Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TITLE: LUNCH BOX
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a lunch box, and more particularly to a lunch
box
for storing therein soup and cooked food. The soup or food juices therein will
not spill
or mingle, the lunch box can be a lunch box used in our daily life or the
like.
2. Description of the prior art
Lunch boxes are one kind of utensils necessary for meals. The conventional
structure of lunch box is only a container for storing therein food and it has
a cover able
to cover the container. The lunch box mostly is made of metal (such as
stainless steel).
However, due to various requirements, the structure of a lunch box has been
variant; for
example, a dual layer lunch box has a first layer that is a deeper container
to be used for
receiving staple food (rice or noodle), and has a second layer that is a
shallower
container to be hung on the periphery of the first layer, the second layer is
divided into
several receiving areas for receiving cooked meats and vegetables. Thus, the
staple food,
the cooked meats and vegetables are separated with one another to have their
flavor and
tastes maintained. Certainly, there are many kinds of lunch boxes such as heat
maintaining lunch boxes or portable lunch boxes etc.
Modem people in busy lives, particularly students and those nine-to-fivers,
hardly
have time to prepare meals in lunch boxes. This makes increased population of
people
who are eating outside homes or offices. Presently, containers to be stored
therein food
for eating outside homes or offices mostly are the lunch boxes capable of
being heated
by microwave ovens, such as those lunch boxes sold in convenient stores and
they are
mainly made of PP (polypropylene); and such lunch boxes mostly are provided
only
with a plurality of separated spaces for receiving staple food or cooked meats
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vegetables except independent space for receiving soup. Even when there is
independent space for receiving soup, the soup is stored in a cup covered with
a small
cover to avoid being toppling over to have the soup spilled out during
carrying in a
road.
Although providing cups for storing therein soups increases the vendibility of
lunch boxes, it also increases the cost of production of the lunch boxes, if
including the
costs of soup cups, cup covers, and the time for covering the covers on the
soup cups.
Therefore, to provide a lunch box to store therein food including soup and
repast
directly is the main goal of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a lunch box
provided
at least with a space for storing therein soup, and the soup will not spill
after storing.
The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a lunch box in
which
repast and food juices will not spill or mingle.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a lunch box that can
have
heat therein maintained, have coldness therein maintained, and have freshness
of soup
and repast therein maintained too.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a lunch box that
can be
formed a set of handle for easy carrying in a simple way.
Therefore, in order to achieve the above objectives, the lunch box structure
of the
present invention comprises: a receptacle and a cover able to cover the
receptacle. The
receptacle is provided therein with partitions to divide the receptacle into a
plurality of
receiving spaces. In which a receiving space is used to store therein soup and
the
remaining spaces are used to store therein cooked rice or repast. The cover is
formed
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thereon downwardly recessed areas in corresponding to and in opposition
respectively
to the receiving spaces of the receptacle; the bottoms or peripheries of the
cover and the
partitions of the receiving spaces of the receptacle at the positions opposite
respectively
to those of the bottoms or peripheries are provided with engaging means for
mutual
engaging, so that the cover and the receptacle can be tightly engaged with
each other to
prevent spilling of soup.
One feature of the present invention resides in that: a plurality of outwardly
protruding areas formed between the recessed areas on the upper surface of the
cover
and the receiving spaces on the bottom surface of the receptacle of the lunch
box are
enveloped with heat insulating material for having heat therein maintained,
having
coldness therein maintained, and having freshness of soup and repast therein
maintained
too.
Another feature of the present invention resides in that: a flange encircles
the
periphery of the receptacle, the flange is provided with a tearing line, in
order that a part
of the flange can be torn off along the tearing line to form a set of handle.
Another feature of the present invention resides in that: the periphery of the
cover
protrudes upwards to form a circle of protruding wall; the inner wall surface
of the
protruding wall has a circling recess to allow a planar sheet to be embedded
therein to
seal the upper surface of the cover. And the surface of the planar sheet can
be printed
thereon with advertisement letters or patterns.
The present invention will be apparent in its content and effect to be
achieved after
reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof in
reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of lunch box of the present
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invention before assembling;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment of lunch box of the
present
invention after assembling;
Figs. 3A and 3B are sectional schematic views showing engagement of elements
of
the first embodiment of lunch box of the present invention (respectively
before and after
engagement);
Fig.4 is a sectional view taken from a sectional line 3-3 in Fig. 1 to show
that the
lunch box is enveloped with heat insulating material;
Fig. 5 is a perspective schematic view of the present invention showing some
recessed areas of an embodiment of the present invention are used for
receiving some
tableware.
Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged perspective schematic view of Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the present
invention
with a set of handle formed in a simple way;
Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing the appearance when a plurality of lunch
boxes of the present invention are piled together;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the present invention before assembling
showing
another status of using;
Fig. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of lunch box of the
present
invention before assembling showing the elements therein, and showing that an
area for
receiving soup is provided with a first engaging means (ridged portion) and
that the
cover is formed thereon at an area in opposition to that of the first engaging
means a
second engaging means (recessed portion);
Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of another embodiment of the present
invention,
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wherein the first engaging means is a first lip protruding out of the top of a
partition,
while the second engaging means is a second lip protruding out of the bottom
of the
cover; thereby a force can be exerted to cover the cover on the receptacle to
render the
first and the second lip to tightly engage with each other;
Fig. 12 is a schematic sectional view taken from Fig. 11 showing engagement of
the first engaging means with the second engaging means;
Fig. 13 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the present
invention
showing that one side of the cover is adapted to connecting with one side of
the
receptacle to allow direct turning over of the cover on the receptacle for
tight covering;
Fig. 14 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention
showing that the cover of a lunch box is provided thereon with another
recessed area for
receiving tableware; and
Fig. 15 is a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the present
invention showing that the partition around each receiving space has on its
top a
recessed portion, while the cover is formed thereon at an area in opposition
to that of the
receiving space a ridged portion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring firstly to Figs. 1, 2, 3A and 3B showing perspective views before
and
after assembling and sectional schematic views before and after engagement of
elements of a first embodiment of lunch box 1 of the present invention, the
lunch box 1
comprises: a receptacle 10 and a cover 20 able to cover the receptacle 10.
The receptacle 10 is provided therein with partitions 11 to divide the
receptacle 10
into a plurality of receiving spaces 111, 112 and I 13 etc. Each of the
receiving spaces
111, 112 and 113 has a first height "H" for receiving staple food (such as
rice or noodle)
or cooked meats and vegetables. In which the receiving space 113 is used to
store
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therein soup or some other food juices.
The cover 20 is formed downwardly recessed areas 23a, 23b and 23c etc. in
corresponding to and in opposition respectively to the receiving spaces 113,
112 and 111
etc. of the receptacle 10. Each of the recessed areas 23a, 23b and 23c has a
second
height "h" which is smaller than the height "H", in order that each of the
receiving
spaces 111, 112 and 113 etc. has a sufficient space for receiving food. The
bottoms or
peripheries of the recessed areas 23a, 23b and 23c of the cover 20 and the
partitions 11
of the receiving spaces 113, 112 and 111 of the receptacle 10 at the positions
opposite
respectively to those of the bottoms or peripheries are provided with engaging
means
for mutual engaging. So that the cover 20 and the receptacle 10 can be tightly
engaged
with each other to prevent soup or food juices in the receiving spaces 111,
112 and 113
from spilling outside or mingling.
In one embodiment, for the purpose of tight engaging of the cover 20 with the
receptacle 10, the partition 11 on the periphery of each of the receiving
spaces 111, 112
and 113 is provided thereon with a first engaging means which is defined a
stepped
portion 14 provided on the inner wall of the partition 11. Each stepped
portion 14
includes a first surface 141 and a second surface 142 having therebetween an
angle that
preferably is an acute included angle O1 having preferably between 80-89
degrees.
'The cover 20 includes an upper surface 21 and a lower surface 22. The lower
surface 22 is provided thereon with a plurality of second engaging means in
opposition
respectively to those of first engaging means when the cover 20 covers the
receptacle 10.
In this embodiment, the plurality of second engaging means take advantage of
downwardly recessing of the upper surface 21 of the cover 20 to protrude
downwardly
out of the lower surface 22 of the cover 20. Thereby the lower surface 22 of
the cover
20 forms bottoms 221 and peripheries 222. Between each of the bottoms 221 and
the
peripheries 222 is an obtuse included angle 02 which is preferably a
supplementary
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angle to the acute included angle 01. Hence when the cover 20 covers the
receptacle 10,
the bottoms 221 protruding downwardly out of the lower surface 22 of the cover
20 and
the peripheries 222 can exactly be firmly engaged with the stepped portions 14
to make
tight engaging of the cover 20 with the receptacle 10, so that soup and food
juices in the
receiving spaces 11 l, 112 and 113 do not spill outside nor mingle
In another embodiment, each first engaging means can be provided on the top of
each partition 11; while each second engaging means can be provided on the
bottom of
the cover 20 at each corresponding position to that of the first engaging
means
respectively to engage with the latter (this will be described hereinafter).
Referring to Fig. 4, a plurality of outwardly protruding areas formed between
the
recessed areas 23a, 23b and 23c of the cover 20 of the lunch box 1 and the
receiving
spaces 111, 112 and 113 on the bottom surface of the receptacle 10 are
enveloped with
heat insulating material 50, SOa for having heat in the receptacle 10
maintained, having
coldness therein maintained, and having freshness therein maintained too. When
the
embodiment in Fig. 4 is provided with heat insulating or heat maintaining
material, the
lunch box 1 of the present invention can be used as a container of ice
products such as
ice cream etc.
And referring to Fig. 5, the recessed areas 23a, 23b and 23c formed on the
upper
surface 21 of the cover 20 can be used to receive therein tissue papers 44,
tableware
(such as chopsticks 40 and spoons 41 etc.), flavoring packs 42 and tooth picks
43 etc.
Referring to Fig. 6, the periphery of the cover 20 has a circle of upwardly
protruding wall 25; the inner wall surface of the protruding wall 25 has a
circling recess
251 to allow a planar sheet 27 to be embedded therein to close the upper
surface 21 of
the cover 20, this can keep neat of the tableware and avoid scattering of the
things (the
tableware 40, 41, flavoring packs 42 and tooth picks 43 etc) in the receiving
spaces 11 l,
112 and 113. And the surface of the planar sheet 27 can be printed thereon
with
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advertisement letters or patterns 271 etc.
And again referring to Fig. 1, a flange 60 encircles the periphery of the
receptacle
10. The flange 60 is provided with a tearing line 61, in order that a part of
the flange 60
can be torn off along the tearing line 61 to form a set of handle, such as is
shown in Fig.
7. Forming of the tearing line 61 is performed in pressing of a mold; a
predetermined
area of the flange 60 is pressed to be particularly thin to be beneficial for
tearing the
flange 60 by a user.
When in practicing, the lunch box 1 can be used to store therein any food
including solid food and food juices. Alternatively, a lunch box able to avoid
the food
juices in the receiving spaces 111, 112 and 113 to mingle can further be used
as a
freshness keeping container to reduce possibility of mingling of flavors in
the receiving
spaces 111, 112 and 113. And therefore the lunch box can be used as a portable
food
container.
Moreover, again referring to Fig. 8, the outwardly protruding areas formed
from
the receiving spaces 113, 112 and 111 on the bottom surface of the receptacle
10 are in
corresponding and in opposition respectively to the recessed areas 23a, 23b
and 23c of
the cover 20 of the lunch box 1. Therefore, a plurality of lunch boxes can be
piled up
one on another conveniently. Such as is shown in Fig. 9, in practical
application, a
plurality of receptacles 10 can be used for receiving cooked meats, vegetables
and
staple food, while only the uppermost receptacle 10 has a cover 20 placed
thereon.
The material of the lunch box 1 can be PP (polypropylene) to be heated in a
microwave oven or to be free of washing and to be discarded, or can be any
other
materials suitable for recycled using.
Referring to Fig. 10 showing another embodiment of lunch box of the present
invention, the lunch box comprises a receptacle 70 and a cover 80 able to
cover the
receptacle 70.
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The receptacle 70 is a food container having a receiving unit 71, partitions
72 are
provided inside of the receiving unit 71 to divide the receptacle 70 into a
plurality of
receiving spaces 211, 212, 213 for receiving staple food (rice or noodle) or
cooked
meats and vegetables, wherein one receiving space 211 is used particularly to
store
therein soup.
The receiving space 211 used particularly to store therein soup has on its top
periphery a circle of ridged portion 73 forming a first engaging means. The
cover 80 has
thereon an upper surface 81 and a lower surface 82; the lower surface 82 is
provided
thereon with a recessed portion 83 forming a second engaging means in
opposition to
the ridged portion 73 of the first engaging means. When the cover 80 covers
the
receptacle 70, the first engaging means can have tight engaging with the
second
engaging means by embedding of the ridged portion 73 in the recessed portion
83, and
thereby soup in the receiving space 211 does not spill outside.
And as shown in Fig. 11, the first engaging means of the receptacle 70 can be
a
first lip 131 with a reversely hooking edge protruding out of the top of the
partitions 72,
while the second engaging means of the cover 80 can be a second lip 231 with a
reversely hooking edge protruding out of the bottom 82 of the cover 80.
Thereby a force
can be exerted to cover the cover 80 on the receptacle 70 to render the first
and the
second lips 131, 231 to tightly engage with each other. Thereby soup in the
receiving
space 211 does not spill outside (as shown in Fig. 12).
The cover 80 can also be integrally formed with the receptacle 70, i.e., one
side of
the cover 80 is connected with one side of the receptacle 70, such as is shown
in Fig. I 3,
to allow direct turning over of the cover 80 along a direction ''D" on the
receptacle 70
for tight covering by mutual engaging between the first and the second lips
131, 231.
Such designing renders a person of the art of food and beverage to directly
cover the
cover 80 onto the receptacle 70 after placing in staple food, cooked meats,
vegetables
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and soup sequentially. There is no need of an additional means such as rubber
rings
etc. to fix the cover 80 onto the receptacle 70. Thereby packing speed for
lunch boxes
can be increased. Certainly, the periphery of the receptacle 70 can be
provided with any
means that can fixedly engage the cover 80 onto the receptacle 70 without
helping of
additional rubber rings.
Although the receiving space 211 can be used to receive soup, a conventional
soup
cup 30 can still be placed therein. In this way, people of the art of food and
beverage can
flexibly use soup cups in manufacturing lunch boxes.
And referring to Fig. 14, the upper surface 81 of the cover 80 can be provided
thereon with a recessed area 84 for receiving tableware (such as chopsticks
and spoons
etc.). The recessed area 84 can also be added thereon with a lid 841 to keep
neat of the
tableware. The recessed area 84 can also be added therein with clamping means
for
stably clamping the tableware (not shown). Certainly, one of the above stated
plural
receiving spaces can also be used as a tableware receiving space (not shown).
In practicing, the tops of all the partitions 72 can further be provided with
first
engaging means and second engaging means. Referring to Fig. 15, it shows that
each of
the partitions 72 of the receptacle 70 has on its top a continuous circle of a
recessed
portion 132. The lower surface 82 of the cover 80 can be provided thereon with
a circle
of ridged portion 232 in corresponding to and in opposition to the recessed
portion 132;
thereby when the cover 20 covers the receptacle 10, the ridged portion 232 is
tightly
engaged in the recessed portion 132 to prevent food juices in the receiving
spaces from
spilling outside or mingling.
Therefore, the present invention has the following advantages:
1. The structure of lunch box of the present invention renders the bottoms or
peripheries of the recessed areas of the cover to be engaged with the
partitions of the
receiving spaces of the receptacle at the positions opposite respectively to
those of the
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bottoms or peripheries, so that a well-engaging lunch box is formed and soup
therein is
prevented from spilling outside.
2. The lunch box is different from the conventional lunch boxes, it can be
directly
stored therein soup, and can be fast assembled and detached by providing the
mutually
engageable first and second engaging means to form a fast assembling and
detaching
lunch box structure. This saves the cost of the requisition to use a soup cup,
and omits
the step of covering a cover onto the soup cup, and to thereby save the time
in
manufacturing each of such a lunch box.
3. The lunch box at least can have excellent tight engaging at the tops of the
partitions after storing soup by precise engagement of the first and the
second engaging
means. And this idea can be extended to apply to each receiving space, hence
food
juices in staple food, cooked meats and vegetables will not mingle, so that
the staple
food, the cooked meats and the vegetables can surely keep their original
flavors and
tastes.
4. The lunch box can be made a discardable one to achieve an objective of
simplifying and convenience. Alternatively, it can be made a lunch box able to
use
repeatedly to obtain an environment-friendly objective.
5. The lunch box is enveloped therearound heat insulating material to have
heat
therein maintained, have coldness therein maintained, and have freshness
therein
maintained too.
6. The lunch box is provided thereon with a simple set of handle in favor of
carrying.
In conclusion, according to the description disclosed and drawings above, the
present invention surely can achieve the expected objectives thereof to
provide a lunch
box able to store therein soup and food juices of repast in the receiving
spaces is
prevented from mingling.
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The embodiment stated above is only for illustrating the present invention, it
will be
apparent to those skilled in this art that various equivalent modifications or
changes
according to the idea of and without departing from the disclosing and
teaching of this
invention shall also fall within technical scope of the appended claims.
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