Reusable foldable food storage and serving container

• US 9,963,261 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emily Moore
• Original Assignee: Emily Moore
• Inventors: Moore, Emily
• Primary Examiner(s): DEMEREE, CHRISTOPHER R
• Application Number:
  US15/090,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20160288956A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 229114, 229113, 229186
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 43/162 the container, the lid and the hinge being made of one piece B65D43/161 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/2042 triangular
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/2047 trapezoidal, e.g. to form a body with diverging side walls B65D5/2033 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/2057 Inter-engaging self-locking flaps B65D5/4254 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/3642 the secured corners presenting diagonal, bissecting or similar folding lines, the central panel presenting no folding line
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3453 Rigid containers, e.g. trays, bottles, boxes, cups
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/80 Packaging reuse or recycling, e.g. of multilayer packaging bio-packaging Y02W90/10

Abstract

A foldable food storage container includes a main storage area and a cover and is able to convert from a folded state to an expanded state and vice versa. The main storage area includes a bottom panel, a front panel, a rear panel, a left panel, a right panel, and multiple fold lines. The main storage area is able to store, transport, and serve food. The cover includes one or more flaps and a fastener, which is able to selectively secure the cover to the food storage area when the container is in an expanded state.

Claims

1. A foldable food storage and serving container comprising:

a bottom panel;

a left side panel coupled to the bottom panel along a left side fold line;

a right side panel coupled to the bottom panel along a right side fold line, wherein the left side panel and the right side panel each comprise a side front panel, a side medial panel coupled to the bottom panel and coupled to the side front panel along a front side fold line, and a side rear panel coupled to the side medial panel along a rear side fold line;

a rear panel coupled to the bottom panel along a back fold line;

a front panel coupled to the bottom panel along a front fold line; and

a lid comprising;

a first cover panel coupled to the back panel along a lid fold line;

a second cover panel coupled to the first cover panel along a medial fold line, wherein the medial fold line is parallel to the lid fold line; and

a flap coupled to the second cover panel along a flap fold line, wherein the flap fold line is parallel to the lid fold line and the medial fold line and the flap comprises a fastening element that is able to be coupled to the front panel in an expanded state and coupled to the first cover panel in a flattened state.

2. The foldable food storage and serving container of claim 1, wherein the bottom panel is rectangular.

3. The foldable food storage and serving container of claim 1, wherein the left side panel, right side panel, rear panel, and front panel are trapezoidal.

4. The foldable food storage and serving container of claim 1, wherein the side front panels and side rear panels are triangular.

5. The foldable food storage and serving container of claim 1, wherein the side medial panels are trapezoidal.

6. The foldable food storage and serving container of claim 1, wherein the food storage container is able to fold into a flattened state wherein at least one face of each panel contacts a face of at least one other panel and an expanded state wherein each face of each panel is not in contact with any other face of any other panel.

7. The foldable food storage and serving container of claim 1, wherein the food storage container is able to change from the flattened state to the expanded state or change from the expanded state to the flattened state by repositioning at least one panel relative to at least one other panel by changing an angle along a fold line between the at least one panel and the at least one other panel.

8. A storage and serving container comprising:

a plurality of planar elements including;

a rectangular bottom panel;

a trapezoidal front panel;

a trapezoidal rear panel;

a triangular left side front panel;

a trapezoidal left side medial panel;

a triangular left side rear panel;

a triangular right side front panel;

a trapezoidal right side medial panel;

a triangular right side rear panel;

a rectangular rear lid panel;

a rectangular front lid panel;

a mirrored trapezium left side lid tab;

a mirrored trapezium right side lid tab; and

a trapezoidal front lid tab;

a plurality of scored fold lines that couple the plurality of planar elements together; and

a re-sealable fastening element that selectively couples and decouples the front lid tab from the front panel in an expanded state and selectively couples and decouples the front lid tab from the rear lid panel in a flattened state.

9. The storage and serving container of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of planar elements is coupled to at least one other planar element from the plurality of planar elements along a scored fold line from among the plurality of scored fold lines.

10. A foldable food storage container comprising:

a main storage compartment comprising;

a trapezoidal rear panel;

a rectangular bottom panel coupled to the rear panel along a first fold line;

a trapezoidal front panel coupled to the bottom panel along a second fold line;

a left side rear panel coupled to the rear panel along a third fold line;

a left side medial panel coupled to the left side rear panel along a fourth fold line and to the bottom panel along a fifth fold line;

a left side front panel coupled to the left side medial panel along a sixth fold line and to the front panel along a seventh fold line;

a right side rear panel coupled to the rear panel along an eighth fold line;

a right side medial panel coupled to the right side rear panel along a ninth fold line and to the bottom panel along a tenth fold line;

a right side front panel coupled to the right side medial panel along an eleventh fold line and to the front panel along a twelfth fold line; and

a lid comprising;

a rectangular rear lid panel coupled to the rear panel along a thirteenth fold line;

a rectangular front lid panel coupled to the rear lid panel along a fourteenth fold line;

a mirrored trapezium left side lid tab coupled to the rear lid panel and the front lid panel along a fifteenth fold line;

a mirrored trapezium right side lid tab coupled to the rear lid panel and the front lid panel along a sixteenth fold line; and

a trapezoidal front lid tab coupled to the front lid panel along a seventeenth fold line.

11. The foldable food storage container of claim 10, wherein the first fold line, the second fold line, the thirteenth fold line, the fourteenth fold line, and the seventeenth fold line are parallel to each other and wherein the fifth fold line, the tenth fold line, the fifteenth fold line, and the sixteenth fold line are perpendicular to the first fold line.