US20170015467A1

US20170015467A1 - Container For Stacked Foodstuff

Info

Publication number: US20170015467A1
Application number: US15/209,831
Authority: US
Inventors: John Humbert Baer
Original assignee: Kellogg Co
Current assignee: Kellanova
Priority date: 2015-07-15
Filing date: 2016-07-14
Publication date: 2017-01-19
Also published as: CA2990467A1; ES2890139T3; EP3322643B1; EP3322643A1; WO2017011616A1; CA2990467C; AU2016294519B2; AU2016294519A1; MX2017017167A

Abstract

A container for foodstuff is provided and includes a housing having an inner surface extending from a proximal end to a distal end about a longitudinal axis. The inner surface defines a height H1 and a width D1, whereby a ratio of the height H1 to the width D1 is between approximately 0.5 and 2.0. A divider is disposed within the housing and includes first, second, and third radially extending fins defining first, second, and third chambers within the housing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application 62/192,678, filed on Jul. 15, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a container for foodstuff and more particularly to a container for use with stacked foodstuff.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
A variety of foodstuff and snacks are produced in a stacked and/or nested configuration. For example, chips, cookies, crackers, and other foodstuff can be produced such that a first or bottom side of one foodstuff mates or nests with a second or top side of another foodstuff. Accordingly, such foodstuff can be arranged in a stacked configuration.
Stacked foodstuff can be packaged and stored using a variety of packages and packaging configurations. For example, bags, trays, and canisters can all be used to package stacked foodstuff. In order to protect the integrity of a stack of foodstuff, a rigid package may closely surround the foodstuff contained therein. One such package is a cylindrical container or canister. For example, foodstuff may be stacked within a cylindrical package in order to maintain the integrity (e.g., size, shape, etc.) and organization of the foodstuff while concurrently providing a robust and easy-to-handle package.
While cylindrical containers adequately maintain a stacked configuration of foodstuff disposed therein, such containers must be relatively long to accommodate a desired quantity of foodstuff. Further, such containers are difficult to use once more than approximately half of the foodstuff is removed, thereby making it difficult to extract the foodstuff located proximate to a bottom portion of the container.

SUMMARY

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
In one configuration, a container for foodstuff is provided and includes a housing having an inner surface extending from a proximal end to a distal end about a longitudinal axis. The inner surface defines a height H1 and a width D1, whereby a ratio of the height H1 to the width D1 is between approximately 0.5 and 2.0. A divider is disposed within the housing and includes first, second, and third radially extending fins defining first, second, and third chambers within the housing.
In one configuration, the divider is removably disposed within the housing. In addition, the first, second, and third fins may be symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis. Each fin of the first, second, and third fins may include an inner edge and an outer edge, whereby the outer edge of the first fin contacts the inner surface of the housing at a first contact location, the outer edge of the second fin contacts the inner surface of the housing at a second contact location, and the outer edge of the third fin contacts the inner surface of the housing at a third contact location. The inner edge of the first, second, and third fins may collectively define a joint that may be substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the housing.
First, second, and third foodstuff may be disposed within the first, second, and third chambers, respectively. The first, second, and third foodstuff may be stacked within each of the first, second, and third chambers and, further, may be nested within each of the first, second, and third chambers. The foodstuff disposed within the first, second, and third chambers may be the same or, alternatively, at least one of the first, second, and third foodstuffs may be different than the rest of the foodstuffs.
In another configuration, the foodstuff may include an oval shape. In addition, the foodstuff may be stacked and/or nested.
The first foodstuff may include a first major axis and a first minor axis, whereby the first minor axis intersects the joint. The first major axis may intersect at least two of the first, second, and third contact locations. Similarly, the second foodstuff may include a second major axis and a second minor axis and the third foodstuff may include a third major axis and a third minor axis. The second and third minor axes may intersect the joint and the first minor axis and the second and third major axes may intersect at least two of the first, second, and third contact locations.
In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a container for foodstuff. The container may include a housing and a divider. The housing may define a longitudinal axis and an inner surface surrounding the longitudinal axis. The inner surface may define a first dimension extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and a second dimension extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. A ratio of the first dimension to the second dimension may be less than 2.0. The divider may be disposed within the housing such that the divider and the inner surface define a plurality of chambers.
In some implementations, the divider includes at least one fin having a first edge and a second edge. At least one of the first edge and the second edge may engage the inner surface.
In some implementations, the at least one fin includes a first fin and a second fin. The first fin may include the first edge and the second edge. The second fin may include an inner edge and an outer edge. The inner edge may engage the first edge. The outer edge and the second edge may engage the inner surface.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected configurations and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 showing the foodstuff removed for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 5 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 6 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 7 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 8 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 9 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 10 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing three separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container;

FIG. 11 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing four separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container; and

FIG. 12 is a top view of another container for foodstuff in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure showing four separate stacks of foodstuff received within respective chambers of the container.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example configurations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example configurations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those of ordinary skill in the art. Specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of configurations of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example configurations may be embodied in many different forms, and that the specific details and the example configurations should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary configurations only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular articles “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. Additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “attached to,” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, attached, or coupled to the other element or layer, or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly engaged to,” “directly connected to,” “directly attached to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example configurations.
With reference to the figures, a container 10 is provided and may include a housing 12 and a divider 14 that cooperate to receive and contain one or more stacks 16-1, 16-2, . . . 16-n (referred to herein as stacks 16) of foodstuff 18. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container 10 may receive three stacks 16 of foodstuff 18. It will be appreciated, however, that the container 10 may receive more or less than three stacks 16 of foodstuff 18 depending on the particular shape of the divider 14. As will be described in more detail below, the container 10 allows for the convenient and sanitary storage and handling of the stacks 16 of foodstuff 18.
The housing 12 may be formed from a rigid or semi-rigid material. For example, in some configurations, the housing 12 may be formed from one or more of cardboard, plastic, or metal.
The housing 12 may define a generally hollow cylindrical construct having an inner surface 20 extending from a proximal end 22 to a distal end 24 along a central, longitudinal axis A1 (FIG. 3). The proximal end 22 may be open, while the distal end 24 may be closed. In this regard, the proximal end 22 may be sized and shaped to receive a lid (not shown) or other suitable closure mechanism.
As illustrated, in some configurations, the housing 12, including the inner surface 20, may define a cylindrical construct. It will be appreciated, however, that the housing 12 and/or the inner surface 20 may define other shapes, such as a triangle, a square, an oval, a stadium, or another polygon within the scope of the present disclosure. The inner surface 20 may define a first dimension (e.g., a height) extending in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis A1, and a second dimension (e.g., a width, a length, etc.) extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A1. In this regard, the first dimension of the inner surface 20 may include a height H1 (FIG. 3) extending from the proximal end 22 to the distal end 24, and the second dimension of the inner surface 20 may include an inner radius R1 (FIG. 1). The inner radius R1 may be between approximately 2.5 inches and 3.5 inches such that a diameter D1 of the housing 12 is between approximately 5 inches and 7 inches. In some configurations, the inner radius R1 may be substantially equal to 2 inches and the diameter D1 is substantially equal to 4 inches. The height H1 may be between 2.5 inches and 14 inches. In this regard, the ratio of the height H1 to the radius R1 may be between 1.0 and 4.0 such that a ratio (e.g., an aspect ratio) of the height H1 to the diameter D1 is between 0.5 and 2.0. An aspect ratio that is less than 2.0 can improve the stability of the container 10. In particular, an aspect ratio between 0.5 and 2.0 can improve the stability of the container 10 when the container 10 is resting on the distal end 24. In this regard, an aspect ratio between 0.5 and 2.0 can allow the distal end 24 to rest on a support surface (e.g., a table, the ground, the floor, etc.) without tipping, such that the longitudinal axis A1 maintains a perpendicular orientation relative to the support surface. In particular, an aspect ratio between 0.5 and 2.0 may allow the longitudinal axis A1 to form and/or maintain an angle between zero degrees and forty-five degrees relative to the normal of the support surface without causing the container 10 to tip over.
The divider 14 may be formed from an oil-resistant material. For example, the divider 14 may be formed from a rigid or semi-rigid material (e.g., paper, cardboard, or the like) having an oil-resistant coating (e.g., wax, paint, or the like). In some implementations, the divider 14 is formed from a flexible material. The divider 14 may be removably disposed within the housing 12. Allowing the divider 14 to be removed from the housing 12 allows the stacks 16-1, 16-2, . . . 16-n to be mixed within the housing 12 once removed.
The divider 14 may include one or more fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n (referred to herein as fins 28). As illustrated, the divider 14 may include three fins 28. Each fin 28 may include a proximal end 30, a distal 32, an inner edge 34, and an outer edge 36. In some configurations, each fin 28 may define a generally rectangular shape such that the proximal and distal ends 30, 32 define a height H2 (FIG. 3) therebetween, and the inner and outer edges 34, 36 define a width W2 (FIG. 1) therebetween. In some configurations, the height H2 may be substantially equal to the height H1 of the housing 12, and the width W2 may be substantially equal to the radius R1 of the housing 12.
The inner edges 34 of the fins 28 may contact one another at a joint 38. As will be explained in more detail below, the joint 38 may allow each of the fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n to flex relative to one or more of the remaining fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n. For example, the joint 38 may allow each of the fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n to rotate about its respective inner edge 34 relative to one or more of the remaining fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, in an assembled configuration, the joint 38, including the inner edges 34, may be substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis A1 of the housing 12. As shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal axis A1 may be the central axis of the housing 12. The outer edge 36 of each fin 28 may contact the inner surface 20 of the housing 12 at a contact location 39 (e.g., 39-1, 39-2, . . . 39-n). Accordingly, the fins 28 may extend radially within the housing 12, such that the divider 14 defines more than one chamber 40-1, 40-2, . . . 40-n (referred to herein as chamber 40) within the housing 12. In particular, if the divider 14 includes three fins 28, the housing 12 may include three chambers 40. In some configurations, the fins 28 may be symmetrically spaced about the longitudinal axis A1 of the housing 12, such that the divider 14 defines equally sized chambers 40. In particular, as illustrated in FIG. 1, in some configurations the divider 14 may define three equally sized pie-shaped chambers 40-1, 40-2, 40-3. While the outer edge 36 of each fin 28 is described and shown as contacting the inner surface 20 of the housing 12 at contact locations 39, the outer edge 36 of each fin 28 could alternatively be spaced apart from the inner surface 20.
Each stack 16 may include more than one foodstuff 18. For example, each stack 16 may include a plurality of chips, crackers, cookies, and/or other similar foodstuffs 18. As illustrated in FIG. 3, each foodstuff 18 may include an upper side 42 and a lower side 43. In the stacked arrangement, the upper side 42 of one foodstuff 18 may mate or nest with the lower side 43 of an adjacent foodstuff 18. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 1, each stack 16 of foodstuff 18 may extend along a respective longitudinal axis A2 (e.g., A2-1, A2-2, . . . A2-n). In the assembled configuration, the longitudinal axes A2 of the stacks 16 may be substantially parallel (e.g., +/−15 degrees) to one another and to the longitudinal axis A1 of the housing 12.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, in some configurations, each foodstuff 18 may define an oval shape having a major axis A3 and a minor axis A4. The stacks 16 of foodstuff 18 may also be arranged within the housing 12 such that the major axes A3 intersect one another and the minor axes A4 intersect one another. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the major axes A3-1, A3-2 of foodstuff 18 located in the stacks 16-1, 16-2, respectively, may intersect one another proximate to the contact location 39-1, while the major axes A3-2, A3-3 of foodstuff 18 located in the stacks 16-2, 16-3, respectively, may intersect one another proximate the contact location 39-2, and the major axes A3-3, A3-1 of foodstuff 18 located in the stacks 16-3, 16-1, respectively, may intersect one another proximate the contact location 39-3.
The minor axes A4-1, A4-2, A4-3 of the stacks 16-1, 16-2, 16-3, respectively, may intersect one another proximate the longitudinal axis A1 of the housing 12. In this regard, the minor axes A4-1, A4-2, A4-3 of the stacks 16-1, 16-2, 16-3, respectively, may intersect one another proximate the joint 38 of the divider 14. Accordingly, in some configurations, the major axes A3-1, A3-2, A3-3 may cooperate to define a substantially triangular shape, while the minor axes A4-1, A4-2, A4-3 may define two substantially equal sized portions 60, 62 of the chambers 40-1, 40-2, 40-3, respectively.
The configuration and orientation of the housing 12 (e.g., radius R1, height H1), the divider 14 (e.g., the fins 28), the stacks 16 (e.g., axes A2), and the foodstuff 18 (e.g., axis A3, axis A4) helps to provide a package (e.g., at least 8 ounces) that facilitates convenient shipping and handling of the container 10 and sharing of the foodstuff 18 by more than one person. For example, the arrangement of the housing 12, the divider 14, and the stacks 16 allows for the separation and protection from breakage of multiple stacks 16 of foodstuff 18 within the housing 12, while the removable nature of the divider 14 allows for mixing of the stacks 16 of foodstuff 18 within the housing 18. Accordingly, in one method of use, when the divider 14 is positioned within the housing 12, the fins 28 and the inner surface 20 of the housing 12 help to maintain the integrity of the stacks 16 such that one person can obtain foodstuff 18 from stack 16-1, while another person obtains foodstuff 18 from stack 16-2, and yet another person obtains foodstuff 18 from stack 16-3. In this regard, the container 10 may be sized (e.g., diameter D1) such that the container 10 can receive more than one hand (e.g., two hands, three hands, etc.) simultaneously when the divider 14 is disposed without the housing 18. The configuration of the divider 14 (e.g., the flexible material and/or the joint 38) can allow each of the fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n to flex relative to the remaining fins 28-1, 28-2, . . . 28-n such that the container 10 can better accommodate one or more hands within the chambers 40-1, 40-2, . . . 40-n during use. In another method of use, the divider 14 may be removed from the housing 12 in order to allow mixing of the foodstuff 18 disposed in the stack 16-1 with the foodstuff 18 disposed in the stack 16-2 and/or the stack 16-3.
The foodstuff 18 disposed within the stacks 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 may be the same foodstuff. For example, each stack 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 may contain the same flavor of a particular chip and may have the same size and shape. Alternatively, at least one of the foodstuffs 18 may be different than the others in terms of at least one of size, shape, and/or flavor. Finally, all three stacks 16-1, 16-2, 16-3 may contain different types of foodstuff in terms of size, shape, and/or flavor with some or all of the foodstuff 18 being disposed in a stacked and nested arrangement.
With reference to FIGS. 4-12, other containers 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, 10 d, 10 e, 10 f, 10 g, 10 h, and 10 i respectively, are shown. The containers 10 a, 10 b, 10 c, 10 d, 10 e, 10 f, 10 g, 10 h, and 10 i may be substantially similar to the container 10, apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. Therefore, the structure and/or function of similar features will not be described again in detail, and like reference numerals may be used to describe like features and components.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the container 10 a may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 a. The divider 14 a may include one or more fins 28-1 a, 28-2 a, . . . 28-na (referred to herein as fins 28 a). As illustrated, the divider 14 a includes four fins 28 a. Each fin 28 a may include an inner edge 34 a and an outer edge 36 a. In some configurations, the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-1 a may be coupled to the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-2 a. Similarly, in some configurations, the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-3 a may be coupled to the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-4 a. Moreover, in some configurations, the outer edge 36 a of the fin 28-2 a may be coupled to the outer edge 36 a of the fin 28-3 a. For example, in some configurations, the divider 14 a may include a unitary construct such that the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-la may be coupled to the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-2 a, the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-3 a may be coupled to the inner edge 34 a of the fin 28-4 a, and the outer edge 36 a of the fin 28-2 a may be coupled to the outer edge 36 a of the fin 28-3 a at respective folds (e.g., creases) 70, 72, 74 in the material of the divider 14 a. Accordingly, the divider 14 a may define two substantially equally-sized chambers 40-1 a, 40-2 a, and a chamber 40-3 a having a head portion 78 disposed between the fin 28-la and the fin 28-4 a, and a tail portion 79 disposed between the fin 28-2 a and the fin 28-3 a.
As illustrated in FIG. 5, the container 10 b may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 b. The divider 14 b may be substantially similar to the divider 14 a, apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. The divider 14 b may include one or more fins 28-1 b, 28-2 b, . . . 28-nb (referred to herein as fins 28 b). As illustrated, one or more of the fins 28 b may include a generally arcuate or curved shape in a radially-extending direction. Each fin 28 b may include an inner edge 34 b and an outer edge 36 b. In some configurations, the divider 14 b may include a unitary construct such that an inner edge 34 b of the fin 28-1 b may be coupled to an inner edge 34 b of the fin 28-2 b at an arcuate bend 70 b, the inner edge 34 b of the fin 28-3 b may be coupled to the inner edge 34 b of the fin 28-4 b at an arcuate bend 72 b, and the outer edge 36 b of the fin 28-2 b may be coupled to the outer edge 36 b of the fin 28-3 b at a fold 74 b.
As illustrated in FIG. 6, the container 10 c may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 c. The divider 14 c may include one or more fins 28-1 c, 28-2 c, . . . 28-nc (referred to herein as fins 28 c). As illustrated, the divider 14 c includes six fins 28 c. Each fin 28 c may include an inner edge 34 c and an outer edge 36 c. In some configurations, the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-1 c may be coupled to the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-2 c. Similarly, in some configurations, the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-3 c may be coupled to the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-4 c, and the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-5 c may be coupled to the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-6 c. Moreover, in some configurations, the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-2 c may be coupled to the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-3 c, and the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-2 c may be coupled to the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-3 c. For example, in some configurations, the divider 14 c may include a unitary construct such that the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-1 c may be coupled to the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-2 c, the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-3 c may be coupled to the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-4 c, and the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-5 c may be coupled to the inner edge 34 c of the fin 28-6 c at respective folds (e.g., creases) 70, 72, 73 in the material of the divider 14 c. Similarly, the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-1 c may be coupled to the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-6 c, and the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-2 c may be coupled to the outer edge 36 c of the fin 28-3 c at respective folds (e.g., creases) 74, 76 in the material of the divider 14 c. Accordingly, the divider 14 c may define three substantially equally-sized chambers 40-1 c, 40-2 c, 40-3 c, and a substantially star-shaped (e.g., three-pointed isotoxal star) central chamber 40-4 c.
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the container 10 d may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 d. The divider 14 d may include a plurality of discrete, separable members 80-1, 80-2, . . . 80-n (referred to herein as members 80). As illustrated, the divider 14 d includes three members 80. Each member 80 may be bent in the radially-extending direction to define a pair of fins 28-1 d, 28-2 d. In an assembled configuration, the members 80 may be disposed within the housing 12 such that the fin 28-1 d of the member 80-1 abuts the fin 28-2 d of the member 80-3, the fin 28-1 d of the member 80-2 abuts the fin 28-2 d of the member 80-1, and the fin 28-1 d of the member 80-3 abuts the fin 28-2 d of the member 80-2 at respective contact locations 82, 84, 86. In this regard, the members 80 and the contact locations 82, 84, 86 may define three substantially equally-sized chambers 40-1 d, 40-2 d, 40-3 d, three substantially equally-sized chambers 40-4 d, 40-5 d, 40-6 d, and a central chamber 40-7 d.
As illustrated in FIG. 8, the container 10 e may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 e. The divider 14 d may include a plurality of discrete, separable members 80-1 e, 80-2 e, . . . 80-2 n (referred to herein as members 80 e). As illustrated, the divider 14 e includes two members 80 e defining a generally T-shaped divider. A first member 80-le may be bent in the radially-extending direction to define a pair of fins 28-1 e, 28-2 e. A second member 80-2 e may define a radially-extending fin 28-3 e. The fin 28-3 e may abut the member 80-le at a contact location 82 e between the fins 28-1 e and 28-2 e. Accordingly, the members 80-1 e and 80-2 e may define two substantially equally-sized chambers 40-1 e, 40-2 e, and the member 80-le may define a third chamber 40-3 e having a shape that is different than both of the chambers 40-1 e, 40-2 e.
As illustrated in FIG. 9, the container 10 f may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 f. The divider 14 f may be substantially triangular shaped. For example, in some configurations the divider 14 f may define an equilateral triangular shape. The divider 14 f may be centrally located within the housing 12 such that the housing 12 and first, second, and third sides 90, 92, 94 of the divider define first, second, and third chambers 40-1 f, 40-2 f, 40-3 f, respectively. As illustrated, the first, second, and third chambers 40-1 f, 40-2 f, 40-3 f may be open to, and in communication with, one another.
As illustrated in FIG. 10, the container 10 g may include the housing 12 and a divider 14 g. The divider 14 g may be substantially similar to the divider 14 g, apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. The divider 14 g may include first, second, and third sides 90 g, 92 g, 94 g. The sides 90 g, 92 g, 94 may be arcuately-shaped. For example, in some configurations, the sides 90 g, 92 g, 94 may be concave in a radially-outward facing direction.
As illustrated in FIG. 11, the container 10 h may include a housing 12 h and a divider 14 h that cooperate to define four chambers 40-1 h, 40-2 h 40-3 h, 40-4 h for receiving and contain four stacks 16-1, 16-2, 16-3, 16-4, respectively, of foodstuff 18. As illustrated, in some implementations, the housing 12 h defines a stadium shape having a pair of opposed, parallel sides 96, 98 and a pair of opposed arcuate ends 100, 102 extending from and between the opposed, parallel sides 96, 98. In other implementations, the divider 14 h may be utilized with the housing 12. The divider 14 h may be substantially similar to the divider 14, apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. The divider 14 h may include five fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h, 28-5 h. One or more of the fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h, 28-5 h may be integrally and/or monolithically formed with another one or more of the 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h, 28-5 h, such that at least a portion of the divider 14 h defines a unitary construct. The fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h, 28-5 h may define various shapes within the scope of the present disclosure. As illustrated, in some implementations, the fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h, 28-5 h define a substantially hourglass shape. In this regard, the first fin 28-1 h may extend in a direction parallel to the third fin 28-3 h. The second fin 28-2 h may extend in a direction parallel to the fourth fin 28-4 h. The fifth fin 28-5 h may extend in a direction transverse to the first, second, third, and fourth fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h. In this regard, the first and fourth fins 28-1 h, 28-4 h may intersect the arcuate end 100, the second and third fins 28-2 h, 28-3 h may intersect the arcuate end 102, and the fifth fin 28-5 h may intersect the first, second, third, and fourth fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h. In some implementations, the fifth fin 28-5 h may extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the opposed sides 96, 98.
As illustrated in FIG. 12, the container 10 i may include the housing 12 h and a divider 14 i. The divider 14 i may be substantially similar to the divider 14 h, apart from any exceptions described below and/or shown in the figures. As illustrated, in some implementations, the fins 28-1 i, 28-2 i, 28-3 i, 28-4 i, 28-5 i define an H-shape. In this regard, the first, second, third, and fourth fins 28-1 i, 28-2 i, 28-3 i, 28-4 i may be substantially parallel (+/−5 degrees) to one another, while the fifth fin 28-5 i may extend in a direction substantially perpendicular (+/−5 degrees) to the first, second, third, and fourth fins 28-1 h, 28-2 h, 28-3 h, 28-4 h.
The foregoing description has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular configuration are generally not limited to that particular configuration, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected configuration, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A container for foodstuff, the container comprising:

a housing having an inner surface extending from a proximal end to a distal end about a longitudinal axis, the inner surface defining a height H1 and a width D1, a ratio of the height H1 to the width D1 being less than 2.0; and

a divider disposed within the housing, the divider having first, second, and third radially extending fins defining first, second, and third chambers within the housing.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein the divider is removably disposed within the housing.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein the first, second, and third fins are symmetrically disposed about the longitudinal axis.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein each fin of the first, second, and third fins includes an inner edge and an outer edge, the outer edge of the first fin contacting the inner surface of the housing at a first contact location, the outer edge of the second fin contacting the inner surface of the housing at a second contact location, the outer edge of the third fin contacting the inner surface of the housing at a third contact location.

5. The container of claim 4, wherein the inner edge of the first, second, and third fins collectively define a joint.

6. The container of claim 5, wherein the joint is substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of the housing.

7. The container of claim 1, further comprising first, second, and third foodstuff disposed within the first, second, and third chambers, respectively.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the first, second, and third foodstuff is stacked within each of the first, second, and third chambers, respectively.

9. The container of claim 7, wherein the first, second, and third foodstuff is nested within each of the first, second, and third chambers, respectively.

10. The container of claim 9, wherein the first, second, and third foodstuff respectively disposed within the first, second, and third chambers is the same.

11. The container of claim 9, wherein the first, second, and third foodstuff respectively disposed within the first, second, and third chambers is different in at least one of the first, second, and third chambers.

12. The container of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first, second, and third foodstuff includes an oval shape.

13. The container of claim 12, wherein the first, second, and third foodstuff is stacked.

14. The container of claim 12, wherein the first, second, and third foodstuff is nested.

15. The container of claim 7, wherein the first foodstuff includes a first major axis and a first minor axis, the first minor axis intersecting the joint.

16. The container of claim 15, wherein the first major axis intersects at least two of the first, second, and third contact locations.

17. The container of claim 16, wherein the second foodstuff includes a second major axis and a second minor axis and the third foodstuff includes a third major axis and a third minor axis, the second and third minor axes intersecting the joint and the first minor axis, the second and third major axes intersecting at least two of the first, second, and third contact locations.

18. The container of claim 1, wherein the width D1 is a diameter.

19. A container for foodstuff, the container comprising:

a housing defining a longitudinal axis and an inner surface surrounding the longitudinal axis, the inner surface defining a first dimension extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis and a second dimension extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, a ratio of the first dimension to the second dimension being less than 2.0; and

a divider disposed within the housing such that the divider and the inner surface define a plurality of chambers.

20. The container of claim 19, wherein the divider includes at least one fin having a first edge and a second edge, at least one of the first edge and the second edge engaging the inner surface.

21. The container of claim 20, wherein the at least one fin includes a first fin and a second fin, the first fin including the first edge and the second edge, the second fin having an inner edge and an outer edge, the inner edge engaging the first edge, the outer edge and the second edge engaging the inner surface.