Abstract:
A nestable container and lid are provided. A first container may be received by a second container such that the first container nests in the second container. The lid of the first container is also nestable in the open lid of the second container when the lids of the first container and the second container are opened.

Description:
This application claims priority on U.S. Application Ser. No. 60/965,537 filed Aug. 20, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to the field of unique food storage containers and the like, and more specifically to pet food storage containers. The containers have an attached lid and can be nested within each other for ease of transport storage and display in a retail environment. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Pet owners with multiple or large pets buy pet food in large quantities of food which needs to be kept fresh in storage. In addition, open containers can attract bugs, rodents and other vermin. This need has given rise to may different types of large air tight containers for keeping pet food fresh. 
     Many of the containers available in the market have a separate lid and a container body. The problem with this configuration is in the shipping and storage on retail shelves. Many times before the product even makes it to the shelves of the retail store the pieces are separated and some may be missing. Containers may be missing lids or there may be more lids then containers. Shipping may also damage some of the lids leaving the retailer with a large quantity of containers without lids. Another problem may be theft of the lids in the stores or misplacement away from the container bodies. The retailer must now use valuable storage space until corresponding lids are shipped or replaced before the product can be put on the shelf for sale. 
     Another problem which arises from the prior art configuration of a separate container and lid is display on retail store shelves. Display area on retail store shelves is valuable; the retailer wants to be able to display many different types of products within the available space so that they can meet the needs of various consumer demands. In addition it is expensive both in labor for restocking and lost sales if insufficient product is on the shelves to accommodate customer needs. Another problem which arises in retailing these large bins or containers is shipping them from the manufacturer to the retailer. When shipping their product a manufacturers cost of shipment per container is affected by how many of a product can be shipped or packed in a given volume of space. 
     Applicant&#39;s invention resolves these storage and shipping issues by a unique arrangement of the lid and container by hinging. This eliminates the problem of missing lids or the retailer receiving a greater quantity of one piece than the other. Another important feature of Applicant&#39;s containers is that they can also be nested within each other with the lids still attached. This feature of the container will make them easier to display in retail stores, it will also make them more space efficient during shipping. This will in turn lower the cost of manufacturing offering a lower price to the retailer which can be passed on to the consumer. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Applicant&#39;s invention is a storage bin which may be made of plastic or any other suitable material. The container has a lid which attached via a hinge and cannot be easily separated from the container. The hinged lid does not interfere with the container&#39;s nesting feature. The container&#39;s hinged lid may, for example, use a piano hinge, meaning that one pin extends all the way across the hinge. Alternatively, there may be a plurality of hinges. A key feature of the present invention is that the lid of the container has a lip extending from three sides which fit over the container wall when closed. The fourth side is the side with the hinge, this side does not have a lip extending from it. The lack of this lip on the hinged side of the lid allows the lids to fold back out of the way when the containers are nested together. 
     Applicant&#39;s invention by allowing the containers to nest within one another makes a more efficient use of space during shipping and displaying the products. Manufacturers can save money on shipping cost while still keeping the lid and container together. Retailers can display the product without wasting any shelf display space. 
     OBJECT OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide an improved storage container for food products and the like. 
     It is also an object of the invention to provide a storage container with the lid attached to the container, in a manner that the lid does not interfere with the nesting of a plurality of containers. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a food storage container that can be nested in order to efficiently use available space. 
     It is a still further object of the invention to provide a food storage container where the body of the container nests in a corresponding body and the open lid nests in a corresponding open lid. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows the food storage bin with the lid open. 
         FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B  show the container and the lid as seen in  FIG. 1 , but shown separated, and just prior to being assembled together. 
         FIG. 1C  is an enlarged detail view of the container of  FIG. 1A . 
         FIG. 1D  is an enlarged detail view of the lid of  FIG. 1B . 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view from the front showing and first sidewall. 
         FIG. 2A  and  FIG. 2B  show the container and the lid as seen in  FIG. 2 , but shown separated, and just prior to being assembled together. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view from the front showing the second sidewall. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view from the back of the bin. 
         FIG. 4A  and  FIG. 4B  show the container and the lid as seen in  FIG. 4 , but shown separated, and prior to being assembled together. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view from the front with the lid closed showing the second sidewall. 
         FIG. 6  is a front perspective view showing the first sidewall. 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 7A  is an enlarged detail view of the lid hinge of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 7B  shows the container and the lid as seen in  FIG. 7A , but shown separated, and just prior to being assembled together. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 9  is a side view of the container with the lid closed showing the first sidewall. 
         FIG. 10  is a side view of the container with the lid closed. 
         FIG. 11  is a top view of the container showing the lid closed. 
         FIG. 11A  is the top view of  FIG. 11 , but enlarged to show the portion of the storage bin near the hinge. 
         FIG. 11B  and  FIG. 11C  show the container and the lid as seen in  FIG. 11 , but shown separated, and just prior to being assembled together. 
         FIG. 12  is a top view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 13  is a bottom view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 14  shows a back view of the container with the lid closed. 
         FIG. 14A  and  FIG. 14B  show the container and the lid as seen in  FIG. 14 , but shown separated, and just prior to being assembled together. 
         FIG. 15  is front view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 16  is a front view of the container with the lid closed. 
         FIG. 17  is a rear view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 18  is a top view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 19  is bottom view of the container with the lid open. 
         FIG. 20  shows a side view the containers nested within each other. 
         FIG. 21  is a side view of the containers nested in each other. 
         FIG. 22  is a perspective view of the containers nested, showing the front end wall. 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the containers nested within each other showing the second sidewall. 
         FIG. 24  is a front perspective view of the containers nested showing the second sidewall. 
         FIG. 25  is a front view of the containers nested. 
         FIG. 26  is a rear view of the containers nested within each other. 
         FIG. 27  is a top view of the containers. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Applicant&#39;s invention is a storage bin which may be made of plastic or any other suitable material. The container and/or lid is preferably made from an injection molded thermoplastic material. The container has a lid  13  which attached via a hinge  16  and cannot be easily separated from the container. For example, the hinge  16  rotatably secures the lid  13  to the container body. The hinged lid  13  does not interfere with the container&#39;s nesting feature due to the configuration of the lid and the container. 
       FIG. 1  shows the food storage bin with the lid  13  open. The bin has two sidewalls on opposite sides thereof. There is a first sidewall  11  and a second sidewall  12 . There are also two end walls  10 ,  14  that extend from one sidewall to the other sidewall. It will be appreciated that the number, size and the configuration of the sidewalls can vary with the parameters set forth herein. The front  14  and rear  10  end walls differ from each other in that they vary in width. The front end wall  14  is shorter in width then the rear end wall  10 , thus the front of the container is narrower than the rear of the container. More specifically, the distance from one front corner of the front of the container to the other front corner of the front of the container is less than the distance from one rear corner at the rear of the container to the other rear corner at the rear of the container. By the term front corner is meant the edge formed by the intersection of the front wall with a side wall. By the term rear corner is meant the edge formed by the intersection of the rear wall with a side wall. These distances are preferably measured at the top ledge of the container. However, it will be appreciated that the distance from one sidewall to the other side wall is less along the front of the container as compared to the rear of the container for any given distance above the base of the container. 
     In one embodiment, the length of the front end wall  14  from the first sidewall  11  to the second sidewall  12  is less in then the length of the rear end wall  10  from the first sidewall  11  to the second sidewall  12  along the entire height of the container. In another embodiment, only the top area adjacent to the top surface of the container need be a shorter distance than the top surface of the container at the rear wall where the lid is secured to the container. This tapered front of the container allows the containers to removably nest within each other. The two sidewalls  11  and  12  that connect the front  14  and rear  10  end walls may be identical to one another. The sidewalls  11  and  12  extend from the end wall to the rear end wall. The container is open at one end and has a base  19  at the other end. 
     The lid  13  has a top surface and a bottom surface. Extending from the bottom surface of the lid is a lip  22 . The lip  22  extends from three edges  26 ,  27 ,  28  of the lid  13 . There is a front lip  24  and two side lips  23  and  25 . In one preferred embodiment the lip or skirt  22 , extends from one or more of the edges of the lid  13 . This lip  22  can extend from the side edges  26 ,  27  and the front edge  28 . This lip  22  then fits over a lip edge  20  on the container which extends from the edges  30 ,  31 ,  32  of the container. There is no lip extending from the rear edge  29  of the lid  13 . The lid  13  may be any suitable shape, in one preferred embodiment the lid  13  has a convex center portion  15 , when stacking the containers within one another the center portion of the lids preferably nest into one another, allowing a better fit between the containers to occupy less space. The front portion of the lid  13  may have a locking mechanism  18  which corresponds with a mechanism at the top of the front wall  14 , to secure the lid to the container. This mechanism ensures that the contents stored in the bin remain relatively fresh, and free from insects or rodents. 
     The lid  13  and the container  17  are connected by a hinge  16  that permits the lid to rotate from a closed position to an open position. In an open position the hinge permits the lid to lie generally along the rear sidewall  10  of the container. In a preferred embodiment the lid may be generally parallel to the rear wall of the container. 
     The hinge may be a piano hinge in which case a single pin is used throughout the length of the hinge  16  to connect the lid  13  and the container  17 . Any other type of hinge that permits the lid to open as shown in  FIG. 1  may also be used. For example there may be multiple hinges or pins  16 A- 16 E (see  FIG. 11A ) used to connect the lid  13  and container  17 . A key feature of the present invention is that the side of the lid  13  with the hinge  16  does not have a lip extending from the lid, which also allows the lids to slide into one another when the containers are nested. If there were a lip on the fourth side of the lid, the lip would extend outwards from the container a greater distance thereby preventing nested containers from being in a position generally downward as showing  FIGS. 20-25 . It would interfere when the user tried to open the lid all the way, the lid would not fully open and hang back against the rear end wall  10  of the container. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view showing the front end wall  14  and the first sidewall  11 . As seen in  FIG. 2 , the front wall  14  can be slightly concave as can the sidewalls  11  and  12 .  FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing the front end wall  14  and the second sidewall  12 .  FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the food storage bin from the back of the bin  17  with the lid closed  13 .  FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the container  17  with the lid  13  closed showing the front end wall  14  and the second sidewall  12 .  FIG. 6  is a front perspective view of the bin  17  showing the front end wall  14  and the first sidewall  11 .  FIG. 7  is a side view of the container  17  with the lid  13  open showing the first sidewall  11 .  FIG. 8  is a side view of the container  17  with the lid  13  open from the opposite angle, showing the second sidewall  12 . The lid may have a locking mechanism  18  on the lid. The mechanism may be a hinged. The mechanism may also be a piece of plastic molded to fit over the lip  20  on the container.  FIG. 9  is a side view of the container  17  with the lid  13  closed, from an angle showing the first sidewall  11 .  FIG. 10  is a side view of the container  17  with the lid closed showing the second sidewall  12 .  FIG. 11  is a top view of the container  17  with the lid  13  closed.  FIG. 12  is a top view of the container with the lid open.  FIG. 13  is a bottom view of the container with the lid  13  open.  FIG. 14  shows a rear view of the container  17  with the lid  13  in a closed position.  FIG. 15  is front view of the container  17  with the lid open.  FIG. 16  is a front view of the container  17  with the lid  13  closed.  FIG. 17  is a rear view of the container  17  with the lid  13  open, showing the rear end wall  10 .  FIG. 18  is a top view of the container  17  with the lid  13  open.  FIG. 19  is a bottom view of the container with the lid  13  open. 
       FIG. 20  shows a side view of a plurality of the containers  17  nested in each other with the lid  13  open showing the first sidewall  11 .  FIG. 21  is a side view of the container  17  nested within each other with the lid  13  open showing the second sidewall  12 .  FIG. 21  is a side view of four containers  17  stacked within each other showing the second sidewall  12 .  FIGS. 20 and 21  show the containers are nested into one another, this causes the lids to also be somewhat nested into one another.  FIG. 22  shows a perspective view of the containers nested into one another showing the front end wall  14  and the first sidewall  11 .  FIG. 23  is a perspective view of the containers nested in each other from the rear showing the first sidewall  11  the lids  13  and the rear end wall  10 .  FIG. 24  is a front perspective view of the containers nested within each other showing the second sidewall  12  and the front end wall  14 .  FIG. 25  is a front view of the containers nested within each other.  FIG. 26  is a rear view of the containers nested within each other.  FIG. 27  is a top view of a stack of containers with the lids nested as well as the containers.