Patent Application
20200299050
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The disclosure and prior art relates to storage devices and more particularly pertains to a new storage device for storing all of the ingredients to make a salad.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a tray for containing chopped lettuce or other vegetable base for a salad. A lid is removably positionable on the tray to close the tray. The lid forms a fluid impermeable seal with the tray to enhance freshness of the chopped lettuce of other vegetable base. A bin has a plurality of storage compartments being integrated therein and the bin is positionable on the lid when the lid is positioned on the tray. A plurality of containers is provided and each of the containers contains a respective one of a plurality of salad toppings. Each of the containers is removably stored in the bin for storing the plurality of salad toppings with the chopped lettuce or other vegetable base in the tray.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The lid 24 has a bottom surface 26, a top surface 28 and peripheral edge 30 extending therebetween and the bottom surface 26 has a prominence 32 extending downwardly therefrom. The prominence 32 is spaced inwardly from the peripheral edge 30 of the lid 24. The bottom surface 26 rests on the distal edge 20 of the perimeter wall 18 of the tray 12 when the lid 24 is positioned on the tray 12 having the prominence 32 engaging an inside surface 33 of the perimeter wall 18. Additionally, the prominence 32 forms a fluid impermeable seal with the perimeter wall 18 to enhance freshness of the chopped lettuce 14 or other vegetable base.
The top surface 28 has a plurality of lips 34 each extending upwardly therefrom. Each of the lips 34 is aligned with the peripheral edge 30 of the tray 12, and the lips 34 are spaced apart from each other and are distributed around the lid 24. The lid 24 has an air opening 36 extending through the top 28 and bottom 26 surfaces to pass air therethrough when the lid 24 is positioned on the tray 12. A cap 38 is coupled to the lid 24 and the cap 38 is positionable in the air opening 36 for closing the air opening 36. The cap 38 is removable from the air opening 36 for opening the air opening 36.
A bin 40 is included that has a plurality of storage compartments 42 each being integrated therein. The bin 40 is positionable on the lid 24 when the lid 24 is positioned on the tray 12. The bin 40 has a lower surface 44 and an upper surface 46, and the upper surface 46 has a plurality of wells 48 each extending toward the lower surface 44. Each of the wells 48 defines a respective one of the storage compartments 42. The lower surface 44 rests on the top surface 28 of the lid 24 when the bin 40 is positioned in the lid 24. Additionally, each of the lips 34 on the lid 24 inhibits the bin 40 for sliding off of the lid 24. The plurality of wells 48 includes a condiment well 50 for storing bottles of salad dressing or the like.
A plurality of containers 52 is provided and each of the containers 52 contains a respective one of a plurality of salad toppings 54. Each of the containers 52 is removably stored in the bin 40 for storing the plurality of salad toppings 54 with the chopped lettuce 14 or other vegetable base in the tray 12. Each of the containers 52 has a top wall 56 and the top wall 56 of each of the containers 52 has a dispensing hole 58 extending into an interior of the containers 52. The dispensing hole 58 in each of the containers 52 facilitates the respective salad topping 54 to be poured outwardly from the containers 52. The salad toppings 54 may be any topping that is placed on a salad. A plurality of closures 60 is included and each of the closures 60 is coupled to the top wall 56 of a respective one of the containers 52. Each of the closures 60 engages the dispensing hole 58 in the respective container for closing the dispensing hole 58 in the respective container.
In use, the chopped lettuce 14 or other vegetable base is placed in the tray 12 and the lid 24 is positioned on the tray 12 to close the tray 12. The bin 40 is positioned on the lid 24 and each of the containers 52 is filled with the respective salad topping and each of the containers 52 is positioned in the respective well. In this way all of the various ingredients for making a salad can be stored together. A salad can be made by removing a selected amount of the chopped lettuce 14 or other vegetable base from the tray 12. Selected ones of the containers 52 are removed from the bin 40 and the salad topping in the selected containers 52 is poured onto the chopped lettuce 14 or other vegetable base. In this way a salad can be made without with the ingredients stored in the tray 12 and the bin 40.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
