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Patent 1075646 Summary

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Claims and Abstract availability

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(12) Patent: (11) CA 1075646
(21) Application Number: 1075646
(54) English Title: FOOD CONTAINER
(54) French Title: RECIPIENT A ALIMENTS
Status: Term Expired - Post Grant Beyond Limit
Bibliographic Data
Abstracts

English Abstract


ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
This invention discloses a novel food container for
the storage and transport of food, particularly hot food such
as pizza. It comprises an identical upper and lower portion,
each portion having a flat, base surface, outwardly extending
side walls with a circumferential lip therearound. A locking
means is carried on the lip to releasably lock the upper and
lower portions together. A plurality of vertical honeycombs
are on the interior of the base surface and a plurality of
buttresses are found in the interior side walls. The device
is preferably made of an expanded material such as polystyrene.
The device only requires a single mould to manufacture it and
is an efficient, inexpensive and strong insulating container
which has eliminated the problem of condensation within the
containers of the prior art.


Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. An insulated food container for the storage and
transport of food comprising:
(a) an upper and lower portion, said upper and said
lower portions being identical, each said portion comprising:
(i) a flat base surface
(ii) outwardly extending side walls, and
(iii) a circumferential lip around the top of
said side walls;
(b) a locking means adapted to releasably lock said
upper and said lower portions together,
(c) a plurality of vertical honeycombs on the
interior surface of said base surface upstanding for a
minor proportion of the depth of said portion,
(d) a plurality of buttresses on the interior of
each side wall.
2. An insulated food container as claimed in claim 1
wherein said locking means comprises a protrusion extending
upwardly from the top surface of said lip about one-half
of the circumference of said lip and a complementary
recessed portion in the remaining one-half portion of the
circumference of said lip.
3. An insulated food container as claimed in claims 1
or 2 wherein each buttress extends the height of the side
wall.
4. An insulated food container as claimed in claims 1
or 2 wherein each buttress extends from the bottom of the
side wall adjacent each honeycomb upwards from the height
of the side wall.
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5. An insulated food container as claimed in claims 1 or
2 wherein the height of each honeycomb is approximately
one-quarter inch with a chamber diameter of three-eighths
inch.
6. An insulated food container as claimed in claim 1
wherein the container is made of an expanded material.
7. An insulated food container as claimed in claim 6
wherein said container is made of polystyrene.
8. An insulated, hermetically-sealable, thin-walled food
container for the storage and transport of food, comprising:
(a) an upper portion and a lower portion, said
upper and said lower portions being identical, each said
portion comprising:
(i) a thin-walled flat base surface,
(ii) thin, outwardly-extending side walls, and
(iii) a circumferential lip around the top of
said side walls;
(b) locking means adapted to releasably and
hermetically lock said upper and lower portions together,
(c) a plurality of elongate wall members integral
with and upstanding from the interior surface of said
base surface, each of said plurality of wall members being
integrally joined at each end thereof to two others of
said wall members to define a regular pattern of hexagonally-
shaped recesses upstanding from said base surface, except
for said wall members immediately adjacent said side wall
which are joined to each other at each end and from the
outer perimeter of said regular pattern of recesses, and
(d) a plurality of vertical elongate parallel ribs
integral with and extending from the interior of each
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side wall to impart strength thereto, said ribs extending
downwardly into integral join with the integrally-joined
ends of said perimeter-forming wall members adjacent said
side walls.
9. A polystyrene insulated food container for the
storage and transport of food comprising:
(a) an upper and a lower portion, said upper and said
lower portions being identical, each portion comprising:
(i) a flat base surface
(ii) outwardly extending side walls, and
(iii) a circumferential lip around the top of
said side walls;
(b) a locking means adapted to releasably lock said
upper and said lower portions together, said locking means
comprising a protrusion extending from the top surface of
said lip about one-half the circumference of said lip and
a complementary recessed portion in the remaining one-half
portion of the circumference of said lip;
(c) a plurality of vertical honeycombs on the
interior surface of said base surface upstanding for a
minor proportion of the depth of said portion, and
(d) a plurality of buttresses on the interior
of each side wall, each buttress extending the height
of the side wall and the base of each buttress being
adjacent each honeycomb adjacent the side wall.
10. A polystyrene insulated hermetically-sealable,
thin-walled food container for the storage and transport
of food, comprising:
(a) an upper portion and a lower portion, said
upper and said lower portions being identical, each said
portion comprising:
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(i) a thin-walled flat base surface,
(ii) thin outwardly-extending side walls, and
(iii) a circumferential lip around the top of
said side walls;
(b) locking means adapted to releasably and
hermetically lock said upper and said lower portions to-
gether, said locking means comprising a protrusion
extending upwardly from the top surface of said lip about
one-half the circumference of said lip and a complementary
recessed portion in the remaining one-half portion of the
circumference of said lip;
(c) a plurality of elongate wall members integral
with and upstanding from the interior surface of said base
surface, each of said plurality of wall members being
integrally joined at each end thereof to two others of
said wall members to define a regular pattern of hexagonally-
shaped recesses upstanding from said base surface, except
for said wall members immediately adjacent said side wall
which are joined to each other at each end and form the
outer perimeter of said regular pattern of recesses, and
(d) a plurality of vertical elongate parallel ribs
integral with and extending from the interior of each side
wall to impart strength thereto, each rib extending the
height of the side wall and downwardly into integral join
with the integrally-joined ends of said perimeter-forming
wall members adjacent said side walls.
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Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


646
This inven-tion relates generally to containers and
more particularly to a novel container suitablc ~or storing
and transporting hot food. It has particular suitability as
a pizza container.
In the past, ho~ food was stored and transported in
- ordinary cardboard boxes~ Needless to say, these containers
presented many problems. When hot food was placed in these
containers, a rapid and large heat loss occurred and as well,
if the food was to any degree fluid or liquid, this liquid
would run off the food when the container was being trans-
ported and cause the container to be soggy or e~en fall
apart. When the food was delivered to its ultimate
destination, it would arrive cold and in some instances, in
a broken container.
Moxe recently, containers have been constructea o~
diffexent designs in an attempt to overcome these pxoblems~ '~
Also/ different materials have been uti~ized in the
construction of the containers in an attempt to overcome
the prvble~s of breakage of the container.
The prior art has attempted to overcome the ~ollowing
basic problems:
1. insulating the food within the container;
2. detarioration of the container due to lea~age from
-i the food;
.
3. necessity of different moulds for the cover and
the basé of the container;
4. maint~ining the necessary rigidity of construction; i~
5. preventing condensation inside the container and
subse~uent absorption of moisture by the food;
6. high cost of manufacture;
7. space necessary for storage ~f the containexs.
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The devices of the prior art have successfully over~
come some of the a~orenoted problems but no device has
been able to overcome all of the aforenoted prohlems~
The insulating food container described in Uni*ed
States Patent Number 3,484,015 issued to Rowan describes an
insulated food container manufactured from pressed
polys~yrene beads which ~tilize an upper portion sealed to
a bottom portion. However, the device of Rowan does not
provide adequate circulation of air within the container
to prevent the contents thereof from becoming soggy nor
does this device have sufficient support to withstand the
abuse suffered by containers when used, for example, for
deliveries o~ such foods as pizza.
Examples of other devices disclosed are seen in
United States Patents Number 3,613,933 issued to Pilz on
October 19, 1971; Number 3,75~,640 issued to Bridges on
August 28, 1973 and Number 3,835,281 issued to Mannix on
September 10, 1974. However, none of these device~ disclose
a construction which allows adequate circulation of air,
strength of construction and efficiency of manufacture and
low cost as provided by the device of the present
invention.
The present invention at least partially overcomes
these disad~antages by providing a novel container for the
storage and transport of food which comprises identical
upper and lower sections which may be releasably secured
to each other. The inner surface of the sections include a
honeycomb con~iguration and support buttresses are provided
; on the interior surace of each side wall to increase the
strength of the containerO
To this end, in one of its aspects, the invention
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provides an insulated food container for the storage and
transport of food comprising: ~,
(a) an upper and lower portion, said upper and said
lower portions being identical, each said portion comprising:
(,i), a flat base surface
(ii~ outwardly extending side walls, and
(iii~ a circumferential lip around the top of
; said side walls;
(b) a locking means adapted to releasably lock said
upper and said lower portions together~
(cl a plurality of vertical honeycombs on the
interior surface of said base surface upstanding for a
minor proport.ion of the depth of said portion, ',
(.d) a plurality of buttresses,on the interior of
each side wall.
In another of its aspects, the invention provides a ~ "
. polystyrene insulated food container for the storage and ~.,'
transport of food comprising: :
(a) an upper and a lower portion, said upper and ~ .
said lower portions being identical, each portion comprising~
(i~ a flat base surface '~.
outwardly extending side walls, and
(iiil a circumferential lip around the top of', ,
said side walls;
(b~ a locking means adapted to releasably lock said
' upper and said lower portions together, said locking means
comprising a protrusion extending upwardly from the top
surace o~ said lip about one-half the circumference of
said lip and a complementary recessed portion in the
3a remaining one-half portion of the circumferencle of sai.d
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:~0756~6
tc~ a plurality of vertical honeycombs on the
interior surface of said base surface upstanding for a minor
proportion of the depth of said portion, and
(d~ a plurality of buttresses on the interior of
each side wall, each buttress extending the height of the
side wall and the base of each buttress being adjacent each
honeycomb adjacent the side wall.
The invention is described further, by way of illus-
tration with reerence to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a container
of the present invention;
. FLgure 2 is a side view of a stack of the component
parts of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a top perspecti~e view of a bottom unit
of the container; and
Figure 4 is a side sectional v1ew through the side
wall of a unit.
Referring first to Figure 1, there is shown and
disclosed a perspective view of the novel food container
of the present ihvention generally indicated as 2 when in
the assembled position ready for use. The container, when
assembled, comprises an upper portion 4 and a lower portion
~. :
- - The two portions are identical and as shown in Figure
. 2, each comprises a base 8 which is comprised of a flat
suxface 12 and side walls 14, and a circumferential lip 10
l on the upper edge of the side walls 14. Each portion
¦ resembles a shallow tray
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~L075~46
1 and is open at the top surface. When assembled as shown in
Figure 1, the circumferential lip on two parts are placed in
contact with each other tas explained her~einafter) thereby
achieved a completely closed container 2 as shown in Figure 1.
Since each portion is identical to the other portion, a
series of these parts may be conveniently stacked as shown
in Figure 2 of the drawings. This reduces considerably the
space required to store the parts of the containers prior to
their use.
Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a top
perspective view of one portion of the container 2.
Each portion comprises a flat, bottom surface 12
with outwardly sloping walls 14 which terminate in a circum~erential
lip 10. Lip 10 extends completely about the periphery of the
container 2 and carries on it, a releasable locking means adapted
to releasably lock two parts together. An e~ample of a suitable
locking means is shown in Figure 3 and includes a contlnuous
recessed rectangular slot or groove 16 in one-half of the cir-
cumference of the lip and for the remaining one-hal~ portion,
2~ a continuous, upwardly projec~ing protrusion or tongue 18 is
dispersed.
The bottom wall 12 of the container carries thereon,
a serles of honeycomb raised portions 20 which are included
for both strength and circulation purposes. A series of buttresses
.
22 are located flush on the inner surface of the walls 14 and
correspond in the preferred embodiment, to ~he area of the
honeycomb in proximity to the wall 14. A side sectional view
: through a side wall 14 is seen in Figure 4.
The device of the present invention effectlvely overcomes
the problems associated with the prior art in a novel and unlque
; manner.
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7~
1 It is necessary to maintain the heat within the
container to provide an effective seal about the container.
The need for this seal must of course be balanced by a
relatively simple and inexpensive seal to justify the use
thereof in view of the cost of manufacturing the container.
The present invention achieves this effective seal
by providing the protrusion or tongue 18 about one-half the
periphery of the lip 10 and the recessed portion 16 or groove
about the remaining one-half portion of the lip 10. The
tongue is adapted to be fitted into the groove when the
container is assembled to releasably secure the top portion
4 to the bottom portion 6 of the container. The tonyue 18
and the groove 16 are each, about exactly one-half the periphery
of the lip 10. Thus, when the two portions of the container
are placed, one above the other, the top inverted and secured
to the bottom, the tongue 18 ~its exactly within the recessed
portion or groove 16. Thus, an exacting match is achieved
and a 100% seal is formed.
Different variations of this tongue and groove design
23 may be used and still ~all within the scope and spirit of this
invention. For example, the locking or sealing device may
include a double tongue construction with a corresponding double
groove receptacle.
The bottom surface 12 of the device carries thereof a
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hon~ycomb for strengthening purposes and also to retain h~at
in the container~ The size of the honeycomb may vary but
preferably, is approximately one-quarter inch high with a chamber
diameter of three-eighths~ of an inch and a wall thickness of
one-eighth of an inch for a container having a diameter of
fourteen inches.
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1 The design of -the honeycombs within the container and
the sealing of the upper and the lower portions of the container
together effectively prevent condensation within the container
when hot food is placed therein. As noted before, one of the
problems associated with the devices of the prior art has been
the condensation of moisture within the fil:Led container and
subsequent absorption of this moisture by the food product inside
thereby resulting in the deterioration and spoilage of the food.
In order to prevent this condensation, there must be
~ sufficient air flow within the container but no air flow to the
outside. The internal air flow must be such to circulate around
the contents of the container but not be allowed to exit from
the container and an air flow into the container must be prevented.
The depth o-f the honeycombs in the device of the present
invention allows for such internal air 10w and the sealing of
the top and bottom portions prevents any air flow into or out
of the con-tainer. Thus, condensation o moisture onto the
enclosed food is effectively prevented while maintaining the
temperatura of the food inside the container.
2~
The container of the present invention may be manu-
. .
factured of a suitable, lightweight and inexpensive plastic
material. While not restricted thereto, a particular suitable
material is polystyrene. Expanded foams with high insulating
properties are preferred rather than compressed materials~
The strength of the present device is increased
remarkably over the devices of the prior art. It is known
that one of the major problems with liyhtweight plas-tic devices
is that these containers cannot withstand a large internal
weight and also, cannot withstand a large compressive external
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7564~
1 force applied thereto. I-t is therefore essential to manufacture
a device which will be able to withstand both external and
internal ~orces. The combinatlon of the honeycombs 20 and the
buttresses 22 effectively overcome this problem.
A large internal weight or force may be sustained by
the honeyco~b design and in combination with the buttresses 22
on the side walls, the device is able to withstand large
externally applied compression. Thus, a larger container may
be constructed than those o the prior art and these larger
containers withstand rough handling and treatment without
suffering any damage.
The construction and design of the containers of the
present invention also allow, if desired, a square or rectangular
container to be constructed. In the past, when a larger
container was required, it was manuactured in a round shape
thus resulting in considerable wastage of materials and
increased cost.
If desired, a separate latching or locking de~ice may
be used with the container. The present disclosure reers to a
tongue and groove mechanism but it is understood that similar loc]c-
ing mechanisms may also be used such as c~mpl3mèntary rivett ~ sysbems.
A particular advantage of the device of the present
invention is that only one mould is necessary during the manu-
facturing thereoE. The top and bottom portions of the container
are identical thus reducing the cost of production Also, the
problems of storage of these containers has been reduced. Since
the top and bottom of each container is identical and of the same
shape as noted hereinbefore, they may be stacked in a single
pile thereby helping to reduce the amount of space required for
storage of the containers.
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~756~i
1 The device of the present invention has successfully
overcome many of the problems of the prior art. The con-tainer
effectively maintains the temperature of the food contained
therein and by its construction, will not deteriorate if it
becomes wet. The top and bottom portions are iden-tical and
thus, only one mould is necessary to manufacture all the parts
of the container. The container is remarkably strong due to the
honeycombs and the buttresses and condensation is prevented
within the container eliminating the spoilage of the food
within the container. The cost of production is much lower than
previous containers and as noted before, it may be sta~ked quite
conveniently thereby reducing storage space required.
Although the disclosure describes and illustrates
a preferred embodiment oE the invention, it is to be understood
the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment.
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Representative Drawing

Sorry, the representative drawing for patent document number 1075646 was not found.

Administrative Status

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Event History

Description Date
Inactive: Expired (old Act Patent) latest possible expiry date 1997-04-15
Grant by Issuance 1980-04-15

Abandonment History

There is no abandonment history.

Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
DOUGLAS J. COTTRELL
Past Owners on Record
None
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Cover Page 1994-04-06 1 21
Claims 1994-04-06 4 168
Abstract 1994-04-06 1 26
Drawings 1994-04-06 1 57
Descriptions 1994-04-06 9 376