JP2008546607A - Breathable container - Google Patents

Abstract

A ventable container including a lid and a base, the base having an internal cavity and a side wall terminating in a rim, the lid including a central panel and a peripheral sealing lip surrounding the panel; The peripheral seal lip has a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section that forms a lid channel into which the container rim fits, and the seal lip is adapted to move from the first position to the second position upon application of an acting force. At least one vent feature in the form of a flexible vent button adapted to the container when the vent button is further adapted and arranged, the container rim is disposed in the lid channel and the vent button is in the first position; When the sealing engagement with the lid is enabled and the vent button is in the second position, a path is provided through which air can be vented from the container cavity to the outside of the container.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates generally to food storage containers, and more particularly to food storage containers characterized by a lid, a base and a vent portion.

  Food storage containers are a well-known technique. In general, this type of container has a lid that is selectively removable from the bowl and is usually designed to have a variety of features, such as reusable, disposable, and microwaveable.

  Many types of bowl and lid assemblies and means for sealing engagement of the lid to the bowl have been devised. For example, there are containers and engagement means as disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 6,170,696 and 6,868,980.

  One problem associated with conventional plastic microwaveable containers arises from the rapid temperature changes that they carry. The container must be ventilated during cooking in the microwave because the atmospheric pressure increases as the moisture in the contents evaporates and the gas temperature increases. Thus, the container must remain open to a certain temperature during microwave cooking. However, it is desirable that the bowl be covered for as long as possible so that the contents are not scattered within the microwave oven.

  Another problem with plastic containers is that the respiration rate of the food cannot be adjusted by the desired amount while maintaining the sealing performance of the container. As is well known, if the proper breathability or respiration rate is provided and the contents can breathe, the freshness of the food can be improved.

  Various methods and containers have been developed to provide proper breathability and allow food to breathe during or after microwave cooking. For example, conventionally, there are containers in which a valve or an open / close door is incorporated in the base or lid of the container to improve air permeability or gas exchange. Typically, these containers result in increased costs and manufacturing complexity. Therefore, it is difficult to design a complicated valve-type vent structure having a moving part into a thermoformed plastic part.

  A conventional way to allow a container to vent is to remove the lid and place it on the container base to regulate the breathing of food so that air and steam escape during microwave cooking. Another method is to slightly lift the lid off the base, such as at the corner of a square or rectangular container. Both of these methods regulate the respiration of food to some extent. However, the container is no longer sealed and is at risk of leaking.

In the container ventilation method described above, the container is opened by the increased pressure in the container during cooking in the microwave oven, and the distance between the lid and the bowl increases, so that sufficient air and steam can be vented. However, there is a problem that food is scattered from an unsealed portion between the lid and the base. Further, when cooking in the microwave oven is completed, the steam present in the container cools, the pressure inside the container drops greatly, and the container cannot be opened due to the pressure difference. A vacuum is created by the pressure drop and the lid is drawn into the base, and sufficient air cannot be returned to the interior of the container to compensate for the pressure drop. This problem becomes more prominent due to the accumulation of steam and creates an additional steam seal between the lid and the bowl. The generated vacuum will permanently damage the container.
U.S. Patent No. 6,170,696

  Therefore, (i) it is applied so that the seal engagement between the lid and the base is effective in the first position, and provides an effective air passage when in the second position, and (ii) conventional thermoforming It is an object of the present invention to provide a breathable container lid with venting means that is easy to manufacture by processing and simple to use.

  In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a reclosable lid is provided for venting the container. The container includes a base having an internal cavity and a side wall terminating in a rim, the lid includes a central panel and a peripheral seal lip surrounding the panel, the peripheral seal lip forming a generally inverted channel that forms a lid channel into which the rim fits. The sealing lip comprises a flexible vent button-type vent means adapted to move from a first position to a second position upon application of an acting force, the vent lip further comprising a U-shaped cross section, the vent button further comprising a container When the rim is in the lid channel and the vent button is in the first position, the sealing engagement of the container and the lid is effective, and when the vent button is in the second position, the respective sealing surface and base of the lid are mutually connected. Adapted and arranged to be displaced with respect to each other so that a vent passage is formed from the interior cavity of the container to the exterior of the container. Preferably, the vent button is integrally formed with the lid channel and constitutes a turnable dome including an edge surrounding the ridge, the ridge further forming the outermost protrusion of the ridge. Including a vertex that is adapted to contact the surface of the second closure when the vent button is moved to the second position.

  In another aspect, the venting means comprises second and additionally third venting means, both of which selectively operate according to the operation of the first vent button to increase the amount of venting through the closed area of the container. .

  In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the ventable container is a selectively removable lid, the lid including a central panel and a peripheral seal lip surrounding the panel, the peripheral seal lip including a lid channel. Forming a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section, the lid being a lid that includes a vent boss and a container base having an internal cavity, the container base further having a side wall that terminates in a container rim; The container rim is adapted to be disposed within a lid channel, the container rim being adapted to receive a vent boss when the container rim is disposed within the lid channel and the lid and base are in a first position. A container base that includes a vented boss sheet so that sealing engagement between the lid and the base is effective and the vent boss is disposed away from the vented boss sheet when the lid rotates to a second position with respect to the container. The container rim is rearranged to provide a vent passage from the container cavity to the exterior of the container in the lid channel.

  The present invention substantially reduces or eliminates the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with prior art container base and lid assemblies. As described in detail herein, the container design of the present invention includes an effective and simple venting means that prevents scattering of the container contents and regulates the respiration of food during cooking in a microwave oven.

  Features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

  Unless defined otherwise, all technical terms used below have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

  In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same components. A first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. The container 10 includes a container base 20 and a flexible container lid 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the container 10 is described as a substantially square with rounded corners. In other embodiments of the invention, the container 100 may have other shapes such as rectangular, circular, elliptical.

  The container base 20 has a bottom 22 and side walls 24 extending from the periphery of the bottom 22. At the end of the side wall 24, a shoulder 26 is provided that extends outwardly and substantially horizontally, and is incorporated into the closure 28 of the base. The closure 28 has a generally horizontal rim surface 30 and a generally inverted U-shaped cross section. The bottom surface 22 includes a stacking recess (not shown) that extends upwardly relative to a substantially horizontal central panel surface (not shown).

  Container lid 40 is adapted to sealingly engage container base 20. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the container lid 40 includes a central panel 42 surrounded by a peripheral closure or seal lip 44. The central panel 42 additionally includes one or more stacking beads 43 that engage stacking recesses provided on the bottom surface 22 of the base 20. The lid closure 44 includes four corners 46 with additional grip tabs 48. The lid closing portion 44 of the lid 40 is adapted to be in sealing engagement with the base closing portion 30. The lid closing portion 44 has a horizontal rim surface 50 disposed between the inner wall 58 and the outer wall 60, and the inner wall and the outer wall together form a substantially inverted U-shaped cross section that forms a lid channel. Is forming. The lid includes venting means with at least one vent button 52. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vent button 52 is disposed along the horizontal rim surface 50, preferably at the corner portion, more preferably at the corner portion with the grip rib 48. By placing a vent button at one corner, the remaining three corners of the lid remain sealed while the container 10 is vented, thereby providing an optimal ventable seal. In other embodiments, the vent button 52 may be positioned in the middle of the corner 46 or may be positioned along the inner or outer wall 58 or 60 of the lid channel.

  3 and 4, the closing portion 28 of the container base 20 includes an inner wall 32 and an outer wall 34. As described above, the closing portion 44 of the container lid 40 includes the inner wall 58 and the outer wall 60. As illustrated, the inner walls 32 and 58 are formed by undercut engagement so that when the lid 40 is fixed to the base 20, the inner wall 32 fits tightly with the inner wall 58 of the lid 40. Thus, the inner walls 32 and 58 provide a first set of sealing surfaces. Outer walls 34 and 60 are also formed with undercut engagement to provide a second set of sealing surfaces, providing a container having a continuous sealing area on the inside and outside. The closure or seal lip 44 of the lid 40 acts as a seal channel that receives the horizontal rim surface 30 of the closure 28 of the container base 20. Details of the closure of the lid and base are described in US Pat. No. 6,170,696, incorporated herein by reference. Although the closure design of the preferred embodiment has been described as having both an inner and an outer sealing surface, the venting feature of the present invention functions similarly with other known U-shaped closure configurations. For example, by engaging the inner wall (or outer wall) of the lid and base closure with the respective outer wall (or inner wall) of the lid and base closure, the main seal contact is limited and additional peripheral It is a substantially U-shaped closure design that does not form a continuous seal zone. For example, in the embodiment described above, the outer walls 34 and 60 need not both be formed with undercuts, either outer wall being inclined outwardly in the vertical direction or beyond and opposite the undercut. Also good.

  The base 20 and the lid 40 are manufactured as thermoformed parts. Alternatively, one or both of these members may be manufactured by other processes including blow molding or injection molding. However, those skilled in the art know that minor structural modifications can occur if processes other than thermoforming are used.

  As described above, the ventilation means includes at least one flexible ventilation button arranged in the closing portion 44. Specifically, the vent button 52 is disposed on the horizontal rim surface 50 as shown in FIGS. The vent button 52 includes an edge 62 that surrounds the ridge 64. The edge 62 is integrally formed with the horizontal rim surface 50. The raised portion 64 is formed like a round or hemispherical turnable dome protruding from the plane formed by the edge 62. As a result of the round shape, the ridge 64 includes a vertex 66 that forms the outermost protrusion of the ridge 64 and a transmission region that integrally connects the vertex 66 to the edge 62. Preferably, the ridge 64 is about one half of the diameter of the edge 62. In practice, the reversible nature of the ridge 64 is facilitated by thinning the material at the connection location between the edge 62 and the ridge 64. In other embodiments where the lid is formed by injection molding, the thickness of the turnable ridge 64 is preferably about 50% or less of the thickness of the adjacent lid. This is taught in paragraph 51 of US Patent Application No. 2004-0232036, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

  The vent button 52 is designed and adapted to move between a non-vented first position shown in FIG. 3 and a ventable second position shown in FIGS. At the first position of the ventilation button 52, the raised portion 64 that can be turned over from the ventilation button protrudes away from the horizontal rim surface 30 of the bottom closing portion 28. In this position, the inner walls 32 and 58 remain in sealing contact when the lid 40 engages the base 20. In the second position of the ventilation means, the ridge 64 is reversed and faces the horizontal rim surface 30 of the bottom closure 28. The apex 66 contacts the horizontal rim surface 30 so that the inner seal wall 58 is moved away from the seal contact with the inner wall 32 and the outer wall 60 is displaced with respect to the outer wall 34 so that the arrows A, A ′ and B, B An air vent passage is provided as indicated by '. As noted above, each of the outer walls 34 and 60 of the base and lid closure need not form a second set of sealing surfaces and may be arranged as vertical or more vertical segments as desired.

  The vent button 52 is adapted to maintain the first and second positions after placement until an external (or acting) force Fv is applied to the button 52. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the acting force typically depends not only on the button position on the lid closure 44 but also on the size of the container closure and button 52.

The acting force (Fv) is in the range of about 0.25 to 15.0 pounds, preferably in the range of about 0.5 to 10.0 bonds, more preferably in the range of about 1.0 to 5.0 pounds. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the aforementioned acting forces are sufficient to hold the button 52 in the desired vented or unvented position while easily moving between them.
In accordance with the present invention, the vent button 52 has various sizes depending on the size and shape of the container. In one embodiment where the container size near button 52 is about 0.3 to 0.6 inches, vent button 52 is substantially circular and has a diameter in the range of about 0.25 to 0.6 inches. . In other embodiments, the diameter of the vent button 52 ranges from about 0.35 to 0.55 inches.

  As described above, the vent button 52 moves from the first position to the second position, and the distance is sufficient to provide an effective passage of air at the second position. The actual moving distance depends on the size (for example, horizontal plane width) of the rim surface 50 and the ventilation button 52.

  An example of the ventilation operation mode is as follows. The user lifts the corner 46 of the lid 40 from the base 20 while applying the above-described action force (arrow Fv) to the ventilation button 52, and turns the raised dome portion 64 from the first non-venting position to the second position. Move to a ventable position. When the vent button 52 is moved to the second ventable position, the apex 66 of the turnable raised dome 64 contacts the rim surface 30 of the base closure 28 so that the lid 40 adjacent to the button 52 is (i) facilitate breathing of food and / or (ii) air and steam are vented from the container during microwave cooking and sufficient air is returned into the container 10 to compensate for the pressure drop during cooling. Displace or rise as you can.

  FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Container 110 comprises the same container base 120 and container lid 140 as shown in FIGS. The container lid 140 is substantially the same as the container lid 40 shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 except that it has a second ventilation button 152 and an additional third ventilation button 252 in addition to the ventilation button 52. Like the first ventilation button 52, ventilation buttons 152 and 252 are arranged in the corner area 146 of the lid 140. The operation of the vent buttons 152 and 252 is the same as described above in connection with FIGS. The vent buttons 52, 152 and 252 may be selectively operated to provide a desired amount of ventilation.

  Figures 7 to 11 show another embodiment of the ventable container of the present invention. Container 310 includes a container base 320 and a flexible container lid 340 in sealing engagement therewith. The container base 320 has a bottom 322 and a side wall 324 extending from the periphery of the bottom 322. The end of the side wall 324 is provided with a shoulder 326 that extends outward and substantially horizontally, and is incorporated into the base closure 328. The closure 328 has a generally horizontal rim surface 330 and has a generally inverted U-shaped cross section.

  Container lid 340 includes a central panel 342 surrounded by a peripheral closure or seal lip 344. Additionally, the central panel 342 includes one or more stacking beads 343 that engage stacking recesses (not shown) provided on the bottom surface 322 of the base 320. The lid closure 344 includes four corners 346 with additional grip tabs 348. The lid closing part 334 of the lid 340 is adapted to be in sealing engagement with the base closing part 330. The lid closure 344 has a generally inverted U-shaped cross section that forms a horizontal rim surface 350 and a lid channel.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the lid 340 further includes ventilation means 372.

  In the preferred embodiment, the vent means 372 comprises at least one protrusion or vent boss 374 disposed adjacent to the lid closure 344. The vent boss 374 is disposed on the horizontal rim surface 350 and projects into the lid channel as shown in FIGS.

  According to the present invention, the ventilation boss 374 can be disposed at any position on the lid closing portion 344. Preferably, in the case of a square, the vent boss 374 is positioned adjacent to the lid corner 346. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, vent boss 374 is positioned near corner 346 and proximate to grip tab 348.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the container button 320 includes a vent boss sheet 336 adapted to receive the vent boss 374 such that when the lid 340 and the base 320 are in the engaged position, the lid 340 and the vent boss 374 are in the first position. 1 in a non-vented position. When the lid 340 is rotated and placed in the second ventable position, a vent boss 374 is placed on the horizontal rim surface 330 of the container, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, so that the lid 340 is near the boss 374. Slightly raised to provide a passage through which air can be vented. In the second ventable position, the inner wall 358 of the lid closing portion 344 is displaced, and the sealing contact with the inner wall 332 of the base closing portion 328 is released. Further, the outer wall 360 of the lid closing portion 344 is displaced with respect to the outer wall 334 of the base closing portion 328, and a passage through which air indicated by arrows O, O ', C, and C' can be vented is provided.

  In accordance with the present invention, the vent boss 374 can take various sizes depending on the size and shape of the container. In the preferred embodiment, the vent boss 374 is substantially circular and its diameter is preferably in the range of about 0.25 to 0.6 inches, more preferably in the range of about 0.35 to 0.55 inches. .

  To place the container 310 in a ventable position, the user removes the lid 340 from the container base 320, rotates it, and places the lid 340 back on the container base 320 in the ventable position shown in FIGS. In the case of a square container, the lid 340 can be ventilated by rotating by 90 °. In the case of a rectangular container, the lid 340 needs to rotate 180 ° to move to the ventable position. In the ventable position described above, the vent boss 374 raises the corner 346 of the lid 340, thereby (i) adjusting the breathing of the food and / or (ii) air and steam from the container during microwave cooking. Ventilation is possible and sufficient air can be returned into the container to compensate for the pressure drop while substantially maintaining seal integrity (leak proof) of the container 310 during cooling.

  To return the container 310 to the fully sealed non-venting direction, the user removes the lid 340, rotates the lid 340 so that the vent boss 374 is aligned with the vent boss sheet 336, and the lid closure 344 closes the base. The lid is pressed against the base so as to be in sealing engagement with the portion 328.

  Although the container is reusable, it can be manufactured as cheaply as the consumer considers it disposable and can be purchased separately at the store to replace the cover and base. The base and cover are manufactured by thermoforming a clear polypropylene homopolymer material. Other plastic materials suitable for producing containers by thermoforming include PS (polystyrene), CPET (crystalline polyethylene terephthalate), APET (amorphous polyethylene terephthalate), HDPE (high density polyethylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), Includes PC (polycarbonate) and foamed polypropylene. The material used is generally transparent so that the user can see the contents of the container.

  The container may include a visual indication of closure of the container cover and the container base. The visual indicator may change color at the part where the cover is engaged with the base. In one embodiment, the cover closure is a first color and the base closure is a second color. When the closure is engaged, the first and second colors produce a third color that visually indicates to the user that the container has been sealed.

  The container may have a rough outer surface to reduce slip and make it easier to grip when the user's hand is wet or oil is attached.

  The container may be divided to separate the food items in the container. The divider may be integral with the container or a separate component. The base may have a partition, and both the base and the cover may each have a partition. A partition located on the cover may partially engage with the partition in the base to provide splash protection, or fully engage with the partition in the base to change the degree of leakage prevention between the compartments. May be.

  The container may include a strip indicating the temperature of the container and its contents.

  The grip tab has an extension that reduces interference contact with the base during removal or engagement of the cover while still providing a suitable closure to maintain a proper seal of the container. The extending portion of the grip tab allows ventilation by allowing a portion of the cover to be unsealed from the base while maintaining the other seals around the container. This feature is useful when cooking in a microwave oven. That is, the cover prevents the food from being scattered on the inner surface of the microwave oven while allowing the container to vent. By using the grip tab, less force is required to remove the cover from the base. By reducing the opening force, the possibility of container breakage due to stress and fatigue can be reduced. By reducing the opening force, the user can maintain control of the entire container component while removing the cover from the base and reduce the possibility of the contents stored in the container being scattered.

  The ranges of values described herein are merely used as a way of referring to individual values within that range, and unless otherwise indicated, individual values are incorporated into the specification. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated. Any and all examples and illustrations given herein are merely for better illustrating the present invention and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention.

  Although the invention has been described in the context of particular embodiments, the invention is not limited to those embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and aspects of the invention. The present invention can also be implemented by methods other than those described here. Accordingly, it is intended to cover all changes, modifications, and equivalents included in the spirit and aspects of the invention. Further, any combination of the above-described components in all possible variations is included in the invention unless otherwise indicated or contradicted by context.

1 is a perspective view of a ventable container including a lid and a base, according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view of the container which can be ventilated shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and shows the first lid vent button in the first position. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a ventable container similar to FIG. 3, showing the first lid vent button in a second position. It is a side view of the ventilable container of FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a lid with three vent buttons. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a ventable container according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the base of the ventable container of FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the ventable container taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7, showing the lid in a first non-vented position. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 9, showing the lid in the second vent position. FIG. 8 is a side view of the ventable container of FIG. 7 and a partial cross-sectional view of the vent corner area when the lid is in the second vent position.

Claims (6)

A breathable container,
A selectively removable lid, wherein the lid includes a central panel and a peripheral seal lip surrounding the central panel, the peripheral seal lip having a generally inverted U-shaped cross section forming a lid channel; The reel lip has a lid that includes a vent boss,
A container bottom having an internal cavity, the container bottom having a side wall terminating in a container rim, the container rim being adapted to be disposed in the lid channel, the container rim comprising a vent boss sheet, When a container rim is disposed in the lid channel and the lid and container are in a first non-vented position, the boss sheet is adapted to receive the vent boss, thereby sealing engagement of the lid and the container Becomes effective and when the lid is rotated to a second vent position with respect to the container, the vent boss is positioned away from the vent boss seat, the container rim is repositioned, and A container bottom where an air-permeable passage is provided in the lid channel towards the outside;
A container comprising: When the container rim is disposed in the lid channel and the lid is in the second position, the container remains substantially leak-proof except for the area adjacent to the vent boss;
The container according to claim 1. The container of claim 1, wherein the vent boss is substantially circular. The container of claim 1, wherein the lid includes at least one grip tab, and the vent boss is disposed proximate to the grip tab. The container of claim 1, wherein the lid is made of thermoformed plastic. The container of claim 1, wherein the lid is made of injection molded plastic.

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