Claims
- 1. Apparatus for storing sliced bread for easy dispensation of individual slices therefrom, comprising:
- elongate bread containment means for containing a plurality of upright bread slices in a horizontally disposed array, said containment means having flexible, bellows-like, foldable longitudinal sides, a closed end and an open end;
- casing means for encasing and permanently retaining said containment means, said casing means having longitudinal sides, an essentially horizontal base with an inside surface slidably supporting said containment means and at least one end provided with a lid openable by a user, said open end of said containment means disposed immediately adjacent said lid, said casing means including means for engaging said containment means to retain the same inside said casing means; and
- user-operated moving means movably supported inside said casing means for moving said closed end of said containment means toward said lid, to thereby facilitate sequential access to said plurality of contained bread slices when said lid is opened.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
- said lid is hinged along a bottom edge to said casing means and is formed to latch shut by engaging a portion of said casing means above said hinge.
- 3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:
- said lid is formed with small vent hole to allow said bread slices to breathe during their containment.
- 4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
- an external surface of said casing means is formed for readily detachable attachment to a support surface for convenient mounting of the apparatus and dispensation of bread slices therefrom.
- 5. Apparatus for storing sliced bread for easy dispensation of individual slices therefrom, comprising:
- elongate bread containment means for containing a plurality of upright bread slices in a horizontally disposed array, said containment means having flexible, bellows-like, foldable longitudinal sides, a closed end and an open end;
- casing means for encasing said containment means, said casing means having longitudinal sides, an essentially horizontal base with an inside surface slidably supporting said containment means and at least one end provided with a lid openable by a user, said open end of said containment means being disposed immediately adjacent said lid, wherein said lid is hinged along a bottom edge to said casing means and is formed to latch shut by engaging a portion of said casing means above said hinge and said lid is formed with a small vent hole to allow said bread slices to breathe during their containment;
- user-operated moving means movably supported inside said casing means for moving said closed end of said containment means toward said lid, to thereby facilitate sequential access to said plurality of contained bread slices when said lid is opened; and
- a generally flat, flexible cushion element, smaller in area than an inside surface of said lid and attached essentially centrally thereto, said cushion being shaped to avoid totally blocking said vent hole under normal use, whereby any contact between said cushion and the closest bread slice is a soft contact and said contained bread slices are free to breathe even when said lid is shut.
- 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:
- a first one of said longitudinal sides of said casing means is formed to have a first narrow longitudinally disposed aperture, and a first portion of said moving means extends therethrough to facilitate movement thereof by a user.
- 7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:
- said longitudinally apertured first side of said casing means is formed to have a first recess such that said first aperture is substantially encompassed by a base surface of said first recess.
- 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:
- first fixing means for fixing said moving means at a predetermined position within said casing means.
- 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:
- said first fixing means comprises a first elongate fixed member attached to said casing means to be adjacent and parallel to said first narrow longitudinally disposed aperture, and said first portion of said moving means extending through said first narrow longitudinally disposed aperture is formed to releasably grasp said first elongate fixed member at a position selected by the user.
- 10. Apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:
- first biasing means for biasing said closed end of said containment means toward said open end thereof.
- 11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:
- said first biasing means comprises a helical spring located intermediate said moving means and said closed end of said containment means.
- 12. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:
- a second one of said longitudinal sides of said casing means, parallel to said first longitudinal side such that said bread slices are contained therebetween, is formed to have a second narrow longitudinally disposed aperture, and a second portion of said moving means extends therethrough to facilitate movement thereof by a user.
- 13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:
- said longitudinally apertured second side of said casing means is formed to have a second recess such that said second longitudinal aperture is substantially encompassed by a base surface of said second recess.
- 14. Apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:
- second fixing means for fixing said moving means at a predetermined position within said casing means.
- 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein:
- said second fixing means comprises a second elongate fixed member attached to said casing means to be adjacent and parallel to said second narrow longitudinally disposed aperture, and said second portion of said moving means extending through said second narrow longitudinally disposed aperture is formed to releasably grasp said second elongate fixed member at a position selected by the user.
- 16. Apparatus for storing two quantities of sliced bread for easy dispensation of individual slices therefrom, comprising:
- first and second elongate bread containment means each for containing a plurality of upright bread slices in a horizontally disposed array, each of said containment means having flexible, bellows-like, foldable longitudinal sides, a closed end and an open end, with the respective closed ends being mutually adjacent;
- casing means for encasing and permanently retaining said first and second containment means collinearly, said casing means having longitudinal sides, an essentially horizontal base with an inside surface slidably supporting said first and second containment means and having two open opposite ends each provided with a lid openable by a user, said open end of said containment means each disposed immediately adjacent a respective one of said lids, said casing means including means for engaging a respective one of said containment means to retain the same inside said casing means; and
- user-operated moving means movably supported inside said casing means for individually moving said closed end of said first and second containment means toward a respective one of said lids, to thereby facilitate sequential access to said plurality of contained bread slices therethrough.
- 17. Apparatus according to claim 16, wherein:
- each of said two lids is formed with a small vent to allow said bread slices to breathe during their containment.
- 18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein:
- two parallel longitudinally disposed vertical sides of said casing means are each formed to have a longitudinally disposed aperture, and a pair of extensions are provided to each of said moving means such that one extension of each pair extends through a corresponding one of said apertures in said two parallel sides of said casing means.
- 19. Apparatus according to claim 18, wherein:
- fixing means are provided to each of said moving means for fixing thereof with respect to said casing means at positions selected by the user.
- 20. Apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising:
- biasing means for biasing said close ends of said first and second containment means toward said respective open ends thereof.
- 21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein:
- said biasing means comprise a helical spring between the closed end of each of said first and second containment means and the corresponding one of said moving means.
- 22. Apparatus according to claim 21, wherein:
- an external surface of said casing means is formed for readily detachable attachment to a support surface for convenient mounting of the apparatus and dispensation of bread slices therefrom.
Parent Case Info
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 943,051, filed Dec. 18, 1986, abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (26)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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943051 |
Dec 1986 |
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