Patent Application
20250083867
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to storage containers, and in particular to portable food storage containers having a lighted interior.
Containers have long been used to store and transport food items. These containers often are insulated to keep the stored food either cold or hot during transport and until the user is ready to eat the food stored therein. This type of container is often used by users to carry a meal when they are leaving their residence for a period of time, such as to go to work, on a picnic or a long automobile drive/trip.
While existing containers are suitable for their intended purposes the need for improvement remains, particularly in providing container having the features described herein.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a storage container is provided. The storage container having a housing having a parallelepiped shape, the housing having a plurality of walls that define a hollow interior portion, the plurality of walls having a pair of side walls, a front wall, a rear wall, and a bottom wall. A cover member is movably coupled to the housing, the cover member movable between an open position and a closed position, the cover enclosing the hollow interior and being at least partially in contact with a top surface of the walls when in the closed position. At least one light source is disposed within at least one of the plurality of walls and arranged to project light into the hollow interior. A circuit having a power source is provided, the circuit being electrically coupled to the at least one light source and being configured to transfer electrical power to the at least one light source in response to the cover member being moved towards the open position.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the at least one light source disposed at a position equal to or more than 50% of a distance from the bottom wall to the cover member when the cover member is in the closed position.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the at least one light source disposed at a position equal to or more than 75% of a distance from the bottom wall to the cover member when the cover member is in the closed position.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the circuit having a switch disposed within one of the pair of side walls and operably coupled to the cover.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the switch is configured to electrically couple a power source to the at least one light source when the cover is in the open position.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the cover having a projection sized and positioned to engage the switch when the cover is in the closed position.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the at least one light source having a pair of light sources with one of the light sources being disposed in one of the pair of side walls.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the pair of light sources being light emitting diodes (LED).
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the light sources having a surface that is flush with an associated inner surface of the pair of side walls.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the power source being a battery.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the battery being removably disposed within the rear wall.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the battery being electrically coupled to a recharging circuit and an electrical port.
In addition to one or more of the features described herein, or as an alternative, further embodiments of the container may include the electrical port being configured to couple with a universal serial bus (USB) connector.
These and other advantages and features will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
The subject matter, which is regarded as the disclosure, is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages of the disclosure are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The detailed description explains embodiments of the disclosure, together with advantages and features, by way of example with reference to the drawings.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a storage container with a lighted interior to assist users with finding items within the storage container.
Referring now to FIGS. an embodiment of a food storage container 100 is shown that is configured to temporarily hold food. The container 100 includes a bottom portion 102 having a generally parallelpiped shape and a cover member 104. In an embodiment, the cover member 104 is movably coupled, such as with a hinge (e.g. physical hinge or a living hinge) along one wall/side. In an embodiment, the container 100 may further contain a carrying member, such as a handle, that facilitates transportation by the user.
The bottom portion 102 includes a plurality of walls, such as a pair of side walls 106A, 106B, a front wall 108, a rear wall 110, and a bottom wall 112. In an embodiment, the previously mentioned hinge may connect the bottom portion 102 to the cover member 104 along the rear wall 110. In an embodiment, the plurality of walls may be insulated to reduce heat transfer between the food stored within the container 100 and the environment. In an embodiment, there may be a coupling mechanism, such as a zipper or hook and loop fastener for example, that couples to the cover member 104 to a top surface of the plurality of walls until the user desired to obtain the food stored within. The plurality of walls define a hollow interior 116 that is used to hold the food items. It should be appreciated that while embodiments herein refer to the storage of food, this is for example purposes and the claims should not be so limited.
In other embodiments, the container 100 may be used to store other types of items, such as but not limited to medical supplies for example, without deviating from the teachings provided herein.
In the illustrated embodiment, the container 100 includes a circuit 118 that is at least partially disposed within the plurality of walls. In an embodiment, the walls include a power source 120, such as a battery for example, a switch 122 and a pair of light sources 124A, 124B. It should be appreciated that while the illustrated embodiment shows a pair of opposing light sources disposed within the side walls 106A, 106B, in other embodiments other configurations are possible, such as but not limited to a single light source, light sources disposed in adjacent walls, light sources disposed in each of the plurality of walls, multiple light sources disposed in or more of the plurality of walls, or a combination of the foregoing.
In an embodiment, the light sources 124A, 124B configured to direct light into the hollow interior 116. The light sources 124A, 124B may have a lens or cover through which the light is directed. In an embodiment, the lens or cover is flush or in line with an inner surface of the wall in which the light source is disposed. The cover or lens may be waterproof or water resistant. In the illustrated embodiment, the light source is a light emitting diode (LED), such as 12 V-24 V light source. In an embodiment, the LED light sources are disposed within a 0.5 inch (12 mm) hole within the walls.
The light sources 124A, 124B may be oriented to direct light within the hollow interior in a desired direction. In an embodiment, the light sources are positioned and oriented to direct light towards the bottom surface 112. In an embodiment, the light sources 124A, 124B are positioned at a location equal to or more than 50% of a depth “D” of the hollow interior 116. In an embodiment, the light sources 124A, 124B are positioned at a location equal to or more than 75% of the depth “D” of the hollow interior 116. In an embodiment, the light sources 124A, 124B are positioned at a location equal to 75% of the depth “D” of the hollow interior 116.
The light sources 124A, 124B are electrically coupled to the switch 122. In an embodiment, the electrical coupling is via a wire disposed within one or more of the plurality of walls. The switch 122 selectively couples the light sources 124A, 124B to the power source 120. In an embodiment, the switch 122 may be a push-button type switch or a limit switch for example. The switch may be what is referred to as a “normally open” type switch that allows the transfer of electrical power when the switch is in the open position, such as when the cover member 104 is in an open position. The switch 122 may be disposed in one of the side walls 106A, 106B, such as in side wall 106A adjacent the rear wall 110. The switch 122, is operably and selectively engageable with the cover member 104. In an embodiment, the cover member 104 includes a projection 126 that projects below the bottom surface of the cover member 104 and engages the switch 122 when the cover member 104 is moved between an open position and a closed position.
In the illustrated embodiment, the power source 120 includes a battery 128. The battery 128 may be a coin cell type battery having electrical characteristics suitable to activate the light sources 124A, 124B. The power source 120 may be disposed in the rear wall 110 and accessible to the user along a top surface of the wall. As discussed in more detail herein, the battery 128 may be removable or rechargeable.
In use, the user places their items within the hollow interior 116 and moves the cover member 104 from an open to a closed position. When in the closed position, the cover member 104 is against or engaged with the top surface of the walls 106A, 106B, 108, 110. As discussed a mechanism, such as a zipper or hook and loop fastener for example, may couple the cover member 104 to the bottom portion 102 when in the closed position. When the cover member is in the closed position, the switch 122 is configured to stop the flow of electrical power from the power source 120 to the light sources 124A, 124B. In other words, the light sources 124A, 124B will not be activated when the cover member 104 is in the closed position.
When the user desired to obtain the items within the hollow interior 116, they move the cover member 104 to an open position to allow access. As the cover member 104 moves away from the top surface of the walls 106A, 106B, 108, 110, the cover member 104 or the projection 126 disengages from the switch 122. This allows the switch 122 to close and complete the circuit between the power source 120 and the light sources 124A, 124B. With the circuit 118 connected, electrical power is transferred and activates the light sources 124A, 124B to allow the user to see the items within the hollow interior 116.
Referring now to
The power source 420A further includes a battery holder that electrically couples the battery 428A to the circuit 118. The battery holder removably couples the battery 428A, allowing the user to replace the battery when the electrical charge is expended. In an embodiment, the power source 420A may further include a switch 434, such as a rocker switch for example, that allows the user to disable the circuit 118 from activating the light sources 124A, 124B when the cover member 104 is in the open position.
Referring now to
In the embodiment of
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. 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 should also be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, “third”, “upper”, “lower”, and the like may be used herein to modify various elements. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.
Various embodiments of the invention are described herein with reference to the related drawings. Alternative embodiments of the invention can be devised without departing from the scope of this invention. Various connections and positional relationships (e.g., over, below, adjacent, etc.) are set forth between elements in the following description and in the drawings. These connections and/or positional relationships, unless specified otherwise, can be direct or indirect, and the present invention is not intended to be limiting in this respect. Accordingly, a coupling of entities can refer to either a direct or an indirect coupling, and a positional relationship between entities can be a direct or indirect positional relationship. Moreover, the various tasks and process steps described herein can be incorporated into a more comprehensive procedure or process having additional steps or functionality not described in detail herein.
The following definitions and abbreviations are to be used for the interpretation of the claims and the specification. As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having,” “contains” or “containing,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a composition, a mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but can include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such composition, mixture, process, method, article, or apparatus.
Additionally, the term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance or illustration.” Any embodiment or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. The terms “at least one” and “one or more” may be understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to one, i.e. one, two, three, four, etc. The terms “a plurality” may be understood to include any integer number greater than or equal to two, i.e. two, three, four, five, etc. The term “connection” may include both an indirect “connection” and a direct “connection.”
The terms “about,” “substantially,” “approximately,” and variations thereof, are intended to include the degree of error associated with measurement of the particular quantity based upon the equipment available at the time of filing the application. For example, “about” can include a range of ±8% or 5%, or 2% of a given value.
For the sake of brevity, conventional techniques related to making and using aspects of the invention may or may not be described in detail herein.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments described herein.
While the disclosure is provided in detail in connection with only a limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood that the disclosure is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, the disclosure can be modified to incorporate any number of variations, alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, while various embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is to be understood that the exemplary embodiment(s) may include only some of the described exemplary aspects. Accordingly, the disclosure is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/536,970 filed Sep. 7, 2023 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63536970 | Sep 2023 | US |
