Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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FOOD CONTAINER
Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to containers for storing food
products. The present invention relates more particularly to
food containers having features by which semi solid or solid
food can be easy taken but without spoiling the shape.
Background of the Insrention
A variety of containers are known for storing various types of
food products. Typically, these containers do not readily allow
one to easily remove the content of the container especially
for pasty food with stickiness or je:Lly form food.
Traditionally, the containers tend to be complicated and
difficult to use. In addition some of these containers are
inefficient in operation and do not provide for recycling
purposes.
It is therefore desirable to have a cantainer with a
depressible release vent tab for the easy removal of solid or
semi solid foods and which is also exceedingly efficient in its
intended function. Furthermore this invention is designed to
overcome the drawback of having to remove the food contents of
the container by using a spoon or other irnplement.
It is a further object of the invention to have a recessed area
within which the tab is located at the=_ bottom of the food
container to enable the containers to be' stored and put in a
usual stacked manner which is customary in the food industry
without the fear of the tab being accident-ally dislodged.
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Still another object of the invention is to provide a food
container of this character from which the container having
reclosable means so as to form a reusable food container.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a food
container designed for easily sliding out. its content to retain
the shape of the formed food in one piece.
Summary of the Invention
According to the present embodiment of the invention, the food
container for solid and semi solid foods is provide having a
body which includes a bottom wall and at least one sidewall,
whereby the bottom wall together with the: at least one sidewall
define an interior of the container. The sidewall includes an
opening which serves as a pour opening opposite to the bottom
wall of the container. A vent opening covered by a vent seal
tab is bonded to the bottom surface of the container and
separable from the said end to expose the opening for
simultaneously discharge of container contents and admission of
air into the container.
Preferably, said food container having closure for covering
said pour opening, whereby said closure ~~an be a hand operable
easy opening closure such as flexible tape to removably seal
the food container, snap-on, snap-off reclosable closure or
twist-on, twist-off closure.
Preferably, said the interior of the container is formed with a
slight acute angle such that the top pour opening is larger
than the bottom wall to allow the food contents to easily slide
out from the walls of the container once the vent seal tab is
removed and the container is in the inverted position.
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Preferably, the vent seal tab is made of flexible material
which is depressible.
Preferably, for reusable food container having cap means which
is detachably engaged with stopper means mounted over the vent
opening.
Preferably, for food container storing high stickiness food
products having a detachably connected bottom wall which can be
hand operable easy opening bottom wall, snap-on and snap-off
bottom wall or twist on and twist-off bottom wall.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the
present invention will become apparenJ~ from the following
description when taken in connection with the accompanying
drawings which, for purposes of illustration cnly, show several
embodiments in accordance with the present invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the pre:Eerred embodiment
having a depressible vent seal tab and constructed in
accordance with the invention.
Figure 2 is a side view of the preferred embodiment showing the
method by which the contents of the container are easily
removed in one piece.
Figure 3 is a side view of the second embodiment with
reclosable vent seal tab showing the method by which the
contents of the container are easily removed in one piece.
Figure 4 is a side view of the third embc>diment with detachable
bottom wall closure i.n unsealed condition.
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Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments
The invention is shown herein as embodied in a food container
(1) of the type used for solid and semi. solid food. The food
container (1) as shown in figure 1, is comprises of a
receptacle (10) having a single side wall (11) which can be in
the shape of a cylinder, rectangular or any other suitable
shapes to embodied various shapes of the food products, and a
bottom wall (12) in the form of a disl>. The side wall (11)
extends perpendicularly from the bottom wall (12). Together the
interior surface (21) of the side wall (11) and the interior
surface (22) of the bottom wall (12) define an interior
receptacle (10) of the container (1) foz: holding food stuffs.
The side wall (11) includes an edge (13) opposite to the bottom
wall (12). The said edge (13) defines an opening (30) which
serves as pour opening to the food container (1).
The perimeter of the bottom wall (12) is designed slightly
smaller in measurement than the perimeter of the edge (13) to
form the container (1) having slight acute angled inclined
interior receptacle (10) which is enough to allow the food
contents to free itself from the said interior receptacle (10)
when the container (1) is in the inverted position.
A container lip (14) extending horizontally outwardly from the
edge (13) of the receptacle (10) for engaging a closure (15) to
cover the content of the container (1), whereby said closure
(15) can be hand operable easy opening closure which is made of
a sheet of material having additionally adhesive coated at the
entire area where the said sheet material is contacting the
container lip (14). The coupling of the closure to the
container (1) could also be a snap-on, snap-off reclosable
closure, or twist-on, twist-off reclosable closure. For the
said snap-on, snap-off reclosable closure, said closure may be
need a projecting protrusion on the inner. skirt portion of the
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closure (not shown) to form a recess area. for receiving the end
of the container lip when the closure is in snapped-on
position.
The container (1) further comprises of a vent, opening (16) at
the bottom wall (12) as shown in figure 2, which is closed by a
depressible tab type integral with the raid bottom wall (12).
The said vent seal tab (40) is formed by cutting the line (41)
in the bottom wall (12) and a depressible strip (42) extending
downwardly from the exterior surface of the bottom wall (12)
which can be used to expose the vent opening (16) in the bottom
wall (12) for purposes of expediting contents removal through
venting. The shape of the vent opening (16) is not critical.
The preferred vent opening (16) is circular, although other
shapes may also be satisfactory. The area of the vent opening
(16) could also be any size which permits ventability
operation.
As illustrated in figure 1, the bottom wall (12) is connected
to the side wall (11). A support :means (17) extending
downwardly from the entire perimeter edge of the bottom wall
(12) to form a recess area within where the vent seal tab (40)
is located. The height of the said support means (17) is formed
equal or higher than the height of the depressible strip (42)
of the vent seal tab (40) to protect said depressible strip
(42) being accidentally dislodged or damaged.
Figure 2 shown the preferred embodiment and the method by which
the contents of the container (1) can be easily released out
from the said container (1). After the top closure (15) has
been opened, removed or peeled, the container (1) is placed on
a flat tray in inverted position so that the bottom wall (12)
is facing upward. Said flat tray is to receive the food
contents once it is out from the container (1). The depressible
strip (42) of the vent seal tab (40) is then depressed manually
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to expose the overlying vent opening (16) to allow air to enter
the said container (1) for equalizing the pressure within the
container (1) with the external thereto. This air pressure and
the force due to gravity by overcoming the friction force
between the contents and the side wall of tree container then
force the contents of the container (1) to start move downward
towards the pour opening (30) of the container (1) . With these
forces which loosen the contact of the contents to the side
wall (11) and the inclined surface of the side wall (11) will
urge the contents to be removed easily by pulling up the
container (1) away from the said contents.
A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in figure
3. In this embodiment, the vent seal tab (40) is a reclosable
tab which consists of a stopper means (50) and a cap means
(51). The stopper means is fixedly mounted over the vent
opening (16) having a central aperture (52) in a counter-sunk
channel like which is aligned with the said vent opening (16) .
The cap means (51) is dimensioned to be closely received within
the central aperture (52), whereby said cap means (51) can be
detached from the said stopper means (50) to allow air enter
the container (1) and can be re-affixed to seal back the vent
opening ( 16 ) .
Referring now to figure 4, the food container of the third
embodiment of this invention includes a detachable bottom wall
closure (60) having additional flange (61) extending vertically
from the entire perimeter edge of the bottom wall (12). The
food receptacle (10) with the container lip (14) and the
support means (17) are similar to those of the first embodiment
in construction. The bottom wall closure (60) is closely fixed
onto the support means (17) of the container (1) and the
closure (60) is unlocked from the said container (1) when said
closure is rotated or twisted anti-clockwise as shown in figure
4. This embodiment provides a larger air-ventilating opening to
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allow air to enter the container more easily and for user to
alternatively push the food product towards the pour opening
(30) more particularly for high stickiness food products. The
coupling of the bottom wall closure can be varied in snap-on,
snap-off closure, twist-on, twist-off closure or any other
suitable closure in providing a proper sealing to the bottom of
the container (2).
It is to be understood that the present invention may be
embodied in other specific forms and is not limited to the sole
embodiment described above. However modification and
equivalents of the disclosed concepts such. as those which
readily occur to one skilled in the art are intended to be
included within the scope of the claims which are appended
thereto.
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