowl 12 to further cool the contents of the bowl 12. Similar to the sidewall panels, the base panel 19 encloses a refrigerant material adapted to maintain a low temperature when cooled.

[0026] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a cross sectional view of a panel of the bowl. Each panel 17 comprises an outer wall 20 defining a hollow interior volume. The panels 17 are shaped so as to fit securely within the recessed areas of the bowl. When the panel 17 is inserted into the recessed area, a wall of the panel rests flush against the recessed area. Thus, the panels 17 have a slight curvature so as to match the curvature of the bowl on which they are to be positioned.

[0027] The interior volume is filled with a refrigerant 21, and preferably a refrigerant gel. The refrigerant is adapted to reach a low temperature when placed in a refrigerator or freezer. Further, the refrigerant is adapted to remain at a low temperature when removed from a refrigerator or freezer. Any of various types of conventional refrigerants can be used. Preferably, the refrigerant is non-toxic so that if any refrigerant escapes a panel, users will not be harmed by exposure to the refrigerant.

[0028] It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

[0029] Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1) A bowl having cooling means, comprising: a bowl having a base, a sidewall, and an interior volume; one or more recessed areas on said sidewall; one or more panels removably securable within said one or more recessed areas, wherein said one or more panels enclose a refrigerant.

2) The bowl having cooling means of claim 1, wherein said bowl comprises a circular configuration.

3) The bowl having cooling means of claim 1, wherein said one or more recessed areas are disposed on an exterior of said sidewall.

4) The bowl having cooling means of claim 1, further comprising one or more recessed areas on said base of said bowl.

5) The bowl having cooling means of claim 1, wherein said one or more panels each comprises an interior volume in which said refrigerant is positioned.

6) The bowl having cooling means of claim 1, wherein said one or more panels are removably securable to said one or more recessed areas via press fit.