Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
PERSONAL CONTAINER FOR FOOD ITEM STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
100011 The present invention relates to containers for storing and
distributing food items, for
example confectionaries and chewing gum.
BACKGROUND
100021 A multitude of containers have been developed in the past for the
storage and dispensing
of gum, confectionary, pills, vitamins, and other similarly sized and shaped
objects such as
consumable food, confectionaries, medical products, or small items such as
matches or toothpicks.
Such dispensing containers have used various means to remove candy from the
container for
consumption. For example, handheld candy dispensers, such as for PEZ or TIC-
TACS are well
known. Such dispensers might be a container with a lid that can be opened to
dispense the candy.
Other such dispensers might include a chamber to hold the candy and a spring
biased mechanism to
push the candy out of the dispenser. Other containers might include a
container with a sliding tray,
for example a matchbox. However, in the case of a matchbox, there is generally
nothing preventing
the entire tray from being removed from the container and possibly spilling
the contents. Thus, there
is a need for improved compact, secure personal containers for carrying small
items, for example
gum, candy, pills, vitamins, and other similarly sized and shaped objects such
as consumable food,
confectionaries, medical products, or small items such as matches or
toothpicks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
100031 In one respect, the present invention comprise a container having
a cover and tray having
retaining structures that retain the tray in a fully closed position with
respect to the cover, as well as a
fully open position, in which the tray is restrained from being fully removed
from the cover, a first
portion of a top opening of the tray is contained within the cover and a
second portion of the top
opening of the tray is exposed. In some embodiments it is desirable to have no
more than 75% of top
opening exposed (no more than 50% in other embodiments) when the tray is in a
fully open position.
The invention further comprises novel structures that enable these features
and facilitate opening and
closing of the container.
100041 In another respect, the present invention comprises a container
that, when closed,
provides a moisture barrier that restricts, but does not fully inhibit the
flow of water vapor in and out
of the container.
100051 In yet another respect, the invention comprises a container
comprising a cove and tray
having a concave shape that more closely follows the contours of the human
body when the container
is placed in a clothing pocket.
CA 2941699 2018-06-08
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
100061 Other aspects, features, and advantages of described embodiments
will become more
fully apparent from the following detailed description, the appended claims,
and the accompanying
drawings in which like reference numerals identify similar or identical
elements.
100071 FIG. I is atop front perspective view of a container according to
exemplary embodiments
of the present invention, with a tray of the container in its fully-closed
position;
[0008] FIG. 2 is a lower front perspective view thereof, with the tray in
its fully-opened position;
100091 FIG. 3 is a left side view thereof;
100101 FIG. 4 is a front view thereof;
100111 FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a cover of the container of
FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. I;
[0013] FIG. 7 is a top front perspective view of the tray of the
container of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 8 is a left side view thereof;
100151 FIG. 9 is a bottom view thereof;
100161 FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 1;
100171 FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 3;
100181 FIG. 12 is an enlarged partial view of the front end of an
exemplary commercial
embodiment according to the present invention showing features of the product
packaging;
[0019] FIG. 13 is a sectional view of the bottom half of the interior of an
alternate embodiment
of the cover shown in FIG. 5; and
100201 FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the bottom half of the interior of
another alternate
embodiment of the cover shown in FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
100211 The ensuing detailed description provides preferred exemplary
embodiments only, and is
not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the herein
disclosed inventions.
Rather, the ensuing detailed description of the preferred exemplary
embodiments will provide those
skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing the preferred
exemplary embodiments
in accordance with the herein disclosed invention. It is understood that
various changes may be made
in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit
and scope of the
invention, as set forth in the appended claims.
100221 To aid in describing the invention, directional terms may be used
in the specification and
claims to describe portions of the present invention (e.g., upper, lower,
left, right, etc.). These
directional definitions are merely intended to assist in describing and
claiming the invention and are
not intended to limit the invention in any way. In addition, reference
numerals that are introduced in
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the specification in association with a drawing figure may be repeated in one
or more subsequent
figures without additional description in the specification, in order to
provide context for other
features.
100231 In the figures, elements that are similar to those of other
embodiments of the present
invention are represented by reference numerals increased by a value of 100.
Such elements should
be regarded as having the same function and structure unless otherwise stated
or depicted herein, and
the discussion of such elements may therefore not be repeated for later-
described embodiments.
100241 It is desirable to have a compact, portable container for storing
and distributing small
food items, for example candies and chewing gum, having the following
features: sized and shaped so
as to fit comfortably in a user's pocket; protective of the food items
contained therein; easy to open;
and securely closeable such that the container does not open accidentally. The
inventors of the
present application have addressed these and other drawbacks of the prior art.
100251 FIGS. 1-12 generally show one embodiment of a container 10 for
storing and distributing
food items. It should be understood that the container 10 could be used to
store and distribute non-
food items, for example toothpicks and other small objects that it may be
desirable for a user to carry
around on his or her person. The container 10 is comprised of two primary
parts, a cover 12 and a
tray 50. The tray 50 is inserted within the cover 12 through a cover front
opening 44.
100261 The cover 12 comprises a cover top side 14 having a cover top side
exterior surface 15
and a cover top side interior surface 16, a cover bottom side 20 having a
cover bottom side exterior
surface 21 and a cover bottom side interior surface 22, a cover left side 26
having a cover left side
exterior surface 27 and a cover left side interior surface 28, a cover right
side 32 having a cover right
side exterior surface 33 and a cover right side interior surface 34, a cover
rear side 40 having a cover
rear side exterior surface 41 and a cover rear side interior surface 42, and
the cover front opening 44.
In this embodiment, the cover bottom side 20 is slightly concave so that it
approximately corresponds
with the curvature of various parts of a user's body (e.g., leg, chest), so
that the container 10 rests
more comfortably against the user's body when placed in a pocket. As discussed
below, the tray 50 is
also shaped to accommodate the concavity of the cover bottom side 20. In this
embodiment, the cover
top side 14 is also preferably curved (slightly convex). In exemplary
embodiments, the cover bottom
side 20 and the tray 50 might have a concavity having a radius in the range of
8 inches (20.3cm) to 14
inches (35.6cm), more preferably 11 inches (27.9cm) to 12 inches (30.5cm) and,
most preferably, in
the range of 11.5 inches (29.2cm) to 11.6 inches (29.6cm).
100271 Detent ridge 18 is located on cover top side interior surface 16,
detent ridge 24 is located
on cover bottom side interior surface 22, detent ridge 30 is located on cover
left side interior surface
28, and detent ridge 36 is located on cover right side interior surface 34.
Each of the detent ridges
18,24,30.36 is located at approximately half the depth of the cover 12, i.e.,
approximately halfway
between the cover front opening 44 and the cover rear side 40. Each of the
detent ridges 18,24,30,36
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is slightly ramped on its respective front side (i.e., on its side closer to
the cover front opening 44) to
support relatively easy insertion of the tray 50 into the cover 12, but flat
on its respective back side
(i.e., on its side closer to the cover rear side 40) to prevent the tray 50
from falling out of the cover 12.
The interaction of these detent ridges 18,24,30,36 with parts of the tray 50
will be described in further
detail below. The detent ridges 18, 24, 30, 36 shown in this embodiment are
one example of cover
retention elements that are used to cooperate with tray retention elements to
prevent the tray 50 from
being fully removed from the cover 12. Other examples of cover and tray
retention elements are
provided in other exemplary embodiments of the invention described herein.
100281 The tray 50 comprises a tray top opening 51, a tray bottom side 52
having a tray bottom
side exterior surface 53 and a tray bottom side interior surface 60, a tray
left side 62 having a notch
64, a tray left side exterior surface 65 having a detent bead 66, and a tray
left side interior surface 67,
a tray right side 69 having a notch 71, a tray right side exterior surface 72
having a detent bead 73,
and a tray right side interior surface 74, a tray rear side 76 having a tray
rear side exterior surface 76
and a tray rear side interior surface 78, and a tray front portion 86. The
notches 64,71 provide access
for a user to insert a finger into the interior of the tray 50 and lift out a
piece of candy or gum, without
the need to turn the container 10 upside-down, thus avoiding the risk that
multiple pieces of candy or
gum will fall out of the container 10. In this embodiment, the depth of the
notches 64,71 is preferably
at least 30%, and more preferably 50%, of the thickness of each piece of the
food item (e.g., piece of
candy or gum) that is stored in the tray 50. In this embodiment, the tray
bottom side 52 also has a
slightly concave shape, in order to compliment the shape of the cover bottom
side 20, which provides
for a better fit between the tray 50 and the cover 12.
100291 The rear end of the tray 50 includes a plurality of lips, namely,
upper rear lip 80, lower
rear lip 81, left side rear lip 82, and right side rear lip 83. When the tray
50 is pulled outwardly to its
fully-opened position, it is retained in that position by the interaction of
the lips 80-83 with the flat
.. portions of the detent ridges 18,24,30,36 that are located on the interior
sides of the cover 12.
Specifically, upper rear lip 80 engages the flat portion of detent ridge 18,
lower rear lip 81 engages the
flat portion of the detent ridge 24, left side rear lip 82 engages the flat
portion of the detent ridge 30,
and right side rear lip 83 engages the flat portion of the detent ridge 36. In
this way, the tray 50 is
prevented __ under normal use¨from being withdrawn from inside the cover 12
any further than
approximately 50% of its depth. In other words, when in its fully-opened
position, as shown in FIG.
2, only approximately 50% of the tray top opening 51 is located exterior to
the cover front opening
44. The detent beads 66,73, along with the lips 80-83, help to keep the tray
50 evenly spaced within
the interior of the cover 12.
100301 Located on the tray bottom side exterior surface 53 is a detent 55
and a pair of anti-
compression ridges 59a,59b, which will be discussed below. The detent 55 has a
flat portion 57
located on its anterior side (i.e., closer to the tray front portion 86) and a
ramped portion 56 located on
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CA 2941699 2018-06-08
its posterior side (i.e., closer to the tray rear side 76). When the tray 50
is put in its fully-closed
position, as shown in FIG. 1 and the sectional view of FIG. 10, the ramped
portion 56 of the detent 55
slides over the detent ridge 24 located on the cover bottom side interior
surface 22 until the detent 55
is located behind the detent ridge 24, such that the detent ridge 24 is
engaged with the flat portion 57
of the detent 55. The interaction of the detent 55 and the detent ridge 24
helps to keep the tray 50 in
its fully-closed position until it is pulled outwardly (i.e., in a direction
substantially towards the cover
front opening 44) with sufficient force to overcome this interaction and the
frictional interaction of the
tray front portion 86 with the interior surfaces of the cover 12, which is
described in detail below.
100311 Applicant has discovered that customers have different preferences
concerning the
locations at which they hold the container 10 when attempting to open it. Some
users will hold the
container by the cover left side 26 and cover right side 32, and pull out the
tray 50. Other users will
hold the container by the cover top side 14 and cover bottom side 20 while
attempting to pull out the
tray 50. For this latter group of users, Applicant found that the force
applied to the cover top side 14
and cover bottom side 20 made it difficult for the users to pull out the tray.
In this embodiment,
therefore, the anti-compression ridges 59a,59b were included along the depth
of the tray bottom side
exterior surface 53. The anti-compression ridges 59a,59b act to reduce the
overall area of friction
between the tray 50 and the interior surfaces of the cover 12, thereby
permitting easier removal of the
tray 50 from within the cover 12. In this embodiment, the anti-compression
ridges 59a, 59b are linear,
and are oriented parallel to tray left and right sides 62, 69.
100321 As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 8, the tray front portion 86 comprises a
lip 88, a finger slot
89 including an indent 90, a tray insertion stop 92, a chamfered portion 94,
and a tray front opening
96 including a reinforcement ridge 98. The finger slot 89 extends around the
entire outer perimeter of
the tray front portion 86 and provides a comfortable place for the user to
rest his or her fingers when
opening or closing the tray 50. The finger slot 89 terminates at a lip 88 that
also extends around the
entire outer perimeter of the tray front portion 86. Located within the finger
slot 89, corresponding
with the upper side of the tray 50, is the indent 90. The indent 90 serves as
a tactile indicator to the
user that they have the container 10 held such that, when opened, the food
items contained within the
tray 50 do not fall to the floor. The tray insertion stop 92 extends around
the entire outer perimeter of
the tray front portion 86, divides the chamfered portion 94 from the finger
slot 89, and acts to
completely cover the cover front opening when the tray 50 is in its fully-
closed position.
100331 The perimeter of the lip 88 is preferably located in substantially
the same plane so that the
container 10 can be stood on end.
100341 As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 8, the chamfered portion 94 tapers in
thickness such that it is
thickest where it makes contact with the tray insertion stop 92. The
respective interior surfaces
16,22,28,34 of the cover sides 14,20,26.32 frictionally engage the chamfered
portion 94 as the tray 50
is inserted into the cover front opening 44. This frictional fit is primarily
responsible for holding the
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tray 50 in its fully-closed position.
100351 In order for many food items to remain fresh, it is desirable for
thc container 10 to by air-
permeable but to restrict the flow of moisture to and from the container 10
when it is in a fully closed
position. The interaction of the chamfered portion 94 with the respective
interior surfaces 16,22,28,34
of the cover sides 14,20,26,32 of the present embodiment acts as a moisture
barrier that restricts, but
does not fully inhibit moisture from flowing into the container 10.
100361 For purposes of this application, moisture permeability of the
container is measured by
the following method: (I) weighing a quantity anhydrous desiccant, (2) placing
the desiccant inside
the tray, (3) fully inserting the tray into the cover, (4) placing the
container (with the desiccant
contained therein) in a temperature and atmospherically-controlled chamber at
103 degrees F (39.4
degrees C) and 80% relative humidity for twenty four hours, and (5) measuring
the weight of the
desiccant after step (4). Under this procedure, the degree of moisture
permeability is expressed a
percentage weight gain by the desiccant. As used in the specification and
claims, the term "moisture
barrier" means a barrier that provides a moisture permeability corresponding
to a weight gain is in the
range of 0.25% to 5.0% and, preferably in the range of 0.5% to 3.0%, using the
test described above.
100371 The tray front opening 96 is hollow to comfortably accommodate the
insertion of a user's
fingers therein, and includes a reinforcement ridge 98 that spans across the
tray front opening 96
between its top and bottom edges. The reinforcement ridge has an arcuate
cutout therein (see FIGS. 1
and 2) so that it does not interfere with a user's fingers, while being
flexible and providing added
rigidity. The reinforcement ridge 98 will flex when squeezed, but prevents the
user from collapsing
the finger slot 89 when gripping the tray front portion 86. Additionally, the
tray front portion 86
might be arranged in a planar layout that is substantially perpendicular to
the length of the cover 12,
such that container 10 can be stood vertically on the tray front portion 86.
This position might also
beneficially allow items within the container 10 to be shifted to the front
end of tray 50, to be
disposed within the exposed region of the tray top opening 51 when the tray 50
is in the fully open
position.
100381 As shown in FIG. 12, when the container 10 is packaged for sale,
it is typically shrink-
wrapped in a packaging sleeve 99 that is tightly sealed around the perimeter
of the entire finger slot
89, which is recessed. This will make it more evident when someone has
attempted to tamper with
the packaging of the container 10. The packaging sleeve 99 is preferably
perforated near the front
edge of the cover 12 and to the rear of the tray insertion stop 92 so that the
perforation 100 is torn
when the tray 50 is first opened, thereby providing a method of initially
opening the container 10 and
providing a tamper-evident seal. The packaging sleeve 99 has heat-activated
adhesive for fixing the
packaging sleeve 99 in place, such that the packaging sleeve 99 stays in place
around the exterior of
the container 10 (i.e., the exterior of the cover 12) after the container 10
has been initially opened.
100391 FIG. 13 shows a sectional view of the interior of an alternate
embodiment of the cover
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112. In particular, FIG. 13 shows a view cover bottom side interior surface
122 and cover left side
interior surface 128. Although not shown in FIG. 13, cover top side interior
surface 116 and tray right
side interior surface 134 might be similarly constructed as cover bottom side
interior surface 122 and
cover left side interior surface 128 as shown in FIG. 13. As described herein,
detent ridge 118 is
located on cover top side interior surface 116, detent ridgel 24 is located on
cover bottom side interior
surface 122, detent ridge 130 is located on cover left side interior surface
128, and detent ridge 136 is
located on cover right side interior surface 134. As shown in FIG. 13, the
detent ridge 124 might be
split into segments, for example a first detent ridge segment 124a and a
second detent ridge segment
124b, separated by area 19 in which there is no detent ridge. Each of the
detent ridge segments 124a
and 124b is located at approximately half the depth of the cover 112, with a
similar design and
function as described herein in regard to the detent ridges 18,24,30 and 36.
100401 Also as shown in FIG. 13, the cover 112 might include rear
retention detent 25. The rear
retention detent 25 might have flat portion located on its anterior side
(i.e., closer to the tray front
portion 86) and a ramped portion located on its posterior side (i.e., closer
to the tray rear side 76) such
that when the tray 50 is in its fully-closed position, as shown in FIG. I and
the sectional view of FIG.
10, the lower rear lip 81 of tray 50 slides over the ramped portion of the
rear retention detent 25 until
the lower rear lip 81 of tray 50 is located behind the rear retention detent
25, such that the lower rear
lip 81 of tray 50 is engaged with the flat portion of the rear retention
detent 25, thus helping to keep
the tray 50 in its fully-closed position until it is pulled outwardly (i.e.,
in a direction substantially
towards the cover front opening 44) with sufficient force to overcome this
interaction. Although
shown in FIG. 13 as a single detent located on cover bottom side interior
surface 122, the rear
retention detent 25 might be implemented as multiple detents located on the
cover bottom side interior
surface 122, or might be implemented in conjunction with one or more rear
retention detents located
on one or both of the cover left side interior surface 128 and the cover right
side interior surface 134,
such as shown in FIG. 14.
100411 FIG. 14 shows a sectional view of the interior of another
alternate embodiment of the
cover 212. In particular, FIG. 14 shows a view cover bottom side interior
surface 222 and cover left
side interior surface 228. As shown in FIG. 14, the rear retention detent 25
might instead be located
on one or both interior side surfaces 228 and 234 of the cover 212, shown in
FIG. 14 as the left side
rear retention detent 125a. The left side rear retention detent 125a might
have flat portion located on
its anterior side (i.e., closer to the tray front portion 86) and a ramped
portion located on its posterior
side (i.e., closer to the tray rear side 76) such that when the tray 50 is in
its fully-closed position, as
shown in FIG. I and the sectional view of FIG. 10, the left side rear lip 82
of tray 50 slides over the
ramped portion of the left rear retention detent 125a until the left side rear
lip 82 of tray 50 is located
behind the left side rear retention detent 125a, such that the left side rear
lip 82 of tray 50 is engaged
with the flat portion of the left side rear retention detent 125a, thus
helping to keep the tray 50 in its
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fully-closed position until it is pulled outwardly (i.e., in a direction
substantially towards the cover
front opening 44) with sufficient force to overcome this interaction. Although
shown in FIG. 14 as a
single detent located on cover left side interior surface 228, the rear
retention detent might
additionally or alternatively be located on the cover right side interior
surface 234 (e.g., right side rear
retention detent 125b, not shown).
100421 Also shown in FIG. 14, detent ridge 224, located on cover bottom
side interior surface
222, might include the detent tab 23. Detent tab 23 might be configured to
engage a recess on the tray
bottom side exterior surface 53. In particular, detent tab 23 might be located
within a recess on the
tray bottom side exterior surface 53. However, the recess might not extend for
the entire length of the
______________________________________ tray bottom side exterior surface 53,
thus preventing the tray 50 under normal use from being
withdrawn from inside the cover 12 any further than approximately 50% of its
depth. In other words,
when in its fully-opened position, as shown in FIG. 2, only approximately 50%
of the tray top
opening 51 is located exterior to the cover front opening 44.
100431 Further, although described herein as being a detent (e.g., a
protrusion), as would be
understood by one of skill in the art, any detent could be reversed to be a
recess, and vice versa.
100441 Thus, described embodiments provide a container for storing and
distributing items. The
container has a cover that has a cover top side, a cover bottom side, a cover
left side, a cover right
side, and a cover rear side, which collectively define a cover internal
volume. Each of the cover top
side, the cover bottom side, the cover left side, and the cover right side
have a front edge that defines a
cover front opening. The cover also includes at least one cover retention
element. A tray includes a
tray front side, a tray bottom side, a tray left side, a tray right side, and
a tray rear side, wherein the
tray front side, the tray left side, the tray right side, and the tray rear
side collectively define a tray top
opening. The tray top opening has a length extending from the tray front side
to the tray rear side and
a width extending from the tray left side to the tray right side. The tray and
cover are complimentarily
shaped, such that the tray can be inserted within the cover internal volume
through the cover front
opening. The container has a fully closed position in which the tray top
opening is fully contained
within the internal volume and the tray front side fully covers the cover
front opening. The cover also
has a fully open position in which the at least one cover retention element
engages the tray to resist
further outward movement of the tray from the internal volume. Also, in the
fully open position, the
tray top opening includes a covered portion that is contained within the
internal volume, and an
exposed portion comprising preferably no more than 75% of the length of the
tray top opening and,
more preferably, no more than 50% of the length of the tray top opening.
100451 Although exemplary embodiments of the herein described device has
been described in
detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many
additional modifications are
possible in the exemplary embodiment without materially departing from the
novel teachings and
advantages of the herein described device. Accordingly, these and all such
modifications are intended
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to be included within the scope of the herein described device.
100461 Reference herein to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that
a particular
feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the
embodiment can be included in at
least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in
various places in the
specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor
are separate or alternative
embodiments necessarily mutually exclusive of other embodiments. The same
applies to the term
"implementation."
100471 As used in this application, the word "exemplary" is used herein
to mean serving as an
example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as
"exemplary" is not
necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or
designs. Rather, use of
the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.
Unless explicitly stated
otherwise, each numerical value and range should be interpreted as being
approximate as if the word
"about" or "approximately" preceded the value of the value or range.
100481 It will be further understood that various changes in the details,
materials, and
arrangements of the parts that have been described and illustrated in order to
explain the nature of the
described embodiments might be made by those skilled in the art without
departing from the scope
expressed in the following claims.
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