STACKABLE VENTED FOOD CONTAINER

Abstract

A container suitable for hot foods includes a base having a wall that is slanted or curved outward from its bottom, and a lid having a rim attachable to the base, an intermediate region that rises upward, and an inner region that does not rise as high, such that when an identical container is stacked thereupon, the upper base is entirely supported by the lower lid intermediate region, forming a gap space between the lower lid inner region and the upper base. One or more ventilation holes in the lid inner region, together with channels in the base wall and/or intermediate region, allow vapor from the lower container to escape from the stack through the ventilation holes, gap space, and channels. The intermediate region can be shaped to support an upper container mainly by compressive forces, further enhancing stacking tolerance to weight and heat.

Claims

1. A stackable container comprising: a base comprising a bottom surrounded by a wall that extends upward from the bottom to an upper rim of the base, the wall being shaped such that the upper rim of the base extends horizontally beyond the bottom about its entire perimeter; a lid comprising: an outer region that is configured for direct attachment to the upper rim of the base; an intermediate region that extends upward from the outer region, the intermediate region being adjacent to and surrounded by the outer region; and an inner region that does not extend upward as far as the intermediate region, the inner region being adjacent to and surrounded by the intermediate region; wherein, when the container is an upper container that is stacked upon an identical lower container: the upper container is entirely supported by the intermediate region of the lower container; and a gap space is formed between the bottom of the base of the upper container and the inner region of the lid of the lower container.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein: at least one channel is formed in at least one of the wall of the base and the intermediate region of the lid; at least one ventilation opening is provided in the inner region of the lid; and the at least one channel forms at least one vent passage between the gap space and an environment outside of the stack, thereby providing ventilation to contents of the lower container through the at least one ventilation opening of the lower container into the gap space and out through the at least one vent passage.

3. The container of claim 2, wherein at least one of the channels is formed in the wall of the base.

4. The container of claim 2, wherein at least one of the channels is formed in the intermediate region of the lid.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein the base of the container is shaped as one of: a round bowl; an oval bowl; and a polygon.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein the intermediate region includes an apex ridge, and wherein an outer portion of the intermediate region is curved inward from an outer boundary of the intermediate region to the apex ridge.

7. The container of claim 1, wherein when the container is an upper container that is stacked upon an identical lower container, the upper container is supported entirely by an apex ridge of the intermediate region of the lower container.

8. The container of claim 1, wherein the intermediate region of the lid includes a concave inner surface, and wherein when the container is an upper container that is stacked upon an identical lower container, the upper container makes contact with substantially all of the concave inner surface of the lid of the lower container.

9. The container of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the base includes a central raised portion.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein the bottom of the base extends downward from the wall of the base.

11. The container of claim 1, wherein the central region of the lid includes a central upwardly projected portion or a central downwardly projected portion.

12. A set of containers comprising: a first container according to any preceding claim; a second container according to any preceding claim, the inner region of the lid of the second container being larger in diameter than the base of the first container; and at least one ventilation opening provided in the inner region of the lid of the second container proximate the intermediate region of the lid of the second container, said ventilation hole not being occluded by the base of the first container if the first container is stacked on top of the second container.

13. The container set of claim 12, wherein: the bottom of the base of the first container extends downward from the wall of the base of the first container; the central region of the lid of the second container includes a central downwardly projected portion; and if the first container is stacked on top of the second container, the bottom of the base of the first container extends into a space formed in the lid of the second container by the downwardly projecting portion of the lid of the second container.

14. The container set of claim 12, wherein: the bottom of the base of the first container includes a central raised portion; the central region of the lid of the second container includes a central upwardly projected portion; and if the first container is stacked on top of the second container, the upwardly projected portion of the lid of the second container extends into a space formed in the bottom of the base of the first container by the central raised portion of the bottom of the first container.

15. The container of claim 3, wherein at least one of the channels is formed in the intermediate region of the lid.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1 is an upper perspective view drawn to scale of a container base having channels formed therein according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 2 is a lower perspective view drawn to scale of the container base of FIG. 1;

[0032] FIG. 3 is an upper perspective view drawn to scale of a lid compatible with the base of FIGS. 1 and 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] FIG. 4 is a lower perspective view drawn to scale of the container lid of FIG. 3;

[0034] FIG. 5 is a top view drawn to scale of the lid of FIGS. 3 and 4;

[0035] FIG. 6 is a side perspective view drawn to scale of the container of FIGS. 1 and 3 positioned above an identical container;

[0036] FIG. 7 is a side view drawn to scale of the containers of FIG. 6 arranged in a stack;

[0037] FIG. 8 is a sectional view drawn to scale of the stack of FIG. 7;

[0038] FIG. 9A is an upper perspective view drawn to scale of a pair of identical containers according to an embodiment of the present invention that are wider and shorter than the containers of FIG. 6;

[0039] FIG. 9B is a side view drawn to scale of a container similar to FIG. 6 having a smaller container of a similar design stacked on top thereof;

[0040] FIG. 9C is a sectional view drawn to scale of the stack of FIG. 9B

[0041] FIG. 10 is an upper perspective view drawn to scale of a container having channels formed in the intermediate region of its lid with an identical container base positioned above it;

[0042] FIG. 11 is a lower perspective view drawn to scale of the container and identical base of FIG. 10; and

[0043] FIG. 12 is a sectional side view drawn to scale of the container of FIG. 10 with the identical base in a stacked configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present invention is a hot food container that is resistant to softening and sagging of the lid when in direct contact with the base of an adjacent stacked container that is filled with hot, heavy food. In embodiments, the container is stackable, ventilated, and spill-resistant.

[0045] With reference to the upper perspective view of FIG. 1 and the lower perspective view of FIG. 2, the base 100 of the disclosed container includes a bottom 102 and at least one surrounding wall 104 arranged so that hot food contents placed within the container make direct contact only with the plastic of the base 100. An upper rim 106 of the base 100 is larger in diameter than the bottom 102, in that it extends horizontally outward beyond the base. In the illustrated embodiment, the surrounding wall 104 is curved outward, while in other embodiments the wall 104 is flat or takes on another shape. The bottom 102 in the illustrated embodiment further includes a raised central portion 200.

[0046] While the drawings herein depict a bowl-shaped base 100, it will be understood that in other embodiments the base 100 is rectangular, oval, star-shaped, polygon shaped, or any other desired shape, so long as the upper rim 106 consistently extends horizontally beyond the bottom 102, such that a hypothetical line projected directly downward from any point along the upper rim 106 will always fall outside of the bottom 102. It should be noted that in the specific embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the wall 104 of the base 100 includes an upper flat region as well as a lower ridged, grooved, or fluted region. In other embodiments, the wall 104 of the base 100 is all of one shape, while in still other embodiments the wall 104 includes more than two regions with different shaping.

[0047] With reference to the upper perspective view of FIG. 3, the lower perspective view of FIG. 4, and the top view of FIG. 5, the lid 300 of the disclosed container includes at least three concentric regions. An outer region or rim 302 of the lid 300 is configured for direct attachment to the upper rim 106 of the base 100. An intermediate region 304 of the lid 300 is raised above the outer region 302 and is configured to support the base 100 of an adjacent, stacked container.

[0048] In the embodiment of FIGS. 3-5, the intermediate region 304 rises to an apex ridge 306. An inner region 308 of the lid 300 does not rise as high as the intermediate region 304, and includes at least one ventilation opening 312. In the embodiment of FIGS. 3-5, the inner region 308 of the lid 300 includes a raised central portion 310 that does not rise as high as the apex ridge 306 of the intermediate region 304. Dashed lines are used in the top view of FIG. 5 to indicate the boundaries of the three concentric regions 302, 304, 308 in the embodiment of FIGS. 3-5.

[0049] FIG. 6 is an upper perspective view of two identical containers of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-5 positioned one above the other. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the two containers of FIG. 6 stacked upon each other. FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the stacked containers of FIG. 7.

[0050] As can be seen in FIG. 8, when the containers are stacked the base 100 of the upper container is supported by the apex ridge 306 of the intermediate region 304 of the lower container. The shapes of the intermediate region 304 of the lid 300 and of the wall 104 of the base 100 are configured to create a gap space 800 between the base 100 of the upper stacked container and the inner region 308 (including the central region 304) of the lid 300 of the lower stacked container, which assures that the base 100 of the upper container will not directly block the ventilation opening or openings 312 of the lid 300 of the lower stacked container.

[0051] In the exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, channels 108 are formed in the wall 104 of the base 100 in the region that will contact the apex ridge 306 of the lid 300 of an adjacent lower container in a stack. In various other embodiments, the channels 108 are formed in the intermediate region 304 of the lid 300, or in both the wall 104 of the base 100 and the intermediate region 304 of the lid 300. When the disclosed containers are stacked on top of one another, these channels 108 create vent passages through which ventilated air and steam can escape from the gap space 800 through the vent passages and outward away from the stack.

[0052] Furthermore, because the base 100 of the upper container in a stack is supported entirely by the intermediate region 304 of the underlying lid 300, the only direct contact between the base and the lid is in the intermediate region 304 of the lid 300, and therefore proximal to the outer region 302 of the lid. This advantage over the prior art is also present in embodiments of the present invention that do not include a ventilation opening 312 or channels 108.

[0053] In the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, the upper container rests almost entirely on the apex ridge 306 of the lid 300 of the lower container, so that only this very small portion 306 of the lid is subject to direct thermal contact with the upper container. The outer wall 314 of the intermediate region 304 in the illustrated embodiment is shaped somewhat like an arch, and is configured to convey the gravitational force applied by the upper container from the apex ridge 306 downward to the outer region 302 of the lid 300 as mainly a compressive force, rather than a bending force. As a result, deformation of the plastic of the lid 300 of the lower container by the upper container is minimized, even if the upper container is filled with a heavy, hot food item such as a hot soup, and the lid 300 of the lower container is made from a plastic that is thinner and/or more sensitive to heat than the plastic of the base 100.

[0054] FIG. 9A is a perspective view from above, similar to FIG. 6, that illustrates an embodiment of the present invention similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-8, but wider and shorter, so as to facilitate stacking of a plurality of compatible containers that are of similar shapes but have decreasing volumes while maintaining ventilation passages between each adjacent pair of containers in the stack.

[0055] FIG. 9B is a side view of a container 900 similar to the container of FIGS. 1-8, with a smaller container 902 of a similar shape resting on top of it, and FIG. 9C is a sectional view of FIG. 9B. It can be seen in FIG. 9C that the bottom of the smaller container 902 includes a raised region 904 that is configured to nest about the raised portion 310 of the lid 306 of the larger container 900. Accordingly, while the smaller container 902 is not supported by the intermediate region 308 of the lid 300 of the larger container 900, it is nevertheless securely stacked on top of the lower container lid 300. In addition, the inner region 308 of the larger container 900 in the illustrated embodiment includes ventilation holes 312 near the boundary with the intermediate region 304 that are not blocked by the smaller container 902. Accordingly, if a plurality of both the larger 900 and smaller 902 container is available, then a plurality of either size of container can be stacked on top of each other with ventilation, or one or more of the smaller containers 902 can be stacked on top of one or more larger containers 900, with all of the containers in the stack being ventilated.

[0056] FIGS. 10-12 illustrate an embodiment of the present invention in which the channels 108 are provided in the intermediate region 304 of the lid, rather than in the wall 104 of the base 100. As noted above, in still other embodiments channels 108 are provided in both of the base 100 and the lid 300. For the container of FIGS. 10-12, the wall 104 of the base 100 is smooth and is not divided into multiple regions, and the inner region 308 of the lid 300 is flat, and does not include a raised central region 310. A plurality of vent openings 312 are provided in the inner region 308 of the lid 300.

[0057] With reference to the perspective view from above of FIG. 10, the intermediate region 304 of the lid 300 includes a concave portion 1000 that extends from the apex ridge 306 to the boundary with the inner region 308. With reference to the sectional view of FIG. 12, the concave portion 1000 is shaped so as to complement the curved shape of the wall 104 of the base 100, so that the base 100 of the upper container makes contact over substantially the entire concave portion 1000 of the lid 300 of the lower container, thereby providing stable support to the base 100 of the adjacent upper container in the stack.

[0058] With reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, in this embodiment the bottom 102 of the base 100 extends downward from the wall 104 of the base 100, and is configured to descend below the concave portion 1000 toward the central region 304 of the underlying lid 300 in the stack, thereby providing additional stability to the stack. The gap space is maintained, because the downward extending bottom 102 of the base 100 does not descend far enough to make contact with the inner region 308 of the lid 300, and the vent passages that are formed by the channels 108 that are provided in the intermediate region 304 of the lid 300 ensure that vented hot air and steam are able to escape from the gap space 800.

[0059] It will be understood that in embodiments the advantages of the present invention are maintained whenever the container is a first container included in a stack with a second container that is compatible with the first container. As used herein, the term compatible containers refers to containers that, when stacked in at least one order, provide ventilation of all containers in the stack that are described herein.

[0060] The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Each and every page of this submission, and all contents thereon, however characterized, identified, or numbered, is considered a substantive part of this application for all purposes, irrespective of form or placement within the application. This specification is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of this disclosure.

[0061] Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, the scope of the invention is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications. The disclosure presented herein does not explicitly disclose all possible combinations of features that fall within the scope of the invention. The features disclosed herein for the various embodiments can generally be interchanged and combined into any combinations that are not self-contradictory without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the limitations presented in dependent claims below can be combined with their corresponding independent claims in any number and in any order without departing from the scope of this disclosure, unless the dependent claims are logically incompatible with each other.