U.S. patent application number 17/109579 was filed with the patent office on 2021-06-03 for food container.
The applicant listed for this patent is Solomon Isaac BRADMAN, Brian SLAGA. Invention is credited to Solomon Isaac BRADMAN, Brian SLAGA.
Application Number | 20210163179 17/109579 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005273654 |
Filed Date | 2021-06-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210163179 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BRADMAN; Solomon Isaac ; et
al. |
June 3, 2021 |
FOOD CONTAINER
Abstract
Certain embodiments are directed to a food receptacle having a
plurality of attachment projections and plurality of attachment
impressions, the attachment projections and attachment impression
configure so that a first receptacle can be stacked with a second
receptacle when not in use and attached to an inverted second
receptacle to form a container.
Inventors: |
BRADMAN; Solomon Isaac;
(Marathon, FL) ; SLAGA; Brian; (Marathon,
FL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BRADMAN; Solomon Isaac
SLAGA; Brian |
Marathon
Marathon |
FL
FL |
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005273654 |
Appl. No.: |
17/109579 |
Filed: |
December 2, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62942552 |
Dec 2, 2019 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 21/0234 20130101;
B65D 21/0213 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65D 21/02 20060101
B65D021/02 |
Claims
1. A food receptacle comprising: a top and a bottom surface; a base
portion and a raised side edge forming a container portion and a
lip portion, wherein the lip portion has a plurality of attachment
projections and plurality of attachment impressions, wherein the
attachment projections and attachment impression configure so that
a first receptacle can be stacked with a second receptacle,
wherein: (i) when stacked, the bottom of an attachment projection
of the first receptacle aligns with the top of an attachment
projection of the second receptacle, and the bottom of an
attachment impression of the first receptacle aligns with the top
of an attachment impression of the second receptacle; and (ii) when
employed as a container the second receptacle is inverted and used
as a lid relative to the first receptacle, the top of an attachment
projection of the first receptacle aligns with the a complementing
attachment impression of the second receptacle and vice versa
forming a reversible attachment between the first and second
receptacle.
2. The food receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle
is circular, square, oval, triangular, or rectangular.
3. The food receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the attachment
projections and the attachment impressions alternate.
4. The food receptacle according to claim 1, wherein the top
surface has a hollow upstanding partition having a top surface and
a bottom surface, wherein bottom surface forms a hollow can
complement the top surface of a second receptacle when stacked.
5. A food container comprising a first and second receptacle, the
first and second receptacle comprising: a top and a bottom surface;
a raised side edge forming a container portion, and a lip portion;
the lip portion having a plurality of attachment projections and
plurality of attachment impression, the attachment projections and
attachment impression configure so that a first receptacle can be
stack with a second receptacle, wherein: (i) when stacked, the
bottom of an attachment projection of the first receptacle aligns
with the top of an attachment projection of the second receptacle,
and the bottom of an attachment impression of the first receptacle
aligns with the top of an attachment impression of the second
receptacle; and (ii) when employed as a container the second
receptacle is inverted and used as a lid relative to the first
receptacle, the top of an attachment projection of the first
receptacle aligns with the a complementing attachment impression of
the second receptacle forming a reversible coupling between the
first and second receptacle.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 62/942,552 filed Dec. 2, 2019, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Disposable food containers include common paper plates,
bowls, clam shells, trays, etc. Typically food containers are
provided in a generally open configuration. In transporting food a
container can be equipped with a lid or cover to prevent spillage.
A food container can be open to receive food and to eat the food
placed on or in the container. At other times, the user would
appreciate a container which can cover or otherwise enclose the
food. Covering the food is useful in a variety of situations. For
example, if the food is to be cooked (or even heated) in a
microwave oven, covering, or preferably enclosing, the food reduces
splattering and controls moisture loss. The user may wish to cover
the food to keep it warm during the time between cooking and
eating. The user may also wish to cover the food while transporting
it, as may occur when food is prepared and/or served at a first
location and eaten at a second location. In certain aspects, some
of the food may not be eaten during a meal and a container can be
used to store the uneaten portion for later consumption. In certain
situations a lid is specifically configured for a particular food
container with various lids for various containers. At times it is
difficult to match the lid with the container.
[0003] There remains a need for uniform easy to use receptacle that
can be reversibly converted to a lidded container for transport and
storage of food.
SUMMARY
[0004] Certain embodiments are directed to a food receptacle having
a top and a bottom surface, a base portion and a raised side edge
or wall forming a container portion, and a lip or rim portion, the
lip or rim portion having a plurality of attachment projections and
plurality of attachment impressions, the attachment projections and
attachment impression are configured so that a first receptacle can
be stack with a second receptacle having the same orientation,
i.e., top side up, wherein (i) when stacked, the bottom of an
attachment projection of the first receptacle aligns with the top
of an attachment projection of the second receptacle, and the
bottom of an attachment impression of the first receptacle aligns
with the top of an attachment impression of the second receptacle;
and (ii) when employed as a container the second receptacle is
inverted and used as a lid relative to the first receptacle, the
top of an attachment projection of the first receptacle aligns with
the a complementing attachment impression of the second receptacle
and vice versa forming a reversible attachment between the first
and second receptacle. In certain aspects, the food receptacle is
circular, square, oval, triangular, or rectangular. In other
aspects, the attachment projections and the attachment impressions
alternate. The food receptacle can have hollow upstanding
partitions having a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein
bottom surface forms a hollow that can complement the top surface
of a second receptacle when stacked.
[0005] Other embodiment are directed to a food container comprising
a first and second receptacle, the first and second receptacle
comprising a top and a bottom surface, a raised side edge forming a
container portion, and a lip portion, the lip portion having a
plurality of attachment projections and plurality of attachment
impressions, the attachment projections and attachment impression
are configured so that a first receptacle can be stacked with a
second receptacle, wherein (i) when stacked, the bottom of an
attachment projection of the first receptacle aligns with the top
of an attachment projection of the second receptacle, and the
bottom of an attachment impression of the first receptacle aligns
with the top of an attachment impression of the second receptacle;
and (ii) when employed as a container the second receptacle is
inverted and used as a lid relative to the first receptacle, the
top of an attachment projection of the first receptacle aligns with
the a complementing attachment impression of the second receptacle
forming a reversible coupling between the first and second
receptacle.
[0006] Other embodiments of the invention are discussed throughout
this application. Any embodiment discussed with respect to one
aspect of the invention applies to other aspects of the invention
as well and vice versa. Each embodiment described herein is
understood to be embodiments of the invention that are applicable
to all aspects of the invention. It is contemplated that any
embodiment discussed herein can be implemented with respect to any
method or composition of the invention, and vice versa.
Furthermore, compositions and kits of the invention can be used to
achieve methods of the invention.
[0007] The use of the word "a" or "an" when used in conjunction
with the term "comprising" in the claims and/or the specification
may mean "one," but it is also consistent with the meaning of "one
or more," "at least one," and "one or more than one."
[0008] Throughout this application, the term "about" is used to
indicate that a value includes the standard deviation of error for
the device or method being employed to determine the value.
[0009] The use of the term "or" in the claims is used to mean
"and/or" unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only
or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure
supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and
"and/or."
[0010] As used in this specification and claim(s), the words
"comprising" (and any form of comprising, such as "comprise" and
"comprises"), "having" (and any form of having, such as "have" and
"has"), "including" (and any form of including, such as "includes"
and "include") or "containing" (and any form of containing, such as
"contains" and "contain") are inclusive or open-ended and do not
exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
[0011] As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising,"
"includes," "including," "has," "having," "contains", "containing,"
"characterized by" or any other variation thereof, are intended to
encompass a non-exclusive inclusion, subject to any limitation
explicitly indicated otherwise, of the recited components. For
example, a chemical composition and/or method that "comprises" a
list of elements (e.g., components or features or steps) is not
necessarily limited to only those elements (or components or
features or steps), but may include other elements (or components
or features or steps) not expressly listed or inherent to the
chemical composition and/or method.
[0012] As used herein, the transitional phrases "consists of" and
"consisting of" exclude any element, step, or component not
specified. For example, "consists of" or "consisting of" used in a
claim would limit the claim to the components, materials or steps
specifically recited in the claim except for impurities ordinarily
associated therewith (i.e., impurities within a given component).
When the phrase "consists of" or "consisting of" appears in a
clause of the body of a claim, rather than immediately following
the preamble, the phrase "consists of" or "consisting of" limits
only the elements (or components or steps) set forth in that
clause; other elements (or components) are not excluded from the
claim as a whole.
[0013] As used herein, the transitional phrases "consists
essentially of" and "consisting essentially of" are used to define
a chemical composition and/or method that includes materials,
steps, features, components, or elements, in addition to those
literally disclosed, provided that these additional materials,
steps, features, components, or elements do not materially affect
the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. The
term "consisting essentially of" occupies a middle ground between
"comprising" and "consisting of".
[0014] Other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will become apparent from the following detailed
description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed
description and the specific examples, while indicating specific
embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration
only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and
scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the
art from this detailed description.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The following drawings form part of the present
specification and are included to further demonstrate certain
aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better
understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in
combination with the detailed description of the specification
embodiments presented herein.
[0016] FIG. 1. A top view of one example of a receptacle.
[0017] FIG. 2. A cross-sectional side view of the example of a
receptacle of FIG. 1.
[0018] FIG. 3. A top view of a second example of a receptacle.
[0019] FIG. 4. A cross-sectional side view of the example of a
receptacle of FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION
[0020] The following discussion is directed to various embodiments
or aspects of the invention. The term "invention" is not intended
to refer to any particular embodiment or otherwise limit the scope
of the disclosure. Although one or more of these embodiments may be
preferred, the embodiments disclosed should not be interpreted, or
otherwise used, as limiting the scope of the disclosure, including
the claims. In addition, one skilled in the art will understand
that the following description has broad application, and the
discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that
embodiment, and not intended to intimate that the scope of the
disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that
embodiment.
[0021] This invention relates to a food receptacle and a food
container formed from food receptacles, particularly a food
receptacle that can be disposable, and more particularly a food
receptacle that can be used in two positions or configurations a
first position/configuration for receiving or holding food or other
items, and a second position/configuration for enclosing contents
(food or other items) in a container formed from two receptacles.
In certain aspects, a first receptacle forms the base of a
container and a second inverted receptacle forms the lid of the
container. The lip or rim of the receptacles will be configured to
be reversibly coupled, locked, or snapped together to form a
container. In other aspects, the receptacles will be configured to
be stackable with the bottom of a first receptacle complemented by
the top of a second receptacle.
[0022] Certain aspects include a method of using a food
receptacle/container. The method comprising the steps of providing
a first food receptacle for receiving food and a second food
receptacle for covering the food. Food is deposited on the first
food receptacle. A second receptacle is inverted and positioned
over the food with the complementing rim or lip portion of the food
receptacle being aligned and engaged, closing the cover over the
food inside the newly formed container. While enclosed, the food
container can be used to store, heat or dispose of the food.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the food receptacle 100 can
include base 101 having raised wall(s) 102 forming a receiving area
103. Wall(s) 102 having a top edge 104 and a bottom edge 105. The
top edge 104 transitions into or is attached to a lip or rim
portion 106. Lip or rim portion 106 has a top surface 107 and
bottom surface 108. The bottom edge 105 of the wall(s) 102
transitions into or is attached to the base 101. In certain aspects
the base 101 and lip or rim portion 106 form parallel planes. The
lip or rim portion 106 includes at least one attachment projection
109 (as viewed from the top, projects from the top of the lip or
rim portion) and at least one attachment impression 110 (as viewed
from the top, is a hollow or impression below the lip or rim edge).
In certain aspects the attachment projection 109 is on the top
surface of the lip or rim portion and has a complementary hollow on
the bottom surface of the lip or rim portion. The attachment
projection and attachment need not be, but can be formed in the
same structure. The attachment impression on one receptacle will
typically have a complement projection on a second receptacle,
which can form an interlocking pair. In certain aspects, an
attachment projection can extend form the top surface while forming
a hollow or impression on the bottom surface; and an attachment
impression can form a hollow or impression on the top surface and a
downward projection on the bottom surface of the lip or rim
portion. The projection and impression being configured to form an
attachment pair that can be coupled or interlocked to affix a first
receptacle to a second inverted receptacle. In certain aspects, a
first receptacle is configured to stack on top of a second
receptacle. In certain aspect the receptacle is in the form of a
plate or bowl. In certain aspects, a receptacle will have 1, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or
more attachment pairs. In certain, aspects the attachment pairs
have circular, square, rectangular, oval, curved oval, or other
geometry that forms an interlocking attachment pair. At one
extreme, the rim can have one attachment pair where the top surface
lip or rim portion projection is along 10, 20, 30, 40 to 50 percent
of the top surface, and a complementary lip or rim portion
attachment impression is along 10, 20, 30, 40 to 50 percent of the
bottom surface. Other aspect include two or more attachment
projections along the top surface of the lip or rim and two or more
complementary attachment impression along the top surface of the
lip or rim. In certain aspects the attachment projections and
attachment impression on a surface alternate interchange at some
frequency as long a first and second receptacle can be aligned and
locked by some degree of rotation of an inverted receptacle, in
that the receptacles are configured to stack if in the same
orientation.
[0024] In certain instances the base forms an XY (base) plane with
a Z axis perpendicular to the base plane. The height of the
receptacle is the distance between the base plane and the plane
formed by the lip or rim portion. The wall(s) can be extend at an
angle from the base to the lip or rim portion or can be
perpendicular to the base plane. In certain aspects the wall(s) can
be 90, 100, 110, 12, 13, 140, 150, 160 degrees to 179 degrees,
including all values and ranges there between, relative to the
base. In certain aspects, the height of a receptacle can have a
height of 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80 or more mm including all values
and ranges there between. The outer diameter of the base of a
receptacle can be 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, or more cm, including
all values and ranges there between. In certain aspects, the top
surface of the lip or rim is 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more cm wide,
including all values and ranges there between. The height of an
attachment projection or the depth of an attachment impression can
be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or more mm including all values and ranges
there between. The attachment projections and/or attachment
impressions can have a length along the long axis of the lip or rim
portion of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more cm, including
all values and ranges there between.
[0025] The receptacle can be any suitable shape and depth for a
food container, and can be selected from shapes that include, but
are not limited to triangles, squares, rectangles, ovals, various
polygons, etc.
[0026] The food receptacle of the present invention may be made of
a rigid material. Suitable rigid materials include foam, plastic,
and various other synthetic materials. The food receptacle may be
made of cellulose or other natural fibers, including various types
of recycled cellulose. If desired, additional rigidity and thermal
insulating capability may be provided by the materials selected.
For example, the food container may be made of corrugated board.
Corrugated board comprises a generally flat layer, and a corrugated
layer. The corrugated layer is not joined at all positions to the
flat layer, but instead has ribs which are spaced apart from the
flat layer and troughs joined to the flat layer. The ribs and
troughs are often straight and parallel, but may be sinusoidal. In
cross section, a rib may be S-shaped, C-shaped, Z-shaped, or have
any other configuration know in the art. Furthermore, if desired, a
second flat panel may be joined to the corrugated medium and
disposed oppositely from the first flat panel.
[0027] The food receptacle can be molded from a pulp slurry or
pressed from a blank between mating plate-shaped platens. Both
methods of manufacture are well known in the art.
[0028] Suitable attachment pairs include those having two
complementary portions which are peripherally spaced apart, and
preferably oppositely disposed. One portion is disposed on each
contacting surface of a food receptacle lip or rim portion.
Suitable attachment pairs include pressure hook and loop fasteners
and tab and slot fasteners. In certain aspects, an embossed and
deformable mating snap fasteners wherein one wing of a first food
receptacle locks or mechanically latches into the other wing of a
second food receptacle may be utilized.
[0029] The food receptacle can be a disposable or a
durable/reusable food receptacle. Additionally, the materials from
which the food receptacle are made need not be the same throughout.
For example, the lip or rim portion may be made of a heavier
material than the wall and base, or vice versa.
[0030] The food receptacle may be configured in a variety of
configurations and geometries. However, one of ordinary skill will
recognize there are practical limits to the possible
geometries.
* * * * *