AU1545099A - Popcorn saver - Google Patents

Description

I

AUSTRALIA

Patent act COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT

POPCORN

SAVER

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: IP AUSTRALIA I RECEIVED °5 FEB 1999

MELBOURNE

1 POPCORN SAVER This invention is an improvement to the previous popcorn boxes served to paying customers and used by staff at cinema's Australia wide.

For many years now, people have been purchasing and eating popcorn at cinemas only to indirectly contribute to the ongoing problem of wasted popcorn. The majority of staff and cleaners working in such environments often complain on related issues concerning frustration and the amount of work involved in cleaning and maintaining floors.

To the best of my knowledge, there have been no attempts in the past to try to reduce this ongoing problem of wasted popcorn, money and time at cinemas.

These problems are overcome by the present invention, which implements the previous design of the popcorn box with a far more superior one due to its added cardboard lid. The cardboard lid provides protection against accidental spillage of popcorn and contents onto floors and personal goods. The cardboard lid is a part of the box, allowing the lid to be firmly closed through the use of a tongue and tongue insertion, which when in use provides enough grip to firmly keep the lid shut.

S.The invention may easily be folded back to prevent interference with eating the container's contents. The lid also has ventilation holes to keep food contents fresh. The invention does not interfere with the storage procedure of storing one box within another due to its fold back lid feature.

Other optional features for the invention can be as follows: More or less, smaller or larger ventilation holes punctured on the cardboard lid.

The lid dimensions, design and shape may be changed depending on the size of the box and/or what it's used for.

The device may be completely independent from the container. Such as having a lid manufactured from cardboard, plastic or foam that grips the container through the use of glue, valcro, more than one lid tongue, elastic perimeter that tighten the sides of the container and/or plastic clips or jaws which grip the container internally and/or externally.

Lid may be manufactured with heavier of lighter cardboard.

The lid tongue and insertion cut may be abandoned with the use of some form of tape, glue or elastic that could provide enough grip to hold lid firmly down.

Gap between lid supports and their sides of the container may be increased or decreased according to the style of the box, its size and use.

The lid's tongue may be cut out as a rectangle or as a trapezoid with the base of the shape facing upwards.

To assist in the development and understanding of the invention, reference will now be made with accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: FIG. 1,2,4 and 5 show an example of a popcorn saver device according to this invention; FIG. 3 shows an example of a popcorn saver device sketched onto a typical 2 dimensional design of a cardboard box.

Referring to figure 3, the existing popcorn box design stays identical, however with the length of one of the two widest sides extended 11. The cardboard of the selected side is extended in both length and width 5 so when it is folded down to form a lid, it covers in excess 15,2,16,10, the mouth of the box.

The excessive coverage for the containers opening can be folded down 2,15,10,16 along the remaining three sides of the container. This forms side 2,15 and front 16 support for the cardboard lid 5 (abbreviation: lid supports). This prevents the lid from sliding left to right when it is in use.

With reference to figure 2, note that a slight gap must exist between all three lid supports and their sides of the container 17.

The gap between the box and the lid supports will allow greater ease with closing and opening the lid of the container when full of food.

The box 3 expands slightly when it is filled with food, to the point where resembles that of which looks like a cone but with a square base.

At the centre of the cardboard lid 5, four small holes, equally distributed, are punctured through the cardboard 1. The purpose of this procedure is to provide air ventilation to help maintain freshness of the food product placed inside the container. (Eg: popcorn, candy and sweets etc.) Some, but not all of the lid support folded along the front side of the box 16, (the side directly opposite from the one extended 13) is cut into a shape of tongue 4. It will suit best if the lids tongue is *t cut in the centre of the front lid support 16.

Once the lids tongue has been cut out of the excess folding 16, the remaining two sides of the container, the two with the shortest width 14, 12, remain. The lid supports 2, 15 around the remaining sides are significantly larger than the one used to cut out ~a lid's tongue 16.

With reference to figure 1, 4 and 5, the remaining two side supports 2,15 for the lid are cut in the shape of a right angle triangle. The base of the triangular cut is facing upwards and the right angle is at the front-top end of the lid 8.

This procedure tends to focus some of the lid's weight towards the front end of the lid, therefore, assists in keeping the lid down when in use.

With reference to figures 1 and 3, the opposite side of the container from the one extended (the front side) 13, a tongue insertion must be provided 6. This is a straight thin cut in the centre of the front side of the box that is directly under where the tongue begins. It is cut with the same width as the tongue; hence nearly all of the tongue 4 may be inserted in the cut allocated for it with minimal sliding from left to right. This action allows the lid 5 to stay firmly closed.

The invention is straightforward to use. Simply fill its container with suitable contents, close the lid, making sure the lids tongue is placed properly within its allocated cut on the front side of the container. Then carry the box to any given location knowing that the contents inside the box are protected against accidental spillage.

e *e BRIEF REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS 1) Small round air ventilation holes punctured on lid.

2) Left lid support designed to prevent lid from moving sideways.

3) Typical cardboard popcorn box 4) Lid's rectangular tongue/lip cut from the excess front side support.

Cardboard lid extended out from the selected side of the box.

6) Tongue/lip insertion 7) Trapezoid shaped tongue/lip (optional), for easier insertion.

8) Right and left side lid support, showing where the greatest width, (the right angle) exists to focus weight distribution towards the front of the lid.

9) Cardboard lid connected directly to the cardboard box.

.:oooi 10) Folded and/or glued proportion of the lid support to help keep it intact.

a. ae 11) The extended side of the typical box used to form a lid.

12) Narrow unmodified right side of the typical box a.

13) Front side of box, directly opposite extended side.

14) Narrow unmodified left side of typical box.

Right lid support designed to prevent lid from moving sideways.

16) Front lid support, which is also used to create the lids tongue.

17) The gap between all lid supports and their allocated box sides.

Claims (17)

1. A popcorn saver device comprising a cardboard lid extended from a selected side of a cardboard container.

2. The popcorn saver device of claim I may vary in size, according to the size of the container. small, medium, large).

3. The popcorn saver device in claim I wherein the cardboard lids may be manufactured from heavier or lighter cardboard.

4. The popcorn saver device in claim 1,2 and 3 wherein the cardboard lid is of a different shape or design, such as an oval shaped cardboard lid or a lid comprising of two or more fold back sections covering the containers opening.

The device has four small air ventilation holes equally distributed through the centre of the lid. *0

6. The popcorn saver device of claim 5 wherein the ventilation holes punctured on device is greater or smaller in size and/or numbers.

7. Proportions of the device are folded and cut -around the remaining three sides of container to form lid supports.

8. The popcorn saver device of claim 7 wherein the front-lid support is partially cut to form the lids rectangular tongue.

9. The popcorn saver device of claim 8 wherein the lids tongue may be extended longer/shorter or cut as a trapezoid with the base of the shape facing upwards.

The popcorn saver device of claim 7 and 8 wherein the remaining two unmodified lid supports are cut in the shape of a right angle triangle, with the base of the shape facing upwards and the right angle towards the front of the device.

11. The popcorn saver device of claim 10 wherein the two remaining lid supports are cut in the shape of a rectangle, or in the shape of a isosceles triangle.

12. The popcorn saver device in claim 8 wherein the tongue/lip and tongue/lip insertion may be abandoned with the use of tape, glue or elastic.

13. The gaps between the lid supports and their side of the container may be expanded or reduced.

14. The popcorn saver device of claims 1 to 12 wherein the device is made of cardboard, plastic or foam.

The may be device manufactured independently from its container.

16. The popcorn saver device of 15 wherein the independent device may be attached to the container through the use of an elastic perimeter, clips and/or jaws griping the container internally and/or externally, more use of tongues and tongue insertions or the use of glue.

17. A popcorn saver device substantially as herein described with reference to accompanying drawing. GEORGE ASKITIS 4 February 1999 0 o• S 6* o 6