Patent Application
20150144519
The present invention relates generally to compositions and methods for storing, transporting, displaying and serving of articles having an extended shaft and in particular, to compositions and methods for storing, transporting, displaying and serving of articles including cake pops, brownie bites, lollypops, candies and the like.
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Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with transport and display containers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,339, entitled “Article Storage Assembly with an Attached Article Display Case” discloses a container for storing a plurality of individually packaged sticks of rock crystal candy for selection and sale to the public and having a transparent plastic case attached to the container and extending across a front surface thereof, which case houses a series of unpackaged sticks of rock crystal candy for viewing by the purchasing public of samples of the packaged sticks stored in the container is disclosed. The case is removably attached to the container so that the samples can be removed and replaced as necessary but cannot be easily entered by members of the public. The display permits grouping of numerous different colors of the stick candy in a single upstanding row and presents the samples in their sparkling and glossy unpackaged form.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,932 entitled “Cassette Display Case” discloses a bottom open display case for jacketed cassettes wherein the jacket is retained in the display case which itself is of transparent plastics material. A base is attached to the bottom end of the display case and is slidable laterally from a closed position to an open position where an opening in the base aligns itself with the cassette in the display case allowing the cassette to be removed from the display case. A flexible tab on an end wall of the display case acts as a spring to return the base to its initial closed position where it is out of alignment with the cassette in the display case.
U.S. Pat. No. D426401 entitled “Candy Display Case” discloses an ornamental design for a candy display case.
The present invention provides a transport and display container comprising a display base having a peripheral edge; an inner step positioned on the display base having an inner step edge about the periphery of the inner step and generally parallel to the peripheral edge, wherein the an outer lip that extends from the peripheral edge to the inner step edge; a block securing holder positioned on the inner step, wherein the block securing holder comprises 4 adjacent walls extending from the inner step to form a block fitting area of about 4″×12″×9″; an inner lip that extends from the inner step edge to the 4 adjacent walls; one or more high-density foam blocks positioned in the block securing holder, wherein the 4 adjacent walls each extend above the one or more high-density foam blocks; and a transparent cover comprising a top cover connected to 4 side walls and having a bottom peripheral edge that is supported by the outer lip and fits about the inner step edge to secure the cover about the transport and display container. The one or more high-density foam blocks may be 24″×12″×9″ high-density foam yoga blocks made of Ethylene-vinyl acetate (“EVA”).
The present invention also provides a transport and display container having a display base having a peripheral edge; an inner step positioned on the display base having an inner step edge about the periphery of the inner step and generally parallel to the peripheral edge; an outer lip that extends from the peripheral edge to the inner step edge; a block securing holder positioned on the inner step, wherein the block securing holder comprises 4 adjacent walls extending from the inner step to form a block fitting area adapted to fit one or more blocks; an inner lip that extends from the inner step edge to the 4 adjacent walls; and a cover comprising a top cover connected to 4 side walls and having a bottom peripheral edge that is supported by the outer lip and fit about the inner step edge to secure the cover about the transport and display container. The cover may be partially or entirely transparent. The side walls and top may be permanently sealed together, separate pieces assembled with removable corner pieces or may be pre-fabricated or molded as one piece. The transport and display container may also include 2 high-density foam blocks positioned in the block securing holder. The 2 high-density foam blocks may each be 4″×6″×9″ with beveled edges to form an area of 4″×12″×9″. The high-density foam blocks may be made of EVA or a polyolefin selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyisobutylene, polybut-1-ene, poly-4-methylpent-1-ene, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, cyclopentene, norbornene, polyethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), high-density and high-molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE-HMW), high-density and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE-UHMW), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), very low-density polypropylene VLDPE), ultra low-density polypropylene (ULDPE), mixtures of polypropylene with polyisobutylene, mixtures of polypropylene with polyethylene, ethylene/propylene copolymers, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and mixtures of linear low-density polyethylene with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), propylene/but-1-ene copolymers, propylene/isobutylene copolymers, ethylene/but-1-ene copolymers, ethylene/hexene copolymers, ethylene/methylpentene copolymers, ethylene/heptene copolymers, ethylene/octene copolymers, propylene/butadiene copolymers, isobutylene/isoprene copolymers, ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene/alkyl methacrylate copolymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, polypropylene/ethylene-propylene copolymers, LDPE/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), LDPE/ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers (EAA), LLDPE/EVA, LLDPE/EAA, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer copolymers (EPDM), copolymers of ethylene with higher alpha-olefins, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene copolymers, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-isoprene copolymers, hydrogenated styrene-isoprene copolymers.
The present invention provides in one embodiment a transport and display container comprising: a display base having a peripheral edge; an inner step positioned on the display base having an inner step edge about the periphery of the inner step and generally parallel to the peripheral edge; an outer lip that extends from the peripheral edge to the inner step edge; a block securing holder adapted to fit one or more high-density foam blocks positioned on the inner step, wherein the block securing holder comprises 4 adjacent walls positioned generally parallel to the peripheral edge to form a block fitting area and extending upwardly from the inner step at least about 2″, wherein the 4 adjacent walls each extend adjacent the one or more high-density foam blocks; an inner lip that extends from the inner step edge to the 4 adjacent walls; and a transparent cover comprising a top cover connected to 4 side walls and having a bottom peripheral edge that is supported by the outer lip and fit about the inner step edge to secure the cover about the transport and display container.
In one embodiment the block fitting area is 12″×9″. In another embodiment the block fitting area is 24″×9″; 12″×18″; or 2 separate 12″×9″ areas. In one embodiment the one or more high-density foam blocks are 4″×12″×9″ high-density foam yoga blocks. In one embodiment the 4 adjacent walls extend upwardly from the inner step about 4″; however, the 4 adjacent walls extend upwardly from the inner step about 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0, 2.25, 2.5, 2.75, 3.0, 3.25, 3.5, 3.75, 4.0, 4.25, 4.5, 4.75, 5.0, 5.25, 5.5, 5.75, 6.0, 6.25, 6.5, 6.75, 7.0, 7.25, 7.5, 7.75, 8.0, 8.25, 8.5, 8.75, 9.0, 9.25, 9.5, 9.75, 10.0 inches.
The present invention also provides a transport and display container comprising: a display base having a peripheral edge; an inner step positioned on the display base having an inner step edge about the periphery of the inner step and generally parallel to the peripheral edge; an outer lip that extends from the peripheral edge to the inner step edge; a block securing holder adapted to fit one or more high-density foam blocks positioned on the inner step, wherein the block securing holder comprises at least 4 retainers positioned generally parallel to the peripheral edge to form a block fitting area and extending upwardly from the inner step; an inner lip that extends from the inner step edge to the at least 4 retainers; and a transparent cover comprising a top cover connected to 4 side walls and having a bottom peripheral edge that is supported by the outer lip and fit about the inner step edge to secure the cover about the transport and display container.
In one embodiment the at least 4 retainers form a rectangular enclosure with 4 adjacent walls extending upwardly from the inner step to form a block fitting area. In another embodiment the at least 4 retainers are separated from each other by an opening and adapted to fit a rectangular block. In another embodiment the at least 4 retainers each have a general “L” shape and positioned to form a corner and separated from each other by an opening and adapted to fit a rectangular block. The at least 4 retainers may extend upwardly at least 2″ from the inner step in one embodiment and extend upwardly at least 4″ from the inner step in other embodiments. In one embodiment the block securing holder is 12″×9″ but in others the block securing holder is 24″×9″; 12″×18″; or 2 separate 12″×9″ areas. The one or more high-density foam blocks may be yoga blocks or high-density foam blocks comprising EVA and/or a polyolefin selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyisobutylene, polybut-1-ene, poly-4-methylpent-1-ene, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, cyclopentene, norbornene, polyethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), high-density and high molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE-HMW), high-density and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE-UHMW), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), very low-density polypropylene VLDPE), ultra low-density polypropylene (ULDPE), mixtures of polypropylene with polyisobutylene, mixtures of polypropylene with polyethylene, ethylene/propylene copolymers, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and mixtures of linear low-density polyethylene with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), propylene/but-1-ene copolymers, propylene/isobutylene copolymers, ethylene/but-1-ene copolymers, ethylene/hexene copolymers, ethylene/methylpentene copolymers, ethylene/heptene copolymers, ethylene/octene copolymers, propylene/butadiene copolymers, isobutylene/isoprene copolymers, ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene/alkyl methacrylate copolymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, polypropylene/ethylene-propylene copolymers, LDPE/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), LDPE/ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers (EAA), LLDPE/EVA, LLDPE/EAA, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer copolymers (EPDM), copolymers of ethylene with higher alpha-olefins, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene copolymers, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-isoprene copolymers, hydrogenated styrene-isoprene copolymers.
The present invention provides a method of transporting and displaying an object by providing a transport and display container comprising a display base having a peripheral edge; an inner step positioned on the display base having an inner step edge about the periphery of the inner step and generally parallel to the peripheral edge; an outer lip that extends from the peripheral edge to the inner step edge; a block securing holder adapted to fit one or more high-density foam blocks positioned on the inner step, wherein the block securing holder comprises 4 adjacent walls positioned generally parallel to the peripheral edge to form a block fitting area and extending upwardly from the inner step at least about 2″, wherein the 4 adjacent walls each extend adjacent the one or more high-density foam blocks; and an inner lip that extends from the inner step edge to the 4 adjacent walls; positioning a high-density foam block in the block securing holder; insert one or more objects into the high-density foam block; and positioning a transparent cover onto the transport and display container, wherein the transparent cover comprises a top cover connected to 4 side walls and having a bottom peripheral edge that is supported by the outer lip and fit about the inner step edge to secure the cover about the transport and display container. For example, the high-density foam blocks are 4″×12″×9″ high-density foam yoga blocks. The one or more objects can be any object that can be inserted into the high-density foam block or that can be placed on a connector and then inserted into the high-density foam block. For example, some candies can be inserted directly into the high-density foam block, while cake pops must be inserted onto a connector (i.e., a stick that may be made of metal, wood, plastic or other material). Other examples include cake pops, cake on a stick, lollypops, suckers, fruit on a stick, fudge on a stick, candy on a stick, sausage on a stick, meat on a stick, bread on a stick, flowers or a combination thereof. As used herein the term “stick” is a generic term for a connector that is used to connect an object to the high-density foam block by inserting a portion into the high-density foam block and a portion is inserted into object.
For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention along with the accompanying figures and in which:
While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.
To facilitate the understanding of this invention, a number of terms are defined below.
Terms defined herein have meanings as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the areas relevant to the present invention. Terms such as “a”, “an” and “the” are not intended to refer to only a singular entity, but include the general class of which a specific example may be used for illustration. The terminology herein is used to describe specific embodiments of the invention, but their usage does not delimit the invention, except as outlined in the claims.
The present inventor recognized that containers used for candy canes, suckers, pops, stick candy, brownie bites, and cake bites (including any other item that is on or supported by a shaft) currently in use and/or on the market have/had serious short comings and was/were impractical and often unacceptable for their given operation of holding items in position during the processes of making, storing, transporting and/or displaying the goods. The containers on the market are generally made from foam or cardboard and have pre-formed holes in the surface; or alternatively, some do not have pre-formed holes but upon insertion of the shaft of the item therein a hole of a defined size is formed. These holes have a size that will eventually be widened and bored out given the materials used in the construction of the containers and thus do not hold the shaft of the item tightly. As a result, the items will move, lean, touch, and/or fall, to yield a poor presentation of the items, and also allow the touching and/or braking of the items. In addition, this causes the transport and display container to be of limited use. Furthermore, the container does not have a top to cover and protect the food items from bugs, people, bacteria, and debris.
The present inventor has developed the container for use during the processes of making the goods and also for storing, transporting and displaying the goods in the same container. This invention overcomes existing deficiencies in current products and includes a base that supports reusable high-density foam blocks that can form resealable holes in the blocks to securely hold items that allows resealing (or at least partial resealing) of the hole when the item is removed.
Blocks 32 and 34 allow the insertion of items (48a-k) into the blocks (either 32 or 34) to maintain a secure tight fit that can restrict the movement of the items 48a-k. The insertion of the item 48 into the blocks (either 32 or 34) results in the formation of an aperture 50a-k that is generally resealable once the item has been removed from item 48a-k. This ability to generally reseal the aperture 50 allows the blocks (either 32 or 34) to be reused repeatedly with each use retaining the tight securing fit of the aperture 50. The aperture 50 may be located at any place on the blocks (either 32 or 34). Such placement allows the spacing of the item 48 at a distance sufficient to separate the adjacent items 48 and allow items of different sizes and shapes.
In operation, blocks (either 32 or 34) may be removed from the block securing holder 22 and placed on a surface. One or more items 48, in this case cake balls 48a-c, are made and inserted into the block 32 to form apertures 50a-c. Brownie bites 48d and 48e are decorated and then inserted in to the block 32 to form apertures 50d-50e. Finally, candy stick 48h and candy canes 48f, 48g, and 48i-k are inserted into block 34. The blocks 32 and 34 are placed in an area to cool. The blocks 32 and 34 are removed and the items 48 further decorated. Cake balls 48a-c, are removed from the block 32 and further decorated. The individual cake balls 48a-c, and brownie bites 48d and 48e are then repositioned in the blocks (32 or 34) at the original aperture 50 or a new aperture 50 is formed. The cake balls 48a-c; brownie bites 48d and 48e; candy stick 48h; and candy canes 48f, 48g, and 48i-k are positioned within the blocks (32 and 34) and are then placed into the block securing holder 22 and the cover 36 positioned to protect the items 48. In an alternative method of using the device the blocks (32 and 34) may be retained in the block securing holder 22 and placed to cool as a unit. In this embodiment, the need to place the blocks (32 or 34) into the block securing holder 22 once the items 48 are inserted is unnecessary.
In addition, the inner step 14 and inner lip 20 that extends away from the inner step edge 18 toward the block securing holder 22 forms an area that can be decorated as necessary for ornamental reasons and can include a banner, ribbon, lettering, stickers, etc. In addition, the area from the top of the blocks 32 and 34 to the top edge of the block securing holder 22 forms a second decorating area that can contain tissue, foam, sprinkles, sand, glitter, or any other substance that can be used to cover the top surface of the blocks (32 and 34). For example, ribbon can be placed around the block securing holder 22 that includes a bow (not shown) such that the cover 36 can be placed without interference with the bow. The blocks (32 and 34) may be covered with tissue to obscure the top surface of the blocks (32 and 34) and extend above the block securing holder 22 and the items 48 may be inserted into the tissue or the tissue may be positioned around the items 48. The inner step 14 and the outer lip 16 may also be decorated.
The blocks (32 and 34) may be made of a high-density or super high-density foam composition and may be formed by injection molding from plastic and/or plastic foam and can be produced at a low unit cost in a variety of smooth or custom contours to suit the needs and preferences. In one embodiment, the blocks (32 and 34) are injection molded yoga grip blocks.
One example of the foam composition of the present invention is an EVA polymer composition. The EVA is an ethylene vinyl acetate polymer made from the copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate. The weight percent vinyl acetate usually varies from 10 to 40%, with the remainder being ethylene. The block composition may include polymers, monomers and/or copolymer compositions containing at least one member selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, polyisobutylene, polybut-1-ene, poly-4-methylpent-1-ene, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, cyclopentene, norbornene, polyethylene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), high-density and high molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE-HMW), high-density and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (HDPE-UHMW), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), very low-density polypropylene VLDPE), ultra low-density polypropylene (ULDPE), mixtures of polypropylene with polyisobutylene, mixtures of polypropylene with polyethylene, ethylene/propylene copolymers, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and mixtures of linear low-density polyethylene with low-density polyethylene (LDPE), propylene/but-1-ene copolymers, propylene/isobutylene copolymers, ethylene/but-1-ene copolymers, ethylene/hexene copolymers, ethylene/methylpentene copolymers, ethylene/heptene copolymers, ethylene/octene copolymers, propylene/butadiene copolymers, isobutylene/isoprene copolymers, ethylene/alkyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene/alkyl methacrylate copolymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, polypropylene/ethylene-propylene copolymers, LDPE/ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymers (EVA), LDPE/ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers (EAA), LLDPE/EVA, LLDPE/EAA, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer copolymers (EPDM), copolymers of ethylene with higher alpha-olefins, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, styrene-butadiene copolymers, hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymers, styrene-isoprene copolymers, hydrogenated styrene-isoprene copolymers.
In many instances, the blocks (32 and 34) are made of high-density foam and are 4″×6″×9″ with beveled edges. As such, the proportions are the size of a yoga block and a yoga block may be used as the blocks (32 and 34). The blocks (32 and 34) may be from 1-12″×1-12″ and 1-12″. As a result, the general size of each block may be 4″×6″×9″; 6.75″×5″×12″; 7″×5″×9″; 4″×6″×12″ or other incremental variations thereof. As such, the height may be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 inches or more and include incremental variations thereof Similarly, the width and the length may individually be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 inches or more and include incremental variations thereof. In addition, the blocks (32 and 34) may be a single block 4″×12″×9″ or other sizes (e.g., the height, width and the length may individually be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 inches or more and include incremental variations thereof) depending on the specific size of the block securing holder 22.
It is understood that the transport and display container 10 and the individual components may be made from materials used in the industry and may be made from the same or different compositions that vary from component to component or parts within the same component. The composition may be made in-part or entirely from glass, plexiglass, plastic, metal, polymeric, acrylic, foam, metal, wood, and so forth.
It is contemplated that any embodiment discussed in this specification can be implemented with respect to any method, kit, reagent, or composition of the invention, and vice versa. Furthermore, compositions of the invention can be used to achieve methods of the invention.
It will be understood that particular embodiments described herein are shown by way of illustration and not as limitations of the invention. The principal features of this invention can be employed in various embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, numerous equivalents to the specific procedures described herein. Such equivalents are considered to be within the scope of this invention and are covered by the claims.
All publications and patent applications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the level of skill of those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains. All publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more,” “at least one,” and “one or more than one.” The use of the term “or” in the claims is used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternatives are mutually exclusive, although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “and/or.” Throughout this application, the term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the inherent variation of error for the device, the method being employed to determine the value, or the variation that exists among the study subjects.
As used in this specification and claim(s), the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “includes” and “include”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contains” and “contain”) are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
The term “or combinations thereof” as used herein refers to all permutations and combinations of the listed items preceding the term. For example, “A, B, C, or combinations thereof” is intended to include at least one of: A, B, C, AB, AC, BC, or ABC, and if order is important in a particular context, also BA, CA, CB, CBA, BCA, ACB, BAC, or CAB. Continuing with this example, expressly included are combinations that contain repeats of one or more item or term, such as BB, AAA, MB, BBC, AAABCCCC, CBBAAA, CABABB, and so forth. The skilled artisan will understand that typically there is no limit on the number of items or terms in any combination, unless otherwise apparent from the context.
All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope, and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
This application claims priority based on U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/908,036, filed Nov. 22, 2013. The contents of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61908036 | Nov 2013 | US |
