DE29822600U1 - Containers for food - Google Patents

Description

18 December 1998
Michael Bader B28435 Ro/Gn/bb

Containers for food

The invention relates to a compartmentalized container for foodstuffs, in particular a liquid-tight container for storing, especially in frozen form, various foodstuffs, such as the components of a meal, which can be heated, then used for serving and finally washed and reused.

There are divided containers for storing food in the freezer and then heating it up and serving it. These are sealed with foil and thrown away after use. Such containers significantly increase the amount of waste. They also only allow very limited heating.

Furthermore, there are divided containers for multiple use that are made of soft plastic and have a circumferential clamping connection made of a groove and a web on the base and lid. In containers of this type, the contents of the individual compartments are only properly separated as long as the container is frozen. After thawing, every handling and every transport leads to the risk of the individual components mixing, especially if after repeated use the parts of the container, especially the lid, begin to lose their shape. Even with such containers, only a small amount of heating is permitted.

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There are highly heat-resistant, reusable containers with a base and lid, but such containers do not have compartments that are sealed against each other in a liquid-tight manner.

There is therefore a need for a compartmentalized container for food, the compartments of which are liquid-tight against each other and which is robust enough to withstand repeated use in commercial kitchens and canteens and similar applications without impairing its function.

The object of the invention is to provide a container for food with a divided plate or base and an attachable lid, which can be used multiple times, the compartments of which are liquid-tight against each other when the lid is closed and which can be heated to significantly higher temperatures than usual in microwave ovens.

This object is achieved by forming a container with the features according to claim 1.

The container is made of highly heat-resistant hard plastic material, which allows it to be stored in a deep-frozen state and heated to up to about 200 ⁰ C without affecting its shape and strength and without the compartments of the container becoming leaky. The container can be turned upside down without any problem when closed.

The scratch-resistant hard plastic material is also suitable for cleaning in dishwashers. The individual parts of the container are advantageously manufactured without undercuts by pressing, so that no shaded areas are created that are difficult to access during production or use.

The webs can be conveniently provided on the lid, the grooves on the base or plate. The edge web can be designed at a short distance from the outer wall of the part carrying the edge web, in particular the lid, or directly as an outer edge. In a preferred embodiment, the container is rectangular with three bowl-like compartments, with the dividing lines running from a point within the lid rectangle to an outer wall of the plate. However, other shapes are also possible, e.g. a circular container with divisions according to sectors or segments. With regard to the dimensions, it is only necessary to ensure that sufficient rigidity of the plate and in particular the lid ensures that the divisions are tight, so that the container remains hermetically sealed along all web-groove connections.

To open a rectangular container, a handle attachment can be provided in the middle of one side of one part, in particular the plate, and another handle insert can be provided on both sides in the middle of the corresponding side of the other part, in particular the lid. Such an arrangement enables easy handling for both right- and left-handed people. The handle attachments on the lid can be bent towards the plate. In the case of a circular container, the handle attachments would expediently have the shape of sector sections.

The two parts of the container are advantageously designed in such a way that the plates and lids can be stacked inside each other when empty. This makes it possible to store containers in a space-saving manner even in large kitchens, where a large number of such containers need to be filled with meals in a short space of time.

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Further features, advantages and possible applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the plate of a container according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the lid, seen from the inside;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of the lid, seen from the outside;

Fig. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the cover,

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of the plate with the lid on;

Fig. 6 a possibility for forming the groove and web connection on the edge of the container; and

Fig. 7 shows another possibility for forming the groove and web connection on the edge of the container.

Fig. 1 shows a rectangular plate 1 with three compartments 2, 3, 4, which are bowl-shaped and separated from each other by subdivisions 5, 6, 7. The subdivisions run from a common point 8 within the rectangle of the plate to the outer walls.

The plate is provided with a groove 9 on its outer circumference and with further grooves 10, 11 and 12 along the subdivisions. Furthermore, a handle attachment 13 is provided in the middle of the right side of the plate.

Fig. 2 shows a lid 14 in a view from below or from the inside, which is folded onto the plate in order to close the container. The lid 14 has a peripheral edge web 15 and webs 16, 17 and 18, which are dimensioned so that they engage in the grooves 9 or 10, 11 and 12 of the plate when the lid is placed on the plate. The web 15 and the groove 9 are dimensioned and arranged with respect to one another so that the lid is reliably connected to the plate by the tension created when clamping. If necessary, such a clamping connection can also be made between the webs 16, 17, 18 and the grooves 10, 11, 12.

The lid is provided with two handle attachments 19, 20, which are arranged on both sides of the handle attachment 13 of the plate when the lid is in place. The lid can be opened by pressing the handle 13 against one of the handle attachments 19 or 20, depending on whether the user is right-handed or left-handed.

In Fig. 3, the lid 14 is shown in plan view, in the position it assumes when the container is closed. Due to the bowl-like design of the three compartments in the plate 1, the empty plates can be stacked one inside the other in order to reduce the space required for storage.

Fig. 4 shows schematically how the cover 14 is provided with webs 15 and 18 and stacking strips 14a.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic cross-section through the closed container after the lid 14 has been placed on the plate 1.

The edge connection between the groove and the web, which primarily ensures the secure closure of the container, can be made in the manner shown schematically

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be carried out, wherein the edge web 15 is arranged at a short distance from the outer edge of the part carrying the edge web.

An alternative is shown in Fig. 7, where the web of the lid directly forms the outer edge of the lid.

The invention creates a container for food that meets the requirements at all handling stages and can also be manufactured in a very attractive shape due to the scratch-resistant and smooth material. For example, the plate can be made from solid white plastic, but the lid from transparent hard plastic.

Claims (10)

-&tgr; - 18 December 1998 Michael Bader B 28435 Ro/Gn/bb Protection claims 1. Container for food with a divided plate and a removable lid on top, characterized in that The plate and lid are made of hard plastic material and can be connected to one another both at the edge and at the location of the divisions by means of circumferential grooves and webs so that the container is liquid-tight both to the outside and between the compartments, and that the groove and web connection is dimensioned and arranged at least at the edge of the container so that the lid can be clamped to the plate. 2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the edge web is arranged at a small distance from the outer edge of the part carrying the edge web. 3. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the edge web directly forms the outer edge of the part carrying the edge web. 4. Container according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it has a rectangular shape and three compartments, the dividing lines of which run in a star shape from a point within the rectangle to the outer wall of the plate. 5. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the grooves are arranged on the plate and the webs are arranged on the lid. 6. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that in the middle of one side of one part, in particular the plate, a handle attachment is arranged and on both sides in the middle of the corresponding side of the other part (in particular the lid) a further handle attachment is arranged. 7. Container according to claim 6, characterized in that the handle attachments on the lid are bent towards the plate. 8. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that the plate and lid are pressed without undercuts. 9. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it can be heated briefly to 200 ⁰ C and frozen to -40 ⁰ C. 10. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that each part of the container is stackable.