TW202438404A - Lid for food jar - Google Patents

Abstract

A food container lid is described herein, which may be used to store and transport food. The lid includes a storage compartment. A sliding door may extend from the lid to open or expose the compartment, and the sliding door may also be retracted into the lid to cover or conceal the compartment. The lid may be used with a variety of containers including insulated or non-insulated structures to store food, for example, to store the food at a warm or cool temperature for subsequent consumption.

Description

Food container lid

The present invention relates to a cover for a food container.

Food is often stored and transported in food containers such as food cans. The food may include soups, stews, drinks or other foods that users prefer to eat with separate utensils (such as spoons or forks). Users may prefer to add additional seasonings or condiments to the food just before eating. However, such utensils and/or food may be lost or separated from the food container during transportation.

A food container lid is described herein, which may be used to store and transport food or beverages. The lid includes a storage compartment. The lid may be used with a variety of containers, including insulated or non-insulated structures, to store food, for example, to store the food at a warm or cool temperature for subsequent consumption.

The illustrated embodiment of the lid of the food container includes a sliding door and a compartment. The sliding door can open and close the compartment. The lid is fitted over the stopper of the food container. The stopper closes the opening of the container body. The container body includes an interior that can be used to store food, or can be used to store drinks. The compartment of the lid can accommodate tableware and/or food, so that the tableware and/or food are close to the food container, which is very convenient.

In another aspect, a food container lid includes a compartment that can be used to accommodate tableware, food, or a combination of the two. The lid also includes a sliding door that can be slidably coupled to the lid. The sliding door can extend from the lid and retract into the lid.

In another aspect, a food container includes a compartment that can be used to accommodate tableware, food, or a combination of the two. The compartment is formed on the upper surface of the lid. The lid also includes a sliding door. The sliding door can be slidably connected to the lid. The compartment includes a first side wall and a second side wall. The first side wall is approximately opposite to the second side wall. The compartment is approximately located between the first side wall and the second side wall. The sliding door includes a first side edge and a second side edge. The first side edge is slidably connected to the first side wall, and the second side edge is slidably connected to the second side wall. The sliding door can be extended from the cover to open or expose the compartment, and the sliding door can be retracted to the cover to cover or hide the compartment.

In another aspect, a food container includes a lid. The lid includes a compartment and a sliding door. The sliding door can be slidably connected to the lid. The sliding door can extend from the lid and retract to the lid. The food container includes a stopper. The food container includes a container body, and the container body has an opening and an interior that can be used to store food or beverages. The stopper can be used to close the opening. The lower opening of the lid can fit over the stopper or a portion of the container body.

For the purpose of this application, all terms describing relative positions (such as "upper", "middle", "lower", "outer", "inner", "above", "below", "bottom", "top", etc.) are based on the illustrated embodiments of the present invention, but these terms do not limit the usage orientation of these embodiments.

The lid 100 of the food container 50 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1-15. The lid 100 is fitted over or engaged with the stopper 400 of the food container 50. The stopper 400 closes the opening of the container body 500 of the food container 50. The container body 500 includes an interior 520 that can be used to store food or beverages.

The lid 100 includes a sliding door 200 and a compartment 300. The sliding door 200 may extend from the lid 100 and retract to the lid 100. The sliding door 200 may extend from the lid 100 to open or expose the compartment 300. The sliding door 200 may retract to the lid 100 to cover or hide the compartment 300. In some embodiments, the extension and retraction direction of the sliding door 200 may be substantially orthogonal to the vertical center axis of the food container 50 or the container body 500.

The compartment 300 may be formed on the upper surface 105 of the cover 100. The compartment 300 may accommodate tableware placed as needed, such as a folding spoon 110 or other forks, knives, spoons, etc. In other aspects, the compartment 300 may accommodate two tableware placed as needed, such as two folding spoons 110 or other forks, knives, spoons, or a combination of the above tableware. In other aspects, the compartment 300 may be used to accommodate other foods or food, such as seasonings or seasoning packets, beverage additives, cookies, seasonings, salt, pepper, vitamins, nutritional supplements, other foods, etc. The compartment 300 can accommodate the above-mentioned tableware and/or food, which is not only very convenient, but also can prevent the tableware and food from being easily separated and lost because they are closely connected to the food container 50. In addition, the compartment 300 may reduce the situation where the tableware and food contained therein are contaminated by foreign objects. Therefore, the container body 500 can be used to accommodate the first food or drink, and the compartment 300 can be used to accommodate the second food or tableware.

In this embodiment, the sliding door 200 is generally rectangular. The front edge 205 of the sliding door 200 is generally opposite to the rear edge 210 of the sliding door 200. The front edge 205 of the sliding door 200 may include an arcuate periphery so as to generally match the arcuate periphery of the cover 100. In other embodiments, the sliding door 200 may be square, triangular, oval or other shapes.

The sliding door 200 further includes a first side edge 220 and a second side edge 240. The first side edge 220 and the second side edge 240 are slidably coupled to the compartment 300.

When in the closed position, the upper surface 260 of the sliding door 200 may be substantially flush with the upper surface 105 of the cover 100. The front edge 205 of the sliding door 200 forms a portion of the outer periphery of the cover 100. The upper surface 260 may include a detent 263 and/or a recess 266 as required. The detent 263 and the recess 266 provide a gripping surface or gripping point for the user to pull and/or push the sliding door 200 between the open and closed positions. In other embodiments, the upper surface 260 may include a surface with a pattern or texture to provide the gripping surface or other friction contact surface.

The compartment 300 will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. The compartment 300 includes a first side wall 320 and a second side wall 340. The first side wall 320 is substantially opposite to the second side wall 340, and the compartment 300 is substantially located between the first side wall 320 and the second side wall 340. The compartment 300 includes an interior 305 suitable for storage.

The sliding door 200 is generally slidably coupled to the cover 100. The sliding door 200 and the cover 100 may include any track, rail, guide structure, protrusion, projection, edge, receiving surface, overhang, etc. that can form a sliding engagement between the sliding door 200 and the cover 100. Such sliding structures may be molded on the sliding door 200 and the cover 100. For example, the sliding engagement of the sliding door 200 and the cover 100 may allow a protrusion or overhang of the sliding door 200 or the cover 100 to slide under an edge or ledge of the sliding door 200 or the cover 100. For another example, the sliding engagement between the sliding door 200 and the cover 100 may allow a protrusion, a knob or a button of the sliding door 200 or the cover 100 to move or slide in a groove or track of the sliding door 200 or the cover 100 .

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1-15, the first side wall 320 of the compartment 300 includes a first overhanging edge 322 and a second overhanging edge 326. As shown in Fig. 11, a gap 324 is formed between the first overhanging edge 322 and the second overhanging edge 326. Similarly, the second side wall 340 of the compartment 300 includes a first overhanging edge 342 and a second overhanging edge 346. A gap 344 is also formed between the first overhanging edge 342 and the second overhanging edge 346.

The first side edge 220 of the sliding door 200 includes a first protrusion 224, and the second side edge 240 of the sliding door 200 includes a second protrusion 244. The first protrusion 224 and the second protrusion 244 extend outward from the sliding door 200. After the sliding door 200 is mounted on the cover 100, when the first protrusion 224 slides substantially under the first and second overhanging edges 322 and 326, the second protrusion 244 also slides substantially under the first and second overhanging edges 342 and 346, thereby forming a sliding joint between the sliding door 200 and the cover 100.

FIG. 4 illustrates how the sliding door 200 is coupled to the cover 100. In this embodiment, the first protrusion 224 is placed, inserted, or otherwise disposed in the gap 324, and the second protrusion 244 is placed, inserted, or otherwise disposed in the gap 344. Thereafter, the first protrusion 224 can slide under the first overhanging edge 322 and/or the second overhanging edge 326, and the second protrusion 244 can slide under the first overhanging edge 342 and/or the second overhanging edge 346. The sliding engagement between the sliding door 200 and the cover 100 is formed in the above manner. This sliding engagement design allows the sliding door 200 to move laterally relative to the cover 100. In other embodiments, the positions of the first and second protrusions 224 and 244 and the overhanging edges 322, 326, 342 and 346 may be interchanged, so that the sliding door 200 includes the overhanging edges and the sidewalls 320 and 340 include the protrusions or a combination thereof.

When the sliding door 200 is fully retracted, it is in the closed position. In this aspect, the sliding door 200 can be maintained in the retracted or closed position, or can remain in the retracted or closed position due to the bias. As shown in Figure 9, the first side wall 320 includes a first protrusion 330, and the second side wall 340 includes a second protrusion 350. The first side edge 220 of the sliding door 200 includes the protrusion 230, and the protrusion 230 forms a gap or notch 232 with the front edge 205 of the sliding door 200. Similarly, the second side edge 240 of the sliding door 200 includes the protrusion 250, and the protrusion 250 forms a gap 252 with the front edge 205 of the sliding door 200. When the sliding door 200 is in the closed position, the first protrusion 330 is positioned in the gap 232, and the second protrusion 350 is positioned in the gap 252. If the sliding door 200 is to be extended from the cover 100, the sliding door 200 must be pulled and/or pushed with sufficient force to make the protrusions 230 and 250 pass over the protrusions 330 and 350, respectively. Therefore, when the sliding door 200 is in the closed position, the protrusions 330 and 350 respectively located in the gaps 232 and 252 will bias the sliding door 200 to keep the sliding door 200 in the closed position, or the protrusions 330 and 350 will drive the sliding door 200 to stay in the closed position. This design can reduce the situation where the sliding door 200 is accidentally moved to the open position. In addition, since the gaps 232 and 252 accommodate the protrusions 330 and 350, respectively, this design may provide the user with an audible or tactile "click" effect or prompt to inform the user that the sliding door 200 has entered the closed position. In other embodiments, the relative positions of the protrusions 230 and 250, the gaps 232 and 252, and the protrusions 330 and 350 can be interchanged between the sliding door 200 and the side walls 320, 340.

Furthermore, the first protrusion 330 on the first side wall 320 and the second protrusion 350 on the second side wall 340 also help prevent the sliding door 200 from accidentally detaching from the cover 100. As shown in FIG. 10 , when the sliding door 200 is fully extended from the cover 100, the protrusion 230 and the protrusion 250 on the sliding door 200 are respectively caught by the first protrusion 330 and the second protrusion 350 of the compartment 300. This design can reduce the possibility of the sliding door 200 accidentally completely detaching from the cover 100 when the user pulls and/or pushes the sliding door 200 too hard in a direction away from the cover 100.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the stopper 400 closes the opening 510 of the container body 500. In this aspect, the container body 500 includes a wide opening to easily load stew, chili bean sauce, soup, beverage or other food that may not fit easily into a narrow container. The container body 500 may be designed with vacuum insulation or with insulation material to provide insulation. The opening 510 leads to the interior 520 of the container body 500 for containing food.

The stopper 400 may include one or more exhaust passages to facilitate gas to pass through the stopper 400. This design allows the pressure in the container body 500 to reach equilibrium with the ambient pressure.

The compartment 300 includes a recess or cavity that can be used to accommodate the folding spoon 110 or other items. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-15, the compartment 300 includes a first cavity 360 and a second cavity 362, and the size and shape of the two cavities are suitable for accommodating the folding spoon 110. In this embodiment, the second cavity 362 includes a clip 364 to hold one end of the folding spoon 110. In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 14, the shape of the first cavity 360 is suitable for accommodating the spoon portion of the folding spoon 110. In other embodiments, the size and shape of the compartment 300 may be designed to accommodate different tableware and/or food-related items. The compartment 300 may include a single main cavity or additional cavities.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1-15, the cover includes an optional handle 170. The handle 170 is positioned above the compartment 300. The handle 170 includes a first handle leg 172 and a second handle leg 174, both of which extend upward from the upper surface 105 of the cover 100. In this embodiment, the handle 170 is secured to the upper surface 105 and is positioned above the compartment 300. In other embodiments, the handle 170 may be integrally molded to the upper surface 105. The first handle leg 172 and the second handle leg 174 are both connected to a grip portion 176. In this embodiment, the grip portion 176 is generally orthogonal to the main length of the compartment 300. In other embodiments, the optional handle 170 may be omitted or may extend in a different direction or manner. In other embodiments, the cover 100 may include a buckle clip for easy carrying, a rotating handle, a loop for easy carrying, a carabiner loop, etc.

In this embodiment, the cover 100 is generally circular. The cover 100 includes an upper surface 105 generally opposite to the lower edge 180. The sidewall 190 connects the upper surface 105 and the lower edge 180. In this embodiment, the sidewall 190 is molded on the upper surface 105 in an integrally formed manner, but in other embodiments, the upper surface 105 and the sidewall 190 may be formed by two or more components and connected to each other.

In this embodiment, the lower edge 180 of the cap 100 is snapped onto the container body 500 or is frictionally engaged with the container body 500. The cap 100 may be pressed over the stopper 400 and snapped into place, thereby being removably engaged with the stopper 400. In other embodiments, the cap 100 and the container body 500 may include any complementary engagement structure, such as complementary threads, plug-and-screw engagement structures, or other engagement structures that can removably attach or engage the cap 100 to the stopper 400 and/or the container body 500. For example, the threads on the inner side of the side wall 190 of the cap 100 may engage with the outer threads on the stopper 400 or the container body 500.

In this aspect, the stopper 400 is generally circular. The stopper 400 includes an upper wall 420 that is generally opposite to the bottom wall 440. In this aspect, the upper wall 420 is provided with a notch 424 that may partially accommodate the lower side of the compartment 300. A side wall 460 connects the upper wall 420 and the bottom wall 440. In this aspect, the side wall 460 is molded on the bottom wall 440 in an integral manner, but in other aspects, the bottom wall 440 and the side wall 460 may be formed by two or more components and attached to each other. The stopper 400 may include an interior with a heat-insulating design. In this aspect, the side wall 460 includes an outer thread 462 to be threaded with the inner thread 532 of the container body 500. In this aspect, the plug 400 includes an edge 470 that can engage the upper surface 512 of the opening 510.

In other embodiments, the side wall 460 or other parts of the plug 400 may include internal threads to be threaded with the external threads of the container body 500 of the food container 50. In other embodiments, the plug 400 and the container body 500 may include any complementary engagement structure, such as a snap-fit structure, a friction engagement structure, a plug-and-screw engagement structure, or other engagement structures that can removably attach the plug 400 to the container body 500.

In this aspect, the stopper 400 is screwed to the container body 500. The stopper 400 can seal the container body 500, thereby putting the container body 500 into a closed state. The stopper 400 can include a sealing member, and the sealing member can be pressed against the inner surface of the neck 530 of the container body 500 in a sealing manner. When the stopper 400 is screwed into the container body 500, the sealing member is pushed against the inner surface of the neck 530, thereby sealing the container body 500, and putting the container body 500 into a substantially closed state.

The plug 400 may include a one-piece construction or may be formed of multiple components. In this aspect, the plug 400 includes an upper wall 420 that is typically not removable during normal use. The upper wall 420 may be attached to the side wall 460 by gluing, welding, mechanical bonding or other means.

In this embodiment, the container body 500 has an insulating double-wall structure. In other embodiments, the container body 500 may include a non-insulating single-layer or multi-layer structure or other insulating structures. The container body 500 may be formed of moldable food-grade plastic, thermoplastic plastic, stainless steel, other metals and metal alloys, other plastics, or any combination thereof.

In other embodiments, the lid 100 may include a hinged door hinged to the lid 100. For example, a first side or end of the hinged door may include a design that can be hinged to the lid 100, and a second side or end of the hinged door may include a clip or other latch that can be removably attached to the lid 100 and thereby retain the hinged door in a closed position relative to the lid 100. The hinged door may open and close the compartment 300 by rotating the hinge.

The disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects described herein, and such aspects may be varied and modified in many ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the novel concepts defined in the appended claims. In addition, those skilled in the art can easily learn many other advantages of the applicant's disclosure from the above description and the appended claims.

[Knowledge] None [The present invention] 50: Food container 100: Lid 105: Upper surface 110: Folding spoon 170: Handle 172: First handle support 174: Second handle support 176: Grip 180: Lower edge 190: Side wall 200: Sliding door 205: Front edge 210: Rear edge 220: First side edge 224: First protrusion 230: Protrusion 232: Gap or notch 240: Second side edge 244: Second protrusion 250: Protrusion 252: Gap 260: Upper surface 263: Latch 266: recess 300: compartment 305: interior 320: first side wall 322: first extended edge 324: gap 326: second extended edge 330: first protrusion 340: second side wall 342: first extended edge 344: gap 346: second extended edge 350: second protrusion 360: first hole 362: second hole 364: clip 400: plug 420: upper wall 424: notch 440: bottom wall 460: side wall 462: external thread 470: edge 500: container body 510: opening 512: Upper surface 520: Inner part 530: Neck 532: Internal thread

[Figure 1] is a perspective view of a food container. [Figure 2] is a perspective view of the food container from the rear. [Figure 3] is an exploded view of the food container. [Figure 4] is a perspective view of the sliding door after separation from the lid. [Figure 5] is a perspective view of the sliding door extending from the lid to the open position. [Figure 6] is a perspective view of the sliding door extending from the lid to the open position from the rear. [Figure 7] is a side view of the sliding door in the open position. [Figure 8] is a side view of the sliding door in the open position. [Figure 9] is a cross-sectional view of the lid, wherein the sliding door is in the closed position. [Figure 10] is a cross-sectional view of the lid, wherein the sliding door is in the open position. [FIG. 11] is a cross-sectional view of the lid, wherein the sliding door is in the partially open position. [FIG. 12] is a cross-sectional view of the lid. [FIG. 13] is a bottom-up perspective view of the sliding door. [FIG. 14] is a top-down perspective view of the food container, wherein the tableware has been removed from the compartment. [FIG. 15] is a perspective view of an example of the tableware.

170: Grip

172: First grip foot

174: Second handle support foot

176: Grip

200: Sliding door

205: Previous relationship

210: Later fate

220: First side edge

224: First protruding piece

230: protrusions

240: Second side edge

260: Upper surface

263: Latch

266: Concave part

300: Compartment

305:Interior

320: First side wall

340: Second side wall

342: First outrigger edge

344: Gap

346: Second extended edge

350: Second protrusion

Claims (20)

A food container cover comprises: a compartment, which can be used to accommodate tableware, food or a combination of the two; and a sliding door, which can be slidably connected to the cover and can be extended from the cover and retracted to the cover. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door includes a first side edge and a second side edge, and the first side edge and the second side edge are slidably connected to the compartment. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compartment comprises a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall is substantially opposite to the second side wall, and the compartment is substantially located between the first side wall and the second side wall. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compartment is formed on the upper surface of the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door can be extended from the lid to open or expose the compartment, and the sliding door can be retracted into the lid to cover or hide the compartment. As in the lid of claim 5, the extension and retraction directions of the sliding door are approximately orthogonal to the vertical center axis of the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door is substantially flush with the upper surface of the lid, and the front edge of the sliding door forms a part of the outer periphery of the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door can be maintained in a retracted position, or can remain in the retracted position due to being biased. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door includes a protrusion that can slide under the outer edge of the compartment to form a sliding connection between the sliding door and the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the first protrusion and the second protrusion are respectively located on opposite sides of the sliding door and extend outward from the sliding door, the first protrusion can slide under the first overhanging edge of the compartment, and the second protrusion can slide under the second overhanging edge of the compartment, thereby forming a sliding joint between the sliding door and the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first side edge of the sliding door includes a first protrusion, the second side edge of the sliding door includes a second protrusion, and the first protrusion and the second protrusion extend outward from the sliding door, wherein the first protrusion can slide under the first and second extended edges of the first wall of the compartment, and the second protrusion can slide under the first and second extended edges of the second wall of the compartment, thereby forming a sliding joint between the sliding door and the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sliding door includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion, wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion extend outward from the sliding door, wherein the compartment includes a first protrusion and a second protrusion, wherein the first protrusion and the second protrusion can be respectively caught by the first protrusion and the second protrusion of the compartment when the sliding door extends from the lid. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first side wall of the compartment includes a first protrusion, the second side wall of the compartment includes a second protrusion, the first side edge of the sliding door includes a third protrusion, a first gap is formed between the third protrusion and the front edge of the sliding door, the second side edge of the sliding door includes a fourth protrusion, and a second gap is formed between the fourth protrusion and the front edge of the sliding door. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 13, wherein when the sliding door is in the closed position, the first protrusion is positioned in the first gap and the second protrusion is positioned in the second gap, thereby biasing the sliding door so that the sliding door remains in the closed position. A lid for a food container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the sliding door includes a latch or a recess. A food container comprises a lid as claimed in claim 1, and further comprises a container body and a stopper, wherein the container body defines an interior for storing food, the container body has an opening, and the stopper can close the opening of the container body. A lid of a food container, comprising: a compartment, which can be used to accommodate tableware, food or a combination of the two, and the compartment is formed on the upper surface of the lid; and a sliding door, which can be slidably connected to the lid; wherein the compartment includes a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall is substantially opposite to the second side wall, and the compartment is substantially located between the first side wall and the second side wall; wherein the sliding door includes a first side edge and a second side edge, the first side edge is slidably connected to the first side wall, and the second side edge is slidably connected to the second side wall; and The sliding door can be extended from the cover to open or expose the compartment, and the sliding door can be retracted to the cover to cover or hide the compartment. A food container, comprising: A lid of the food container, comprising: A compartment; and A sliding door; wherein the sliding door can be slidably connected to the lid; and wherein the sliding door can be extended from the lid and retracted to the lid; A plug; and A container body, comprising an opening and an interior for storing food or drink, the plug can close the opening; wherein the lower opening of the lid can be fitted over the plug or a portion of the container body. A food container as claimed in claim 18, wherein the container body can accommodate the food or the drink, and the compartment can accommodate a second food or tableware. A food container as claimed in claim 18, wherein the compartment is for accommodating tableware.

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