Food item receiving container

Information

  • Patent Grant
  • 6793096
  • Patent Number
    6,793,096
  • Date Filed
    Tuesday, October 7, 2003
    21 years ago
  • Date Issued
    Tuesday, September 21, 2004
    20 years ago
Abstract
A food item receiving container. A case defines a receiving space. A lid functions to close the case. Locking wings are integrally formed at edges of the lid, so that they can be pivoted upward and downward. Flange portions are formed on upper end outer surfaces of sidewalls of the case, so that the locking wings are engaged with the flange portions to be maintained in a locked state. An engaging groove is defined on a lower surface of each flange portion. Each locking wing has an elastic engaging part which is formed to be flexed and cover the lower surface of the flange portion when the corresponding locking wing is pivoted downward, and engaging protuberances which are horizontally formed on an upper surface of the elastic engaging part to be engaged with the engaging groove of the flange portion while elastically deforming the elastic engaging part.
Description




BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION




1. Field of the Invention




The present invention relates, in general, to a food item receiving container and, more particularly, to a food item receiving container which is constructed to prevent odor and/or water from leaking to thereby keep a food item in an airtight manner.




2. Description of the Prior Art




Generally, when placing a food item in a refrigerator, etc., peculiar odor of the food item and/or water is likely to leak. In order to avoid this situation, the food item is normally received in an airtight receiving container.




Referring to

FIG. 1

, a conventional airtight receiving container includes a case


1


opened at an upper end thereof, a lid


2


for opening and closing the case


1


, and locking wings


3


for locking the lid


2


to the opened upper end of the case


1


.




The case


1


has a rectangular box-shaped configuration which defines a receiving space therein. Adjacent to upper ends of four side walls


1




a


and


1




b


of the case


1


, locking projections


4


are formed. In this regard, two locking projections


4


are projectedly formed on an outer surface of each side wall


1




a


and


1




b


of the case


1


.




A sealing groove (not shown) is continuously defined adjacent to four edges on a lower surface of the lid


2


so that the opened upper end of the case


1


can be inserted into the sealing groove.




The locking wings


3


are formed integrally with four respective sides of the lid


2


so that they can be pivoted upward and downward (in directions shown by the arrows) Two locking slots


5


are defined in each locking wing


3


to be operatively associated with the two locking projections


4


.




Therefore, after a food item is received in the receiving space of the case


1


by a user, the lid


2


is closed, and the locking wings


3


formed integrally with the lid


2


are pivoted downward. In doing so, the locking projections


4


formed on the side walls


1




a


and


1




b


of the case


1


are engaged into the locking slots


5


, respectively, whereby the lid


2


is firmly locked to the case


1


.




If the four locking wings


3


are pivoted upward, the locking projections


4


are disengaged from the locking slots


5


. In this way, the lid


2


is opened.




However, the conventional airtight receiving container constructed as mentioned above suffers from defects in that, since the locking projections


4


of a substantial size are projectedly formed on the side walls


1




a


and


1




b


of the case


1


, an aesthetic appearance of the airtight receiving container is deteriorated. Also, the possibility of the locking projections


4


to hinder an operation for washing the case


1


is increased. That is to say, when washing the case


1


using a scrubber, etc., the locking projections


4


projectedly formed on the side walls


1




a


and


1




b


of the case


1


may hinder the washing operation.




Further, because the locking slots


5


are defined in the locking wings


3


, the likelihood of a foreign substance to be captured in the locking slots


5


is increased, whereby sanitary issues are raised.




SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION




Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a food item receiving container in which locking wings and their locking pattern are modified in such a way as to render an aesthetic appearance of the container and increase user convenience.




Another object of the present invention is to provide a food item receiving container in which locked states of the locking wings are maintained in a reliable manner.




In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a food item receiving container, comprising: a case opened at an upper end thereof to define a receiving space therein; a lid for closing the opened upper end of the case; a plurality of locking wings integrally formed at edges of the lid, respectively, so that they can be pivoted upward and downward; and flange portions projectedly formed in the shape of a band on upper end outer surfaces of side walls of the case, respectively, so that the locking wings can be engaged with the flange portions to be maintained in a locked state; wherein at least one engaging groove is defined on a lower surface and at a middle portion, facing a corresponding locking wing, of each flange portion, and wherein each locking wing has an elastic engaging part which is formed to be flexed and thereby cover the lower surface of the flange portion when the corresponding locking wing is pivoted downward, and engaging protuberances which are horizontally formed on an upper surface of the elastic engaging part to be engaged with the engaging groove of the flange portion while elastically deforming the elastic engaging part.




According to another aspect of the present invention, two elongate engaging grooves are parallel defined on the lower surface of the flange portion; and two elongate engaging protuberances are formed on the upper surface of the elastic engaging part of the locking wing to be engaged into the two elongate engaging grooves, respectively.




According to still another aspect of the present invention, the engaging groove of the flange portion is formed with a first inclined surface which is inclined upward from an outside toward an inside of the flange portion; and the upper surface of the elastic engaging part of the locking wing comprises a second inclined surface which is inclined in an opposite direction to the first inclined surface of the engaging groove so that the second inclined surface is engaged with the first inclined surface while the locking wing is in the locked state.











BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS




The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:





FIG. 1

is a perspective view schematically illustrating a conventional airtight container for receiving a food item;





FIG. 2

is a partially broken-away exploded perspective view illustrating a food item receiving container in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 3

is a partial enlarged perspective view illustrating the food item receiving container according to the first embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 4

is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV—IV of

FIG. 2

;





FIG. 5

is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view for the ‘V’ part of

FIG. 4

, illustrating a structure of a locking wing;





FIGS. 6 and 7

are partial cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a locking procedure of the locking wing;





FIG. 8

is a partial enlarged perspective view illustrating a food item receiving container in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;





FIG. 9

is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IX—IX of

FIG. 8

;





FIG. 10

is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view for the ‘X’ part of

FIG. 9

;





FIGS. 11 and 12

are partial cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a locking procedure of a locking wing according to the second embodiment of the present invention.











DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION




Reference will now be made in greater detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.




Referring to

FIG. 2

, a food item receiving container in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention includes a rectangular case


10


which is formed by injection-molding of plastic and defines a receiving space


11


therein, a rectangular plate-shaped lid


20


which is coupled to the rectangular case


10


to close an opened upper end of the rectangular case


10


, and locking wings


30


L and


30


R for locking the lid


20


to the case


10


in a state wherein the lid


20


closes the opened upper end of the case


10


.




Concretely speaking, the rectangular case


10


has a configuration of a rectangular box which has four side walls


12


and one bottom wall


13


. The receiving space


11


which is opened at an upper end thereof is defined in the rectangular case


10


. Sealing projections


14


are formed on upper ends of the four side walls


12


, that is, along the opened upper end of the case


10


, so that the rectangular lid


20


can be coupled to the sealing projections


14


.




At the upper ends of the four side walls


12


and adjoining the sealing projections


14


, flange portions


15


having the shape of a band are projectedly formed on outer surfaces of the side walls


12


, so that the locking wings


30


L and


30


R can be engaged with the flange portions


15


to be maintained in a locked state.




To this end, as can be readily seen from

FIGS. 3 through 5

, engaging grooves


17


of a predetermined length are defined on lower surfaces


16


and at middle portions, facing the respective locking wings


30


L and


30


R, of the flange portions


15


. In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, two elongate engaging grooves


17


are parallel defined on the lower surface


16


of each flange portion


15


.




Further, referring to

FIGS. 3 and 4

, the rectangular lid


20


functions to open and close the opened upper end of the rectangular case


10


, and is also formed by injection-molding of plastic. Sealing grooves


21


are defined adjacent to edges of the rectangular lid


20


. A sealing packing


22


is accommodated in the sealing grooves


21


. Accordingly, if the sealing projections


14


are inserted into the sealing grooves


21


, as the sealing packing


22


is squeezed, the rectangular lid


20


is firmly coupled to the opened upper end of the rectangular case


10


.




In the meanwhile, referring to

FIGS. 3 through 5

, the locking wings


30


L and


30


R are symmetrically formed at front, rear, left and right sides of the rectangular lid


20


so that they can be grasped by a user's hand when opening and closing the foot item receiving container. A locking structure of the rectangular lid


20


will be described below in detail (since the locking wings


30


L and


30


R formed at four sides of the rectangular lid


20


have the same locking structure, the locking structure will be described with reference to the locking wings formed at left and right sides of the rectangular lid


20


).




First, the locking wings


30


L and


30


R are integrally formed at the middle portions of the four sides of the rectangular lid


20


so that the locking wings


30


L and


30


R can be locked to the flange portions


15


of the rectangular case


10


. In other words, the locking wings


30


L and


30


R are formed integrally with the four sides of the rectangular lid


20


using the same material, so that they can be pivoted upward and downward about boundary regions


32


between the rectangular lid


20


and the locking wings


30


L and


30


R (in the directions shown by the arrows ‘A’ and ‘B’ in FIG.


5


). Namely, the boundary regions


32


serve as hinges. The reason for this is in that the rectangular lid


20


and the locking wings


30


are integrally injection-molded using synthetic resin having a predetermined elasticity.




Each locking wing


30


L and


30


R has an elastic engaging part


31


which covers the lower surface


16


of the flange portion


15


when locking the lid


20


to the case


10


, engaging protuberances


34


which are engaged in the engaging grooves


17


of the flange portion


15


while elastically deforming the elastic engaging part


31


, and an extended part


35


which is curved to allow the locking wing


30


L and


30


R to be pressed and raised by the user's hand.




While each locking wing


30


L and


30


R is pivoted downward about the boundary region


32


(in the direction shown by the arrow ‘A’ in

FIG. 5

) to lock the lid


20


to the case


10


, the elastic engaging part


31


is flexed to cover the lower surface


16


of the flange portion


15


. At a completely pivoted position, an upper surface


33


of the elastic engaging part


31


confronts the lower surface


16


of the flange portion


15


.




The engaging protuberances


34


are formed on the upper surface


33


of the elastic engaging part


31


to project in a horizontal direction and elastically engaged into the engaging grooves


17


. Two elongate engaging protuberances


34


are formed on the upper surface


33


of the elastic engaging part


31


of each locking wing


30


L and


30


R to be properly engaged into the two elongate engaging grooves


17


, respectively.




Hereafter, locking operations using the locking wings


30


L and


30


R of the food item receiving container according to the present invention and effects thereof will be described.




First, after a food item to be stored is received in the receiving space


11


of the rectangular case


10


, the rectangular lid


20


is placed on the opened upper end of the rectangular case


10


. Namely, the rectangular lid


20


is placed on the rectangular case


10


so that the sealing projections


14


of the rectangular case


10


are inserted into the sealing grooves


21


of the rectangular lid


20


, in which the silicon packing


22


is accommodated. At this time, since the sealing projections


14


are inserted into the sealing grooves


21


, the initially placed rectangular lid


20


is prevented from being moved.




In this state, as shown in

FIGS. 6 and 7

, if the extended part


35


of each locking wing


30


L and


30


R is pressed downward, the locking wing


30


L and


30


R is pivoted about the boundary region


32


of the rectangular lid


20


in the direction shown by the arrow ‘A’. Consequently, as the elastic engaging part


31


is elastically deformed, the elastic engaging part


31


covers the lower surface


16


of the flange portion


15


, and the two elongate engaging protuberances


34


are respectively engaged into the two elongate engaging grooves


17


of the flange portion


15


. That is to say, due to this fact that the two elongate engaging protuberances


34


are elastically engaged into the two elongate engaging grooves


17


, the locking wings


30


L and


30


R are held in a locked state, and the rectangular lid


20


is closed in an airtight manner.




In this way, the rectangular lid


20


is locked in a one-touch manner along the flange portion


15


of the rectangular case


10


. In this state, the rectangular lid


20


remains locked to the rectangular case


10


until an intended opening force is applied.




Meanwhile, if the extended part


35


of each locking wing


30


L and


30


R is grasped and raised, as the elastic engaging part


31


of the locking wing


30


L and


30


R is elastically deformed, the two elongate engaging protuberances


34


are disengaged from the two elongate engaging grooves


17


. Therefore, as the locked state of the locking wings


30


L and


30


R is released, it is possible to easily remove the rectangular lid


20


to open the rectangular case


10


.




With the rectangular lid


20


removed from the rectangular case


10


, since the locking structures of the rectangular case


10


, for locking the locking wings


30


L and


30


R, are not exposed to the outside, an aesthetic outer appearance of the receiving container is not deteriorated, and it is possible to easily wash the rectangular case


10


.




Herein below, a construction of a food item receiving container in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Because the receiving container of this second embodiment is constructed in the same manner as the receiving container of the first embodiment except a locking structure of locking wings, detailed description for the same component elements will be omitted herein.




At upper ends of the four side walls


112


and adjoining sealing projections


114


, flange portions


115


having the shape of a band are projectedly formed on outer surfaces of the side walls


112


of a rectangular case


110


, so that locking wings


130


of a rectangular lid


120


can be engaged with the flange portions


115


to be maintained in a locked state.




To this end, as can be readily seen from

FIGS. 8 through 10

, engaging grooves


117


of a predetermined length are defined on lower surfaces


116


and at middle portions, facing the respective locking wings


130


, of the flange portions


115


. In this preferred embodiment of the present invention, the engaging grooves


117


are defined to extend in a lengthwise direction of the lower surfaces


116


of the flange portions


115


. The engaging groove


117


of the flange portion


115


is formed with a first inclined surface


117




a


which is inclined upward from an outside toward an inside of the flange portion


115


, so that an engaging protuberance


134


of the locking wing


130


can be firmly locked to the first inclined surface


117




a.






The locking wings


130


are formed at middle portions of four sides of the rectangular lid


120


so that they can be locked on the flange portions


115


of the rectangular case


110


. Each locking wing


130


has an elastic engaging part


131


which covers the lower surface


116


of the flange portion


115


when locking the rectangular lid


120


to the rectangular case


110


, an engaging protuberance


134


which is engaged in the engaging groove


117


of the flange portion


115


while elastically deforming the elastic engaging part


131


, and an extended part


135


which is curved to allow the locking wing


130


to be pressed and raised by the user's hand.




While each locking wing


130


is pivoted downward about a boundary region


132


(in the direction shown by the arrow ‘A’ in

FIG. 10

) to lock the rectangular lid


120


to the rectangular case


110


, the elastic engaging part


131


is flexed to cover the lower surface


116


of the flange portion


115


. At a completely pivoted position, an upper surface


133


of the elastic engaging part


131


confronts the lower surface


116


of the flange portion


115


.




The engaging protuberance


134


is formed on the upper surface


133


of the elastic engaging part


131


to project in a horizontal direction and elastically engaged into the engaging groove


117


. To this end, the upper surface


133


of the elastic engaging part


131


is formed to have the same contour as the engaging groove


117


. In other words, an upper surface of the engaging protuberance


134


comprises a second inclined surface


134




a


which is inclined in an opposite direction to the first inclined surface


117




a


of the engaging groove


117


so that the second inclined surface


134




a


is engaged with the first inclined surface


117




a


while the locking wing


130


is in the locked state.




Hereafter, locking operations using the locking wings


130


of the food item receiving container according to the present invention and effects thereof will be described.




First, after a food item to be stored is received in a receiving space


111


of the rectangular case


110


, the rectangular lid


120


is placed on the opened upper end of the rectangular case


110


. Namely, the rectangular lid


120


is placed on the rectangular case


110


so that the sealing projections


114


of the rectangular case


110


are inserted into the sealing grooves


121


of the rectangular lid


120


, in which the silicon packing


122


is accommodated.




In this state, as shown in

FIGS. 11 and 12

, if the extended part


135


of each locking wing


130


is pressed downward, the locking wing


130


is pivoted about the boundary region


132


of the rectangular lid


120


in the direction shown by the arrow ‘A’. Consequently, as the elastic engaging part


131


is elastically deformed, the elastic engaging part


131


covers the lower surface


116


of the flange portion


115


, and the elongate engaging protuberance


134


is respectively engaged into the elongate engaging groove


117


of the flange portion


115


. At this time, as the second inclined surface


134




a


of the engaging protuberance


134


is brought into surface contact with the first inclined surface


117




a


of the engaging groove


117


, they are firmly locked to each other. Hence, the rectangular lid


120


is not unlocked from the rectangular case


110


unless an intended opening force is applied.




Meanwhile, if the extended part


135


of each locking wing


130


is grasped and raised, as the elastic engaging part


131


of the locking wing


130


is elastically deformed, the elongate engaging protuberance


134


is disengaged from the elongate engaging groove


117


. Therefore, as the locked state of the locking wing


130


is released, it is possible to easily remove the rectangular lid


120


to open the rectangular case


110


.




At this time, since the locking structures of the rectangular case


110


, for locking the locking wings


130


, are not exposed to the outside, an aesthetic outer appearance of the receiving container is not deteriorated, and it is possible to wash the rectangular case


110


in an easy manner.




In the meanwhile, while the above embodiments were explained with respect to the food item receiving container having the rectangular case, a person skilled in the art will readily recognize that the present invention can of course be applied to a food item receiving container having a cylindrical case.




As apparent from the above description, in the food item receiving container according to the present invention, engaging grooves of a predetermined length are defined on a lower surface and at a middle portion, facing a corresponding locking wing, of a flange portion which is formed on each side wall of a case. Each locking wing has an elastic engaging part formed with engaging protuberances which are engaged into the engaging grooves while being elastically deformed. Therefore, in the present invention, since a locking structure is formed not to project to the outside through the locking wings, an aesthetic appearance of the entire food item receiving container is not deteriorated. Also, because the case can be easily washed, user convenience is increased. Moreover, due to the fact that the possibility of a foreign substance to be captured in the locking wings is eliminated, a sanitary issue is not raised.




Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.



Claims
  • 1. A food item receiving container, comprising:a case opened at an upper end thereof to define a receiving space therein; a lid for closing the opened upper end of the case; a plurality of locking wings integrally formed at edges of the lid, respectively, so that they can be pivoted upward and downward; and flange portions projectedly formed in the shape of a band on upper end outer surfaces of side walls of the case, respectively, so that the locking wings can be engaged with the flange portions to be maintained in a locked state; wherein at least one engaging groove is defined on a lower surface and at a middle portion, facing a corresponding locking wing, of each flange portion, and wherein each locking wing has an elastic engaging part which is formed to be flexed and thereby cover the lower surface of the flange portion when the corresponding locking wing is pivoted downward, and engaging protuberances which are horizontally formed on an upper surface of the elastic engaging part to be engaged with the engaging groove of the flange portion while elastically deforming the elastic engaging part.
  • 2. The container as set forth in claim 1, wherein two elongate engaging grooves are parallel defined on the lower surface of the flange portion; and two elongate engaging protuberances are formed on the upper surface of the elastic engaging part of the locking wing to be engaged into the two elongate engaging grooves, respectively.
  • 3. The container as set forth in claim 1, wherein the engaging groove of the flange portion is formed with a first inclined surface which is inclined upward from an outside toward an inside of the flange portion; and the upper surface of the elastic engaging part of the locking wing comprises a second inclined surface which is inclined in an opposite direction to the first inclined surface of the engaging groove so that the second inclined surface is engaged with the first inclined surface while the locking wing is in the locked state.
Priority Claims (2)
Number Date Country Kind
20-2003-0010553 Apr 2003 KR
20-2003-0014507 May 2003 KR
US Referenced Citations (7)
Number Name Date Kind
1961181 Von Der Heydt Jun 1934 A
5311990 Kalinski May 1994 A
5582314 Quinn et al. Dec 1996 A
5641065 Owens et al. Jun 1997 A
5887745 Wood Mar 1999 A
6364152 Poslinski et al. Apr 2002 B1
6415947 Kim Jul 2002 B1