Patent Application
20140090991
The present invention relates generally to bake ware and storage containers, and more particularly to a container and container lid for maintaining moisture in confections.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
As any baker will attest, cookies and other confections have a tendency to loose their moisture at a rapid pace after they have been cooked. The loss of moisture is due to the fact that cookies contain large amounts of sugar which is hygroscopic in nature. To this end, cookies are constantly pulling moisture out of the air. However, when cookies are placed in sealed containers for storage, the moisture of the air within the sealed container is quickly absorbed by the cookie, leaving only dry air. As a result, cookies become hard after a couple days and must be discarded.
Other baked goods such as bread, for example, have a disposition that is inverse to the hygroscopic nature of cookies. To this end, the open cell structure of bread actively dissipates moisture into the outside environment. This is why bread is packaged in sealed plastic, and then becomes stale after short exposure to the outside air.
Owing to the inverse relationship between these items, it is not uncommon for individuals to place slices of bread into the same storage container as cookies. When so positioned, the bread provides a constant source of moisture to the air within the sealed container from which the cookies can constantly draw. As a result, the bread becomes dry and the cookies remain moist.
Unfortunately, this arrangement presents several drawbacks whenever the bread makes contact with the cookies. To this end, those cookies touching the bread can absorb too much moisture, causing the cookie to fall apart, and denying the needed moisture to the remaining cookies within the container. Additionally, cookies making contact with the bread can retain bread particles which can affect the taste of the cookie.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a container capable of maintaining moisture within confections that are stored therein, that does not suffer from the drawbacks described above.
The present invention is directed to a container for maintaining confection moisture. One embodiment of the present invention can include a main body for storing confections, a removable lid for creating an airtight seal within the main body, and a moisture chamber having a plurality of openings for disseminating moisture throughout the interior of the main body.
Another embodiment of the present invention can include a main body for storing confections having a moisture chamber secured therein.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention can include a removable lid capable of mating with a conventional storage container. The lid including a moisture chamber having a plurality of openings for disseminating moisture throughout the interior of the conventional storage container.
This summary is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter.
Presently preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the inventive arrangements in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.
Identical reference numerals are used for like elements of the invention or elements of like function. For the sake of clarity, only those reference numerals are shown in the individual figures which are necessary for the description of the respective figure. For purposes of this description, the terms “upper,” “bottom,” “right,” “left,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
Although described throughout this document as utilizing bread and cookies, this is for illustrative purposes only, as the “bread” can be substituted for any type of moisture releasing ingredient that discharges stored moisture into the surrounding air Likewise, “cookies” can refer to virtually any type of confection such as pies, brownies, cakes and the like which are hygroscopic in nature.
The main body 11 can act as a vessel for storing confections, and can include a plurality of vertical side walls 11a terminating along a generally planar bottom surface 11b defining a hollow interior space H. A lid sealing mechanism/lip 12 can be positioned along the upper periphery of the side walls 11a in order to securely engage a complementary sealing mechanism 22 of the removable lid 20.
In one preferred embodiment, the main body 11 can include a generally rectangular shape that is constructed from a strong, resilient and airtight material such as plastic, for example. Of course, any number of other shapes, sizes and construction materials are also contemplated.
The removable lid 20 can include an elongated member having a top surface 21a and a bottom surface 21b. A base sealing mechanism 22 can be disposed along the outer periphery of the lid so as to extend outward from the bottom surface 21b. In one preferred embodiment, the lid 20 will also include a generally rectangular shape having a dimension that is complementary to the dimension of the main body, in order to allow the lid and main body to mate via the sealing mechanisms. The lid will preferably be constructed from an identical material to the main body 11, however other construction materials can also be utilized.
The lid sealing mechanism 12 and complementary base sealing mechanism 22 can include any number of different shapes and ridges so as to securely engage the main body and lid together in an airtight manner. Seals for removably joining containers and lids together in an airtight manner are extremely well known in the art and include, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,716, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Although described above as separate elements, those of skill in the art will recognize that complementary sealing mechanism's 12 and 22 can also be integrally formed into the construction of the main body 11 and lid 20, respectively at a time of manufacture in accordance with any number of conventional construction methodologies.
The moisture chamber 30 can act to position bread or other moisture releasing substances within the interior space H of the main container body. As shown, the moisture chamber 30 can include a generally box-like shape having a dimension suitable for receiving a piece of bread. The chamber 30 can include an inside facing surface 30a, an outside facing surface 30b, and a plurality of side surfaces 30c interposed therebetween and defining a hollow interior chamber space C. An opening 31 can be disposed within one or more of the side surfaces 30c in order to receive and remove bread. A plurality of holes, openings and/or perforations 32 can be disposed throughout the surfaces 30b and 30c of the chamber so as to allow moisture from the bread to escape into the main body cavity.
The moisture chamber 30 can be secured within the container via any number of permanent bonding items such as glue, resin, welds and the like. Alternatively, the moisture chamber can be integrally formed into the construction of the lid 20 or main body 11 (See
Although described above as including plastic construction, other embodiments are also contemplated. For example, the main body 11 can also be constructed from a heat resistant material such as steel or aluminum, for example, and can function as a baking pan. The lid 20 and moisture chamber 30 can also be constructed from steel or aluminum to cover the confection during a baking procedure and upon cooling the bread can be added to the moisture chamber 30.
As described above, sealing mechanisms between lids and container bodies are well known in the art, and are often utilized interchangeably by a variety of different manufacturers. Moreover, containers are often produced and sold in a plurality of standardized sizes. To this end, those of skill in the art will recognize that the lid 20 housing the moisture chamber 30 can be secured to any number of conventional container bodies in order to allow the inventive concepts described herein to be realized. Likewise, the main body 11 housing the moisture chamber 30 (See
The removable lid 20′ can include a generally circular/oval side wall 21c′ terminating into a generally planar member having a top surface 21a′ and a bottom surface 21b′. A sealing mechanism 22 can be disposed along the outer periphery of the side wall 21c′ for mating with the complementary sealing mechanism 12, as per the description above.
As illustrated by the present embodiment, the moisture chamber 30 can be secured to the container main body 11′. To this end, the moisture container can also include a generally curved shape suitable for mating with the curved shape of the side wall 11a′. Although illustrated as being secured to the side wall 11a′, the chamber 30 can also be secured to the bottom surface 11b (not illustrated).
As described herein, one or more elements of the container for maintaining confection moisture 10 can be secured together utilizing any number of known attachment means such as, for example, screws, glue, compression fittings and welds, among others. Moreover, although the individual elements of both the container and lid have been described separately, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are not so limiting. To this end, one of skill in the art will recognize that each element of both the main body and the lid can be formed together as one continuous element, either through manufacturing processes, such as welding, casting, or molding, or through the use of a singular piece of material milled or machined with the aforementioned components forming identifiable sections thereof. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment, both the lid and the main body can be constructed from injection molded plastic having complementary shapes and dimensions for creating an airtight seal when secured together.
Accordingly, the container for maintaining confection moisture 10 can take any number of different shapes and sizes, and the moisture chamber can be secured to the lid or the main body in either a permanent or removable fashion.
As to a further description of the manner and use of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
