Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to containers for food and more particularly to a
container for por-
tions or pieces of food such as a salad. The container has a chamber for
sauces such as salad
dressing and has means for selectively opening the chamber in order to
discharge the sauces into
the interior of the container where it mixes with the food portions.
Small portable containers intended specifically for such foods as salads are
well known,
Such containers contain two compartments, one which is relatively large for
the salad and a
second which is relatively small for a salad dressing. There is provision for
opening the second
dressing-containing compartment from outside the container, usually by
applying downward
pressure on a portion of the outer wall of the container. When the latter
compartment is opened,
the dressing spills into the salad below and the two can be mixed together by
shaking the
container. By keeping the salad and the dressing apart until immediately prior
to serving, the
salad remains fresh, dry and free of sogginess
An example of such a container is described in U.S. patent no. 6,302,268 BI to
Michaeli.
In that patent, the upper wall of the compartment containing the dressing is
flexible and when it
is pressed downward, a pin beneath the wall is forced downward. The pin is
attached to a cap
which opens and closes an outlet at the bottom of the compartment. When the
cap is forced
downward, it opens the compartment and allows the dressing to spill into the
salad below.
Many such containers such as that described in the Michaeli have a number of
short-
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comings. Their salad-dressing compartments project outwardly of the container
and if the com-
partments are accidentally pressed or squeezed, they will spring open with
resulting spillage of
the dressing onto the salad in the containers. A salad becomes soggy and
unappetizing if the
dressing remains in contact with it for too long.
Another shortcoming of many such containers is that the outlet in the salad-
dressing
compartment through which the dressing flows is too restricted and much of the
dressing remains
in the compartment after it is open. This is a particular problem where the
dressing is viscous
such as those containing particles of cheese and those containing thick cream.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The container of the subject invention overcomes many of the shortcomings of
con-
ventional containers such as those described above. In some embodiments of the
subject
invention, all of the shortcomings mentioned above are overcome. Briefly the
container of the
subject invention includes a bowl having an upwardly facing opening and a lid
removably
attached to the bowl for covering the opening. The bowl and lid together
define a hollow
enclosure. A chamber is associated with the lid and projects into the
enclosure. The chamber has
a downwardly facing outlet defined by a rim. A cap is removably attached to
the chamber and,
when closed, covers the outlet and prevents any contents within the chamber
from discharging
therefrom. A lever is associated with the cap and is in contact with the rim.
The rim acts as a
fulcrum about which the lever pivots. Finally, the container includes a
release hook having an
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end disposed outside the enclosure. The hook functions to cause the lever to
pivot with resulting
opening of the cap and discharge of any contents within the chamber into the
enclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The container of the invention is described with reference to the accompanying
drawings
in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container showing a chamber and other
components
in its interior through a transparent lid;
Figure 2 is a section of the container;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a cap disposed in the interior of the
container;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the cap from its bottom ; and
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a release hook for operating the cap.
Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the description of
the container.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the container of the invention includes a
bowl 10 and a
lid 12. The bowl has an upwardly facing opening defined by a circular rim 14
and the lid has an
annular downwardly facing channel or socket 16 within which the rim is
removably received
when the container is closed.
When the container is closed, the bowl and lid define a hollow enclosure,
generally 18 for
relatively small portions or pieces of such food as lettuce, carrots, meat and
the like.
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The bowl and lid are composed of resiliently deformable material such as
plastic so that
the rim snaps into the socket in order to attach the rim to the bowl.
Conversely, the rim snaps out
of the socket in order to separate the lid from the bowl.
A chamber 20 is integrally moulded with the lid or is friction-fit into an
aperture 22 in the
lid. The chamber extends downwardly into the interior of the container and
terminates at a lower
rim 24 which defines an outlet 26. The chamber is in the shape of a cylinder
and has a vertical
axis 28-28 which coincides with the longitudinal axis 30-30 of the container.
The diameter 32 of the cylindrical interior wall 34 of the chamber is
substantially the same
as the diameter of outlet 26.
With reference to Figures 2, 3 and 4, a cap 40 is removably attached to the
chamber at its
outlet 26. The cap has a slightly bevelled annular surface 42 at its upper
end. The bevelled surface
functions to frictionally engage the interior wall 34 of the chamber. When so
engaged, the cap acts
to close the chamber.
The uppermost wall 44 of the cap extends cross-axially inward from the
bevelled surface
and terminates at a downwardly extending cylindrical compartment 46.
Compartment 46 traps air
and functions to facilitate removal of the cap. The way it does so is
explained below.
A lever 50 is attached to the lower wall of the cap. The lever is composed of
two identical
parallel plates 50a,b which are spaced apart from each other by a small
distance. The plates extend
radially outwardly and terminate short of the outer wall of the bowl at an
outer end 52. An eyelet
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54 is formed in each plate adjacent to its outer end. The eyelet receives a
release hook 56.
With reference to Figures 2 and 5, the release hook is T-shaped and is
composed of an
elongated rod 58 having a lower end 58a to which a short bar 60 is attached.
The point of
attachment of the bar to the rod is approximately midway of the length of the
bar and the long-
itudinal axes of the rod and bar are normal to each other.
The release hook is attached to the lever by placing the rod between the two
plates such
that the longitudinal axis of the bar is parallel to the faces of the plates.
The rod is then rotated 90
degrees thereby forcing the plates apart sufficiently to allow each end of the
bar to enter a separate
eyelet. The lever is composed of resiliently deformable material to allow the
plates to be forced
apart in this manner.
The lower end of the release hook is attached to the lever in the interior of
the container.
The rod extends upwardly through an aperture 62 in the lid and terminates at a
threaded upper end
58b which is outside the container. A knob 64 is threadably attached to the
upper end.
Since the chamber, cap, lever and release hook are all attached, either
directly or in-
directly, to the lid of the container, they do not interfere with the
attachment or removal of the lid
from the container.
With reference again to Figure 2, the bowl is provided with an annular
shoulder or groove
70 on its side wall. The lid is also provided with an annular groove 72 on its
upper wall. The two
grooves 70, 72 are vertically spaced apart from one another and facilitate
grasping of the bowl
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when it is being shaken.
The container is suitable for use where it is desired to store or to carry a
quantity of
relatively small portions or pieces of food such as a salad and to add a sauce
such as a salad
dressing to the food immediately before it is consumed but not before. The
small portions of food
are placed in the bowl while the bowl is upright. The sauce is poured into the
chamber while the
cap is removed from the chamber and the lid is upside down and removed from
the bowl. The cap
is then pressed over the outlet of the chamber to hold it in place and the lid
is attached to the
container by pressing the lid over the top of the bowl.
The air tapped in compartment 46 of the cap makes it possible to remove the
cap should
chamber 20 be filled to the brim with sauce. In the absence of the trapped
air, there may be a
vacuum in chamber 20 when it is closed by the cap. Such vacuum will resist
removal of the cap
and if knob 64 has to be pulled hard to overcome the vacuum, the lever or
release hook may
fracture. The air trapped in compartment 46 functions to relieve that pressure
and will accordingly
be possible to remove the cap without difficulty whether or not chamber 20 is
full of sauce.
Immediately before the food is to be consumed, the knob of the release hook is
manually
grasped and is pulled upward and away from the container. As the knob is
pulled, the release hook
causes the outer ends of the two plates which make up the lever to pivot
upward toward the lid.
The inner end of the lever is in contact with the rim 24 of the outlet of the
chamber. The rim acts
as a fulcrum about which the lever pivots so that as the outer end of the
lever moves upward,
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the inner end to which cap 40 is connected pivots downward with resulting
opening of the outlet.
The sauce within the chamber then spills into the food portions within the
bowl.
The container is then manually grasped by inserting the thumb into groove 72
of the lid
and the fingers into groove 70 of the bowl and the container is then shaken to
distribute the sauce
throughout the food portions. The loosened cap flops in the food portions as
the container is
shaken and aids in the mixing of the sauce and the food portions.
It will be understood that only by pulling the release hook away from the
container will the
chamber containing the sauce be opened. It will not be opened if the container
or the chamber is
pushed downward or is squeezed. It is highly unlikely that the release hook
will be pulled outward
unintentionally and accordingly accidental mixing of the sauce with the food
portions in the
container is highly unlikely. By contrast, sauces in chambers which are opened
by downward
pressure on the chamber are more likely to be mixed with food portions since
pushing or
squeezing of such containers can accidentally occur.
It will also be understood that modifications can be made in the structure of
the container
as described herein without departing from the scope and purview of the
invention as claimed in
the appended claims.
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