US20030150857A1

US20030150857A1 - Meal box

Info

Publication number: US20030150857A1
Application number: US10/073,592
Authority: US
Inventors: Bi-Hua Tsai
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2002-02-12
Filing date: 2002-02-12
Publication date: 2003-08-14

Abstract

A meal box includes a bottom with a wall extending therefrom and food is received in the meal box. A skirt extends from the bottom and toward an opposite direction of the wall. A plurality of grooves are defined in an outer surface of the wall and a plurality of protrusions extend from an inside of the skirt. Two meal boxes are overlapped by receiving the protrusions in the grooves so that the two boxes can be well connected. A cover is removably mounted to the wall and includes an embrace portion which is engaged with the outer surface of the wall of the top meal box.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a meal box having engaging design for convenience of securely overlapping multiple meal boxes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A conventional meals box for taking out is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and generally includes a base 1 for receiving foods therein and a cover 2 which is covered on an open top of the base 1. The base 1 has two lugs 13 for convenience of holding the meal box and a flange 12 extends from a periphery of the top open end. The cover 2 has a groove 21 defined in an underside thereof so as to receive the flange 12 of the base 1. A hooking portion 22 extend inward from an inside of the groove 21 so as to engage with the flange 12 and to prevent the cover 2 from disengaging from the base 1. However, the meal box is not designed for overlapping them in multiple number so that they cannot be well positioned in overlap status. This is inconvenient for the delivery guys of restaurants to deliver multiple meal boxes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a meal box which comprises a bottom with a wall extending therefrom and a skirt extends from the bottom and toward an opposite direction of the wall. A plurality of grooves are defined in an outer surface of the wall and a plurality of protrusions extend from an inside of the skirt. A cover is removably mounted to the wall and has an embrace portion which is engaged with the outer surface of the wall. The embrace portion has bosses extending therefrom which are engaged with the grooves.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a meal box which is designed to be connected with another meal box so that a pile of the meal boxes are conveniently to be transported.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view to show a conventional meal box; [0006]
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view to show the cover engaged with the base of the conventional meal box; [0007]
FIG. 3 is an exploded view to show the meal box of the present invention; [0008]
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view to show two meal boxes of the present invention are piled up; [0009]
FIG. 5 shows the lower meal box is pressed upward onto a seal against the bottom of the upper meal box; [0010]
FIG. 6 is an exploded view to show another embodiment of the meal box of the present invention; [0011]
FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view to show a cover is mounted onto the top one of a pile of meal boxes, and [0012]
FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the cover of the present invention. [0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the meal box of the present invention comprises a [0014] bottom 31 with a wall 3 extending therefrom so as to define a space for receiving food therein, and a skirt 32 extends from the bottom 31 and toward an opposite direction of the wall 3. An inner diameter of the skirt 32 is slightly larger than an outer diameter of the wall 3 so that the skirt 32 can be mounted to the wall 4 of another meal box when piling up multiple meal boxes. A plurality of grooves 35 are defined in an outer surface of the wall 3 and open to a top edge of the wall 3. A plurality of protrusions 36 extend from an inside of the skirt 32 so as to be received in the grooves 45 of another meal box when multiple meal boxes are piled up. Two handles 37 extend from the outer surface of the wall 3 for convenience of holding the meal box.
The [0015] grooves 35 are made to be spiral so that the two piled meal boxes are spin with each other to allow the protrusions 46 of one meal box to be received in the grooves 45 of another meal box.
A [0016] seal 5 has two notches 51 defined therein and is positioned at an underside of the bottom 31. Two insertions 34 extend from an underside of the bottom 31 so as to be engaged with the notches 51.
As shown in FIG. 5, when spinning the two meal boxes to receive the protrusions [0017] 46 of one meal box in the grooves 45 of the other meal box, the top edge of the wall 4 of the lower meal box presses the seal 5 against the bottom 31 of the top meal box. The seal 5 ensures the content in the lower meal box not to leak during transportation.
FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the meal box wherein a plurality of L-[0018] shaped grooves 36 defined through the skirt 32 and open to a lower edge of the skirt 32 at openings 33. A plurality of handles 35 extend from an inside of the wall 3. When piling two meal boxes, the handles 45 of a lower meal box are inserted in the openings 33 of the top meal box and then slid into the grooves 36 to connect the two meal boxes together.
FIG. 7 shows a [0019] cover 6 is removably mounted to the wall 3 of the top one of the piled meal boxes and has an embrace portion which is engaged with the outer surface of the wall 3 of the top one of the meal boxes. The embrace portion has bosses 61 extending therefrom which are engaged with the grooves 35 in the wall 3. A handle 7 is pivotally connected between two lugs 62 on the cover 6 by rivets 8.
FIG. 8 shows that there are several [0020] annular hook 38 on the outer surface of the wall 3 and the cover 6 has an engaging hook 63 which is engaged with the first hook 38 to seal the open top of the meal box.
While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. [0021]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A meal box comprising:

a bottom with a wall extending therefrom and a skirt extending from the bottom and toward an opposite direction of the wall, an inner diameter of the skirt being larger than an outer diameter of the wall, a plurality of grooves defined in an outer surface of the wall, a plurality of protrusions extending from an inside of the skirt, and

a cover removably mounted to the wall and having an embrace portion which is engaged with the outer surface of the wall, the embrace portion having bosses extending therefrom which are engaged with the grooves in the wall.

2. The meal box as claimed in claim 1 wherein the grooves open to a top edge of the wall.

3. The meal box as claimed in claim 1 further comprising two handles extending from the outer surface of the wall.

4. The meal box as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a seal which has two notches defined therein and two insertions extending from an underside of the bottom, the insertions engaged with the notches.

5. A meal box comprising:

a bottom with a wall extending therefrom and a skirt extending from the bottom and toward an opposite direction of the wall, an inner diameter of the skirt being larger than an outer diameter of the wall, a plurality of grooves defined through the skirt and a plurality of handles extending from an inside of the wall, and

6. The meal box as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a seal which has two notches defined therein and two insertions extending from an underside of the bottom, the insertions engaged with the notches.