Abstract:
A bread keeper is formed as storage container for holding bread, and may be configurable between expanded and contracted positions. A door is attached to allow access to the bread within he container. The door folds flat to rest on a horizontal surface such as a countertop, and is constructed from a material suitable for use as a cutting board, thereby allowing the bread to be cut while extending partially out of the container and onto the cutting board.

Description:
PRIORITY CLAIM 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/109,881, filed Jan. 30, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to containers for storing bread. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Bread can be challenging to store, particularly in the case of homemade bread because, unlike store-bought bread, it does not come in its own wrapper. Homemade bread can be stored by using plastic wrap or foil, but neither provides a sufficient seal and the bread may get stale quickly. Containers with removable lids are typically not sized appropriately for storing bread. Bags may sometimes be available and sized appropriately for holding the bread, but can be awkward to use when removing the bread for slicing and then returning it for subsequent storage. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    A bread keeper includes a storage container for holding bread. In a preferred version, the storage container is expandable, and in one example it is telescopically expandable. 
         [0005]    At one end of the container, a door is hingedly attached to allow access to the bread within the container. The door preferably folds flat to rest on a horizontal surface such as a countertop. The door may be constructed from a material suitable for use as a cutting board, thereby allowing the bread to be cut while extending partially out of the container and onto the cutting board. 
         [0006]    An opposite end of he container includes a handle to aid in expanding the container. In one version, the handle further selectively covers or exposes a series of ventilation holes. 
         [0007]    In some versions, a floor or bottom panel of the container is corrugated to aid in sliding the bread into and out of the container. 
         [0008]    The bread keeper may also include one or more resilient feet, including a resilient foot placed on the door to prevent it from sliding on a horizontal surface when the door is opened. 
         [0009]    In some examples, a latch is provided, and in one version the latch may be formed as a magnet and a mating contact surface. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    Preferred and alternative examples of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the Wowing drawings: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top right perspective view of a preferred bread keeper, shown in an expanded position. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a top right perspective view of the bread keeper of  FIG. 1 , shown in a collapsed position. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a top right perspective view of the bread keeper of  FIG. 1 , shown with a door in an open position. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a top left perspective view of a preferred bread keeper. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a left side plan view of a preferred bread keeper, illustrated with a handle positioned to expose a plurality of ventilation holes. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a left side plan view of a preferred bread keeper, illustrated with a handle positioned to cover a plurality of ventilation holes. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a front plan view of a preferred bread keeper. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of a preferred bread keeper. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a top right partial-exploded perspective view of a preferred bread keeper. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a top left partial-exploded view of a preferred bread keeper. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0021]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a preferred bread keeper  10  includes a container configured for storing bread or similar items. In one example, the container includes a first portion  20  and a second portion), in which the second portion is extendable from the first portion in order to expand or contract the size of the overall container. A preferred bread keeper  10  is shown in an expanded position in  FIG. 1 , and in a collapsed position in  FIG. 2 . In order to transition from the expanded position to the collapsed position, the second portion  30  is telescopically received within the first portion  20  by moving it in the direction of the arrow A illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In the illustrated example, the second portion fits snugly within the first portion in order to telescopically expand out of the first portion or contract into the first portion. 
         [0022]    In one version, the first and second portions  20 ,  30  are each formed with a generally rectangular cross section (that is, the shape at the opening of each of the sections as defined at the rim  21 ,  31  of each of the first and second portions), with rounded corners. Thus, the first portion  20  includes a floor or bottom wall  23 , a pair of vertical sidewalls  26 ,  27 , a top wall  24 , and an end wail  28 . The front side of the first portion  20 , opposite the end wall  28 , is open and is bounded by the rim  21 . 
         [0023]    The second portion  30  similarly includes a floor  32 , a pair of sidewalls  36 ,  37 , and a top wall  34 . The second portion, however, does not have an end wall, but rather is open at both the front (bounded by the rim  31 , and its attached door  40 ) and the opposing end. Accordingly, the second portion is essentially a tube with an open front and open back, configured to slide into and out of the first portion. 
         [0024]    In a preferred example of the invention, the floor of both of the first portion and the second portion is corrugated, thereby having a series of raised ridges and lowered channels formed in the floor. The corrugated floor improves air circulation and facilitates sliding of bread into and out of the interior space. 
         [0025]    In the illustrated example, the second portion  30  fits within the first portion  20  in order to telescopically slide into and out of the first portion to expand and contract the container. In other versions, the second portion may surround the first portion rather than fitting inside it. Likewise, an expandable container may be formed with more than two portions, such as by including a third portion that fits within one or both of the first and second portions in order to expand telescopically. 
         [0026]    The first portion  20  further includes one or more feet  22  attached to an outer surface of the floor  23  of the first portion, as best seen in  FIG. 8 . In a preferred version of the invention, the feet are formed from a resilient material such as a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) in order to increase the frictional adherence between the feet and a horizontal surface  60  such as a countertop on which the container may be placed when in use see  FIG. 7 ). 
         [0027]    The second portion  30  further includes a door  40  that is attached to a rim  31  of the second portion at the bottom  32  of the second portion. In the illustrated example, the door is attached via a pair of hinges  41 ,  42 , each of the hinges being located at the rim  31  of the second portion. The hinges are configured, along with the dimensions of the door, such that the door  40  is horizontal when in a fully opened position resting on a horizontal surface  60 , as shown in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0028]    In one example as best seen in  FIG. 8 , the door  40  includes a TPE foot  43  attached to an outer surface of the door, such that the TPE foot  43  of the door will contact the horizontal surface  60  when the door is hinged fully open (that is, in the illustrated example, hinged 90 degrees with respect to its closed position). The TPE foot on the door serves to further impede sliding motion of the container when resting on a horizontal surface. 
         [0029]    As shown in  FIG. 7 , the door hinges open to a point where it is flat on a horizontal surface when in the open position. Most preferably, the door  40  and the floor  32  of the second portion and he floor  23  of the first portion are all parallel when the door is hinged to the open position, to allow bread within the container to slide easily out and onto the door for cutting. 
         [0030]    In a preferred version of the invention, the door serves as a cutting board. In one example, the door is formed from polypropylene to provide durability so that the door can serve as a cutting board for bread extending partially out of the interior of the container. In other versions, the door may be formed from tow-density polyethylene (LDPE), or from wood such as bamboo. As seen, for example, in  FIG. 3 , the door  40  is preferably formed with an interior surface (that is, the upper surface when in the open position of  FIG. 3 ) that is entirely planar, to best serve as a cutting board. 
         [0031]    In use the door is hinged open to allow access to the bread stored within the container. The bread is pulled out of the container and positioned on the door, which is now horizontally positioned on a horizontal surface. A user may then cut the bread by slicing downward toward the cutting board, which will protect the countertop  60 . When a sufficient amount of bread has been cut, the remaining bread is pushed back into the container. The second portion is retracted into the first portion until the size of the container approximates the size of the remaining bread, and the door is hinged closed to seal the bread within the container. 
         [0032]    In one version of the invention, the door  40  further includes a magnet  44  positioned within a rim of the door. Most preferably, the magnet is positioned beneath the TPE foot  43  to enclose the magnet within the rim, and therefore it is positioned diametrically opposite the hinge location. The rim of the second portion preferably includes either a mating magnet  35  or an embedded section of iron or other magnetic material in order to provide an attractive force to retain the door  40  in a closed position. 
         [0033]    The end wall  8  of the first portion  20  is preferably formed with one or more ventilation holes  51 , as illustrated in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 10 . In the preferred version, a series of ventilation holes are dispersed about a lower half of a circular concavity  25 . A handle  50  is formed with a semicircular shape and with a pair of diametrically opposing pegs  54 ,  55 . The pegs fit within holes positioned in a sidewall forming the circular concavity in order to hingedly attach the handle to the end wall  28  at the location of the concavity  25 . Most preferably, the ventilation holes are positioned to lie beneath the handle when the handle is rotated into a position flush against the end wall, such that the handle will block the ventilation holes in this position, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . When the handle is rotated upward from the end wall it exposes the ventilation holes as may be desired. In the rotated upward position the handle also provides a location for a user to grasp the first portion of the container in order to telescopically expand the container by pulling the first portion from the second portion. In a preferred version of the invention, the handle is frictionally fit within the circular concavity with a snug fit such that the handle will stay in a raised position as a result of the frictional force, thereby allowing the ventilation holes to remain exposed if desired. 
         [0034]    While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.