US 5,871,116 AGranted

Food service and storage foodstuff holding container assembly

OwnerRomana Picchiettiinventor

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Abstract

A food service and storage foodstuff holding container assembly formed of pair of matched open-faced upper and lower dishes and an interconnecting member having a perforate floor,the upper dish containing a foodstuff and the lower dish containing a liquid. The interconnecting member is frictionally seated within the lower dish. The upper dish is inverted and frictionally engaged with the interconnecting member to form the container assembly. Oppositely opening wells are carried along the periphery of the interconnecting member, a bead formation is within each well. The rim of the dishes seat within the wells while the interconnecting member is frictionally seated within the dishes, the bead formation tightly engaging the rims to supplement the frictional engagement of interconnecting member and the dishes, maintaining such engagement from unwanted disassembly. Once assembled, the container is inverted without separation of the dishes, even if shaken. The liquid from the lower dish passes through perforate floor into the upper dish, forming a mixture. The upper dish is separated providing access to the mixture. Covers are provided for the individual dishes for applicant before or after disassembly of the container. The container assembly can be packaged assembled or as a kit providing the plural disassembled elements in a single package for selective interchangable use.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A food service and storage foodstuff holding container assembly for use in containing foodstuff and comprising:

a. a pair of like open-faced dishes having respective side-walls, at least one of said open-faced dishes adapted to carry a foodstuff, one of said open-faced dishes being invertable to arrange said dishes face-to-face, and cover members suitable for covering and uncovering said open-faced dishes when said open-faced dishes are disassembled, each of said open-faced dishes capable of being selectively covered and uncovered, each of said open-faced dishes having a rim along the upper edge thereof and coextensive therewith;
b. an interconnecting member of size and configuration for frictionally, sealingly engagement with said side-walls within each of said face-to-face arranged open faces of said open-faced dishes, said interconnecting member defining at least a pair of interior compartments, said interconnecting member having an outer wall and a perforate floor;
c. said outer wall of said interconnecting member carrying outwardly extending rib means formed thereon and coextensive therewith and pairs of outwardly oppositely opening wells formed in said rib means;
d. each of said wells having a base and bead means formed interior of said wells;
e. each of said wells and bead means being formed of size and configuration for receiving said rims of said open-faced dishes sealably engaged therewithin tightly against said bead means;
f. said interconnecting member being capable of seating frictionally sealingly within one of said open-faced dishes with the perforate floor thereof extending across the face thereof and said rim retained tightly against said bead means within one of pair of wells and the other one of said open-faced dishes being invertable and engaged sealably with the outer wall of said interconnecting member, said rim of said other of said open-faced dishes being seated sealingly within said other of said pair of wells of said interconnecting member with said rim thereof tightly against said bead means thereof forming said container assembly defining at least a upper and lower compartments separated by said perforate floor;
g. said assembly being invertable for draining at least a portion of the foodstuff of said one open-faced dish into said other open-faced dish through said perforate floor and being capable of manipulation while maintaining said frictional sealing relationship thereby forming a mixture with the content of said other dish;
h. thereafter, said assembly being capable of selective disassembly permitting access to the mixture formed therein.

5 more elements

A food service and storage foodstuff holding container assembly forming kit, said kit comprising:

a) at least a pair of matched open-faced dishes, each having a side-wall, said side-wall having a rim along the upper edge thereof coextensive therewith;
b) an interconnecting member of size and configuration to enable frictional engagement within the open face of said dishes, said interconnecting member including an outer wall frictionally engagement with said side-wall, said outer wall carrying outwardly extending rib means coextensive therewith and a pair of oppositely opening wells formed in said rib means coextensive therewith and each of said wells having a base;
unitary bead means formed as a bead formation interior of said wells, said wells being of size, depth and configuration for receiving said rims therein sealingly engaged tightly against said bead means, said interconnecting member having a perforate floor extending across the face of said open-faced dishes when engaged therein;
c) plural cover members suitable for engagement with said open-faced dishes;
each of said matched open-faced dishes, interconnecting member and plural cover members being available for selected use;
at least one of said open-faced dishes being selectable to contain a foodstuff and the other of said open-faced dishes selectable to contain a liquid, said interconnecting member being selectable for sealing engagement with said liquid-containing open-faced dish and with the foodstuff-containing open-faced dish being invertable and capable of establishing sealing engagement with said interconnecting member completing said food service and storage container foodstuff holding container assembly thereby defining a compartment holding said foodstuff and a compartment containing liquid, said foodservice and storage container foodstuff holding container assembly being invertable so as to drain said liquid into said foodstuff-containing compartment forming a mixture thereof therein, thereafter, said food service and storage foodstuff holding container assembly adapted to be disassembled permitting access to said mixture.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/850,206Filed 2 May 1997
Granted: 16 Feb 1999
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

B65D 85/816
Disposable containers or packages with contents which are mixed, infused or dissolved in situ , i.e. without having been previously removed from…:…
A45C 11/20
Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00: lunch or picnic boxes or the like
A47J 47/14
Kitchen containers, stands or the like, not provided for in other groups of this subclass; Cutting-boards, e.g. for bread: carriers for prepared…
B65D 81/262
For draining or collecting liquids without absorbing them: rigid containers having false bottoms provided with passages for draining and receiving…