Triple seal container

A triple sealed container, comprising a base portion and a lid portion. The base consisting of a unitary component including a bottom portion attached to an upwardly extending perimeter wall, which is flurther connected to a peripherally extending rim having an inner and outer edge. The lid also consists of a unitary component, with a downwardly extending wall, which is connected to a peripherally extending rim also having an inner and outer edge. The base edge and the lid edge are correspondingly shaped to be mateable. The lid rim is also correspondingly shaped to engage the base rim. The contact of the edges and the rims form three main seals. The first seal is a result of the contact between the exterior edges of the base edge and the lid edge. The second seal is a result of contact between the interior edges of the base edge and the lid edge. The first and second seals are shaped to provide a self-reinforcing seal configuration wherein the initial engagement of the first or second seals initiates the third seal. The third seal is a result of the peripherally extending base and lid rims contacting each other leaving a seal surface area greater than the areas of said first or second seals. This third seal provides substantially more protection against spoilage and spilling, by dramatically decreasing the odds of foreign substances contacting food products, or food products leaking into contact with surfaces exterior to the container. In addition, the assembly is stackable and same size nestable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention generally relates to containers for storing and transporting 
food, and in particular to a sealing component between a base and a rim. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Container assemblies consisting of a lid and base portion for storing 
foods, are capable of being sealed to prevent leakage and spoilage. These 
containers require certain desirable features, most importantly, the 
ability to stop the flow of foods out of the container area and to prevent 
the introduction of bacteria and air into the container. Moreover, the 
container's lid and base should be easily assembled and disassembled for 
usage, so that the seals can be broken and resealed with minimal effort. A 
sealed container should also be stackable inside itself, in order to 
require a minimal storage space. 
Although container assemblies having only one or two seals give acceptable 
results, food leakage can occur when one or both seals are broken. Typical 
double seal containers provide two identical seals, one interior to the 
other. The seals have small surface areas to prevent the flow of food, 
liquids and/or air. Disadvantageously, small surface areas can result in 
occasional failure. From a probability standpoint, if a single seal fails 
once every one-hundred times, the odds of two seals failing at once falls 
to one in ten-thousand. This is an unacceptable number of failures given 
the large number of containers in use. 
Moreover, the potential hazards from spoilage and leakage of tainted foods 
are a great concern in both the food industry and at home. For example, 
the food can leak entirely from the container or be trapped between seals, 
potentially being exposed to contaminants and bacterium inducing spoilage 
or health hazards. A container which could provide both protection from 
outside bacterial contamination, and prevent leakage from food products 
inside the container would be greatly desired, be cost-effective, and be 
safer to use. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention introduces a third seal with greater surface area to 
prevent leakage and promote food freshness. This is implemented through a 
series of three self-reinforcing seals which form both interior and 
exterior to the base periphery. The third, much larger seal, acts as an 
entry and exit barrier. Specifically, the third seal acts as a first line 
of defense against food product leakage and as a final defense against air 
and bacterium entering the container. Statistically, the odds of the two 
outer seals, and the third, inner seal, failing are one failure per one 
million plus uses. 
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a container includes a 
base, a lid and a set of three seals for releasably connecting the base 
and lid. An exterior and middle seal provide alignment between the base 
and lid to establish an interior seal having a greater sealing surface 
area. 
Advantageously, three seal prevention of leakage and spoilage does not 
preclude easy assembly of the lid and base. The ability to break the seal, 
and remove or introduce food to the container, then close all three seals 
is relatively easily accomplished with the present invention. Neither the 
opening nor the closure of this invention are multi-step tasks. The 
closure involves no more than simple pressure on the lid and the sealing 
of one outer seal ensures the closure of the remaining seals. 
The containers of the present invention are same size stackable, with one 
base fitting into the base of the next container, and the lids acting in 
the same fashion. This dramatically reduces the storage space required to 
keep large quantities of the invention. The present invention is, 
therefore, a safe and easy to use container that can be used in the food 
preparation and distribution industries and in the private home.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a container 100 that comprises a lid 1 
and a base 3. Although container 100 is rectangular in configuration, 
container 100 may be, for example, round, square, oval, oblong, or any 
other desired shape. 
Lid 1, which is fuirther illustrated in FIG. 2, includes a substantially 
planar top portion 4, with a slightly raised, substantially planar region 
2 parallel to portion 4. Extending from the top portion 4 is a downwardly 
extending peripheral wall 6. A horizontally extending rim 10 is connected 
to downwardly extending peripheral wall 6. Rim 10 is also connected to 
generally perpendicular upwardly extending edge 12, which in turn is 
connected to outwardly extending lid region 14. Lid region 14 is further 
connected to downwardly extending lid region 16, which is also connected 
to downwardly extended region 17. Downwardly extended region 17 is 
generally parallel to upwardly extending edge 12. Downwardly extended 
region 17 ends in a locking lip 44, as illustrated in FIG. 1. 
Referring to FIG. 3, a base 3 includes a substantially planar bottom 
portion 38, including a slightly raised, substantially planar region 36, 
that is parallel to bottom portion 38. Connected to the bottom portion 38, 
is a convex extension surface 40, which runs along the perimeter of base 
31. From convex extension surface 40 extends an upwardly extending 
perimeter wall 34. Perimeter wall 34 ends in a generally horizontally 
extending base rim region 28. Base rim region 28 is integrally connected 
to a generally perpendicular upwardly extending base sealing edge 26, 
which ends in an outwardly extending surface 24, that is parallel to the 
rim region 28. Surface 24 terminates in a downwardly extending base 
sealing edge 39. 
Given the above structure, the interaction between the various lid and base 
components are now described with respect to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5. This 
interaction creates the triple seal formation of the present invention. 
Lid 1 is pressed in a downward motion onto base 3. Lid 1 and base 3 are 
aligned by extended region 17 with locking lip 44 contacting downwardly 
extending base sealing edge 39. 
Upon the application of downward pressure, locking lip 44 flexes extended 
region 17 outward at downwardly extending lid region 16 Further downward 
pressure on the lid 1 pushes locking lip 44 past the end of downwardly 
extending base sealing edge 39. Locking lip 44 then moves inwardly with 
extended region 17 flexing inwardly to contact downwardly extending base 
sealing edge 39. The resulting contact of downwardly extending lid region 
16 to outwardly extending base sealing edge 24 of extending base sealing 
edge 26 creates the first seal. Contact of outwardly extending lid region 
14 with base sealing edge 15 creates the second seal. Lid 1 and base 3 are 
held together with the locking lip 44 contacting the end of downwardly 
extending base sealing edge 39. The present invention's third seal is 
formed as horizontally extending rim 10 of the lid 1 is pressed against 
horizontally extending base rim region 28 of base 3. 
The engagement of the first seal, between lid sealing edge 16 and base 
sealing edge 24, will urge the engagement of the second seal, between lid 
sealing edge 14 and base sealing edge 15 as well as the engagement of the 
third seal between base rim 28 and lid rim 10. Thus, the engagement of the 
outermost seal will assure proper alignment of the lid 1 on the base 3. 
Accordingly, a container having a reliable seal about the periphery, as 
well as an additional edge seal and a large interior third seal is 
provided. 
The third seal is formed between between lid rim 10 and base rim 28, 
creating the interior seal. In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, 
the interior seal is larger than either the exterior seal or the middle 
seal. With the increased surface area, this interior seal acts as a larger 
first barrier against leakage from the container, and a superior final 
barrier against bacterium and contamination. 
Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 6, it can be seen that the lids 1, and base 
portions 3, can be easily stacked in nested columns, lid upon lid and base 
upon base. The lids 1 are stackable since the locking lip 44 rests 
directly upon the outer edge 16 of the next lid. The bases are also 
stackable since the planar bottom portion 38 of one base rests upon the 
planar base portion 38 of the next base. In addition, horizontal rim 28 
provides support for the next base rim 28. The stackability of the lids 
and bases provides a minimal stacking height and minimizes the required 
storage area. 
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the container may 
take on an oval, or circular configuration. The critical components of 
both the lid 1 and base 3 remain substantially identical to those 
described herein 
As indicated, the present container is set forth, consisting of both a base 
portion and a lid portion. The container has an outer edge seal, a second 
edge seal interior to the first seal, and a third seal running along the 
periphery of the rim, interior to both the first and second seals. These 
seals are self-reinforcing and will be formed when the lid portion of the 
container is received by the base. The seals are self-reinforcing in that 
the engagement of the first seal will urge the second and third seals and 
ensure the alignment of the lid. 
While the invention has been described with reference to preferred 
embodiments, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the 
invention may be practiced, otherwise than as specifically described 
herein without departing from the scope of the invention. It is, 
therefore, to be understood that the scope of the invention be limited 
only by the appended.