Abstract:
A baking cup container is disclosed which has a bottom and either a cylindrical body member extending upwardly therefrom or an inverted truncated conical-shaped body member extending upwardly therefrom. The bottom of the container has structure thereon as does the upper end of the container so that the containers may be secured together and stored in a stacked position.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0002]    This invention relates to a baking cup container which may be used individually to store baking cups such as cupcake cups or muffin cups and which may be connected together to be stacked one on top of another for storage purposes. 
         [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0004]    Baking cups such as used for baking cupcakes or muffins are constructed of paper. The storage of the baking cups is difficult since they are easily crushed if improperly stored. Further, some bakers have a wide variety of seasonal baking cups and have a wide variety of baking cups having different sizes on hand. If the baking cups are left in their original packages, they consume a great deal of storage space. Further, most of the original packages consist of thin crushable wrap that does not protect the cups therein. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
         [0006]    A stackable baking cup container is disclosed comprising a clear container which may have a cylindrical shape or which may have an inverted, truncated conical shape including a bottom wall, an upstanding wall portion, and an open upper end with a cover which may be selectively attached to the open upper end of the container. The container has a shape such as to receive a plurality of nested baking cups therein. The lid and bottom wall of the container is configured so that the bottom wall of the container may be selectively removably attached to the upper end of a container positioned therebelow to enable a plurality of containers to be stored in a stacked position. 
         [0007]    The lids may be either screwed to the upper ends of the containers or snap-fitted thereon in a variety of different ways. A variety of different ways of securing the containers together is disclosed. 
         [0008]    It is preferred that the containers are comprised of a clear plastic material but the containers could be non-transparent. If the containers are non-transparent, a small window should be provided therein to permit a person to view the contents of the containers 
         [0009]    It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide an improved baking cup container. 
         [0010]    A further object of the invention is to provide a stackable baking cup container. 
         [0011]    A further object of the invention is to provide baking cup containers which may be stacked one upon the other so as to consume less storage space. 
         [0012]    A further object of the invention is to provide a stackable baking cup container which is preferably comprised of a clear plastic material to enable a person to view the contents of the container. 
         [0013]    A further object of the invention is to provide a stackable baking cup container which prevents the baking cup from becoming crushed or otherwise deformed. 
         [0014]    A further object of the invention is to provide a baking cup container which is economical of manufacture, durable in use and refined in appearance. 
         [0015]    These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified. 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view illustrating the baking cup containers of this invention together with the baking cups; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view illustrating a container having a particular diameter; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a view similar to  FIG. 2  except that the container has a smaller diameter than that shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a sectional view illustrating a plurality of the containers of this invention screwed together in a stacked condition with the uppermost container having a lid screwed thereto; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a partial sectional view illustrating a modified form of the invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a partial sectional view which illustrates yet another form of the invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a view similar to  FIGS. 5 and 6  but which shows a further method of securing the containers together; and 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view illustrating a plurality of the containers of this invention secured together in a stacked manner. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0025]    Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense in that the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims. 
         [0026]    In  FIG. 1 , the numeral  10  refers to one form of the stackable baking cup container of this invention which includes a bottom wall  12 , an upstanding cylindrical wall  14  having external threads  16  at the upper end thereof. The container  10  is adapted to receive the baking cups  18  which are shown in  FIG. 1  to be in a nested condition. If only a single container  10  is being used, the lid  20  may be screwed onto the threads  16  of the container  10 . As seen in  FIG. 4 , the bottom  12  has an internally threaded section  22  provided thereon. 
         [0027]      FIG. 4  illustrates a plurality of the containers  10  screwed together with the threaded portion  22  of the upper container  10  being screwed onto the threads  16  of the lower container. The uppermost container  10  will have the lid  20  screwed onto the threads  16  of the uppermost container  10 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 2  illustrates a container  10  having a particular diameter adapted to receive a baking cup  18  therein.  FIG. 3  illustrates that the container  10 ′ has a smaller diameter than the container  10  of  FIG. 2  to accommodate a baking cup  18 ′ which is smaller than the baking cup  18 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 5  illustrates a modification of the invention which does not utilize threads. As seen in  FIG. 5 , the container  100  has an annular recessed portion  102  at its lower end and has an annular recessed portion  104  at its upper end. The containers  100  may be stacked one upon the other by snapping the upper container  100  onto the lower container  100  as illustrated in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 6  illustrates a further modification of the container and is generally indicated by the reference numeral  200 . Container  200  has a downwardly protruding annular member  202  at its lower end with the upper end of the container  200  having a generally U-shaped recessed annular portion  204  adapted to receive the protruding member  202  of the container positioned thereabove. The containers  200  may be stacked as seen in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 7  illustrates yet a further embodiment of the invention which is generally indicated by the reference numeral  300 . As seen in  FIG. 7 , the containers  300  are not cylindrical but are tapered so as to define an inverted truncated conical shape. The lower end of the container  300  has a laterally protruding annular projection  302  while the upper inner end of the container  300  has an inwardly extending annular recessed portion  304 . The containers  300  may be stacked together by snapping the containers together so that the annular protrusion  302  of the upper container is received by the annular recess  304 . In all of the embodiments of  FIG. 5-7 , a lid may be snap-fitted onto the container or onto the uppermost container if the containers are in their stacked position. 
         [0032]    It is preferred that the containers are comprised of a clear plastic material but the containers could be non-transparent. If the containers are non-transparent, a small window should be provided therein to permit a person to view the contents of the containers. 
         [0033]    Thus it can be seen that a novel container has been provided for baking cups such as cupcake cups or muffin cups which enables the containers to be stacked together or individually used. The fact that the containers are constructed of a clear plastic material enables a person to visually determine the types of cups that are in any of the various containers. The containers of this invention prevent the baking cups from being crushed and enable the user to sort the baking cups by placing the same in different cups depending upon their seasonal nature or sizes. 
         [0034]    Thus it can be seen that the invention accomplishes all of its stated objectives. 
         [0035]    Although the invention has been described in language that is specific to certain structures and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific structures and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the claimed invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.