CA1195656A - Moisture absorbent condiment container - Google Patents

Abstract

MOISTURE ABSORBENT CONDIMENT CONTAINER
Abstract of the Disclosure:
A container for condiments including a main container and a perforated inner container secured therein, for sugar, or salt, or spices, etc., referred to as condiments. An absorbent material is placed in the inner container, which may be rice, for example. The inner container is provided with perforations small enough to confine the absorbent material, but they admit air to freely flow therethrough. The inner container is re-movable, for enabling placing the absorbent material therein, or changing it. In one of the forms, also, the inner container is mounted for swinging motion to physically loosen the con-diment in the main container. In a second embodiment a cap is on the main container having a space for absorbent material, and a perforated disc holding the absorbent material in the cap. The main container also has a perforated disc enabling the condiment to be shaken therethrough. When the closure cap is in closed position the entire interior space is closed to the exterior, and the moisture in the condiment is enabled to pass through the perforated discs and be absorbed by the absorbent material. In one form of the second embodiment, the closure cap is held by screw threads and is entirely detachable, and in another, it is yieldably moved to open position, although still attached, and is automatically moved back to closed posi-tion when released. In this case, interfitting elements center the cap on the body. The absorbent material includes various kinds of rice, and a selection of chemical materials.

Description

MOISTURE ABSORBENT CONDIMENT CONTAINER

Field of the Inventlon.
The invention has to do with containers for ~ugar, salt~ pepper, Aqpices, or other ltems where the contro.l o~
molsture i8 a factor. Those material~ absor~ moi~ure, read~ly, and when they are placed in cont,ainer~, often absorbent materlals are placed there.ln to absorb the moi~ture in them so as ko make khem readily fluent~ When the absorbent materials are ~o placed in them in 1003e form, as they usually are, they are unsightly . when on the table, and particu~arly so in a restaurant where the contalners are put before the pat,rons9 but also the absor-bent material may tend to fa~l out, as ~n the ca~e of su~ar contalners having relatively lar-ge openings.
The generic term "condiments" is u~ed herein, for convenlerl¢e, ko include ~ugar, salt, ~pices~ and all slmilar materla.l~ where the moisture is to be controlled~ even khou~h certain o~ them may not be known by khat term ln ordinary u~e~

Obl~ct~ of khe Invention.
A broad obJect of t,he inventiorl ls to provide novel m~ans in a container, ror holding an absorbent materlal ~or absorblng moisture from the condiment, which confines the absorbent material against general intermlxture with the condiment.
A more speciric ob~ect is to provlde a condiment contalner construction of the foregoing character- havlng the following features and advantages.
1. The device ls very s~mple, renderlng lt lnexpensive to produceJ and easy to use~

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2. It is especially e~ective ~or enabling moisture to pass from khe condiment to the absorbent material.

3. It includes a special conskruction enabling the condiment to be shaken out, such as salt, or poured out 3 SUGh as sugar~ while preventing the escape of the absorbent material with the condiment.

4. The absorbent material container is detachably con-nected to the condimen~ container, ~acilitating ~illing, emptying, and clean:lng.

5. It may be made in different ~orms, including~ f'or example, an absorbent material container entirely within the container, or a cap having a plain exterlor that ls entirely removable, and in another ~orm the cap is aktached to the container but manually movable, by applying one's finger, to ~n open position, and it automatically closes when released.

6. The container utiliæes both (a) natural materials such as rice, in different forms, and (b) chemicals o~ di~erent kinds.

~0 De~3cx-1ption of' Certain Pre~erred Embodiments:
In the drawings:
FLg. 1 is a vertical sectional view throu~h a sugar contalner incorporating the device o~ the present invention, Fig. 2 is a view taken at line 2--2 of Fig~ l;
Fig. 3 is a ~ragmentary view o~ an alkernake conskruc-tlon o~ the device o~ Fig. 1, showing that portion enclosed in dot-dash lines and indicated at 3;
Fiæ. 4 ls a view similar to Fig. 3 showing another S~;i alternate form;
Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of a salt shaker containing the device of the invention;
Fig. 6 is a view taken at line 6--6 of Fîg. 6;
Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a spice can embodying the f0atures of khe invention9 Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view o~ a spice can embodylng another rorm o~ the invention;
Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken at line 9--9 o~ Fig. 8;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken at line 10--10 of Fig~ 8;
Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view o~ the upper end o~ the tether o~ Fig. 8) with the hook thereof in flattened pOSit;iO~l;
FLg. 12 is a sectional view of another ~orm of condiment container including features of the invention~
havin~ a body and cap, with the cap in detached posltion;
Fl~;. 13 :Ls a view similar to Fig. 1, of the upper 2() portJ.on of the contalner, with the cap in closed po~ition;
~ig. 1l~ is a view of the upper portlon of Fig. 1 showlrl~ the per~`orated dlscs removed from their normal work~
I.ng pos:l.tiorl;
Fi~. 15 is a sectional view of the upper portion of a container of another modified ~orm, with the cap in closed position;
Fig. 16 is a view of the device in Fig. 15 with the cap in open position;
Fig. 17 is a detail view of a hinge as viewed from s~

line 17--17 o~ Fig. 15;
Fig. 18 is a fra~mentary view taken at line 18--18 of Fig. 17;
Fig. 19 is a cross sectional view taken at line 19--19 of Fig~ 18;
Fig. 20 is a view oriented according to Fig. 18 o~
a still further modified formg Fig. 21 is a seckional view similar ko Fig. 13J
but showlng still another modified form; and :L0 ~.Lg. 22 is a sectional view similar to the view of' FiK. 21~ showing another modi~ied ~o~mO

Referrin~ in detail to the drawings, Fig. 1 shows the invention incorporated in a sugar container. In this vlewJ
the container is indicated as a whole at :L0, which includes a main body 11 having a surrounding cyli,ndrical wall 12 and a bot,tom element 1~, with an upper edge 16 de~i.ning a top opening 1~ .
The surroundin~ wall 12 has exterior threads 20 adJacent t;~ OPJ on wh:lch :~s~deliachably secured a cap or closure member ,2~ o~ suitable shape, such as dome shape as shown, lnc:ludlng a low~r sllrroundlng band portion 24 having internal threads 26 det~chably threaded on the threads 20. The cap 22 has an open-ing 28 covered by a cover or -lid 30 in the form of a simple flap hinged as at 31 at its upper edge. Norl~ally the lid 30 ~alls by gravlty down into closing position as shown3 over the sugar container described above which is o~ a kind generally knownJ being designed specially for restaurant use.
The device o, the present invenkion includes an inner ~-~g~s~

container 32. The base element 14 o~ the contalner is provided with a central upstanding boss 34~ The inner container is pre~erably cylindrical in shape having a surrounding wall 38 provided with a plurality o~ apertures 40 Or a predetermined size referred to hereinbelow. The top end of the inner con-tainer member 32 is closed as at 42 in a suitable manner, pre~erably by an element integral with the surrounding wall 38.
The lower end o~ the inner container 32 is dirnensioned ~or f'rlctlon rit~ing on the boss 34 at 36, and thus is detachably mounted thereon. The sugar in the container is indicaked at 46.
As is of course generally known, sugar absorbs moisture quite readily~ and ln doing so it hardens or cakes, and o~ course does not flow when in that condition. In the use of the device o~ ~'ig. 1~ the user or patron usually tips it over to pour the sugar out through the opening 28, but the cakecl sugar of course does not flow. To overcome such di~iculty, usua:l.ly an absorbent material is placed in the sugar, various ones o~ which wlll serve the general purpose. As -ls known also, rice i3 a very good absorbenl; material for this purpose, but in -the ~0 cacs~3 o~ a sll~ar conta:iner having an opening 28 o~ the desired 3L~e ~or pouring sugar, the rice would flow through that open-inl~;) arld to pr-evenk that happeningg very o~ten other absorbent matex-lals are used instead, such as pieces os soda crackers, suf~iciently large as not to pass through that opening. Since the container of the kind represented in Fig. 1 -Ls ordinarily used in restaurants~ it is very significant that a pleasing appearance be presented. Broken pieces o~ crackers are not attractive, since they can be seen in the usual cases where the containers are transparent.

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The device o~ the present invention overcomes such di~ficulty. In use, the inner container 32 is detached, and rice 47 is introduced thereinto, and then lt is replaced in position The apertures or holes 40 are smaller than the grains of rlce, those grains ordinarily being o~ uni~orm size~
Accordingly, ~he ri.ce is confin~d within the inner container and ~oes not mix generally wlth the body o~ the sugar 1~6.
However, the holes are su~iciently large to enable air and moi~ture or vapor to readily pass therethrough into contact with .l~ the rlce. Portions o~ the sugar may also pass through the open:lngs and come in conkact with the riceJ enhanc:lng the absorb-ing action. The mo-lsture migrates from the main body o~ sugar through the holes into the inner container, and the whole body o~ sugar need not pass into contact with the rice. The inner container can be easily removed at any time it is desired to empty it, or t,o replace the ri.ce in lk periodically for ~acili-tating the absorption of the moistureg and ~or cleanlng purposes.
The length of khe inner contalner 32 may be as desired, such as~ .ln the preserlt case~ where it termlnates upwardly '20 ad~acent the upper edge 16 o~ the maln contalner. The prlnc-lpal cons:Lderation in this feature is that khe upper end be positioned f`or- easlly gr-asping by the fingers ~or removing it and replaclng i.~) and thus, it may be longer or shorter than khat indlcated.
; It will be understood that any absorbent material desired may be utilized, as well as or instead o~ rlce~
While sugar containers may be made of any of a wide variety o~ materialsg ordinarily they are made of glassg and in keeping therewith, the inner container 32 may as well be made o~ glass. It ls understood of course that the invention is ; -6~

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sufficiently broad to cover any makerials desired. Usually the cap or closure member 22 is o~ metal, but in this case also the particular material used may be as desired.
The preferred form of the bottom element 14 and boss 34 is as shown ln Figs. 1 and 2, where ~he surrounding wall 38 is ~itted over the boss, but FigS. 3 and 4 show alternate con-structions that may be utilized, if desired. In the latter ~igure~, corresponding elements are identi~ied by the same re~erence numerals as in ~igs. 1 and 2 but with prime indications.
In Flg. 3 the bottom element 14' has a boss 34' that is annular ln shape, and the inner container 32' is ~itted thereinko with a ~riction fit. In this case also~ the inner container 32' is detachably mounted in position.
In Fig. 4 the boss 34" and inner container 32" are khreaded, at 36", and so detachably connected to~ether. As used here~.n, f'rlction fitted encompasses both slidlng fit connection and threaded connection. The constructions of' ~igs. l-l~rnay be selected according to such ~actors as appearance, or ease ln ~'~cJl:~ty Ln mold:lng or other fabricating techn-lques.
~0 Figs. 5 and 6 show a salt shaker or pepper shaker 48 incllldlrlg the features of the present invent:lon. The arrange-merlt of Fig. 5 is generally tlle same as that of F~g. l but with minor modi~ications. In the case of the salt shaker 48, the container proper is indicated at 50 and has a bottom element 52 with a central upstanding boss 54. A cap or lid 56 is threadedly and removably secured to the upper open end o~ the container 50 ; As usual, the container proper 50 may be made o~ glass, and the cover 56 o~ metal. The cover 56 ls provided with a plurality 5~

of holes 58 for shaking the salt therethrough.
In the present case, the salt shaker 48 incorporates an lnner container 60 generally simllar to the inner container 32, having apertures 62 and mounted in place by any of the structures of Figs. 1-4. However it is provided with a top element 54 that differs from the element 42 of Fig4 1~ In the present case the element 64 has a pinched shape with opposed con-cave sides 66 converging upwardly ~.nto a single flat~ thin fin 68, Usually a salt sha~er is much smaller than the sugar con-~0 tc-llner represented ln F-lgs~ 1 and 2, and there~ore it is more clif~lcult ~or the person handling the salt shaker, such as a waitress filling it, to lnsert her fingers therelnto to grip and manipulate the inner container 60. ~he special-shape top element 64 ~acilitates so grasplng itD It 1.s. desired that the i.nner contalner 60 extend upwardly as far as practical9 to facil-:Ltate f~ripp:1ng -Lt, and theref'ore it may closely approach the ;~ very ~op~ nearly lnto engagement with the closure 56~
In the case of the salt shaker 48, the holes 58 :Ln the cap thx-ou~h whlcll the salt is sha~en, axe of course smaller than 20 the open:Lng 2~ of the sugar contairler of Fig. 1. ~ven though ~hese holes are smaller than the usual slze of r-ice, and those ~,ralns would not be shaken outJ nevertheless the placement of xlce loose ln the body of salt in the shaker is not a pleasing or attractive appearance, and thus the provision of the inner container 60. Even though the user or patron may be able to see : the rlce or other absorbent material within the inner container, when the latter is transparent~ he observes that the main body of the material (sugar or salt) is clear without the presence --c~ -of' absorbent material therein. This is an attractive feature and attracts the attention of the user beyond what may be ac-complished by the fact that the absorbent ma~erial would not be expelled from the container~
Difficulties and annoyances of the character referred to, that i9~ the collection of moisture in the materlal to be consumed, or condimenks~ is most pronounced in the case of' sugar and salt. One reason ~or this is that khey are most o~ten used, and used by more people, than other materials. Spices absorb molsture~ as noted, and readily become caked in the container, and are then dif`ficult to remove therefrom, as -ln cooking where it ls desired to dip them out or shake them outO Figs. 7 and 8 show the invention applied to a spice container9 thus overcoming the difficulties and annoyances mentioned.
Flg. 7 shows a spice can 70, of metal as usualg havlng fl ~urrounding wall 72 and a lid 73 provided with an opening 74 or apex-tures 75 enabling dipplng or shaklng the spice out, and a bottom element 76 secured to the wall 72 in a known rnanner.
The bottom elernent has a central boss or button or shaped pro-~0 kru~:l.on 78 over whlch is fitted an inner container 80, ln all ma~erlal re~pects lllce the lnner container 32D
'rhe inner container 80 may be o~ plas~ic materla] for e~ample, and consequently sufficiently yieldable to snap over the boss. However, it may be f'itted thereon in any known and '25 desired manner~ preferably removably so; any of the fo~ms o~
Figs, 1-4 may be utilized.
Fig. 8 shows another form of spice can embodying the basic principle of the previous constructions9 in a modified ~onn~ In this flgure, the splce can 8~ may be of conventional 3.~

conskruction including a f'lat bottom 86 and a surroundlng wall element 88 terminating in a bead ~0. The lld 92 has a surroun-ding down-turned bead 94 Split to for~ an outer element 96 and an inner element 98. The can may be of metal, but the lid is prererably of plastic and pref'erably flexible3 enabling the bead elements 96~ 98 to be snapped over the bead and yieldingly hold the cover thereon.
The inner container in the present case ls indlcated at 100 and .Lncludes a hollow sphere 102, per~orated at 103, on .() a tether or string or band 10~ having a hook 106 at the extended end. The hook is f'itted over the bead 90 of khe can, and the bead elements 96~ 98 of the cover snapped over the hook, holding the inner container in place. Pre~erably the elements 96~ 98 are notched as at 107 (~ig. 10~ to receive the hook and enable the lid to fit down t~ght. The inner container preferably is o~' a plast:l.c materi.al~ belng made up of halves 102a and 102b secured together in a sultable manner such as by providing an ; lnterlocking format:Lon 109 (Fig. 9) and snapping them together, the plastLc materlal y:l.elding suf~icient].y for this purpose.
t?0 'I'h~ absorl)clrll; materJ.al ls lnserted in t,he hollow sphere, a.nd 'che ha~ve.c~ ~hen snappecl togetherg a removab:le plug 110 being provided ~'or ~ac:~:L:I.tat:lrlg ll~sertion of` the absorbent makerial into the sphere. The plug is merely forced inko place, be-Lng held in pl~ce by ribs 111.
The tether or line 10~ is also preferab~y of plastic material and integral with the sphere half' 1O2b The ~ekher ~or the most part is round in cross section, and flaktened in the hook 106, and a radius is ~ormed ak 113 f'laring into the sphere half`. ~he hook 106 is of course an integral part of the tether, and may have a knob or enlargement 112 on its extended end to prevent its being pulled from its clamped position in-wardly o~ the can. Fig. 11 shows the hook in ~la~tened position, or developed view.
The inner container 100 is thus secured in the can, and has this feature in common with the other formsO The rice or other absorbent material in ~he sphere absorbs the moisture from the spice as ln the previous cases, and this construction provide~ an addltional advantage in that the can may be shalcen 1() or tapped on a counter top~ and the sphere belng ~ree to swing, i~ made to swing against the splce and break or dlslodge any caked portlons~ This last feakure is particularly advantageous in the case of large containers such as are used in commerclal places, as restaurantsO The absorbent material may be lntroduced by the producer Oe the spice in an operation related dlrectly to the introc~uction o~ the spice ln the can. Such cans are ~rd:lnarily Or throwaway character and hence the lnner container would not be re filledJ but the construction is o~ great advan-ta~e ln putting up the cans o e spice.
'~() Ord5.nar:ilyJ spice cans o e small size are provided wikh p~astl.c lids whtle those of large size~ such as those used in co~llercial e3tabl-lshments, e. g., restaurants, are provided wlth me~al lldsJ but irl e:lther case5 the lid ls shaped to accom_ modake the hook 10 and it holds the tether securely.
A great advantage of the lnvention is tha~ the device while providing khe benefits re~erred to above~ ~s nevertheless s~mple in both manufacture and use, being kherefore lnexpensive to manufacture~ and simple for use by the userO
The features of the invent-lon may be embodi~d in a . ,, ~

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variety of specific ~orms of device. Figs. 12-22 show addition-al forms incorporatlng the invention.
Referring in detail to the following ~igure~ Fi~s, 12-22 o~ the drawLngs~ ~ig. 12 shows a condlment container having a body 120 which may also be termed a con~alner proper, an~ Ls in the ~orm of a Jar, having an interior space 122. The body 120 may be similar to khat of an ordinary salt shakerg and at its upper end is provided with exterior threads 12~, and ik has an opening 126 at its upper end. The opening is normally closed by a perforated disc 128 having perforatLons 130 of suf-flcient size to enable the condlmentJ for e~ample salt~ 132 to pass therethrough upon shaking the body wlth iks normally upper end down. The dlsc 128 is provided with a bead 134 around Lts perlphery on the under side thereo~l which snap ~Lts into a cor-responding circum~erential cut out or groove 136 rormed in the od~. The disc 128 is snapped in place and when in such place, J.~ form~ a planar ~op surface, pref'erably to the radially outer-most ]lmits.
; The contalner shown in Flg. 12 Lncludes a cap 138 '() hav:LngJ a su~roundinlr wall 140, a substantial portion of wh:Lch ~onsti~ukes ~ slcirt 142 o~ substantial axial ]ength. ~he slclrt 142 ls provlded wltll lnterLor threads 1~-~4, and the inner surface o~ ~he cap is provided wlth an annular lnwardly extendlng rib 146 preferably o~ substantial radial dimension~ and the skirt 142 immediately thereunder is provided with an annular bea~ 148 shaped to ~orm a groove 150~ between itsel~ and the rib 146J
V-shaped in cross section, converging radially outwardly~
Another per~orated disc is shown at 152 ha ving per~
~orations 154 therein, and is provided with a circum~erenklal :
bead 156 on its under surface having a V-shaped outer edge 158 corresponding to the groove 150. The dlsc 152 is snap-fitted into the groove and normally held therein. The disc 152 forms an interior space 160 in the cap in which is placed the absor-bent material 162 which in Fig. 12 is represented as gralns o~rice.
The cap is ~itted on khe body by threading ik thereon, by the threads 124~ 144 and when i~ is tightened down the bead 156 of the disc 152 fits tighk against the peripheral edge of the per~orated disc 128 ~Fig. 13), forming a continuous space ~n the container ~rom the space 122 in the body to the space 160 in the cap, although through the apertures 13OJ 154 and this space is sealed from the exterior.
~ ig. lL~ shows the perforaked discs 128J 152 in detach~
ed position, and indicate the manner in which they are placed in ~)osi~ion ancl removed therefrom. In the use of the device of l~'ig. 13, the user removes the cap and up-ends the body and shakes the contents) or condiment, therefrorn through the per-~'oratlorls 130 as lndicated above. Upon completion o~ tha-t step~
'~ l;he~ ca~ ls merely replaced by threading it onto the body. While thC cap e~tends down over the upper end of the body a subs~an-~lal ~xtent, khe upper port:Lon o~ the cap of course extends .lbove the height o~ the body, providing the space 160 to contain the absorbent rice therein. This results in a total construc-tion which is only a small amount larger than sther normal saltshakers and condiment containers~ The container o~ Figs~ 12-14 ; is deslgned prlmarily as a throw-away article~ although of course it could be re-used if desired.
; Figs. 15-17 show another form o~ device. I~ this S6~i form, the cap 164 is provided with an interior space 166 ror the absorbent material 168. The cap 16~ is slmilar to the cap of 138, of Flg. 12, excepk that the skirt 170 thereof is short and is not threaded, and is preferably the same diameter as the top of the body. Hinge means 172 mounts the cap on the bod~ 174 which is similar to the body 120, except of course without threads~ The hinge means 172 as indicated Ln Fig~ 17 is provided with coil spring means 175 f'or biaslng the cap to closed pos-lti.on and nol~nally retaLning lt there, buk yi.elding to enable the cap to be moved to open position (Fi~ 16) by the handJ and when released, the spring means moves it ko closed posit-ion. Preferably the cap 164 is provided wi~h a tab 176 for grlpping hy the thum~ or flnger for manipulaking the cap; the tab is preferably provided with friction ribs 177 which may be arranged longitudi.nally as in Figs. 18 and 19, or transversely ~s ~t 1'7~3 :in Fig. 20.
In the fol~ of FiGS~ 15-17, perf'orated discs 179, 180 are prov~.Lcled, corresponding to the discs 128, 152, 'but :in th:Ls case, ~he d:lsc '1'79 is di.sh shaped, depressed -.I.nto -the conta.:i.rler, arlcl t;}le l.ower portion is provided with apertures 181. I'he dlsc 1~30 has apertures 184 and a dependi.n~ c:Lrcurnferential f].ange 18~, ~he latter ~er~rll.rlatin~r~ in an inturned bea.d 18~ whi.ch facllltates removal of the disc for replacement or cleaningO
In the closing movements of the cap, the flange 184 fits into the dished portion of the lower disc 179~ centering the cap and retaining it in centered position. In this case also, the perforated disc 180 seats tight on the perforated disc 179 and seals the two interior spaces against the exterior.
Fig. 21 shows the utiliza~ion of the construction for ~ ~ ~ 5~ ~ ~

incorporating an additional absorbent material container in the device. The container 185 may be identical with the container o~ Fi~. 12, except that an additional container 186 for absorbenk material is incorporated therein, which is slmilar to that of Figs. 1-4J and is ~he form of a tube 187 having : perforations 188 therein and mounted in a tubular boss 198 in . the floor 190. Absorbent material 191 is placed in the tubeD
The perforzted disc 128 is at the extreme top o~ the body~ and actually at the exterior thereof J l.eavin~ khe enklre interl.or space unimpeded, and maxim~n space is provided for the tube 186 which rnay extend up to the position closely ad~acenk the per-; .~orated disc 128.
Fig. 22 shows a container similar to that of Fi~ 21including the inner container 186, but includes a cap 192 that is plain, that is, without an interior space, or upper perfor a~ed dlsc, and is threaded onto the body.
Rice is found to be an excellent absorbent material ~`ox the present purpose. P~i.ce can absorb about 4 1/2~ of -l.ts own wel~ht -ln water. C have f`ound that the best ~orm Or x-ice ."0 .L`or the~ purpose .I.s Mi.nutie Rice. Other kinds o~ rice will a:Lso s~rve well as absorbent makerials, such as medlum ~rain white rLce, ex~ra long ~;rairl rice, and long grain rice and wlld rl.ce o~` a l~ind known as "Uncle Ben's", ~ound on the market. Rice being a natural item, ls preferred, and it has ~urther advan-tages, in thak it is inexpensive~ and even i~ parkicles of itshould be consumed, no serious consequences follow. Even i~
it should be desired to replace the rice~ the upper perforated disc, such as khe disc 152~ is easily removed ~rom the cap~ for removing the old rice and replenishing it with new rice ~15-5i~;

Additlonally the condiment can be easily placed in the body120 by reraoving the lower perforated disc, such as the d:isc 128, and again replacin~ it. When the cap is removed, either complete-ly as in khe form of Figs. 12-1~J or merely swung to open position as Figs~ 15~ 16, the container can be easily used as in the case of any other container hereto~ore known, the cap not in any way interfering wlth or affectin~ the use of the body 120 itself.
While rice is considered the preferred for~ of ~0 abfJorbent material, certain chemical materials may be used Lnstead of rice~ for example, dried silica gel, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate and sodium sulfate. Dried silica gel is most effective, this material being capable of absorbing about 5~ of its own weight in moisture. While the chemical 1'~ materials mentioned are less preferred than natural product, rl.ce, they are nevertheless effective for the purpose intended.
~n the use of chemical materials, it -s so used in the form of lilr~e part:lcles, substantially larger than the perforatlons 1n the d:ISCSJ whereby t;o preclude movement of` the particles into ) the cor~ erlt and consequerltly maintain the condiment in pure ~`orln ~

End of Description Specification.

Claims (6)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. A container for condiment, comprising:
a main container generally closed, having an imperforate bottom element, a surrounding wall defining a top opening, and a removable perforated cover, and an inner container of tubular form having an open lower end and a closed upper end, the bottom element and the inner container including interconnecting elements capable of releasably mounting the inner container on the bottom element in response to manipulating the inner container by manually grasping it at its upper end, the inner container being of such length as to terminate closely adjacent the top opening of the main container, the inner container being made of material that is rigid and generally continuous but with dimensionally defined holes therethrough spaced apart substantial distance relative to the size of the holes, the holes being of such size as to confine granular material of relatively large size such as rice against escape therethrough, but to enable granular material of relatively small size such as sugar and salt to pass therethrough.

2. A container for condiment according to claim 1 wherein, said interconnecting elements include an upstanding boss on the bottom element, and the inner container is friction fitted thereon.

3. A container for condiment according to claim 1 wherein, the main container and the inner container are made of transparent material.

4. A container for condiment according to claim 1 wherein, the upper end of the inner container has a pinched shape, providing a generally flat transverse fin to facilitate grasping of the inner container by the fingers, despite restricted space within the main chamber which renders it difficult to insert the fingers thereinto.

5. A condiment container comprising, a body forming a container proper in the form of a jar having an interior space and an opening at the top of substantial width relative to the width of the jar, a first perforated disc detachably secured to the jar in position extending across the opening, enabling gases to pass freely through the perforations thereof while enabling particles of condiment in the jar to pass therethrough in response to shaking the jar in inverted position, a cap having an open end and a closed end and movable between a closed position closing the opening and having its open end directed to the jar in that position, and an open position exposing the opening, the cap being of a width similar to the width of the jar, a second perforated disc detachably secured in and carried by the cap and positioned therein so that when the cap is in closed position it is adjacent to and parallel with the first perforated disc, the cap being of such dimensions and the second perforated disc being so positioned in the cap, as to form an interior space therein between the second perforated disc and the closed end of the cap, for containing an absorbent material, the two discs enabling the passage of gases and vapors therethrough between the two interior spaces for carrying of moisture from the condiment to the absorbent material, and the discs being so positioned that when the cap is in closed position, they interengage and seal the interior spaces against the exterior, hinge means mounting the cap on the container proper, and the first perforated disc in the jar being dish shaped and extending into the interior of the jar, and the second perforated disc in the cap including a depending flange which, when the cap is in closed position, extends into the dish shaped first perforated disc, and operates to locate the cap in centered position.

6. A condiment container according to claim 5 wherein, said depending flange is annular in shape, and is provided with an internal head capable of being grasped by the fingers for facilitating removal of the disc from the cap.