Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02636252 2008-07-04 Received 25 July 2007
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"INFLATABLE FOOD CARRIER CASE"
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inflatable carrier case for carrying
either
singular or multiple units of fruit and other items of food and relates
particularly, though not exclusively, to such a carrier case for children's
lunches.
Background to the Invention
Current means of carrying food or fruit are hard plastic containers, soft
lunch
boxes, cling film or other means. These are either cumbersome or do not
provide a good level of, or adequate, protection. For example, there is a
tendency for a piece of fruit to become bruised as it bounces around inside a
hard lunchbox or if it is left loose in a school bag or briefcase.
The present invention was developed with a view to providing a food carrier
case with inflatable walls which overcomes or substantially ameliorates the
above disadvantages and/or more generally to provide a protective food/fruit
carrier case of improved performance.
References to prior art in this specification are provided for illustrative
purposes only and are not to be taken as an admission that such prior art is
part of the common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.
Summary of the Invention
According to the present invention there is provided an inflatable food
carrier
case comprising walls formed of a flexible airtight material, wherein the
walls
are formed at least partly of an outer and inner wall to create an inflatable
air
chamber which, when inflated, provides protection for the food within the
carrier case by providing a secure fit around the food, and wherein the case
comprises two components hinged together so that they can be opened and
closed repeatably, each of which includes an inflatable chamber.
Typically the walls of the carrier case are made of a flexible plastics
material.
The carrier case may have an extra ovk~r cA):Aj cn ade of other material such
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as, but not exclusively, a fabric material. The inner and outer walls may be
of
different shape and size (to suit the contents it is designed to hold) and to
reflect various outer appearances. For example the overall exterior
appearance of the item may be that of a head with a face on it, a rugby ball
or
football or an animal so as to appeal to children.
Part of the structure may be a rim which can be made from a more rigid
substance to provide structural shaping to the case where necessary. For
inflation the case may include a valve in the inner or outer wall. A hinge
where
air can move between different parts of the case may be used in a "clamshell"
overall design, enabling the user to deploy an opening where articles can be
inserted/retrieved into/from the receiving space.
The case may be formed with a single cavity adapted to receive an item of
food therein. Alternatively, the case may be formed with a plurality of
cavities
adapted to receive respective multiple items of food therein.
The case can be closed and secured by means of any suitable fastening
mechanism, for example a burr fastener, sliding clasp fastener or another
form of fastening. The fastening may be covered by a flap to provide a neat
outward appearance.
Preferably there is also provided a further fastening device such as a clip
and/or strap to enable the case to be attached to another object such as bag,
belt, bike, car.
One or both of the inner wall or the outer wall may be adapted to receive a
coolant or coolant device such as a freezer gel.
Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word
"comprise" or variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be
understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but
not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers. Likewise the word
"preferably" or variations such as "preferred", will be understood to imply
that
a stated integer or group of integers is desirable but not essential to the
working of the invention.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following
detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inflatable carrier case,
given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,
in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of an
inflatable
carrier case according to the invention, upon closure after inflation;
Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view of the inflatable case of Figure 1
prior to closure, in a semi-inflated condition;
Figure 3 is a schematic side elevation of the inflatable case of Figure 2;
Figure 4 is a schematic plan view of a second embodiment of an inflatable
carrier case upon closure after inflation;
Figure 5 is a schematic plan view of the inflatable carrier case of Figure 4
prior to closure, in a semi-inflated condition;
Figure 6 is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment of an
inflatable carrier case according to the invention;
Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of a fourth embodiment of an
inflatable carrier case according to the invention prior to closure, in a semi-
inflated condition; and,
Figure 8 is a schematic perspective view of the inflatable case of Figure 7
upon closure after inflation.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments
A first embodiment of an inflatable food/fruit carrier case 10, as depicted
schematically in the Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, is
preferably formed of plastics materials such as PVC or other food contact-
safe materials. The plastics material might be opaque or light-transmissive or
translucent or transparent. The carrier case 10 comprises an outer wall 11 a
and an inner wall 11 b arranged to form an inflatable air chamber which, when
inflated, provides protection for the food within the carrier case. Walls 11 a
and
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11 b are typically plastics-welded onto another specially formulated rim or
structure 12. A semi-rigid material may be inserted inside the rim or
structure
12 to provide a degree of structural rigidity to the rim or body of the case
10.
The walls 11 may be made in different shapes and sizes to suit the object(s)
and for individual design. In this embodiment, the walls 11 of the case 10 are
designed to accommodate a single piece of fruit, for example, an apple or an
orange (not shown). The case 10 comprises two halves 13a and 13b joined
together by a hinge 16. Each half 13 includes an inflatable air chamber which
is configured to form a hemispherical internal cavity. Preferably the
inflatable
chambers in the respective halves 13a and 13b are in fluid communication via
air inlets/outlets extending across the hinge 16, to allow air to flow between
the air chambers.
As shown in Figure 1, a flap 14 is provided around the top half 13a to
facilitate
closure of the case 10 and to provide a neat finish. The flap 14 is closed or
secured by means of hook and loop fastener 15 or another form of fastening
A hook, loop, clasp or similar device 17 is fixed to the top half 13a of the
case
10, and attached thereto is a clip, hook or strap 17a or other means of
attachment to enable the case 10 to be secured to a bag, belt or other object.
Air can be blown into the air chambers formed between the inner and outer
walls via a valve 18 to create an air cushion around the piece of fruit.
In use, a piece of fruit (not shown) is inserted into the cavity formed in the
lower half 13b of the case 10, preferably while it is in a semi-inflated
condition
as shown in Figure 2. The carrier case 10 is then closed by bringing the top
half 13a over the top of the piece of fruit, and the securing it to the lower
half
13b by means of flap 14 and the hook and loop fastener 15. One then blows
air into the air chambers via the air valve 18 to create a secure fit around
the
enclosed piece of fruit.
The inflatable food/fruit carrier case 10 can be carried loose, placed
directly
into a school bag or other carrying device, or secured by way of a hook, clip,
or strap 17a or other means to a bag, belt, bike, dashboard or other object.
The piece of fruit can be safely carried in the case 10 without being bruised
or
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otherwise spoiled in transit. After use the case 10 can be deflated for ease
of
transportation and storage.
A second embodiment of an inflatable food/fruit carrier case 20 is depicted
schematically in the Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings. This
5 embodiment is made from similar materials to the first embodiment and is
specifically designed to carry a banana 22 therein. The carrier case 20
comprises an outer wall 24a and an inner wall 24b arranged to form an
inflatable air chamber which, when inflated, provides protection for the food
within the carrier case. Walls 24a and 24b are typically plastics-welded onto
another specially formulated rim or structure 26. A semi-rigid material may be
inserted inside the rim or structure 26 to provide a degree of structural
rigidity
to the rim or body of the case 20, however this is optional.
The case 20 comprises two halves 28a and 28b joined together by a hinge
30. Each half 28 includes an inflatable air chamber which is configured to
form a banana-shaped internal cavity. Preferably the inflatable chambers in
the respective halves 28a and 28b are in fluid communication via air
inlets/outlets extending across the hinge 30, to allow air to flow between the
air chambers. A valve 32 is provided to allow the air chambers to be inflated.
Flaps 34 are provided on the edge of top half 28a to facilitate closure of the
case 20. The flaps 34 are closed or secured by means of hook and loop
fastener 36 or another form of fastening. This embodiment of the carrier case
20 is used in a similar manner to the first embodiment described above.
A third embodiment of an inflatable food carrier case 40 is depicted
schematically in Figure 6 of the accompanying drawings. This embodiment
may be made from similar materials to the previous embodiments and is
specifically designed to carry a pot of yoghurt, fromage frais or similar food
product therein (not shown). The carrier case 40 comprises an outer wall 42a
and an inner wall 42b arranged to form an inflatable air chamber
therebetween which, when inflated, provides protection for the food within the
carrier case.
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In this embodiment the walls 42 are arranged in a cylindrical configuration to
form a cavity adapted to receive a pot of yoghurt or other food product
therein. A lid 44 is preferably connected to the walls 42 via a hinge 46 and
may also be inflatable. If so, the air chamber formed in the lid 44 is
preferably
in fluid communication with the cylindrical air chamber formed in the walls 42
via air inlets/outlets or channels provided in the hinge 46.
The inner wall may be adapted to receive a coolant such as a freezer gel
pack. As shown in Figure 6, the inner wall 42b may be formed with one of
more internal pockets 48 adapted to receive freezer gel packs therein to help
keep the food product cool during transport. An external pocket 50 may be
provided for a spoon or other utensil.
The lid 44 is provided with a flap 52 to facilitate closure of the carrier
case 40
once the pot of yoghurt is received therein. Lid 44 may be formed with a zip
fastener or other suitable fastener to secure the lid to the top edge of the
walls 42 of the case 40. A clip 54 may optionally be provided to enable the
carrier case 40 to be carried on the belt or attached to some other object.
The
air chambers within the walls 42 and lid 44 is filled with air after the pot
of
yoghurt or other food product is received in the case 40, by blowing in a
valve
56 provided for that purpose. It will be appreciated that in this embodiment
the
air chambers in the case 40 primarily protect the food product by providing
thermal insulation and keeping the food product cool.
A fourth embodiment of an inflatable food carrier case 60 is depicted
schematically in Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings. This
embodiment may be made from similar materials to the previous
embodiments and is specifically designed to carry multiple pieces of a food
product, such as fruit, therein (not shown). The carrier case 60 comprises two
halves 62a and 62b, each half being formed with an outer wall 64a and an
inner wall 64b arranged to form an inflatable air chamber therebetween
which, when inflated, provides protection for the food products within the
carrier case.
Each half 62 of the case 60 is in the form of a tray, which is connected to
the
other half by a hinge 66. The inner wall 64b of each tray is formed with a
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plurality of cavities 68, adapted to receive a respective piece of fruit
therein. A
valve (not visible) is provided for inflating the air chambers in the
respective
halves of the carrier case 60. Preferably the hinge 66 is provided with an air
channel therethrough that provides fluid communication between the air
chambers in the respective halves 62 of the case.
The top half 62a is in the form of a lid for the carrier case 60, which is
provided with a flap 68 that may be closed by means of a suitable fastener
70. A strap 72 or optionally a clip 74 may be used to carry the carrier case
60
and/or attach it to another object.
Now that preferred embodiments of the inflatable carrier case have been
described in detail, it will be apparent that it provides a number of
advantages
over the prior art, including the following:
(i) It provides an effective means of protecting the food product from damage
or deterioration in quality.
(ii) It is attractive to use, especially for children.
(iii) It is cost-effective to manufacture and purchase.
(iv) It can be designed in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and configurations
to
suit numerous applications.
It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the relevant arts that
various
modifications and improvements may be made to the foregoing embodiments,
in addition to those already described, without departing from the basic
inventive concepts of the present invention. For example, it is not necessary
for the food product to be in the form of a solid. The carrier case may take
the
form of an inflatable drink bottle for a liquid food product. Therefore, it
will be
appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited to the specific
embodiments described and is to be determined from the appended claims.
