ES1244314U - Reusable food container (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Reusable food container characterized by being made up of a base, a limpet and a folding middle section between the base and the lid, the base and the lid being made of recycled plastic and the middle section made of silicone, said container having the shape rectangular with rounded corners. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Reusable food container.

Technical sector

This product is intended for the food and hospitality sector and is specifically intended to replace single-use food packaging for takeout, delivery and catering.

Background of the Invention

In the past there have been many approaches to food packaging, primarily what is thought to be traditional Tupperware or brands that replicate Tupperware (reusable) or disposable (single-use) designs. There are many companies that now design unconventional lunch boxes as well and the designs are quite expansive in today's market. The vast majority of reusable packaging on the market is designed and intended for home use to store leftovers and home-cooked meals, while single-use packaging is widely used in the hospitality industry for ready meals.

Our product is destined for a new emerging market: reusable packaging that replaces single-use packaging for food. There are a small number of companies worldwide entering this market, such as Returnr, Ozarka, GoBox, and Recircle. The goal of these companies is to replace single use with reusable in an attempt to reduce packaging waste. Each of these companies involves some form of subscription or direct selling business model. One of these companies has made its own packaging. The problem is that all of these companies are using packaging that has severe product limitations, making it impossible for them to expand into vertical growth models. For example, Returnr uses a stainless steel container. This may be a good choice for a select number of foods, but it cannot be used in catering services because the container is not microwave safe. To capture a significant share of the market with a variety of different business models, a package needs to be specifically designed for this new market.

Explanation of the invention

This is a reusable food packaging that has enhanced previous approaches to reuse, taking into account the needs of users from all relevant stakeholders. The Swap Box team conducted more than 200 interviews with restaurant and delivery customers, restaurant owners, delivery companies, catering companies, and workspace employees to understand exactly what they would need from this container.

The main characteristics of this container that make it unique are:

1. It is foldable thanks to a silicone separator that separates the base and the top of the container. This makes it possible for all users to save space. For example, restaurants that don't have a lot of space can stack clean containers, but when used containers are returned to them they can fold the container without opening it to save space. Customers are more likely to return rented containers because when folded they are much smaller and easier to store in a bag. Container collapsibility also helps Swap Box internally by increasing efficiency (less space taken up during replenishment and disinfection means fewer trips to perform in our logistics). Making this container collapsible also means it can be two sizes in one. When it is expanded it is about 1300ml more or less and when it is folded it is about 700ml more or less.

2. The shape is rectangular with rounded corners. This is because it is an easier way to store in the backpacks of the delivery people or in the restaurants, since the circular shapes take up unnecessary space. It also has an easy way to clean and is versatile for many types of food.

3. Each container will be delivered to users with a silicone / elastic strap, which means that the container does not need to be placed in a bag (saving more waste), and also means that the container will not spill food, and that the container It is easy to carry because it has a handle attached to the strap.

4. The container is made of BPT-free plastic or recycled plastic and silicone. These are the only materials available that can be reused hundreds of times and meet the needs of other users. For example, these materials make the packaging durable, microwaveable, freezable, collapsible, machine washable in an industrial dishwasher, and not susceptible to stains or odors.

The main advantage of this packaging is that it is extremely versatile and can be used by many different companies for many different business models, which means that we can reduce as much waste as possible.

Brief description of the drawings

To complement the description that is being made and in order to help a better understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included as an integral part of said description, where, by way of illustration and not limitation, the next:

Figure 1a.- Shows a front view of the upper device of the invention (cover).

Figure 1b.- Shows a top view of the top device of the invention (cover).

Figure 1c and 1d.- They show a side view of the upper device of the invention (cover).

Figure 2a.- Shows a front view of the upper section of the base of the container.

Figure 2b.- Shows a top view of the upper section of the base of the container.

Figure 2c and 2d.- They show a side view of the upper section of the base of the container.

Figure 3a.- Shows a front view of the middle section of the base of the container.

Figure 3b.- Shows a top view of the middle section of the base of the container.

Figure 3c and 3d.- They show a side view of the middle section of the base of the container.

Figure 4a.- Shows a front view of the lower section of the container base.

Figure 4b.- Shows a top view of the bottom section of the container base.

Figure 4c and 4d.- They show a side view of the lower section of the base of the container.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The assembly of this container is made up of 5 parts; Fig. 1, Fig.2, Fig.3, Fig.4, and a transparent plastic that will fill the empty central section of Fig. 1.

The main section of the container base is made up of the three main parts. Fig.2 is the first base section and the material will be plastic or recycled plastic. Next, Fig. 3 is the collapsible silicone section - this section will be forcibly inserted and secured with food grade glue on each of the top and bottom sections to make sure it is impossible to remove or filter liquids. Finally, the upper part of the base, Fig. 4, is made of plastic or recycled plastic.

Fig. 1 is the top of the container. It would be an internal transparent window and will be made of plastic - this part will also be forcibly inserted and secured with food grade glue inside of Fig. 1 to ensure that it is impossible to remove or filter liquids. Fig. 1 is the main section of the upper part and will also have a small edge that makes it easy to remove the main section when the container is opened. When all the pieces of the container are assembled the dimensions are: height 88.6 mm, width 133.0 mm. and length 200.4 mm.

Claims (2)

1. Reusable food container characterized by being formed by a base, a lid and a foldable middle section between the base and the lid, the base and the lid being made of recycled plastic and the middle section made of silicone, said container having the shape rectangular with rounded corners. 2. Reusable food container, according to claim 1, characterized in that the lid contains a transparent plastic in its empty central area and a tab in one of its corners.