Abstract:
A food serving bowl with integrated straining capabilities is provided with a securable lid. A lower surface of the bowl is provided with a rotating cover, thereby exposing a plurality of holes allowing any liquid contained within the bowl to be strained out. A bottom section of the bowl is divided into triangular sections. In an alternating manner a first plurality of sections are provided with holes while a second plurality of sections are not. The movable cover obstructs the open holes when in a closed position, thereby allowing the device to function as a conventional bowl. These features allow the device to serve both roles as a straining container as well as a food mixing or serving bowl.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a bowl having a strainer operably connected to an exterior apron such that the strainer is selectively movable between an open position to drain collected liquid within the bowl and a closed position. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Developing better devices and methods to preserve and store food has been a sinew of technological advancement since the dawn of mankind. Without the ability to preserve and store food for later use, mankind would spend much of his day hunting, gathering, and preparing food. As mankind becomes more technologically advanced we demand of ourselves to do more, or at least have the ability to do more, in a given day. We not only want to do more but experience more as well. We want to increase our utility, but we also want to increase our artistic expression and sophistication. We no longer want to merely save food to eat it later, but we want to preserve and store it in a more sophisticated manner so that we can enjoy the complexity and culinary craftsmanship with which the food was prepared. 
     Sealing prepared food within air-tight containers as a method to store and preserve it for later use is well known. Limiting exposure of bacteria-laden food to fresh air and moisture impedes the food spoilage process. Limited supplies of air and moisture also inhibit enzyme activation as well as mold and yeast growth. Prior art in this field consists of containers with removable lids that are specifically configured to create air-tight seals. Some containers also limit the amount of certain wavelengths of light from entering the container to further inhibit the spoilage process. Nonetheless, prior art in this field fails to store foodstuff in a manner more conducive to preserving the food for a better tasting experience in addition to preserving the food for later use. It is desirous to have a food storage container that would facilitate this. Some prepared foods tend to either seep moisture while at rest for extended periods or act as a substrate for water condensation due to temperature differentials. In either case, the food sits in moisture when placed into a storage container, which degrades the taste and texture of the food. It would be beneficial to have a storage container equipped with a strainer to obviate such occurrences. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention describes a food storage bowl with strainer to drain liquid from food stuffs contained within the bowl, or alternatively convert the strainer base to a solid structure to retain liquids. The device comprises of a bowl, a lid, and a strainer base. The lid further comprises of a lid lip of a size and configuration to fit over a perimeter edge of the bowl and form an air-tight seal. The bowl bottom is divided into triangular sections, and, in an alternating manner, some sections are provided with a plurality of apertures while some sections are not. A base of the strainer is divided into triangular sections with an aperture configuration similar to the bowl bottom configuration. The bowl is further equipped with an apron, a groove, a plurality of fingers, a ramp section, and gussets. The configuration of these components allow for the bowl to be converted to and from a strainer. When in a non-strainer configuration, a bowl region is formed that is closed off from a strainer region so as to prevent drained liquids from infiltrating the bowl region where foodstuff is placed. When in a strainer configuration, the bottom of the bowl region is provided with a plurality of apertures leading into a strainer region to allow water to be strained from foodstuff placed in the bowl region. The device is converted to and from a strainer configuration by turning the strainer base in clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations. 
     Modern society demands quick access to prepared foods. It is an object of this invention to provide a device that not only stores and preserves prepared food in a container, but also strains unwanted moisture from the food container. It is a further object of this invention to afford the ability to strain the unwanted water at any time and at the discretion of the user. Water build up tends to occur after the food has been prepared and placed in storage. It is beneficial to have the ability to remove such water without having to transfer the food from its original storage container. The development of the present invention fulfills that need. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present disclosure will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are identified with like symbols, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a food storage bowl with strainer  10  and lid  20  in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom view of the food storage bowl with strainer  10  in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a section view along line A-A of the food storage bowl with strainer  10  and lid  20  in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4   a  is a projected view of the groove  39  in the apron  38  of the apparatus  10  in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; and, 
         FIG. 4   b  is a projected view of the fingers  42  in the strainer base  40  of the apparatus  10  in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  food storage bowl with strainer 
               20  lid 
               21  lid lip 
               22  bead 
               30  bowl 
               31  bowl lip 
               32  flange 
               33  gusset 
               34  sidewall 
               35  bowl interior 
               36  bowl bottom 
               37  bowl aperture 
               38  apron 
               39  groove 
               40  strainer base 
               41  base bottom 
               42  finger 
               43  strainer aperture 
               44  stiffener 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     In accordance with the invention, the best mode is presented in terms of the described embodiments, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 4B . However, the disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the disclosure and that any such work around will also fall under its scope. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure, and only certain configurations have been shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     It can be appreciated that, although such terms as first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one (1) element from another element. Thus, a first element discussed below could be termed a second element without departing from the scope of the present invention. In addition, as used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the”” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It also will be understood that, as used herein, the term “comprising” or “comprises” is open-ended, and includes one (1) or more stated elements, steps or functions without precluding one (1) or more unstated elements, steps or functions. Relative terms such as “front” or “rear” or “left” or “right” or “top” or “bottom” or “below” or “above” or “upper” or “lower” or “horizontal” or “vertical” may be used herein to describe a relationship of one (1) element, feature or region to another element, feature or region as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood that these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. It should also be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. It should also be understood that the sizes and relative orientations of the illustrated elements are not shown to scale, and in some instances they have been exaggerated for purposes of explanation. 
     The present invention describes a food storage bowl with strainer (herein referred to as the “apparatus”)  10 , which provides a means to alternately drain any liquid from food stuffs contained within the bowl  30 , or partially turn the strainer base  40  and block off the strainer to retain liquids. While this invention was originally conceived to function relative to the preparation and storage of foodstuffs, it is understood that a container with the stated capabilities can find broader applications without limiting the scope of this invention. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of the apparatus  10  and lid  20 , in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, is disclosed. The bowl  30 , the lid  20 , and the strainer base are comprised preferably of molded, high density polyethylene. The apparatus  10  can be configured in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes so long as the apron  38  of the bowl  30  and the strainer base  40  are the requisite round shape to permit relative rotation. The lid  20  would be molded with a lid lip  21  of a size to fit over the bowl lip  31  with a slight interference fit to achieve a seal. The seal could alternately be improved by angling the lid lip  21  to less than ninety degrees (90°) or by adding a bead  22  to the inside of the lid lip  21 . 
     A flange  32  is disposed around the top of the bowl  30  just below the bowl lip  31 . The purpose of the flange  32  is to add structural rigidity to the sidewall  34  and provide control in handling the apparatus  10  during transportation. Portions of the flange  32  could alternately be extended to form handles, which would provide further control in the handling of the apparatus  10  during transportation and still remain within the scope of this invention. A plurality of gussets  33  is disposed under the flange  32  to provide additional structural rigidity to the bowl  30 . The gussets  33  may be distributed uniformly, or situated in some alternate symmetrical pattern. 
     The bowl  30  includes a bowl bottom  36  and sidewall  34  which define a hollow interior  35 . The bowl bottom  36  is divided into triangular sections. In an alternating manner a first plurality of sections are provided with a plurality of bowl apertures  37  while a second plurality of sections are not. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a bottom view of the apparatus  10 , and  FIG. 3 , a section view along line A-A of said apparatus  10 , in accordance to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, is presented. Disposed on the bottom of the bowl  30  is an apron  38  comprised of a round piece of high density polyethylene into which a specific groove  39  has been formed. The pattern of this groove  39  is a series of alternating flats and ramps as seen in  FIG. 4   a . The strainer base  40 , as seen in  FIG. 3 , has a series of fingers  42  formed on the interior of the vertical wall of said strainer base  40 . The strainer base  40  is essentially an inverted lid with the fingers  42  being an internal thread. The strainer base  40  is pressed onto the apron  38  such that the fingers  42  of said strainer base  40  correspondingly mate with the groove  39  in said apron  38  and align with the flat sections of said groove  39 . The base bottom  41  of the strainer base  40  is divided into triangular sections. Similar to the bowl bottom  36 , the strainer base bottom  41  has a first plurality of sections provided with a plurality of strainer apertures  43  alternating with a second plurality of sections without strainer apertures  43 . When the fingers  42  in the strainer base  40  are aligned with the flats in the groove  39  in the apron  38  of the bowl  30 , the strainer apertures  43  in said strainer base  40  are in alignment with the bowl apertures  37  in the bowl bottom  36  and liquid will drain out of the bowl  30 . When the strainer base  40  is rotated in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed from the top of the apparatus  10 , the fingers  42  of said strainer bottom  40  begin to travel up the ramp section of the groove  39  in the apron  38  of the bowl  30 , changing the alignment of the strainer apertures  43  in said strainer bottom  40  with the bowl apertures  37  in the bowl bottom  36 , and bringing the base bottom  41  into closer proximity to the bowl bottom  36 . When the fingers  42  of the strainer base  40  are completely engaged with the ramp section of the groove  39  in the apron  38  of the bowl  30 , the alternating sections of strainer apertures  43  in the strainer base  40  is aligned with the sections of the bowl bottom  36  without bowl apertures  37 , and the base bottom  41  of said strainer base  40  is in contact with the bowl bottom  36 , sealing off the bowl interior  35 . The outer edge of the strainer base  40  could have a knurled or scalloped pattern to improve the grip and facilitate the turning of said strainer base  40  relative to the bowl  30  of the apparatus  10 . Stiffeners  44 , comprised of welts of high density polyethylene material, are radially disposed on the base bottom  41  of the strainer base  40  to provide additional rigidity to said strainer bottom  40 . 
     The preferred embodiment of the present invention can be utilized by the common user in a simple and straight forward manner with little or no training. The method of utilizing the apparatus  10  may be achieved by performing the following steps: acquiring a model of the apparatus  10  having the desired color and style to suit the taste of the user; removing the lid  20  from the apparatus  10  and preliminarily cleansing said apparatus  10  with soap and warm water prior to the initial use; turning the strainer base  40  in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the top of the apparatus  10 , thus unsealing the bowl interior  55  and aligning the strainer apertures  43  in the strainer base  40  with the bowl apertures  37  in the bowl bottom  36 ; placing the cooked food with liquid into the bowl  30 ; allowing the liquid to drain; turning the strainer base  40  in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed from the top of the apparatus  10 , thus sealing the bowl interior  55  and aligning the strainer apertures  43  in the strainer base  40  with the sections of the bowl bottom  36  without bowl apertures  37 ; placing the lid  20  onto the bowl  30 ; and refrigerating any leftovers. 
     The foregoing embodiments of the disclosed weighted backpack have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. It can be appreciated by one skilled in the art that other styles, configurations, and modifications of the invention can be incorporated into the teachings of the present disclosure upon reading the specification and that the embodiments of the disclosed baluster bracket assembly shown and described are for the purposes of clarity and disclosure and to limit the scope. The embodiments have been chosen and described in order to best explain the principles and practical application in accordance with the invention to enable those skilled in the art to best utilize the various embodiments with expected modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The present application includes such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the claims.