GB2515988A

GB2515988A - Storage container

Info

Publication number: GB2515988A
Application number: GB1303475.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Calvert
Original assignee: PAC N VAC Ltd
Current assignee: PAC N VAC Ltd
Priority date: 2013-02-27
Filing date: 2013-02-27
Publication date: 2015-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2033-02-27
Also published as: GB201303475D0; GB2515988B

Abstract

A storage container 100 is disclosed, which comprises a base 102 comprising a wall defining an interior storage cavity and having a generally upward-directed rim providing an opening into the storage cavity. There is also a lid 104 having a rim that releasably couples to the rim of the base for closing the storage cavity. The lid 104 and base 102 each comprise a visual indicator element 106, 110, 114 for indicating a paired correspondence between the base and lid, these elements can be colour-coded to show the which type of food is or was present to prevent cross-contamination, these colours can match regulation or food safety standards. The visual indicator element 106 on the base can be interchanged with a similarly-shaped element 108. One of the elements includes a day/date marker for indicating visually a check date associated with, e.g. food stored in the container 100. One of the visual indicators 114 can be a valve which is used to help create a negative pressure or vacuum.

Description

Storage Container

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a storage container.

Background of the Tnvention

There are a number of known storage containers for storing and preserving food, both for commercial and domestic use. Such containers usually comprise a relatively rigid plastics base portion within which the food is placed and a detachable lid which connects to the base portion to enclose the interior storage cavity. A seal is usually provided around a lip region to ensure a tight, air-tight sealed connection between the lid and the base portion.

In some products, a valve is provided in the lid to enable evacuation of air from the interior storage cavity after the lid has been connected to the base portion. In use, the user squeezes the container to force air out of the cavity, through the valve. This allows the food inside the storage cavity to stay fresh for longer.

One problem associated with known containers is hygiene and contamination. For example, when multiple bases and lids are put into a dishwasher or sink for cleaning, it is not clear which have been used to store what type of food, e.g. raw meat, cooked meat, fish, vegetables and so on, and further, which lid belongs to which base.

Furthermore, there is currently no convenient way of indicating when a particular stored food in a vacuum-type container of the above type needs to be consumed or discarded. Typically, stickers or labels are used which can easily peel or fall off.

Summary of the Invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided a storage container comprising: a base comprising a wall defining an interior storage cavity and having a generally upward-directed rim providing an opening into the storage cavity; a lid having a rim that releasably couples to the rim of the base for closing the storage cavity; wherein the lid and base each comprise a visual indicator element for indicating a paired correspondence between the base and lid.

Advantageously, the visual indicator element provides an instantly-recognisable means for pairing lids and bases together, for example based on what type of food has been stored in the container previously. The visual indicator elements could use different colours, e.g. red for raw meat, yellow for cooked meat, blue for fish, green for vegetables and white for baked and dairy produce.

In this way, a lid-base pairing can be made in the knowledge that both have been used previously to store the same food type.

One or both of the visual indicator elements may be detachable.

This allows, initially at least, the user to choose particular indicator elements for the container dependent on the type of food they wish to store. If colour coding is used, a kit of parts may be supplied comprising the base and lid with, say, multiple sets of differently-coloured indicator elements so that the user can choose which colour to use.

One of the visual indicator elements may include a movable day or date indicator. Alternatively, it can be an electronic day or date indicator. Such a feature allows for the additional advantage of being able to set a check' date for when a newly stored food is at its best-before or expiry date. The day or date indicator may comprise a movable element on which is marked days or dates and which is at least partially covered by a masking member having an aperture or slit which reveals externally one of said day or date markings on the movable element. The movable element may be a user-movable rotary element a perimeter of which is exposed from one edge of the masking member to permit user rotation of the rotary element so that a different day or date marking can be revealed externally.

The areas on which the days or dates are marked can be raised so that they click into place with the masking member and cannot easily be moved accidentally.

The masking member may be configured to be releasably connected to the lid or base. The lid or base may be formed with a depression into or over which the masking member is releasably connected so that it is substantially flush with the base or lid with the movable element being at least partially received into the depression. This makes it easier to clean or wipe the outside of the container, for it to be stored or stacked, and avoids contamination of the outside surface.

Preferably, it is the base on or in which is stored the day/date marker. Preferably, the marker shows days of the week, i.e. [iON, TUE, WED, etc. The base may be formed with the depression which extends towards its lower wall and wherein the perimeter of the rotary element is exposed substantially adjacent the lower wall of the base.

The container may further comprise a further, blank visual indicator element configured to be interchanged with the visual indicator having the day or date indicator. The user has the choice of either using the blank or the day/date indicator, which are interchangeable, and preferably of the same shape, to be located on the base with a flush fit.

The lid may comprise a peripheral frame and an inner cover member that releasably connects to the frame. The inner cover member may be recessed relative to the frame to permit vernical stacking when connected. The visual indicator of the lid may be provided on the frame.

The container may further comprise a valve assembly, including a valve, provided on or in the lid to permit the evacuation of air from the storage cavity by user action when the lid is connected to the base. The visual indicator may be provided on part of the valve assembly, for example by means of the colour of a rotary cover forming part of the valve assembly.

Preferably, each visual indicator element is of the same colour to indicate the paired correspondence.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a storage container comprising: a base comprising a wall defining an interior storage cavity and having a rim providing an opening into the storage cavity, the base including a first colour-coded detachable element thereon; and a lid having a rim that releasably couples to the rim of the base for closing the storage cavity, the lid having a second colour-coded detachable element thereon of substantially the same colour as the first.

The first colour-coded detachable element is preferably provided in the form of a user-adjustable day or date indicator. The day or date indicator can be mechanical or electrical, e.g. using an LCD display. The container may comprise a further, colour-coded blank detachable element having approximately the same shape as the first element with no day or date indicator, so that they are interchangeable with one another.

The second colour-coded detachable element may be a peripheral frame of the lid which is configured to be detachable from a centre cover held within the frame. The frame may comprise at least one pair of hinged edge-type fasteners that secure the coupling between the rim and base. The second colour coded detachable element may alternatively or additionally be part of a valve assembly provided in the lid.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a kit of parts comprising: a storage container formed of a base and a lid which releasably couple together to define an inner cavity for storing food and the like; first and second detachable elements provided on the base and lid respectively both of substantially the same first colour; and a plurality of replacement first and second detachable elements of a second, different colour, that can be interchanged with those provided on the base and lid.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a base part of the Figure 1 container; Figure 3 shows different constituent parts of a lid part of the Figure 1 container; Figure 4 is an exploded view of the various parts shown in Figures 1 to 3 which is useful for understanding the structure and assembly of the container shown therein; Figure 5 shows side views of the Figure 1 container which includes a day/date indicator element; Figure 6 shows plan views of constituent parts of the day/date indicator element shown in Figure 5; Figure 7 is an exploded view of a valve assembly employed on the lid part shown in Figures 1 and 3; Figure 8 shows perspective views of the valve assembly in Figures 1, 3, and 7 when open and when closed; Figure 9 shows side-sectional views of the lid including valve assembly shown in Figure 1; and Figure 10 shows in perspective view a container according to a further embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

A first embodiment is shown in Figure 1, which shows a container 100 for food or the like when assembled. The container 100 comprises a base 102 and a lid 104 which can be detachably connected to the base. Unless indicated otherwise, all parts described herein are made of a plastics material. The container 100 can be of any shape and size. In this case it is substantially square when viewed from above or below; the same features and advantages are achieved with different shapes.

Colour indicator elements 106/108, 110, 114 are provided on both the base 102 and lid 104 to enable the two parts to be paired if separated, e.g. in a dishwasher.

Particularly, on the base 102 there is provided a detachable base indicator element 106 in the form of day indicator to be described in further detail below. The base indicator element 106 can be interchanged with a blank base indicator element 108 which is identical in shape and form except that there is no day or date indicator; it is simply a blanking plate. Whatever the form of the base indicator element 106, 108 it is configured to be located in a depression formed in the base 102 so that the element sits substantially flush to its surrounding wall to allow stacking and efficient storage, as well as easy cleaning.

The lid 104 comprises three separate parts, namely a peripheral frame 110, a lid cover 112 which fits within the frame, and a valve assembly 114 which, as mentioned previously, enables air to be expelled from the storage cavity within the container 100. The colour indicator element on the lid 104 in this case comprises the frame 110 which is of the same colour as the base indicator element 106/108. Additionally, or alternatively, part of the valve assembly 114 is of the same colour.

It will be appreciated that, by providing elemenos on both the base 102 and lid 104 of the same colour (although in theory any visible marking suitable for identifying a correspondence) then it is easy for a user to pair a base with a lid. Tn food preparation and storage, it is common to identify the types of food that have been stored in a container using colour codes, e.g. e.g. red for raw meat, yellow for cooked meat, blue for fish, green for vegetables and white for baked and dairy produce. When removing containers from a dishwasher, therefore, one can pair a red lid with a red base and so on to minimise the risk of cross-contamination.

Typically, the container 100 will be provided as part of a kit comprising one base 102, one lid cover 112 and a set of interchangeable coloured parts, i.e.: -the interchangeable base indicator elements 106, 108 in n different colours; and -n different coloured frames 110 and/or n different coloured valve assembly covers 114.

Referring now to Figure 2, the base 102 is shown in greater detail.

The base 102 comprises a floor 200 and outer walls 202 defining an interior storage cavity accessible using an upper opening 204.

Corner flanges, or wings, 206 are provided on each corner to make handling and stacking easier. Edge flanges 207 extend between the corner flanges 206. The corner flanges 206 are provided lower down on the walls 202 from the an upper rim 208 (which delineates the upper opening 204) than the edge flanges 207. The transition between the corner flanges 206 and the edge flanges 207 is smooth and curved. The corner flanges 206 project outwardly from the walls 202 by a greater extent than the edge flanges 207. A depression 210 is formed on one wall of the base, adjacent the floor 200, and comprises in the depression two holes 212 to enable a snap-fit connection with corresponding pegs of the base indicator elements 106, 107.

Referring now to Figure 3, the separate parts of the lid 104 will each be described in turn.

Referring to Figure 3a, the frame 110 is formed of a plastic material and defines an inner aperture 232 which is substantially sguare with rounded corners. On the outer edge of each straight section is provided a clip 230 hingedly connected thereto and configured to engage over a respective edge flange 207 of the base 102 to secure the frame 110 to the base. Dimples or teeth are provided on the inner face of each clip 230 for this purpose. The securing of the hinge clips 230 to the base 102 is shown more clearly in Figure 1.

Figure 3b shows the lid cover 112, which has the same shape and size of the inner aperture 232 of the frame 110. It therefore sits securely within the frame to form an air-tight seal. The lid cover 112 has an outer groove with a recessed inner dome' which allows it to be stacked. Within the centre of the lid cover 112 is a depression 240 within which is received the valve assembly 114 previously mentioned. At the base of the depression 240 is an opening 244 surrounded by a collar. At the rca: of the depression 240 are formed a pair of opposed holes 242 into which a rotary cover forming part of the valve assembly 114 is connected.

Figure 3c shows a rubber seal 250 which is a continuous band of rubber material that is in use connected beneath the frame 110 and provides an air-tight seal between the frame and the upper rim 208 of the base 102. Two opposed corners 251 of the seal 250 are shaped so as to correspond with like-shaped recesses 252 on the underside of the frame 110 (see Figure 3a) . In this case, the corners 251 are formed with tabs which are slightly wider than the rest of the seal.

This ensures that the seal 250 is fitted in the correct manner and orientation; otherwise, the seal may not work correctly.

Figure 4 shows the above-described components in exploded view, which is useful for understanding how the components are assembled and, in particular, how the indicator elements 106, 108, 110 can be interchanged.

The base indicator element 106 which includes a day indication means will now be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 5a shows the container 100 from one side, indicated X in Figure 1. It will be seen that the base indicator element 106 is shaped so as to fit within the depression 210 formed within the base 102 so that it is substantially central in the wall and close to the floor 200.

The base indicator element 106 is formed of two parts, namely a mask plate 106b (Figure Ga) and rotary member 106a (Figure Gb) Referring to Figure 6a, the mas:c plate 106b is shaped with two upwardly extending straight edges and a semi-circular part. An aperture or window 300 is provided at the upper central part. An arcuate cut 304 is formed at the base. A pair of studs 306 extend from its rear surface and in use secure the mask plate 106b to the base 102 using the holes 212 shown in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 6b, the rotary member 106a is a circular disk of material on which is marked, stamped or otherwise displayed the seven days of the week at equally-spaced locations 314. A centre stud 312 projects from the front face and in use engages with a socket (not shown) on the inner surface of the mask plate 106b. The rotary member 106a, when connected to the mask plate 10Gb, is able to be rotated by user action so that a selected one of the day markings is revealed through the window 300. Referring back to Figure 5, it will be seen that the arcuate cut 304 permits a small part of the rotary member 106a perimeter to be exposed, which allows a user to turn the member when required in the manner of a thumbwheel. Optionally, each of the day marking locations 314 may be raised (e.g. using bumps) so that they locate firmly within the aperture 300 of the mask plate 10Gb and will not slip out of alignment, unless forced to do so by user action on the thumbwheel part.

When the mask plate 10Gb and rotary member 106a are inter-connected, the combined indicator element 106 is connected in the manner shown in Figure 5 (a) . Two peripheral lugs 302 at the base of the mask plate 10Gb also help secure the element 106 into the depression 210 on the base 102.

In use, this base indicator element 106 allows a user to provide manually an indication of when the contained food or other product should be consumed or discarded. It is a form of use-by or sell-by date indicator. Unlike the prior art use of labels and stickers, the indicator element 106 is firmly connected to the base 102 and will not fall off in the course of moving or stacking the container 100. Further, it is difficult for the movable part 106a to be accidentally moved.

Figure 5(b) is similar to Figure 5(a) but in this case shows the mask plate 106b partially cut-away to reveal the movable part 106a behind it.

An alternative form of base indicator element 106 may use an electronic day or date marker, employing an electronic display to display the day or date. Otherwise, it will have the same overall shape and appearance.

As mentioned previously, the base indicator element 106 is colour coded, to provide The aforementioned pairing advantage, and can be swapped with a like-shaped blank element 108 if not required.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the valve assembly 114 will now be described in further detail.

Referring to Figure 7, it will be seen that the valve assembly 114 comprises a number of discrete parts.

A miniature whistle 400 is located over the opening 244 in the lid cover 112 shown in Figure 3b. The whistle 400 emits an audible sound when air passes through a central opening from top to bottom.

A lower seal ring 402 is located over the whistle 400; the lower seal ring is a bezel having a raised, downwardly-sloping upper surface. Figure 8a shows the whistle 400 and lower seal ring 402 when connected in position over the raised collar in the depression 240.

A valve lever 408 is hingedly connected to the hinge holes 242 of the lid cover 112 and so is arranged to rotate between an open and closed position, as indicated in Figures Ba and 8b. The valve lever 408 has an aperture passing through it, and on the underside, a clip for detachably securing a valve insert 404 in place. The valve insert 404 is a ring that is connected to the valve lever's underside by sliding it from the free end of the lever towards the hinged end. A top seal 406 is positioned between the valve insert 404 and the valve lever 408. The top seal 406 is a thin, flexible membrane with a raised periphery.

Referring to Figure 8a, if the valve lever 408 is in the open position as shown, air can pass in both directions through the opening 244 via the lower seal ring 402 and therefore into the container 100. when the valve lever 408 is in the closed position, as shown in Figure 8b, the container 100 is sealed. A user is then able to expel air from the container 100 by squeezing either or both of the base 102 and lid cover 112; this causes air to pass through the bottom seal ring 402. The top seal 406 is pushed upwards against the inside of the valve lever 408. A small gap results between the top seal 406 and the valve insert 404 which allows air to escape. When user pressure is removed from the container 100, the resulting low pressure creates a seal between the top seal 406 and the bottom seal ring 402 preventing air from re-entering the container 100 and therefore increasing the life of food stored inside.

The resulting concave shape of the top seal 406, which is visible through the hole in the valve lever 408, indicates externally the vacuumised' state within the container 100. Tf air is able to enter the container, e.g. due to a faulty seal, then the shape of the top seal 406 will indicate this externally.

If the valve lever 408 is subseguently opened, i.e. as in Figure 8a, air will re-enter the container 100 though the bottom seal ring 402 and the whistle 400. The latter 400 will provide an audible indication of the de-vacuumised' state.

The valve assembly 114 so described is very robust and sturdy compared with known solutions. The top seal 406 and valve insert 404 are held beneath the valve lever 408 which is formed of a rigid material and protects the underlying components. The top seal 406 and valve insert 404 are easily removed from the valve lever 408, for example in a sliding manner, enabling an easy interchange if needed. The valve assembly 114 is located within a depression 240 on the lid cover 112 and is substantially flush or recessed to permit vertical stacking and easy cleaning. The valve lever 408 can marked, e.g. coloured, to indicate a correspondence with a base 102 as described previously. Instructions for operating the valve assembly 114 can be printed or otherwise indicated on the valve lever 408.

Figures 9(a) and 9(b) are side-sectional views of the lid 104 with the valve assembly 114 in the open and closed positions, respectively.

Figure 10(a) shows a further embodiment container 500 in which the base 501 has a uniform edge flange 502 around the periphery of said base, just below the upper rim. That is, unlike the above embodiment, the base 501 does not have lowered and projecting corner flanges which in that case were provided to aid handling and stacking. The further embodiment container 500 is more suited to the domestic market but is by no means limited to this market.

Figure 10(b) shows the further container 500 with the lid 104 connected thereto. Other than the arrangement of the uniform edge flange 502 the container 500 is identical to that described previously, as is the lid 104.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments are purely illustrative and are not limiting on the scope of the invention. Other variations and modifications will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reading the present application.

For example, the size and/or shape of the container 100 can be different, e.g. circular, rectangular etc. The corner flanges 206 may or not be present, depending on the target market. Instead of using colours to indicate correspondence, markings or other indicia can be used. Indicating inserts 106, 108 other than the blank/day indicating elements described for use on the base 102 can be used, provided the insert is appropriately marked and connectable to the base 102. T,chere the insert is a day marker, it can be mechanical or electronic. Alternative elements 110, 114 used on the lid 104 can be used. Space for branding is provided for on both the base 102 and lid 104, and also on the base inserts 106, 108.

Moreover, the disclosure of the present application should be understood to include any novel features or any novel combination of features either explicitly or implicitly disclosed herein or any generalization thereof and during the prosecution of the present application or of any application derived therefrom, new claims may be formulated to cover any such features and/or combination of such features.

Claims

Claims 1. A storage container comprising: a base comprising a wall defining an interior storage cavity and having a generally upward-directed rim providing an opening into the storage cavity; a lid having a rim that releasably couples to the rim of the base for closing the storage cavity; wherein the lid and base each comprise a visual indicator element for indicating a paired correspondence between the base and lid.
2. A storage conrainer according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the visual indicator elements are detachable.
3. A storage container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein one of the visual indicator elements includes an adjustable day or date indicator.
4. A storage container according to claim 3, wherein the day or date indicator comprises a movable element on which is marked days or dates and which is at least partially covered by a masking member having an aperture or slit which reveals externally one of said day or date markings on the movable element.
5. A storage container according to claim 4, wherein the areas on which the days or dates are marked are raised so that they locate within the aperture or slit of the masking member thereby making the movable element resistant to accidental movement.
6. A storage container according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the movable element is a user-movable rotary element a perimeter of which is exposed from one edge of the masking member to permit user rotation of the rotary element so that a different day or date marking can be revealed externally.
7. A storage container according to any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the masking member is configured to be reieasabiy connected to the lid or base.
8. A storage container according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the lid or base is formed with a depression into or over which the masking member is releasably connected so that it is substantially flush with the base or lid with the movable element being at least partially received into the depression.
9. A storage container according to claim 8 when dependent on claim 6, wherein the base is formed with the depression which extends towards its lower wall and wherein the perimeter of the rotary element is exposed substantially adjacent the lower wall of the base.
10. A storage container according to any one of claims 2 to 9, further comprising a further, blank visual indicator element configured to be interchanged with the visual indicator having the day or date indicator.
11. A storage container according to any preceding claim, wherein the lid comprises a peripheral frame and an inner cover member that releasably connects to the frame, the visual indicator being provided on the frame.
12. A storage container according to any preceding claim, further comprising a valve assembly, including a valve, provided on or in the lid to permit the evacuation of air from the storage cavity when the lid is connected to the base.
13. A storage container according to claim 12, wherein the visual indicator is provided on part of the valve assembly.
14. A storage container according to any preceding claim, wherein each visual indicator element is of the same colour to indicate the paired correspondence.
15. A storage container comprising: a base comprising a wall defining an interior storage cavity and having a rim providing an opening into the storage cavity, the base including a first colour-coded detachable element thereon; and a lid having a rim that releasably couples to the rim of the base for closing the storage cavity, the lid having a second colour-coded detachable element thereon of substantially the same colour as the first.
16. A storage container according to claim 15, wherein the first colour-coded detachable element is provided in the form of a user-adjustable day or date indicator.
17. A storage container according to claim 16, further comprising a further, colour-coded blank detachable element having approximately the same shape as nhe first element with no day or date indicator, so that they are interchangeable with one another.
18. A storage container according to any one of claims 15 to 17, wherein the second colour-coded detachable element is a peripheral frame of the lid which is configured to be detachable from a centre cover held within the frame.
19. A storage container according to claim 18, wherein the frame comprises at least one pair of edge fasteners that secure the coupling between the rim and base.
20. A storage container according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the second colour coded detachable element is part of a valve assembly provided in the lid.
21. A kit of parts comprising: a storage container formed of a base and a lid which releasably couple together to define an inner cavity for storing food and the like; first and second detachable elements provided on the base and lid respectively both of substantially the same first colour; a plurality of replacement first and second detachable elements of a second, different colour.
22. A visual indicator element configured to be releasably connected to a container according to any preceding claim, including a user-adjustable day or date marker.
23. A visual indicator element configured to be releasably connected to a container according to any preceding claim, provided in the form of a frame-like member forming part of the lid, and configured to receive a lid cover.