Abstract:
A device includes an upper portion including a pit placement 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 avocado.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No. 29/299,434 filed Dec. 26, 2007. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field 
         [0003]    This invention relates to avocado protection, and more particularly to an avocado preservation and freshness saver. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Many people consume avocados daily and weekly. Many of these people only use a portion of an avocado, which can usually be half of an avocado. In order to keep the remaining half of the avocado fresh, people either place the avocado in a refrigerator, which can be by itself, in a plastic bag, wrapped in plastic or in aluminum foil. These ways of preserving an avocado half has its drawbacks. Mainly, air is allowed to interact with most of the unprotected surface of the avocado allowing oxidation. This escalates the deterioration of the avocado half. 
         [0006]    Further, the saved half of the avocado can be damaged by other items bumping into the avocado half, rolling over, etc., which also escalates deterioration by bruising and can also alter the shape of the avocado half. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    A device includes an upper portion including a pit placement 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 avocado. 
         [0008]    Another embodiment presented is an avocado holder including an avocado placement portion including a pit holder, a flat lower portion connected to the avocado placement portion, and an elastomeric retaining strap connected to the avocado placement portion. The retaining strap is adapted to hold a half of an avocado in place on the avocado placement portion. 
         [0009]    A method includes placing a half of an avocado in an avocado storage device, stretching a retaining strap connected at a first portion of the avocado storage device over the half of an avocado, and attaching a locking portion of the retaining strap to a hook portion of the avocado storage device. The avocado storage device protects the half of avocado from oxidation. 
         [0010]    Yet another embodiment presented is an avocado storage device including a lower portion including flat bottom, an upper portion including at least one locking portion and at least one holding portion, and a retaining strap connected to the at least one locking portion and removably connected to the at least one locking portion. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    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: 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of an avocado saver; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates a left side view of the avocado saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates a front view of the avocado saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates a right side view of the avocado saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates a rear view of the avocado saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of the avocado saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the avocado saver through line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 1 ; and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates a half of an avocado stored in the avocado saver illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The invention generally relates to an avocado 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. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of an embodiment of avocado saver  100 . As illustrated, avocado saver  100  includes a top portion  110 , a pit recess portion  120 , anchored portions  130  of a holding strap, adjustment portion  135  of the holding strap, and locking portions  140  of the holding strap. 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  illustrates a left side view of avocado saver  100 . As illustrated, avocado 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 . Avocado 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 . 
         [0023]      FIGS. 3 and 5  illustrate front and rear views, respectively, of avocado saver  100 . As illustrated, avocado saver  100  includes a flat bottom portion  215 , and a locking portion  310  of anchored portions  130 . Flat bottom portion  215  keeps the avocado saver from rolling, for example when placed in a refrigerator or counter. 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  illustrates a right side view of avocado saver  100 . Locking tabs  315  project from the side of avocado saver  100  and are received within locking portions  310  of the anchored portions  130  to anchor the holding strap to the body of the avocado saver. 
         [0025]      FIG. 6  illustrates a perspective view of avocado saver  100  and  FIG. 7  illustrates a cut-away view of avocado saver  100 . Pit recess portion  120  is sized and shaped to hold the pit of an average sized avocado. 
         [0026]    In one embodiment avocado 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 avocado placed in avocado saver  100  with the exposed fruit portion placed on top portion  110  with or without a pit placed in pit recess portion  120 . In other embodiments, the holding strap can be made of other elastomeric material. Besides the holding strap, in one embodiment avocado saver  100  is made from injection molded plastic. In other embodiments, avocado saver  100  is made of fiberglass, wood, metal, casting resin, epoxy resin, paper/cardboard, stone, concrete, and ceramics. 
         [0027]    Besides injection molding, in other embodiments avocado 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 avocado saver  100  can each be made of different materials. It should also be noted that avocado saver  100  can be made by hand, use robotics or a combination of both. 
         [0028]    Avocado saver  100  can be made in various sizes so that many different kinds of avocados that are sized differently may be stored in avocado saver unit  100 .  FIG. 8  illustrates a half of an avocado placed on top of top portion  110 . The holding strap is pulled over the half of an avocado to tighten the half of an avocado into place and create a substantially air tight seal between the half of an avocado and top portion  110 . This formed seal prevents the half of an avocado to spoil (e.g., turn brown) to soon. As a half of an avocado 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 avocado portion and hastens spoiling. When the half of an avocado is placed in avocado saver  100 , the half of an avocado 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 avocado portion from other items. 
         [0029]    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. 
         [0030]    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. 
         [0031]    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.