US2858957A - Accessory compartment for lunch box - Google Patents

Description

R. c. DARRAH I [ACCESSORY COMPARTMENT FOR LUNCH Box- Nov. '4, 1958 Filed Nov. 13, 195 6 INVENTOR. RICHARD C. DAM/4H A T7URNEYS United States Patent ACCESSORY COMPARTMENT FOR LUNCH BOX Richard C. Darrah, San Jose, Calif. Application November 13, 1956, Serial No. 621,811 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-234) The present invention relates to lunch boxes, and pertains more particularly to a compartment which can be attached to alunch box for carrying an additional vacuum container.

.A popular type of lunch box, which is in almost universal use by workmen in the United States, consists of a box-like lower portion and a domed lid, with means for securing a vacuum bottle in the lid. The vacuum bottle usually is used for coffee, but many workers find that they would like either additional coffee between meals, or a hot dish, such as soup or stew, for their lunch.

Since the domed lid is substantially filled by the vacuum bottle customarily supplied with such lunch boxes, there is no room in the box for an additional vacuum container for such use without seriously curtaining the amount of space left for solid food in the lower part of the lunch box.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a compartment which can be removably attached to a lunch box of this type to provide space for carrying an additional vacuum container.

The invention also provides a compartment which may be easily attached to or removed from an end of a conventional type of lunch box, and which conforms in cross sectional shape and operating characteristics with the lunch box to which it is connected, a handle being provided on the compartment for connecting to the farthest end of the lunch box handle to provide balanced support for the combined lunch box and compartment. A further object of the invention is to provide an improved accessory compartment fora domed lid lunch box.

These, and other objects and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure l is a side elevationalview of a lunch box having a compartment embodying the invention removably attached thereto, two vacuum containers and a support for one of the vacuum bottles being shown in broken lines.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the left hand end of the assembly shown in Fig. 1, the upright vacuum container in the accessory compartment being shown in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlargedperspective view of the accessory compartment shown at the left in Fig. 1, an intermediate portion of the carrying handle being broken away.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view showing the right hand portion of the lunch box handle shown in Fig. 1 with the accessory handle connected thereto.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the interconnection between the accessory compartment and the lunch box taken along line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

'Briefiy, the invention provides an accessory compartment A conforming in cross sectional size and configuration with an end of a conventional lunch box B with which it is to be used. The compartment A is interconnected by a reversely bent lip 6 to an end wall 7 of.

the lunch box, and has an elongated carrying handle 8 extending from an anchor member 9 on top of the compartment to the far end of the handle 10 which is conventionally supplied with the lunch box B to provide bal anced support for the entire assembly as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the lunch box B comprises a box-like body 11 of sheet metal, with a domed lid 12 hingedly connected thereto at 13. Clasps 14 and 15 are provided to hold the lid 12 in closed condition. A conventional vacuum container C is mounted in the lid 12 by a usual supporting clip 18. The usual carrying handle 10 provided on the lid 12 is attached thereto by rings 20 and 21 secured to anchor members 22 and 23 on the top of thelid 12.

The compartment A comprises a box-like body portion 24 similar in cross sectional configuration to the body portion 11 of the lunch box B. The end wall 25 of the compartment which is intended to abut the left hand end wall 7 of the lunch box B as shown in Fig. 1 is provided with a flange 28 (Fig. 5) thereon which is offset outwardly at 29 from the end wall 25 of which it is part to receive the end wall 12a (Fig. 5) of the lid 12 of the'lunch box -B between this offset flange and the lid 33 of-the compartment A.

The flange 28 is bent reversely uponitself at 30 to form the. lip 6, which hooks over the upper edge of the end wall '7 of the lunch box body 11. The lip 6,preferably is of a length substantially equal to that of the end wall 7 of the body 11 to center the extension A on the end wall 25. A spacer ridge 7a is provided at the lower end of the compartment end wall and is of the same height as the offset portion of the flange 28 to space the upper and lower portions of the compartment body 24 at equal distances from the lunch box body 11.

The body 24 of the compartment A preferably is of a length substantially equal toits width, so asto receive a vacuum container D of predetermined diameter therein. It is preferred that the vacuum container D for the compartment A be of the type known as stubby which is a low, wide-mouth vacuum container best suited for holding hot dishes such as soups, stews and vegetables, which are to be eaten with a spoon.

A lid 33 is providedfor theaccessory compartment A,

the lid 33 being of a cross sectional configuration corresponding to that of the lid 12 of the lunch box B. A clasp 34 is provided to secure the compartment lid 33 closed, and the latter lid is hingedly connected to the extension body 24 similarly to the lid 12 of the lunch box B.

A retaining finger 35, which may be of metal, is secured to the accessory compartment lid 33 and extends over the lid 12 of the lunch box proper, so that when the lunch box lid 12 is raised the compartment lid 33 will be raised with it. However, it is apparent that the lid 33 of the compartment A may be raised independently of the lid 12 of the lunch box.

Since the handle 10 of the lunch box proper B would be oif-center for carrying the combined lunch box and compartment shown in Fig. l, the extension handle 8 is permanently attached at one end thereof to the anchor member 9 provided therefor on the compartment lid 33. This anchor member 9 is spaced inwardly from the outer end 37 of the compartment A a distance substantially equal to the inward spacing of the anchor members 22 and 23 from the ends of the lunch box B with which the compartment A is to be used. The extension handle 8 is of a length to extend from the anchor member 9 on the compartment to the farther anchor member 23 on the lunch box.

The other end of the extension handle 8 from that attached to the compartment A is provided with a hook 38 formed for hooked attachment to the farther end of the lunch box handle 10, so that the combined lunch box and compartment as shown in Fig. 1 will then be located centrally of the extension handle 8.

The invention provides an accessory compartment which may be easily and quickly attached to an end of any lunch box of corresponding size and shape, and which, when attached thereto, becomes substantially an integral part of the lunch box to which it is attached. The lid 12 of the lunch box proper fits over the offset portion 29 of the flange 28 to hold the accessory compartment A from becoming detached while the lunch box B is closed, and the extension handle 8 insures that.

the combination will be supported in properly balanced relation for carrying.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood however, that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. v

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An accessory compartment for a lunch box having a box-like lower portion and having a domed, bottle receiving lid hingedly connected at its lower rear edge to the upper rear edge of the box-like lower portion, one end of the lid and lower. portion being flat and substantially co-planar, the lunch box lid having a handle extending lengthwise thereon and secured at both ends thereto; said accessory compartment comprising a box-like lower portion, a domed lid, means hingedly connecting the lower rear edge of the compartment lid and lower compartment portion, an end of the compartment lid and lower portion being flat and co-planar and adapted to fit in close, abutting relation against an end of such lunch box, a hooked flange co-extensive with an upper edge of one end of the compartment lower portion and formed for hooked, supported attachment to a flat end wall of such lunch box, said flange being formed and adapted to fit between the closed lid and an end wall of the box-like lower portion of such lunch box, means for securing the compartment lid in closed condition, and an auxiliary handle connected at one end thereof to the compartment lid, the auxiliary handle being of a length sufficient to extend beyond said one end of the compartment a distance equal to a substantial portion of the length of such lunch box, and attaching means on the free end of said auxiliary handle for releasably attaching the latter to the lid of such lunch box.

2. An accessory compartment for a lunch box having a box-like lower portion and having a domed, bottle receiving lid hingedly connected at its lower rear edge to the upper rear edge of the box-like lower portion, one end of the lid and lower portion being flat and substantially co-planar, the lunch box lid having a handle extending lengthwise thereon and secured at both ends thereto; said accessory compartment comprising a box-like lower portion, a domed lid, means hingedly connecting the lower rear edge of the compartment lid and lower compartment portion, an end of the compartment lid and lower portion being flat and co-planar and adapted to fit in close, abutting relation against an end of such lunch box, a hooked flange co-extensive with an upper edge of one end of the compartment lower portion and formed for hooked, supported attachment to a fiat end wall of such lunch box, said flange being formed and adapted to fit between the closed lid and an end wall of the box-like lower portion of such lunch box, means for securing the compartment lid in closed condition, a clip secured to the top of the compartment lid and extending endwise from the same end of the compartment as that having the hooked flange thereon, and formed to closely overlie the lid of such lunch box when the compartment is in hooked, supported engagement therewith, and an auxiliary handle connected at one end thereof to the compartment lid, the auxiliary handle being of a length suflicient to extend beyond said one end of the compartment a distance equal to a substantial portion of the length of such lunch box, and attaching means on the free end of said auxiliary handle for releasably attaching the latter to the lunch box lid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 167,648 Davis Sept. 14, 1875 2,513,218 Turnipseed June 27, 1950 2,610,760 Ball Sept. 16, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 255,698 Italy Nov. 3, 1927

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