Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE OF THE INVENTION
A lidded container for lobsters or like crustacean.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lidded container formed of
plastics material and adapted to contain live lobsters or crustacean which
need be maintained under cooled conditions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of lobster fishing, boxes for containing live lobsters
are conventionally made of wood so that they may float along the fishing
boat or at some storage area with water circulating into and out of the box to
keep the lobsters therein alive and fresh.
Containers made of plastic material or synthetic resin material
are also noted to have been used in replacement of wood containers which
are subject to deterioration.
In other containers such as the one described in U.S. patent
No. 5,632,405 issued May 27, 1997 to McMath, plastics material and wood
have been combined in the making of containers for the purpose of
containing lobsters alive.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a plastic
container which is so constructed as to receive and contain ice while allowing
water from melting ice to infiltrate the container and circulate about the
lobsters so as to maintain them alive and fresh.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a lidded
container made of plastic material which is formed with apertures in its
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sidewalls, endwalls and bottom wall so that water may exit the container and,
in cases where similarly constructed containers are stacked, the water may
continue circulation into containers located therebeneath.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such
lidded container made of plastic material which may therefore be stacked
when the lids are closed as well as be nested when the lids are opened.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a lidded
container made of plastic material with floatable means so that the container
may float along a fishing boat or at a storage area.
The present invention therefore relates to a lidded container for
lobsters or like crustacean which comprises:
a container formed of plastics material having a pair of
sidewalls, a pair of end walls and a bottom wall; the sidewalls, endwalls and
bottom wall having water passing apertures therein;
lid means formed of plastics material adapted to be hingedly
secured to the container sidewalls to move between an open position and a
close position; the lid having a top wall formed of a series of upwardly
projecting ribs defining wells to receive and retain therein ice; the wells
having a bottom face with perforations therein to allow melted ice water in
the wells to infiltrate the container, circulate about lobsters or like
crustacean
in the container and exit through the apertures in the container walls.
Other objects and further scope of applicability of the present
invention will become apparent from the detailed description given
hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that this detailed description,
while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, is 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.
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DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a lidded container for
lobsters or like crustacean made in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the lidded container
once rotated 180°;
Figure 3 is a top plan view of the lidded container;
Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of figure
3 showing two lidded containers made in accordance with the present
invention in stacked formation; and
Figure 5 is a cross sectional view showing two lidded
containers made in accordance with the present invention in nested
formation.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to figure 1, there is shown a lidded container,
generally denoted 10, for lobsters or like crustacean made in accordance
with the present invention. It is formed of a plastic container 12 and of a
plastic lid 14 which, in the present case, consists of two similarly shaped
lid
sections 14a and 14b.
Referring together with figure 2 (which is a 180° rotated view
of the container of figure 1), the container comprises a pair of endwalls 16
and 18 and a pair of sidewalls 20 and 22, the endwalls and the sidewalls
being integrally formed with a bottom wall 24.
Respective endwalls and the sidewalls each have at their upper
parts a downwardly extending skirt 26, 28, 30, 32 which is somewhat
distanced from their associated endwall or sidewall so that a pair of foam-
like
blocks 34 and 36 may be fixedly secured therein to provide buoyancy to the
container. Alternatively, floatation of the container could also be achieved
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by forming under the skirt portions enclosed air chambers formed of walls
integrally formed with the container sidewalls and endwalls.
The upper edges of the skirts 30 and 32 have a hinge
configuration formed of projecting parts 30a, 32a and recessed areas 30b,
32b. Referring to figure 4, the lid sections 14a and 14b have a series of C-
shaped hook extensions 50, 52 at their outer edge that engage rods 54, 56
extending through the recessed areas 30b, 32b.
As illustrated in figure 1, the lid sections 14a and 14b have a
top wall which displays a pattern of rectangular wells 60 defined by a series
of upwardly projecting ribs 62. Preferably, the upper edges of the ribs 62 all
extend in a common plane so as to form a co-planar supporting base
whenever a similarly constructed lidded container is stacked on the closed
lid container. Similarly, the plane of the upper edges of the ribs extend
somewhat lower than a plane extending through the opposite hinge
structures of the container so that a portion of the bottom part of a
superposed container is securely confined in place and prevented from
sideways displacement. To ensure a similar endwise function of the
container, each lid section 14a, 14b includes a pair of upwardly projecting
stoppers 70, 72 and 74 and 76 respectively.
The presence of wells on the top wall of the lidded container
serves to receive chipped ice 80. As can be seen in figures 1 and 3, a series
of perforations 90 are provided in each well so that, once the ice melts, the
cold water will infiltrate the container, contact the lobsters or like
crustacean
to keep them alive and fresh. The endwalls, sidewalls and bottom walls of
the container comprises a series of apertures or slots 100, 102, 104, 106 and
108 allowing the cooling water to exit the container after having contacted
the lobsters and, in cases where containers are stacked, to infiltrate a lower
disposed container. The dimensions of these slots is such as to prevent
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claws or other parts of the lobsters from extending outside the container
where they can be broken off.
In a preferred form of the invention, the apertures on the
sidewalls, endwalls and bottom wall of the container should be between
about 0.25 to 0.40 inch so as to prevent the lobster claws from exiting
therethrough. On the other hand, the perforations of the wells should be of
a dimension as to prevent ice from entering the container, for example
between about 0.100 and 0.300 mm.
Referring to figure 4, two stacked containers are shown with ice
80 received in the wells, arrows 82 indicating that water resulting from ice
melting is allowed to pass through the containers.
The sidewalls and endwalls of the container are slightly tapered
so that when they are nested such as illustrated in figure 5, they are
received
one within the other with their lid sections outwardly extending in the open
position. The upper edges of the endwalls have a pair of projections (two of
which are illustrated as 90 and 94) which are so dimensioned as to be
covered by the stoppers 70, 72, 74, 76 of the lid sections when the latter are
folded over the container.
Although the invention has been described above with respect
with one specific form, it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that
it
may be modified and refined in various ways. It is therefore wished to have
it understood that the present invention should not be limited in scope,
except by the terms of the following claims.
