US20090242579A1 - Membrane-type vented food box - Google Patents
Membrane-type vented food box Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20090242579A1 US20090242579A1 US12/060,366 US6036608A US2009242579A1 US 20090242579 A1 US20090242579 A1 US 20090242579A1 US 6036608 A US6036608 A US 6036608A US 2009242579 A1 US2009242579 A1 US 2009242579A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- box
- membrane
- side wall
- food box
- food
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 235000013305 food Nutrition 0.000 title claims abstract description 31
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 9
- 238000009423 ventilation Methods 0.000 abstract description 6
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 abstract description 3
- 230000002335 preservative effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- -1 Polyproylene (PP) Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000011161 development Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000035699 permeability Effects 0.000 description 2
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 2
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000011160 research Methods 0.000 description 2
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 2
- 235000007688 Lycopersicon esculentum Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 240000001536 Prunus fruticosa Species 0.000 description 1
- 240000003768 Solanum lycopersicum Species 0.000 description 1
- 230000000903 blocking effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000011156 evaluation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008020 evaporation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000001704 evaporation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010030 laminating Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000004626 polylactic acid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000004080 punching Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
- B65D85/30—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure
- B65D85/34—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for articles particularly sensitive to damage by shock or pressure for fruit, e.g. apples, oranges or tomatoes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D2205/00—Venting means
- B65D2205/02—Venting holes
Definitions
- the present invention relates generally to a food box, and more particularly to an innovative food box with a membrane-vented structure.
- Some vegetable boxes e.g. cherry and tomato
- the air vents of a typical food box are often opened at the top and bottom of the box.
- the inventor has provided the present invention of practicability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years of experience in the production, development and design of related products.
- air vents are opened on at least two opposite sides of the side wall of the box. Air flows transversely across the food box, so the superimposed food box may not affect air ventilation, enabling the membrane-type food box to yield an optimum air ventilation effect.
- FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 2 shows an assembled perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 3 shows a side elevation view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 shows another side elevation view of the operation of the present invention.
- FIG. 5 shows another side elevation view of an air vent of the present invention.
- FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the air vent of the present invention.
- FIG. 7 shows another perspective view of the membrane joint surface of the present invention.
- FIG. 8 shows still another perspective view of a side wall of the food box of the present invention.
- FIGS. 1-3 depict preferred embodiments of a membrane-type vented food box of the present invention. These embodiments are only provided for explanatory purposes with respect to the patent claims.
- the food box A comprises a box 10 , including a bottom wall 11 , a framed side wall 12 , an accommodating space 13 formed by the bottom wall 11 and side wall 12 , and an opening 14 on top of the side wall 12 .
- a membrane 20 is sealed onto the joint surface 15 of the opening 14 of the box 10 (shown in FIG. 2 ).
- Air vents 30 are opened on at least two opposite sides of the side wall 12 of the box 10 . Referring to FIG. 1 , air vents 30 are opened on four side walls 12 of the box 10 .
- the spacing W between the bottom of air vents 30 and the bottom wall 11 must be bigger than 1 cm.
- the membrane-type vented food box A of the present invention is operated as shown in FIG. 4 , wherein the food box A contains food 40 , and two food boxes A are superimposed. It can be seen that, since air vents 30 are opened at two opposite sides of the side wall 12 of the box 10 , the path of air flow is shown by arrow L, indicating air flows transversely across the food box A. So, the superimposed food box A cannot affect air permeability.
- air vents 30 are arranged vertically into long holes, or referring also to FIG. 5 , air vents 30 B are arranged transversely into long holes.
- said air vents are also arranged obliquely into long, circular, square and polygon holes or other holes of any optional shape, all of which are implemented by means of punching dies.
- air vents 30 of the food box A are only opened at two opposite side walls 12 of the box 10 .
- said membrane 20 could be adhered onto the entire joint surface 15 of the opening 14 of the box 10 (e.g. thermal laminating).
- the membrane 20 could be adhered onto a portion of the joint surface 15 of the opening 14 of the box 10 , of which the section B not adhered can also yield air ventilation effect for tearing off the membrane 20 .
- the side wall 12 of the box 10 can also be designed into a quadrilateral shape (shown in FIG. 1 ); or the side wall 12 B of the box 10 B can be designed into a cylindrical shape (shown in FIG. 8 ). Additionally, the side wall can be designed into other polygon shapes.
- box 10 of said food box A can be made of several materials, such as: Polyproylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and poly lactic acid (PLA).
- PP Polyproylene
- PET Polyethylene Terephthalate
- PLA poly lactic acid
Abstract
The present invention provides a membrane-type vented food box, including a bottom wall, side walls, an accommodating space and opening on top of the side wall. A membrane is adhered onto the joint surface of the opening, and air vents are opened on at least two opposite sides of the side wall of the box. The spacing between the bottom of air vents and the bottom wall must be bigger than 1 cm, and air flows transversely across the food box, so the superimposed food box may not affect air ventilation, thus providing an optimum air ventilation effect. Thanks to a spacing bigger than 1 cm between the bottom of air vent and the bottom wall, the steam generated by food in the accommodating space can be easily discharged, thus providing a better preservative effect with improved applicability.
Description
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
- Not applicable.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates generally to a food box, and more particularly to an innovative food box with a membrane-vented structure.
- 2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
- Some vegetable boxes (e.g. cherry and tomato) currently available are generally formed with air vents to avoid deterioration of vegetables in the confined space. The air vents of a typical food box are often opened at the top and bottom of the box.
- However, the following shortcomings are observed during actual applications. If a plurality of food boxes are superimposed, air vents on the top and bottom are aligned correspondingly, thus blocking off the ventilation path and affecting air permeability. If aforementioned air vents are opened on the top and bottom of a membrane-type food box, the strength of the box will be highly affected since the opening of the cover is sealed by the membrane. Hence, this structure isn't suitable for a membrane-type food box.
- Thus, to overcome the aforementioned problems of the prior art, it would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved structure that can significantly improve efficacy.
- Therefore, the inventor has provided the present invention of practicability after deliberate design and evaluation based on years of experience in the production, development and design of related products.
- Based upon the innovation of the present invention, air vents are opened on at least two opposite sides of the side wall of the box. Air flows transversely across the food box, so the superimposed food box may not affect air ventilation, enabling the membrane-type food box to yield an optimum air ventilation effect.
- Since air vents are opened on the side wall of the box, and also located at a higher position on the side wall of an accommodating space due to a spacing bigger than 1 cm between the bottom of air vent and the bottom wall, the steam generated by food in the accommodating space can be easily discharged, thus providing a better preservative effect with improved applicability.
- Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
-
FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 shows an assembled perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 3 shows a side elevation view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 4 shows another side elevation view of the operation of the present invention. -
FIG. 5 shows another side elevation view of an air vent of the present invention. -
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of the air vent of the present invention. -
FIG. 7 shows another perspective view of the membrane joint surface of the present invention. -
FIG. 8 shows still another perspective view of a side wall of the food box of the present invention. - The features and the advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-
FIGS. 1-3 depict preferred embodiments of a membrane-type vented food box of the present invention. These embodiments are only provided for explanatory purposes with respect to the patent claims. - The food box A comprises a
box 10, including abottom wall 11, a framedside wall 12, anaccommodating space 13 formed by thebottom wall 11 andside wall 12, and anopening 14 on top of theside wall 12. Amembrane 20 is sealed onto thejoint surface 15 of theopening 14 of the box 10 (shown inFIG. 2 ).Air vents 30 are opened on at least two opposite sides of theside wall 12 of thebox 10. Referring toFIG. 1 ,air vents 30 are opened on fourside walls 12 of thebox 10. Moreover, referring toFIG. 3 , the spacing W between the bottom ofair vents 30 and thebottom wall 11 must be bigger than 1 cm. - Based upon above-specified structures, the membrane-type vented food box A of the present invention is operated as shown in
FIG. 4 , wherein the food box A containsfood 40, and two food boxes A are superimposed. It can be seen that, sinceair vents 30 are opened at two opposite sides of theside wall 12 of thebox 10, the path of air flow is shown by arrow L, indicating air flows transversely across the food box A. So, the superimposed food box A cannot affect air permeability. Furthermore, since air vents are 30 opened on theside wall 12 of thebox 10, and also located at higher position on the side wall of accommodatingspace 13 due to a spacing bigger than 1 cm between thebottom 31 ofair vent 30 and thebottom wall 11, the steam generated byfood 40 in theaccommodating space 13 can be easily discharged (evaporation direction of steam is from down to up). - Referring to
FIGS. 1-3 ,air vents 30 are arranged vertically into long holes, or referring also toFIG. 5 ,air vents 30B are arranged transversely into long holes. In addition, said air vents are also arranged obliquely into long, circular, square and polygon holes or other holes of any optional shape, all of which are implemented by means of punching dies. - Referring to
FIG. 6 ,air vents 30 of the food box A are only opened at twoopposite side walls 12 of thebox 10. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , saidmembrane 20 could be adhered onto theentire joint surface 15 of theopening 14 of the box 10 (e.g. thermal laminating). Referring also toFIG. 7 , themembrane 20 could be adhered onto a portion of thejoint surface 15 of theopening 14 of thebox 10, of which the section B not adhered can also yield air ventilation effect for tearing off themembrane 20. - The
side wall 12 of thebox 10 can also be designed into a quadrilateral shape (shown in FIG. 1); or theside wall 12B of thebox 10B can be designed into a cylindrical shape (shown inFIG. 8 ). Additionally, the side wall can be designed into other polygon shapes. - Additionally, the
box 10 of said food box A can be made of several materials, such as: Polyproylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) and poly lactic acid (PLA).
Claims (4)
1. A membrane-type vented food box, comprising:
a box, having a bottom wall, a framed side wall, an accommodating space formed by said bottom wall, and a side wall, said side wall having a top with an opening;
a membrane, sealed onto a joint surface of said opening of the box; and
air vents opened on at least two opposite sides of said side wall of said box; wherein spacing between the bottom of air vents and the bottom wall must be bigger than 1 cm.
2. The food box defined in claim 1 , wherein said air vents are arranged vertically or transversely or obliquely into holes.
3. The food box defined in claim 1 , wherein said membrane adheres onto the joint surface of said opening of box.
4. The food box defined in claim 1 , wherein said side wall of the box can be designed into a quadrilateral, cylindrical and polygonal shapes.
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/060,366 US20090242579A1 (en) | 2008-04-01 | 2008-04-01 | Membrane-type vented food box |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/060,366 US20090242579A1 (en) | 2008-04-01 | 2008-04-01 | Membrane-type vented food box |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20090242579A1 true US20090242579A1 (en) | 2009-10-01 |
Family
ID=41115571
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/060,366 Abandoned US20090242579A1 (en) | 2008-04-01 | 2008-04-01 | Membrane-type vented food box |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20090242579A1 (en) |
Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20160304241A1 (en) * | 2014-06-19 | 2016-10-20 | Mastronardi Produce Ltd. | Container apparatus |
WO2020033750A1 (en) * | 2018-08-10 | 2020-02-13 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | Packaging for storage of perishable items |
US11378324B2 (en) | 2015-10-22 | 2022-07-05 | Carrier Corporation | Modular cold boxes for transport refrigeration unit |
US11445733B2 (en) | 2017-07-31 | 2022-09-20 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | Apparatus and method for treatment and inspection of produce |
US11602152B2 (en) | 2018-07-27 | 2023-03-14 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | Industrial equipment for the treatment of produce |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2739734A (en) * | 1953-09-18 | 1956-03-27 | Marcus W Pugh | Container for preserving food |
US5456379A (en) * | 1994-10-03 | 1995-10-10 | Krupa; Calvin S. | Blueberry container |
US5465901A (en) * | 1994-12-01 | 1995-11-14 | Paine, Jr.; Derrick | Basket for produce |
US5992630A (en) * | 1997-05-21 | 1999-11-30 | Lever Brothers Company | Shrink wrap package |
US20010047997A1 (en) * | 1998-12-30 | 2001-12-06 | Douglas M. Laib | Vented container for produce |
US6740346B2 (en) * | 2001-01-19 | 2004-05-25 | Stepac L.A., Ltd. | System for packaging, storing and transporting agricultural produce |
-
2008
- 2008-04-01 US US12/060,366 patent/US20090242579A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US2739734A (en) * | 1953-09-18 | 1956-03-27 | Marcus W Pugh | Container for preserving food |
US5456379A (en) * | 1994-10-03 | 1995-10-10 | Krupa; Calvin S. | Blueberry container |
US5465901A (en) * | 1994-12-01 | 1995-11-14 | Paine, Jr.; Derrick | Basket for produce |
US5992630A (en) * | 1997-05-21 | 1999-11-30 | Lever Brothers Company | Shrink wrap package |
US20010047997A1 (en) * | 1998-12-30 | 2001-12-06 | Douglas M. Laib | Vented container for produce |
US6740346B2 (en) * | 2001-01-19 | 2004-05-25 | Stepac L.A., Ltd. | System for packaging, storing and transporting agricultural produce |
Cited By (9)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20160304241A1 (en) * | 2014-06-19 | 2016-10-20 | Mastronardi Produce Ltd. | Container apparatus |
US9944431B2 (en) * | 2014-06-19 | 2018-04-17 | Mastronardi Produce Ltd. | Ventilated container apparatus |
US10364066B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2019-07-30 | Mastronardi Produce, Ltd. | Ventilated container apparatus |
US10611517B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2020-04-07 | Mastronardi Produce Ltd. | Ventilated container apparatus |
US11345510B2 (en) | 2014-06-19 | 2022-05-31 | Mastronardi Produce Ltd. | Ventilated container apparatus |
US11378324B2 (en) | 2015-10-22 | 2022-07-05 | Carrier Corporation | Modular cold boxes for transport refrigeration unit |
US11445733B2 (en) | 2017-07-31 | 2022-09-20 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | Apparatus and method for treatment and inspection of produce |
US11602152B2 (en) | 2018-07-27 | 2023-03-14 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | Industrial equipment for the treatment of produce |
WO2020033750A1 (en) * | 2018-08-10 | 2020-02-13 | Apeel Technology, Inc. | Packaging for storage of perishable items |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |