Abstract:
An integrated container crimping and cutting tool arrangement having a tub with an opening therein providing access to an otherwise surrounded volume, and a cover mountable on the tub having an opening at which the cover can be releasably mounted on the tub to prevent immediate access to the surrounded volume therein. In addition, this arrangement has a closed wall structure provided as a portion thereof having an ending edge terminating a closed wall which also has a crimping edge thereon offset away from the ending edge to allow pressing it against a sandwich to cut out center portions thereof leaving sealed bread edges.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to sealed crustless sandwiches and, more particularly, relates to a tool for forming sealed crustless sandwiches. 
     Sandwiches are usually made with vegetables, various kinds of spreads, or meat as fillings between two slices of bread, or some combination thereof as fillings between such a pair of bread slices. Such fillings, however, often leak out or are squeezed out the sides of the sandwich between the slices of bread making the storing or eating, or both, of such sandwiches somewhat messy. 
     In addition, bread is commonly baked in an oven of some sort to thereby result in a loaf having harder crust portions on the outside thereof about the softer inner portions of that loaf. Some individuals do not enjoy heating, and so do not wish to eat, such outer crust portions as part of a sandwich. 
     As a result, sealed crustless sandwiches have been developed. Such a sandwich can seal for a substantial period of time the internal sandwich filling against leaking or squeezing out the sides of the sandwich between the bread slices. Furthermore, sealed crustless sandwiches are made by crimping in such a manner as to also cut away the interior portions of the bread slices about the filling in forming the crustless sealed sandwich while discarding the outer crusts. 
     The making of such sealed crustless sandwiches has been done on a commercial basis with machines and tooling designed for that purpose. Such apparatus is costly and unavailable as a practical matter to consumers. Thus, there is a desire to provide an arrangement whereby consumers can prepare and form on their own behalf such sealed crustless sandwiches. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides an integrated container crimping and cutting tool apparatus having a tub with an opening therein providing access to an otherwise surrounded volume, and a cover mountable on the tub having an opening at which the cover can be releasably mounted on the tub to prevent immediate access to the surrounded volume therein. In addition, this apparatus has a closed wall structure provided as a portion thereof having an ending edge terminating a closed wall which also has a crimping edge thereon offset away from the ending edge. The closed wall structure can be part of the cover or part of the tub, and can have two wall thickness portions on which to form the crimping and ending edges. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, and 
     FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an containing arrangement,  10 , for one or another of various kinds of possible sandwich fillings such as spreads, here shown labeled as containing peanut butter, a common kind of spread used as a filling in sandwiches. Container  10  has a tub portion,  11 , formed of a truncated cylindrical shell with also a circular plate bottom to close off one end of that shell to thereby result in tub  11 , or walled vessel provided about an interior space or volume, accessible through an open end of the cylindrical shell. Tub  11  can be formed of a suitable container material such as plastic, glass, etc. 
     In addition, containing arrangement  10  is provided with a releasably mountable cover portion,  12 , that can be releasably mounted on container tub  11  at the end of the shell opposite the circular plate bottom to limit access to the contents of tub  11  provided in the interior space. Cover  12  is also formed as a truncated cylindrical shell, though of differing shell wall thicknesses, with again a circular plate to close off one end of that shell to result in cover  12  with an open end. Suitable container cover materials can be used such as plastic, metal, etc. The interior of the cylindrical shell portion of cover  12  has threads,  13 , formed on an inner surface thereof which can engage and rotate along a further set of threads,  13 ′, formed on the outer surface of the cylindrical shell portion of tub  11  near the open end thereof. Positioning the open end of cover  12  over the open end of tub  11  to allow threads  13  in cover  12  to engage threads  13 ′ on the outside of the shell of tub  11 , followed by rotating cover  12  in one direction with respect to tub  11 , causes cover  12  to be pulled down tightly on tub  11  to prevent access to the inner space of tub  11 , i.e. closes containing arrangement  10 . Rotation of cover  12  in the opposite direction removes cover  12  to thereby provide access to the inner space of tub  11 , i.e. open that arrangement. Alternative cover mounting means can be instead used to releasably close the container. 
     Cover  12  has threads  13  thereof formed on a thickened wall portion,  14 , of the cylindrical shell provided in that cover (in addition to the thickness of threads  13 ). Thickened wall portion  14  extends as the cylindrical shell from the inner surface of the circular plate in cover  12  to an undulating edge,  15 , near that open edge,  16 , of the cylindrical shell to leave a thinned wall portion,  17 , as part of the cover cylindrical shell between edge  15  of thickened wall portion  14  and edge  16  of the cylindrical shell. Thinned wall portion  17  of the cover cylindrical shell thus provides an offset space or region between undulating surface  15  of thickened wall cylindrical shell portion  14  and edge  16  of the open end of the cylindrical shell. 
     Such an arrangement allows a possessor of container  10  to form a sealed crustless sandwich with two slices of bread. The possessor places one slice of bread on a surface and further places the desired filling for the sandwich on the central portions of that slice, perhaps also including there the peanut butter spread from container  10  or such other spread as may be chosen. Thereafter, the second slice of bread is placed over the filling and the first slice of bread so as to leave the first and second slices of bread aligned in such a way as to have their similar curved portions of the outline of each directly across from one another. 
     The sandwich maker can then position the open end of cover  12  on the second, or upper, slice of bread just within the crust edges thereof, and force cover  12  against this sandwich construct, and so the surface supporting the first slice of bread, to thereby crimp the two slices of bread together within the space of the offset between this support surface and undulating edge  15 . Edge  16  is forced at the same time through both slices of bread to sever the central portions thereof within the diameter of edge  16  with the filling therebetween from the remaining outer portions of the two slices of bread which are primarily the crusts. 
     An alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2 of a containing arrangement,  10 ′. Again there is provided a tub portion,  11 ′, formed of a truncated cylindrical shell with a circular plate bottom to close off the interior space of that shell toward one end of that shell to result in tub  11 ′ with a first open end providing access to that interior space. There is also provided a releasably mountable cover portion,  12 ′, that can be releasably mounted on container tub  11 , and is formed as a truncated cylindrical shell of a single wall thickness (except possibly for the cover mounting means) with a circular plate to close off one end to result in cover  12 ′ with an open end. Any releasable mounting arrangement for releasably mounting cover  12 ′ on tub  11 ′ can be used. 
     Tub  11 ′ has a second open end which does not provide access to the open space provided by its first open end provided by an extension of the tub cylindrical wall past the interior space closing circular plate such that this wall extension forms a skirt below the closing plate. This skirt has a thickened wall portion,  14 ′. Thickened wall portion  14 ′ extends as the cylindrical shell from the outer surface of the closing circular plate in tub  11 ′ to an undulating edge,  15 ′, near a skirt open edge,  16 ′, to leave a thinned wall portion,  17 ′, as part of the skirt between edge  15 ′ of thickened wall portion  14 ′ and edge  16 ′ of the skirt. Thinned wall portion  17 ′ of the tub skirt thus provides an offset space or region between undulating surface  15 ′ of thickened wall skirt portion  14 ′ and edge  16 ′ of the open end of that skirt. Tub  11 ′ can be formed as a single plastic structure. 
     Such an arrangement again allows a possessor of container  10 ′ to form a sealed crustless sandwich with two slices of bread just as described above. The sandwich maker can again position the open end of the skirt of tub  11 ′ on the second, or upper, slice of bread just within the crust edges thereof, and force tub  11 ′ against this sandwich construct, and so the surface supporting the first slice of bread, to thereby crimp the two slices of bread together within the space of the offset between this support surface and undulating edge  15 ′. Edge  16 ′ is again forced at the same time through both slices of bread to sever the central portions thereof within the diameter of edge  16 ′ with the filling therebetween from the remaining outer portions of the two slices of bread which are primarily the crusts. 
     A further alternative has the skirt with the thick and thin cylindrical wall portions and the associated crimping and end edges formed as a separate structure that can be pressed onto a tub like tub  11  to be around a portion of the outside thereof, and that can removed therefrom as desired for use in forming crustless sealed sandwiches. Such a structure could, for example, serve as a base for the tub when provided thereon during times the spread container is being stored. Such a structure can be formed of plastic that yields slightly to permit sliding it over the outside of tub  11 . 
     Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.