Portable food container having sideward openable access

• US 6,036,085 A
• Filed: 03/05/1999
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Chung-Piao Tsao
• Original Assignee: Chung-Piao Tsao
• Inventors: Tsao, Chung-Piao
• Primary Examiner(s): Elkins, Gary E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai, Tri M.
• Application Number:
  US09/264,543
• Time in Patent Office: 375 Days
• Field of Search: 229/200, 229/117.14, 229/117.15, 229/122, 229/230, 229/161
• US Class Current: 229/117.14
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/46096 two opposite closure flaps being provided with handle elements which are in contact with each other
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/46128 two opposite closure flaps being provided with handle elements which are in contact with each other
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/542 the lines of weakness being provided in the container body
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/545 for opening containers formed by erecting a "cross-like" blank

Abstract

A portable food container includes: a side cover hingedly secured to a side wall of a box stored with foods in the box, with the side cover easily openable from a side portion of the box for an easy access into the interior of the box for conveniently taking foods outwardly through a side opening formed in the side wall even though the box is being carried by a user'"'"'s hand, whereby upon recovery of the side cover, the container will be instantly closed conveniently.

Claims

1. A portable food container comprising:

a box having of a bottom wall, a front wall and a rear wall respectively erected from a front and a rear side of the bottom wall, and a right side wall and a left side wall respectively erected from a right side and a left side of the bottom wall;

two handle members respectively protruding upwardly from the front wall and the rear wall, said two handle members combined to be a handle for carrying the box;

a side cover and a top cover respectively hingedly secured to said two side walls and operatively folded for closing an opening of the box for storing foods in said box;

the improvement which comprises;

said side cover including;

a side-wall portion hingedly secured to the right side wall of the box along a hinge line formed on a boundary between the side-wall portion and the side wall, and a top lid hingedly secured to the side-wall portion along a right folding line parallel and opposite to the hinge line of the side-wall portion, said top lid having an inner edge formed on a free edge of the top lid, whereby upon an inward folding of the top lid to be frictionally clamped between the two handle members when interlocked together and allowing matching of the inner edge of the top lid with an edge of the top cover hingedly secured to the left side wall along a left folding line horizontally defined between the front wall and the rear wall, when said box is in a closed position, said side cover operatively pulled sidewardly for opening said box for an easy access into the interior of said box.

2. A portable food container according to claim 1, wherein said side-wall portion of the side cover is directly punched off from the right side wall of the box along two cutting lines formed in opposite side portions of the right side wall, whereby upon severing of the side-wall portion from the right side wall of the box, the side-wall portion will form opposite side edges defined between the hinge line and the right folding line, with each side edge inclined upwardly and outwardly towards a folding line between each of said front wall and said rear wall and each of said handle members when folding the side cover to close the opening of the box.

3. A portable food container according to claim 2, wherein said side-wall portion of the side cover has opposite side edges each partially linked with the right side wall of the box at a short unbroken portion, with the short unbroken portion torn or broken after first use of the box.

4. A portable food container according to claim 3, wherein said side cover is formed with a pulling tab adjacent to the right folding line between the side-wall portion and the top lid, whereby upon pulling of the tab, the side cover will be pulled sidewardly to open the box for easy access into the interior for taking foods outwardly.

5. A portable food container according to claim 4, wherein said pulling tab is directly cut out from the side cover to form a tab hole in the side cover.

6. A portable food container according to claim 1, wherein said side-wall portion of said side cover has a height which is defined between the hinge line and the right folding line of the side-wall portion and said height of said side-wall portion being half of a height of the right side wall.