US20100320261A1

US20100320261A1 - Dual-purpose food container

Info

Publication number: US20100320261A1
Application number: US12/580,822
Authority: US
Inventors: Wan-Shan TSAI; Tung-Kung Hsieh; Bo-Hao Huang; Wen-Hsiung Hsieh; Chen-Huan Cheng; Yung-Tsan Jou
Original assignee: Chung Yuan Christian University
Current assignee: Chung Yuan Christian University
Priority date: 2009-06-19
Filing date: 2009-10-16
Publication date: 2010-12-23
Also published as: TWM372135U

Abstract

A dual-purpose food container includes a first bowl body, a second bowl body, and a tear portion. The first bowl body has a first opening, is made of a first heat-insulating material, and is used for accommodating contents. The second bowl body has a second opening and is made of a second heat-insulating material, in which the second opening faces the first opening such that the second bowl body covers the first bowl body and the second bowl body is connected to the first bowl body. The tear portion is located at a connection position between the first bowl body and the second bowl body, and the tear portion is torn to separate the first bowl body from the second bowl body, so that the first bowl body and the second bowl body are respectively used to serve food and soup, thereby achieving a dual purpose.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 98211050 filed in Taiwan, R.O.C. on 2009/6/19, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a container, and more particularly to a dual-purpose food container.
2. Related Art
With the development and progress of the modern society in a fast pace, people are often too busy to have dinner at dinner time in their daily life, and most people eat instant noodles for dinner in order to save time. Nowadays, instant noodles have become an indispensable comfort food or snack for workers, students, tourists, and household food storage.
In times of innovation and change, more and more flavors of instant noodles have become available, and an eating manner of dry instant noodles has been proposed. However, instant noodle containers currently available on the market have the following structural problems. It is inconvenient to separate dry noodles from wet noodles while eating, so people cannot enjoy dry noodles and noodle soup at the same time. In addition, the paper cover of the instant noodle container is easily torn off by mistake, causing the container to be deformed, or it is difficult to tightly attach the paper cover to the container, so that the noodles are easily undercooked or overcooked, thereby affecting the taste of the noodles. Moreover, if the noodles are too hot the materials of instant noodle containers currently available on the market may easily burn the hands, and may also generate substances harmful to human health as a result of excessively high temperature.
Instant noodles also have the advantage of being easily carried and cooked by pouring hot water at any time, anywhere. However, when a user intends to enjoy instant noodles they may typically find that they have not taken any eating utensil along with them, and thus cannot enjoy the noodles. Therefore, improvement of the structure of the instant noodle container so as to facilitate the use of instant noodles that can be cooked into dry noodles and noodle soup, is a problem yet to be solved by the inventor and persons in the relevant industry.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, the present invention provides a dual-purpose food container, which includes a first bowl body, a second bowl body, and a tear portion. The first bowl body has a first opening, is made of a first heat-insulating material, and is used for accommodating content. The second bowl body has a second opening, and is made of a second heat-insulating material, in which the second opening faces the first opening, such that the second bowl body covers the first bowl body and the second bowl body is connected to the first bowl body. The tear portion is located at a connection position between the first bowl body and the second bowl body, and the tear portion is torn to separate the first bowl body from the second bowl body.
Based on the above, in the present invention an inner surface of the first bowl body includes a first heat-retaining material, and a surface of the first bowl body includes a first convex pattern; an inner surface of the second bowl body includes a second heat-retaining material, and a surface of the second bowl body includes a second convex pattern.
Moreover, the present invention further includes: an eating utensil, fixed adhesively in the second bowl body; alternatively, the second bowl body includes a fastening portion for the purpose of fixing the eating utensil.
The present invention adopts a structure in which the first opening of the first bowl body faces the second opening of the second bowl body and the first bowl body is connected to the second bowl body, and the tear portion is torn to separate the first bowl body from the second bowl body in use, so that the first bowl body and the second bowl body are respectively used to serve food and soup, thereby achieving a dual purpose. In addition, since the present invention includes the first heat-insulating material, the second heat-insulating material, the first convex pattern, and the second convex pattern, the high temperature is more effectively blocked by the concave-convex design of the heat-insulating materials and the convex patterns, so as to prevent hands from being burned, thereby eliminating the inconvenience in the prior art that it is difficult to hold a food container containing hot contents. Furthermore, since the inner surfaces of the bowl bodies include the first heat-retaining material and the second heat-retaining material, the heat loss is slowed, thereby achieving a heat-retaining effect. Moreover, since the eating utensil is disposed in the second bowl body according to the present invention, the user does not need to carry chopsticks along with them, thereby avoiding the inconvenience resulting from the user forgetting to carry chopsticks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an overall appearance of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the present invention in use;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a second bowl body of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Please refer to FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, in which a dual-purpose food container according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment the dual-purpose food container is an instant noodle container; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. The dual-purpose food container of the present invention includes a first bowl body 10, a second bowl body 20, and a tear portion 30.
The first bowl body 10 has an approximately rectangular cubic structure. A bowl wall extending upwards from the bottom of the bowl is formed. A first opening 14 is formed at one end of the bowl wall. The first bowl body 10 is used for accommodating contents. The content may be instant noodles and a flavoring package. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The first bowl body 10 may also be made into round or other shapes.
The first bowl body 10 is made of a first heat-insulating material 11 on an external surface thereof. The first heat-insulating material 11 is preferably a first corrugated paper, which has a concave/convex pattern thereon to prevent the user's hands from being burned when directly contacting the bowl body, such that the user can hold the bowl body more conveniently; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, a surface of the first heat-insulating material 11 includes a first convex pattern 12. When holding the bowl body with hands, the user contacts the first convex pattern 12, such that the surface area of the first heat-insulating material 11 contacted by the user is reduced. The convex pattern can therefore prevent the user from directly contacting the heat source, so as to achieve the objective of the present invention, thereby more effectively blocking the high temperature and preventing the user's hands from being burned.
The first convex pattern 12 is preferably made into wave-shaped configurations with a certain interval; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first convex pattern 12 may also be made into other shapes. Nevertheless, the wave-shaped pattern most effectively reduces the hot surface area where the user contacts with hands. An inner surface of the first bowl body 10 includes a first heat-retaining material 13. The heat-retaining material is preferably a first aluminum foil; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other materials having a heat-retaining effect may also be used. Nevertheless, in this embodiment the inner surface made of the aluminum foil achieves a desirable heat-retaining effect, such that the user is enabled to enjoy the hot food while keeping it warm for a longer period of time. In addition, since the inner surface is made of aluminum foil, no toxic substances harmful to human health will be generated when hot contents such as boiling water are poured into the bowl body.
The second bowl body 20 has an approximately rectangular cubic structure. A bowl wall extending upwards from the bottom of the bowl is formed. A second opening 24 is formed at one end of the bowl wall. The second bowl body 20 is separated from the first bowl body 10 in use, and the second bowl body 20 and the first bowl body 10 are respectively used to serve food and soup. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The second bowl body 20 may also be made into round or other shapes according to practical requirements.
The second bowl body 20 is made of a second heat-insulating material 21 on an external surface thereof. The second heat-insulating material 21 is preferably a second corrugated paper, which has a concave/convex pattern thereon to prevent the user's hands from being burned when directly contacting the bowl body, such that the user can hold the bowl body more conveniently; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, a surface of the second heat-insulating material 21 includes a second convex pattern 22. When holding the bowl body with hands the user contacts the second convex pattern 22, such that the surface area of the second heat-insulating material 21 contacted by the user is reduced. The convex pattern can therefore prevent the user from directly contacting the heat source, so as to achieve the objective of the present invention, thereby more effectively blocking the high temperature and preventing the user's hands from being burned.
The second convex pattern 22 is preferably made into wave-shaped configurations with a certain interval; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the second convex pattern 22 may also be made into other shapes. Nevertheless, the wave-shaped pattern most effectively reduces the hot surface area where the user contacts with hands. An inner surface of the second bowl body 20 includes a second heat-retaining material 23. The heat-retaining material is preferably an aluminum foil; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and other materials having a heat-retaining effect may also be used. Nevertheless, in this embodiment, the inner surface made of the aluminum foil achieves a desirable heat-retaining effect, such that the user is enabled to enjoy the hot food while keeping it warm for a longer period of time. In addition, since the inner surface is made of aluminum foil, no toxic substances harmful to human health will be generated when hot content such as boiling water are poured into the bowl body.
Moreover, in the present invention an eating utensil 40 is further disposed in the second bowl body 20. The eating utensil 40 may be chopsticks; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. The eating utensil 40 is fixed adhesively in the second bowl body 20; alternatively, a fastening portion 25 for the purpose of fixing the eating utensil 40 is disposed in the second bowl body 20; however, the present invention is not limited thereto. With the eating utensil 40, even if the user forgot to carry an eating utensil in a hurry, they do not need to worry about the problem, much to the convenience of the user.
The tear portion 30 is located at a connection position between the first bowl body 10 and the second bowl body 20. The tear portion 30 is preferably a plurality of semi-perforations; however, the present invention is not limited thereto, and tear portions of other forms also fall within the scope of the present invention.
When the user wants to eat instant noodles, the user firstly tears the tear portion 30 to such an extent that the second bowl body 20 can be turned over and hot water can be poured into the first bowl body 10. For the approximately rectangular cubic structure in this embodiment, the user firstly tears three sides of the tear portion 30 located at the connection position between the first bowl body 10 and the second bowl body 20, and takes out the eating utensil 40 in the second bowl body 20. At this time, the remaining side of the semi-perforations is still connected to the first bowl body 10 and the second bowl body 20 for smothering, such that the second bowl body 20 tightly covers the first bowl body 10, thereby slowing heat loss.
After the hot water is poured into the first bowl body 10, the second bowl body 20 covers the first bowl body 10 for the purpose of smothering. In this embodiment, since the second bowl body 20 is made of a corrugated paper, the second bowl body 20 is not deformed at a high temperature when covering the first bowl body 10, unlike ordinary paper covers available on the market, such that the second bowl body 20 tightly covers the first bowl body 10, thereby slowing heat loss. As such, the duration of cooking time is easily controlled, so as to prevent the noodles from being overcooked due to a long cooking time or being undercooked due to a short cooking time. After the noodles are well cooked, the second bowl body 20 is turned over, and the remaining side of the semi-perforations is torn, so as to separate the first bowl body 10 from the second bowl body 20 to form two bowls respectively serving the contents the user intends to eat. For example, after the noodles are well cooked in the first bowl body 10, the noodles are placed into the second bowl body 20 by using the eating utensil 40, such that the user can enjoy dry noodles and noodle soup at the same time, thereby achieving a dual purpose.
While the present invention has been described by the way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Claims

1. A dual-purpose food container, comprising:

a first bowl body, having a first opening, made of a first heat-insulating material, for accommodating a content;

a second bowl body, having a second opening, and made of a second heat-insulating material, wherein the second opening faces the first opening, such that the second bowl body covers the first bowl body and the second bowl body is connected to the first bowl body; and

a tear portion, located at a connection position between the first bowl body and the second bowl body, wherein the tear portion is torn to separate the first bowl body from the second bowl body.

2. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein the first bowl body is made of a first corrugated paper.

3. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the first heat-insulating material comprises a first convex pattern.

4. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 3, wherein the first convex pattern is wave-shaped.

5. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein the second heat-insulating material is a second corrugated paper.

6. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the second heat-insulating material comprises a second convex pattern.

7. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 6, wherein the second convex pattern is wave-shaped.

8. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the first bowl body comprises a first heat-retaining material.

9. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 8, wherein the first heat-retaining material comprises a first aluminum foil.

10. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the second bowl body comprises a second heat-retaining material.

11. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 10, wherein the second heat-retaining material comprises a second aluminum foil.

12. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, wherein the tear portion comprises a plurality of semi-perforations.

13. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 1, further comprising: an eating utensil, located in the second bowl body.

14. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 13, wherein the eating utensil is fixed adhesively in the second bowl body.

15. The dual-purpose food container according to claim 13, wherein the second bowl body comprises a fastening portion for the purpose of fixing the eating utensil.