Salad bowl with a lid

• US 6,073,795 A
• Filed: 01/24/1997
• Issued: 06/13/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pactiv
• Original Assignee: Winkler Forming Inc. (Pactiv)
• Inventors: Longstreth, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): MOY, JOSEPH MAN
• Application Number:
  US08/788,513
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 220/669, 220/574, 220/756, 220/576, 220/2, 220/DIG. 13
• US Class Current: 220/574
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/26 Thin-walled containers, e.g. formed by deep-drawing operations B65D1/165 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2207/00 Standing packages
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00296 Plastic
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00351 Dome-like
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00509 Cup
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00537 on the outside, or a part turned to the outside of the mouth of the container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/0062 Groove or hollow bead
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00685 Totality
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00731 Groove or hollow bead
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2543/00796 Totality
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/021 only on the inside, or a part turned to the inside, of the mouth B65D43/0206 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 220/13 Odd-shaped

Abstract

A salad bowl made of a plastic moldable material having a platform adjacent one side of the bowl to permit the bowl to rest on the platform so that the bowl may be maintained in an upright position. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a cover is capable of fitting over the top of the bowl for maintaining the contents of the bowl in place when the bowl is positioned in its upright position.

Claims

1. A molded bowl having a bottom and side walls defining an open top, and a peripheral portion surrounding and extending outward from said open top, said molded bowl having an integral molded foot extending outward from said side wall and away from said open top for maintaining the bowl oriented in an upright position when said integral molded foot is in contact with a horizontal surface.

2. The molded bowl of claim 1 wherein a portion of said foot intersects said side wall proximate said peripheral portion.

3. The molded bowl of claim 1 wherein said peripheral portion includes a flat segment in alignment with said foot such that in the upright position both the flat segment and the portion of said foot is in contact with the horizontal surface.

4. The molded bowl of claim 1 in which said molded bowl is maintained at an angle of about 70 to about 80 degrees when said foot is in contact with a horizontal surface.

5. A container having an opening for storing and displaying food items contained therein, the food container being operable between a horizontal position and an upright position, the container comprising in combination a molded bowl and a lid closeable over an opening in the bowl, the bowl comprising a flat bottom portion and a generally annular sidewall extending between a peripheral edge thereof and the flat bottom portion, the lid having a peripheral edge, the bowl peripheral edge and the lid peripheral edge being complementary in size and shape to provide an interference fit between the bowl and the lid, a foot integrally molded in said bowl extending rearward from the bowl sidewall, an edge of the foot being in alignment with bowl peripheral edge such that when the foot edge and bowl peripheral edge are in contact with a horizontal surface, the container is maintained in a upright position and when the flat bottom portion is in contact with a horizontal surface the container is maintained in a horizontal position.

6. The two piece container of claim 5 wherein the foot comprises a segment of the bowl sidewall and the foot edge has a length dimensioned for contact with a horizontal surface so as to maintain the container table in the upright position.

7. The food container of claim 5 wherein the bowl peripheral edge includes a flat segment in alignment with the foot edge such that when both the flat segment and the foot edge contact the horizontal surface, the food container is maintained in the upright position.

8. The food container of claim 5 wherein the bowl peripheral edge includes a first raised surface having a first wall depending from and flaring away from such first raised surface at a first angle, the peripheral complementary edge of the lid having a second raised surface with a complementary wall flaring away from such second raised surface at a second angle greater than the first angle so that urging the lid closed on the bowl provides a press fit therebetween.