Abstract:
A lunch box, configured for attachment to a portable container, includes a body having an interior accessible through an opening, a lid movably attached to the body and configured to selectively cover the opening, and a locking mechanism attached to the body and having a first attachment component and a second attachment component. The locking mechanism has (i) a first attached configuration wherein the first attachment component is selectively coupled to the second attachment component such that a portion of the portable container is selectively retained between the locking mechanism and the body, and (ii) a second attached configuration wherein at least one of the first and second attachment components is selectively coupled to a portion of the portable container.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/788,817, filed Mar. 15, 2013, entitled “Executive Lunch Box,” currently pending, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to a lunch box, and more particularly, to a lunch box adapted to be firmly secured to a larger bag or case. 
         [0003]    People travelling to work, meetings, or other events will often take a bag or case, such as a briefcase, suitcase, purse, hand bag, or the like, to carry important items. Often it is also desired to bring along a lunch or other type of food or drink that would best be kept in a separate lunch box or lunch bag for various reasons (e.g., cold storage, avoiding messes, or the like). Unfortunately, the bag or case carried by the individual is usually too small, too full, or too unsanitary to contain the lunch box. The individual is therefore left with having to handle two items instead of one. 
         [0004]    Systems where a small bag may be attached to a larger bag or case are currently available. However, many of these systems require the larger bag to have a custom type of locking mechanism for receiving and retaining the smaller bag. Other systems are designed for use with a variety of larger bags, but the connection between the two bags often leaves the smaller bag loosely coupled, so that during walking or travel the smaller bag moves around with respect to the larger bag, creating annoyances and potential damage to either of the bags or their contents. 
         [0005]    It would be desirable to provide a lunch box that may be secured to a variety of types of larger bags or cases but maintains a tight fit to prevent the aforementioned relative movement of the lunch box to the larger bag or case. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    Briefly stated, an embodiment of the present invention comprises a lunch box configured for attachment to a portable container. The lunch box includes a body having an interior accessible through an opening, a lid movably attached to the body and configured to selectively cover the opening, and a locking mechanism attached to the body and having a first attachment component and a second attachment component. The locking mechanism has (i) a first attached configuration wherein the first attachment component is selectively coupled to the second attachment component such that a portion of the portable container is selectively retained between the locking mechanism and the body, and (ii) a second attached configuration wherein at least one of the first and second attachment components is selectively coupled to a portion of the portable container. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0007]    The following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustration, there are shown in the drawings embodiments which are presently preferred. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown. 
           [0008]      FIG. 1  is a front side elevational view of a lunch box in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a back side elevational view of the lunch box of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a back side perspective view of the lunch box of  FIG. 1  with a locking mechanism in a first configuration for attachment to the handle of a bag; 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a back side perspective view of the lunch box of  FIG. 1  with the locking mechanism in a second configuration; 
           [0012]      FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of a first example bag to which the lunch box of  FIG. 1  may be attached; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 6  is a front side elevational view of a lunch box attached to a second example bag in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0014]    Certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting. The words “right”, “left”, “lower”, and “upper” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the device and designated parts thereof The terminology includes the above-listed words, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import. Additionally, the words “a” and “an” mean “at least one.” 
         [0015]    Referring to the drawings in detail, there is shown in  FIG. 1  a preferred embodiment of a lunch box  10 . A body  12  of the lunch box  10  is preferably of a soft construction and is made from vinyl that contains foam insulation (not shown) to maintain temperature within the interior of the lunch box  10 . However, the body  12  may be of hard or soft construction and may be manufactured from other materials, such as aluminum, tin, plastic, leather, or like food-safe fabrics, polymers, metals, or combinations thereof The body  12  preferably has the shape of a square or rectangular cube, but may have other shapes such as cylindrical, parallelepiped, or the like. The lunch box  10  in  FIG. 1  preferably has a fold-over lid  14  to cover an opening (not shown) of the body  12  accessing the interior thereof, and may be secured using a fastener  16  that in  FIG. 1  takes the form of a turnkey. Other fasteners may be used as well, such as the belt and buckle combination shown in  FIG. 6 , hook-and-loop fasteners, clasps, clips, clamps, or the like. 
         [0016]    The lid  14  may also be detachable from the body  12  or take other configurations. In some embodiments, the lid  14  may be omitted and the body  12  may be opened and closed using a fastener or the like. 
         [0017]    A handle  18  may be provided on the lid  14  or a portion of the body  12  of the lunch box  10  to enable a user to conveniently carry the lunch box  10 . The handle  18  may be attached to the lid  14  or body  12  by conventional methods, such as rivets or other mechanical fasteners, adhesives, or the like. Alternatively or additionally, the lunch box  10  may include one or more rings  20  ( FIG. 3 ), each of which may be secured to the body  12  or lid  14  by a fastener  22 . The rings  20  are configured to support a strap (not shown) that may have hooks (not shown) thereon which mate with the rings  20 . 
         [0018]    The interior of the lunch box  10  may include a number of pockets or compartments (not shown) that may be designed for general or specific storage. For example, a pocket may be provided for a water bottle, utensils, reusable ice packs, napkins, or the like. The interior is also preferably designed to contain conventionally sized food containers in addition to the specific compartments. The pockets or compartments can be integrally formed by the body  12  or may be attached thereto, as is conventionally known. Zippers or other closure mechanisms (not shown) may be provided on the body  12  to allow access to compartments in a manner other than through the lid  14 . For example, one side of the body  12  may include a zipper to allow quick access to the water bottle compartment in the interior. Pockets or compartments may also be provided on the lid  14  or on the outside of the lunch box  10 , as desired. 
         [0019]    The lunch box  10  is configured for attachment to a conventional briefcase, suitcase, purse, handbag, or the like. A first example bag  30  is shown in  FIG. 5 . The first example bag  30  has a body  31  and includes a pair of elongated straps  32  attached to the body  31  for use as handles. A second example bag  34  is shown in  FIG. 6  as having a body  35  with a single handle  36  attached thereto via metal loops  37 . 
         [0020]    To facilitate attachment to a bag such as the example bags  30 ,  34 , the lunch box  10  is provided with a fastening mechanism  40  as shown in  FIG. 2 . In a preferred embodiment, the fastening mechanism  40  includes a pair of carabiner clips  42 , each of which may be secured to a length of chain  44 . A ring  46  is preferably attached to each chain  44  at a respective end opposite the corresponding carabiner clip  42 . Each ring  46  is preferably respectively secured to the body  12  of the lunch box  10  via a fabric loop  48 , which may be attached to the body  12  by stitching, mechanical fasteners, rivets, adhesives, or the like. It is preferred that each combination of a fabric loop  48 , ring  46 , chain  44 , and carabiner clip  42  has a total length L when in a substantially horizontal position. Preferably, the length L is such that when the fastening mechanism  40  is in the configuration shown in  FIG. 2  (i.e., the carabiner clips  42  are interlocked with each other), each carabiner clip  42  exerts a pulling force on the other carabiner clip  42 . As a result, the locking mechanism  40  is taut against the body  12  of the lunch box  10 . 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  shows the lunch box  10  in the process of attachment to an elongated strap  32  of the first example bag  30 . The locking mechanism  40  is preferably locked around the elongated strap  32  proximate a location where the elongated strap  32  is coupled to the body  31  of the first example bag  30 . The taut configuration of the locking mechanism  40  holds the lunch box  10  tightly against the first example bag  30  to prevent excessive movement with respect thereto. If desired, adjustment straps (not shown) may be included to allow for tightening or loosening of the locking mechanism  40  around the elongated strap  32 . In addition, a spring (not shown) may be added to the locking mechanism  40 , such as between the chain  44  and the carabiner clip  40  to maintain the locking mechanism  40  in a taut configuration. 
         [0022]    It is further preferred that the locking mechanism  40  has a second configuration shown in  FIGS. 4 and 6 . With the carabiner clips  42  unlocked from one another, the carabiner clips  42  can be used to connect to existing features of a bag. For example, in  FIG. 6 , each of the carabiner clips  42  of the lunch box  10  is coupled to a corresponding metal loop  37  of the second example bag  34 . This configuration of the locking mechanism  40  allows the lunch box  10  to be connected to a bag even if the preferred configuration ( FIG. 2 ) is impractical for use with the bag to which the lunch box  10  is to be attached. 
         [0023]    While the locking mechanism  40  is shown as having carabiner clips  42 , other types of clips or detachable mechanical fasteners may be used in keeping with the invention. Similarly, the construction of the locking mechanism  40  is not limiting, as the stated components thereof are merely exemplary. For example, the carabiner clips  42  may be attached directly to fabric loops  48  thereby omitting the rings  46  and chains  44 . Similarly, certain components of the locking mechanism  40  may be replaced with equivalents thereof. 
         [0024]    From the foregoing, it can be seen that embodiments of the present invention comprise a lunch box. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concepts thereof. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention.