Container for transporting foods

Container for transporting foods, parallelepiped, formed by an hollow body (1) and a cover (3), in plastic material, in which interior it is provided a plurality of spaces (5) and/or wells (9, 11, 13, 15) for transporting foods, drinks and cutlery. The container is provided with suitable means for the application of a closing strap (29) and with cavities (31) for taking and lifting the cover (3).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a container for transporting foods and, 
more particularly, to a plastic container in which a day's worth of 
prepared food is protected and transported to a consumer. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Food services are increasingly providing pre-cooked foods to consumers at 
locations such as community centers, schools and retirement facilities 
rather than prepare the foods at the particular location. The pre-cooked 
food is packaged and transported to the consumers' location and heated, if 
necessary, to effect the meal service. The use of pre-cooked and packaged 
foods provides increased safety with regard to the cleanliness of the 
environment in which the food is prepared. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a suitable container for 
transporting pre-cooked foods sufficient for a day's scheduled meals. The 
container provides a place for the food and does not suffer the drawbacks 
of containers presently in use. 
The container for transporting foods according to the invention is a 
parallelepiped formed by a hollow body and a cover, preferably made of 
plastic material. The container has an interior in which a plurality of 
spaces and wells are provided for holding food, drinks and cutlery. The 
container also has a closing strap and cavities facilitating lifting and 
removal of the cover.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the container according to the invention is a 
hollow parallelepiped body 1 provided with a cover 3. Body 1 has a bottom 
20, a pair of short side walls 2 and longer side walls 8 which define an 
inside region 10. Preferably, the container is made of a suitable plastic 
material which is washable and reusable several times. 
As seen in FIG. 2, a central space 5 is provided for containing a stack of 
dishes (not shown) which provide six courses of meals, for example, three 
lunch courses and three dinner courses. The dishes are preferably single 
use dishes, and the food is packed on each dish and heat sealed with 
suitable plastic material. Central space 5 preferably has a rectangular 
perimeter 6 which is matched to the shape of the dishes, also preferably 
rectangular. Two enlargements 7 are positioned on opposite sides of the 
central space, the enlargements being positioned between the dishes and 
the longer side walls 8 of the parallelepiped body 1, allowing the dishes 
to be removed from the container. 
Two wells 9 and 11 are positioned along the side of the central space 5, as 
shown in FIG. 2. Well 9 is preferably circular and is designed to hold a 
bottle of water, while well 11 is preferably rectangular in shape and 
designed to hold a paper bag containing wine, such a the brand 
"Tavernello". A side wall 12 divides the rectangular well 11 from the 
central space 5 and is provided with a trapezoidal opening 14 (see FIG. 4) 
to facilitate removal of the paper bag holding the wine. 
Two additional wells 13 and 15 are provided on the opposite side of central 
space 5. Preferably, wells 13 and 15 are rectangular in shape, one well 
being intended to hold bread and cutlery, the other for holding a serving 
of fruit. Wells 13 and 15 are separated by a side wall 16 having a "U" 
shaped opening 18 (see FIG. 5) facilitating removal of the bread and fruit 
from the wells. 
As shown in FIG. 4, cover 3 has an upper perimetrical edge 17 which is 
interrupted on each of the shorter sides by two respective cavities 19 
(only one being shown in FIG. 4). As seen in FIG. 3, cavities 19 are 
aligned with an external groove 27 which runs along the center line of the 
bottom 20 of the body 1. The groove accepts a closing strap 29, and the 
upper part of the strap passes through cavities 19 on the cover 3. The 
container bottom has a raised portion 22 which extends outwardly and is 
sized and shaped to interfit with and interengage the perimetrical edge 17 
on the cover 3. This allows several containers to be superimposed one 
above another in a stack for convenient storage and transportation. 
A prominence 25 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) is provided on the lower surface of 
cover 3. The prominence is preferably used to support a thermal plate 26, 
which is placed on the inside of the container between the cover 3 and the 
food to maintain the correct temperature inside the container. 
FIGS. 4 and 5 also show an inferior edge 21 which extends from the lower 
surface 4 of cover 3, the edge 21 allowing insertion of the cover 3 into 
the body 1 facilitating its closing. The upper surface of the cover has a 
rectangular hollow 23 (see FIG. 1) which allows the strap 29 to act as a 
handle for lifting and carrying the container. 
FIGS. 2 and 3 show a pair of cavities 31 which are provided on each of the 
shorter sides 2 of the body 1. Preferably, the cavities are positioned in 
alignment with the center line of the shorter sides. Two cavities are 
positioned on the cover 3 and the other two are positioned on the side 
walls of the body 1 beneath the cavities on the cover. The cavities 
facilitate removing the cover from the body.