Patent Application
20170113837
This invention relates to a food container and more specifically, to a food storage system having an attachable upper food storage device and a lower liquid storage device.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides for a food container comprising a bottom and sidewalls extending from the bottom, the sidewalls having an upper end, the upper end of the sidewalls folds to form an extended portion and forms an open topside leading to a compartment, and the extended portion comprises a lower end forming a lip, the sidewalls and the extended portion forming a cavity on an underside of the container, the upper end of the sidewalls of the container comprising an opening leading to the cavity, wherein the container is designed to fit onto a cup, and wherein the container is made of a pliable material. The pliability of the container allows it to be attached and detached to a cup.
In another embodiment, the sidewalls extend upwardly from the bottom and the extended portion extends downwardly leading to the lip. In yet another embodiment, the container further comprises a cup. In still another embodiment, the lip of the lower end of the extended portion is designed to be situated upon a top end of the cup.
In still another embodiment, a portion of the compartment is situated below a rim of the cup and a portion of the compartment is situated above the rim of the cup.
In still yet another embodiment, there is ratio between the portion of the compartment situated below and above the rim of the cup, and the ratio is 50:50. In a further embodiment, there is a percentage of the portion of said compartment is situated below the rim of the cup, and the percentage is from about 10% to about 90%. In another further embodiment, there is a percentage of the portion of the compartment is situated above the rim of the cup, and the percentage is from about 10% to about 90%. It is important to note that the present invention provides for a balanced system; the food container sits atop the liquid container and must be balanced to provide a stable food storage device.
In yet a further embodiment, the length of the sidewalls is greater than the length of the extended portion. In still a further embodiment, the length of the sidewall is from about 1 to about 5 times greater than the length of the extended portion.
In still yet a further embodiment, the container of the present invention is stackable with other containers. In another embodiment, there is a plurality of containers and the containers are stackable on top of one another for storage purposes.
In a further embodiment, the container is disposable (it is constructed of a material that is disposable).
In another embodiment, the container further comprises a removable lid. In yet another embodiment, the lip of the extended portion of the container comprises a tab and the lid is attachable to the tab.
In still another embodiment, the container further comprises a straw, and the opening is designed to receive the straw. In still yet another embodiment, the opening is designed to be a drinkable spout.
In a further embodiment, the sidewalls are upwardly tapered and the extended portion is downwardly tapered. In another further embodiment, at least a portion of the upper end of the sidewalls is angled.
In yet another further embodiment, the lip of the extended portion has a circumference from about 85 mm to about 105 mm.
In still another further embodiment, the present invention relates to a solid and liquid container system comprising: a first container comprising a bottom and sidewalls extending from the bottom, the sidewalls having an upper end, the upper end of the sidewalls having a return and forming an extended portion and forming an open topside and a first compartment, the extended portion comprising a lower end forming a lip, the sidewalls and the extended portion forming a cavity on an underside of the first container, the topside of the first container comprises an opening leading to the cavity, wherein the container is made of a pliable material, and a second container comprising a cup, and the cup has a top side leading to a rim, the lip of the first container is designed to attach to the rim on the top side of the cup. The pliability of the container allows it to be attached and detached to a cup.
In a further embodiment, a portion of said first compartment is situated above the rim of the cup and a portion of the first compartment is situated below the rim of the cup. In yet a further embodiment, the system further comprises a lid.
In still a further embodiment, there is ratio between the capacity of the cup and the capacity of the compartment of the first container, said ratio is from about 4:1 to about 1:1.
In still yet a further embodiment, the present invention provides for a food storage system comprising: a first container comprising a bottom and sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom, the sidewalls having an upper end, the upper end of the sidewalls overlapping downwardly to form an extended portion and forming an open topside and a compartment, the extended portion comprising a lower end forming a lip, the sidewalls and the extended portion forming a cavity on an underside of the compartment, the topside of the compartment comprising an opening leading to the cavity, wherein the first container is designed to fit over a second container, and wherein the container is made of a pliable material. In a further embodiment, the system comprises a second container which is a cup. The pliability of the container allows it to be attached and detached to a cup.
In another further embodiment, the system further comprises a plurality of first containers, and the first containers are nestable with one another.
In yet another further embodiment, a portion of the upper end of the sidewalls of the first container is sloped opposite of the opening. In still another further embodiment, the system further comprises a lid, and the lid is integral to a portion of the extended potion.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention. These drawings are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
Among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.
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 that may be embodied in various forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. 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 present invention.
The container further comprises a straw 99, and the opening 10 is designed to receive the straw 99 (See
The food container 2 further comprises a removable lid 50. The lip 8 of the extended portion 5 of the food container 2 comprises a tab 77 and the lid 50 is attachable to the container tab 77 (See
The mechanism including, but limited to the device for moving the movable element and the pivoting mechanism can be used and interchanged to form various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the attendant claims attached hereto, this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically disclosed herein.
