Abstract:
A device includes an upper portion, a lower portion including a flat bottom portion, and a retaining strap connected to the upper portion at a first connector and removably connected to a second connector. The upper portion is adapted to removably connect with a half of an apple.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 12/046,350, filed on Mar. 11, 2008 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,074,829, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 29/299,434 filed Dec. 26, 2007 U.S. Pat. No. D. 575,993. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     This invention relates to apple protection, and more particularly to an apple preservation and freshness saver. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many people consume apples daily and weekly. Many of these people only use a portion of an apple, which can usually be half of an apple. In order to keep the remaining apple fresh, people either place the apple in a refrigerator, which can be by itself, in a plastic bag, wrapped in plastic or in aluminum foil. These ways of preserving an apple half has its drawbacks. Mainly, air is allowed to interact with most of the unprotected surface of the apple allowing oxidation. This escalates the deterioration of the apple half. 
     Further, the apple half saved can be damaged by other items bumping into the apple half rolling over, etc., which also escalates deterioration by bruising and can also alter the shape of the apple half. 
     SUMMARY 
     A device includes an upper portion, a lower portion including a flat bottom portion, and a retaining strap connected to the upper portion at a first connector and removably connected to a second connector. The upper portion is adapted to removably connect with a half of an apple. 
     Another embodiment presented is an apple holder including an apple placement portion, a flat lower portion connected to the apple placement portion, and an elastomeric retaining strap connected to the apple placement portion. The retaining strap is adapted to hold a half of an apple in place on the apple placement portion. 
     A method includes placing a half of an apple in an apple storage device, stretching a retaining strap connected at a first portion of the apple storage device over the half of an apple, and attaching a locking portion of the retaining strap to a hook portion of the apple storage device. The apple storage device protects the half of apple from oxidation. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the Figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an apple saver; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a left side view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a right side view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a rear view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a cut-away view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a perspective view of the apple saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention generally relates to an apple saver system. Referring to the figures, exemplary embodiments of the invention will now be described. The exemplary embodiments are provided to illustrate the invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of apple saver  100 . As illustrated, apple saver  100  includes a top portion  110 , anchored portions  130  of a holding strap, adjustment portion  135  of the holding strap, and locking portions  140  of the holding strap. As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , top portion  110  has a perimeter in the shape of an apple&#39;s perimeter from a bisected apple. In one embodiment, top portion  110  is flat. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a front view of apple saver  100 . As illustrated, apple saver  100  includes an indented or cut-away portion  230  that is sized to hold the adjustment portion  135  of the holding strap so that when the adjustment portion  135  is placed in the indented portion  230 , the surface of the adjustment portion  135  is flush with side portion  210 . Apple saver  100  includes a locking tab  220  within the indented portion  230  that locks the holding strap when the locking tab  220  is inserted through a locking portion  140 . In use, an apple sliced in half would be placed onto top portion  110  with its top (i.e., portion with a stem) faced towards the rear of apple saver  100  (i.e., away from indented portion  230 ). 
       FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  illustrate left and right views, respectively, of apple saver  100 . As illustrated, apple saver  100  includes a flat bottom portion  215 , and a locking portion  310  of anchored portions  130 . Flat bottom portion  215  keeps the apple saver from rolling or tipping, for example when placed in a refrigerator or on a counter. In one embodiment, the top portion  110  and the bottom portion  215  are sonic welded. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a rear view of apple saver  100 . Locking tabs  315  project from the front of apple saver  100  and are received within locking portions  310  of the anchored portions  130  to anchor the holding strap to the body of the apple saver. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a bottom view of apple saver  100  and  FIG. 7  illustrates a cut-away view of apple saver  100 . 
     In one embodiment apple saver  100  is manufactured using injection molded plastic. In one embodiment, the holding strap is made with TPR (thermal plastic rubber), which is stretched over half of an apple placed in apple saver  100  with the exposed fruit portion placed on top portion  110 . In other embodiments, the holding strap can be made of other elastomeric material. Besides the holding strap, in one embodiment apple saver  100  is made from injection molded plastic. In other embodiments, apple saver  100  is made of fiberglass, wood, metal, casting resin, epoxy resin, paper/cardboard, stone, concrete, and ceramics. Besides injection molding, in other embodiments apple saver  100  is made from other processes or techniques, such as lay-up molding (fiberglass), metal casting, metal machining, clay or ceramic casting (Slip casting), forging, high pressure paper or laminate forming, carving (wood), plastic sheet thermo-forming fabrication, resin casting (epoxy or urethane), injection molded plastic with/without TPR co-molded components, etc. It should be noted that the various components of apple saver  100  can each be made of different materials. It should also be noted that apple saver  100  can be made by hand, use robotics or a combination of both. 
     Apple saver  100  can be made in various sizes so that many different kinds of apples that are sized differently may be stored in apple saver unit  100 . In use, the holding strap is pulled over half of an apple to tighten the half of an apple into place and create a substantially air tight seal between the half of an apple and top portion  110 . This formed seal prevents the half of an apple to spoil or oxidate (e.g., turn brown) to soon. As a half of an apple is small, when stored in plastic wrap or plastic bags it can easily get indented, bumped, roll over, etc. when placed in a refrigerator. This damages the fruit of the apple portion and hastens spoiling. When the half of an apple is placed in apple saver  100 , the half of an apple is protected from other items that could slide into, fall on, roll over, etc. when stored. This is a benefit over plastic bags or wrap that do not physically protect the stored apple portion from other items. 
     It should also be noted that apple saver unit  100  can be made in various sizes so that many different kinds of apples that are sized differently may be stored in apple saver unit  100 . 
     Other embodiments include various food saver units that are sized and shaped for a variety of different fruits and vegetables. Some examples of these embodiments include food saver units that are sized and shaped for lemons, tomatoes, grapefruit, melons, peaches, plums, nectarines, oranges, onions, cucumbers, etc. Some of these embodiments include a flat top portion. Other embodiments include a top portion including a pit recess area sized to retain a particular fruit or vegetable pit portion. In these embodiments, the food saver unit is shaped and sized to look like the other half of the particular fruit or vegetable. In some of these embodiments, the food saver unit is textured and colored to resemble the particular fruit or vegetable to be useful for a user to recognize and easily find the food saver unit. 
     In the description above, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known equivalent components and elements may be substituted in place of those described herein, and similarly, well-known equivalent techniques may be substituted in place of the particular techniques disclosed. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail to avoid obscuring the understanding of this description. 
     Reference in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “some embodiments,” or “other embodiments” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments is included in at least some embodiments, but not necessarily all embodiments. The various appearances of “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” or “some embodiments” are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiments. If the specification states a component, feature, structure, or characteristic “may”, “might”, or “could” be included, that particular component, feature, structure, or characteristic is not required to be included. If the specification or claim refers to “a” or “an” element, that does not mean there is only one of the element. If the specification or claims refer to “an additional” element, that does not preclude there being more than one of the additional element. 
     While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art.