Patent Publication Number: US-9889965-B2

Title: Leak-proof, interlocking, stackable, food, spice, and liquid travel

Description:
The current application is a continuation-in-part (CIP) application of a U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/828,871 filed on Aug. 18, 2015 now abandoned. The U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 14/828,871 claims a priority to a U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/039,288 filed on Aug. 19, 2014. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to travel containers. More specifically, the present invention introduces a set of leak-proof, interlocking, stackable travel containers for travel purposes. The set of travel containers, which can be used to carry foods, spices, and liquids, is available in multiple sizes and provides the user with different configurations. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A very popular and rapidly growing method of travel for business and vacation is staying at timeshares, hotels, motels, suites and resorts that offer kitchen or kitchenette facilities for preparing meals. The problem is that most people spend a great deal of money buying all of their cooking foods, spices, oils, herbs, fruits, vegetables, alcohol and mixers when they get to their destination. Many travelers will attempt to use plastic storage baggies for non-liquid items and an array of different leak-resistant containers for some of their liquid items, but most have experienced leakage of some sort in their luggage due to breakage or exploding due to altitude pressure changes. Because their containers are all different sizes and shapes, they are not convenient to pack and may be difficult to find, especially if multiple stays are required in route to their final destination. When travelers end up buying their foods, spices and liquids in route, or at their final destination, they end up having to buy much more than they can use during their stay, and consequently end up leaving a majority of their purchases on the counter as waste to be thrown away upon their departure. Over a one week stay, this can amount to several hundred dollars of wasted purchases. Therefore, the need for a solution is clearly evident. 
     The present invention is a set of leak-proof, interlocking, stackable travel containers which can be used for carrying foods, spices, liquids, powders, cosmetics, medications, special dietary foods and any other comparable items. The present invention enables travelers who prefer to prepare their own meals, while traveling for business or pleasure, via air, automobile while hiking, biking, camping, or staying at a facility with kitchen availability to take spices, herbs, oils, foods, liquors &amp; condiments in the exact amounts they need for the duration of their stay away from home. The invention is designed of 8 equal widths but different height containers ranging from 0.5 oz. to 19 oz., which allows for 42 different stacking options that will fit in a light weight, leak resistant travel case in columns of 3 stacks of variable sized containers based on user choice. The invention provides a leak-proof, light weight, durable, water clear, well organized group of containers that use up very little packing space, reduce user costs and reduce user waste of products that would otherwise have to be purchased at their destination, and most likely left behind as wasted product upon their departure. These containers provide travelers with a leak-proof method of organization, flexibility and convenience that no other product on the market today can provide. This invention was designed by a traveler to provide a solution to problems met by an increasing number of travelers around the world. 
     The present invention has a target market of outdoor, sports and travel enthusiasts or any other market requiring similar storage needs. The present invention may also be offered to a target audience of timeshare owners/renters, travelers staying at suites with kitchens, auto travelers, R.V. travelers, hunters, fisherman, motor cyclists, tailgaters for sporting events and concerts, boating enthusiasts, camping enthusiasts, hiking enthusiasts, children having sleepovers with friends, persons traveling with special dietary food needs, persons carrying medications among others. The present invention is intended to target any individual or groups of users, with a primary focus on adults and adolescents. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention may be sold all together with a variety of container units in one offering as a starter kit with travel case, as well as sold separately based on the individual user&#39;s preferences. 
     Currently, existing inventions only serve small, specialized markets that do not include the much broader market reached by this proposed product. The present invention is far more flexible in its ability to carry diversified liquids, foods, and spices as well as products requiring refrigeration. It can take on several shapes for packing, quantity and carrying needs. It is dishwasher safe, freezer safe, FDA approved and BPA free. It offers a “Starter Kit” to allow customers a specific assortment of sizes for their first and ongoing purchases. In addition, it offers the purchase of additional cylinder configurations for customizing the starter kit and/or building an additional kit based on customer needs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the sealing plug. 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the sealing plug. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the sealing plug. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of one of the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of one of the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 6  is a bottom perspective view of one of the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the protective cap. 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the protective cap. 
         FIG. 9  is a bottom perspective view of the protective cap. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of an assembly of the protective cap, the sealing plug, and the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 11  is a side view of the assembly of the protective cap, the sealing plug, and the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded view of the assembly of the protective cap, a plurality of sealing plugs, and the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 13  is an illustration of the different sizes available for the plurality of travel containers. 
         FIG. 14  is an illustration of the plurality of travel containers stacked in different configurations. 
         FIG. 15  is an illustration of the plurality of travel containers being stacked in a carrying case. 
     
    
    
     DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION 
     All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. 
     The present invention introduces a leak-proof, interlocking, stackable travel container assembly that can be used for storing and carrying herbs, liquids, foods, spices, condiments and other comparable items. By utilizing the present invention, the inconvenience caused from not having a required item or the possibility of having to purchase and then discard a certain item due to having an excess amount is eliminated. The leak-proof nature guarantees that the items stored within the present invention can be safely carried regardless of the nature of the items and the orientation of the containers holding the items. 
     The present invention utilizes a sealing plug  1  to make the present invention leak-proof. The sealing plug  1 , which is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3 , is designed so that an opening in which the sealing plug  1  is used in is concealed at multiple locations. The multiple seals eliminate the possibility for material or air to travel through the sealing plug  1 . Resultantly, the quality and quantity of an item stored using the present invention is preserved. The sealing plug  1  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a top end  2 , a bottom surface  3 , a lateral surface  4 , at least one sealing ring  100 , a cavity  9 , a handgrip  8 , and a lip  7 . The lateral surface  4  extends from the top end  2  to the bottom surface  3  and determines the height of the sealing plug  1 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lateral surface  4  is shaped to be circular so that the overall shape of the sealing plug  1  is circular. However, the shape and size of the sealing plug  1  can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. The cavity  9  traverses from the top end  2  towards the bottom surface  3  allowing the handgrip  8  to be centrally positioned within the cavity  9 . The handgrip  8  is used to conveniently position the sealing plug  1  appropriately and remove the sealing plug  1  when necessary. In other words, the handgrip  8  is beneficial to position the sealing plug  1  so that an airtight seal is formed. When the sealing plug  1  is positioned as required, the airtight seal is created with the lip  7  and the at least one sealing ring  100 . For the sealing plug  1  to be airtight from the top end  2  to the bottom surface  3 , the lip  7  is positioned along the lateral surface  4  and adjacent to the top end  2 . On the other hand, the at least one sealing ring  100  is positioned along the lateral surface  4  and adjacent to the bottom surface  3 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the sealing plug  1  comprises a first sealing ring  6  and a second sealing ring  5  as the at least one sealing ring  100 . When considering the positioning on the sealing plug  1 , the first sealing ring  6  is positioned adjacent to the bottom surface  3 . The second sealing ring  5  is positioned adjacent to the first sealing ring  6  and opposite to the bottom surface  3 . Even though only two sealing rings are used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the number of sealing rings used as the at least one sealing ring  100  can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. The first sealing ring  6  and the second sealing ring  5  are positioned on the lateral surface  4  and opposite to the cavity  9 . Therefore, when the sealing plug  1  is positioned as necessary, the lip  7  along with both the first sealing ring  6  and the second sealing ring  5  press firmly against an external wall. 
     The present invention further comprises a plurality of travel containers  10  which is used along with the sealing plug  1 . Each of the plurality of travel containers  10  can be interlocked to each other and is available in different sizes so that a wide variety of items of different quantities can be carried according to user preference. As seen in  FIG. 13  and  FIG. 14 , in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of travel containers  10  is available in eight different sizes and has the ability to be arranged in forty-two different configurations. As illustrated in  FIGS. 10-12 , the plurality of travel containers  10  comprises a primary container  11  and a secondary container  12 . In general, the topmost container of the plurality of travel containers  10  in a given configuration is referred to as the primary container  11 . On the other hand, the subsequent container of the plurality of travel containers  10  is referred to as the secondary container  12 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 4-6 , each of the plurality of travel containers  10  comprises an opening  16 , a neck portion  17 , a body portion  13 , a base portion  14 , a base interlocking mechanism  19 , and a neck interlocking mechanism  20 . The body portion  13  extends from the neck portion  17  to the base portion  14  and determines the height and shape of each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . In order to do so, the base portion  14  is adjacently connected to the body portion  13 . Moreover, the neck portion  17  is adjacently connected to the body portion  13  but opposite to the base portion  14 . In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of travel containers  10  is cylindrical in shape. The opening  16  is used to place an item within the each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . The opening  16  is also used to remove an item from each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . In order to provide user convenience when placing and removing items from each of the plurality of travel containers  10 , the opening  16  perpendicularly traverses into the neck portion  17  opposite to the body portion  13 . When a selected item is placed within one of the plurality of travel containers  10 , the opening  16  is then sealed with the sealing plug  1 . As an example, if an item is placed within the primary container  11 , the sealing plug  1  is removably positioned within the opening  16  of the primary container  11 . When the sealing plug  1  is removably positioned, the lip  7  rests on a rim  18  which delineates the opening  16  of each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . More specifically, the rim  18  is connected to the neck portion  17  opposite to the body portion  13 . When placing a preferred item is complete, the base interlocking mechanism  19  and the neck interlocking mechanism  20  is used if the primary container  11  is to be interlocked with the secondary container  12 . More specifically, the base interlocking mechanism  19  of the primary container  11  is removably attached to the neck interlocking mechanism  20  of the secondary container  12 . In order to do so, the base interlocking mechanism  19  is positioned along the base portion  14  for each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . Similarly, the neck interlocking mechanism  20  is positioned along the neck portion  17  for each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 7-9 , the present invention further comprises a protective cap  23 . The protective cap  23  is intended to be positioned over the topmost travel container of a configuration made from the plurality of travel containers  10 . As an example, if the protective cap  23  and the sealing plug  1  are intended to be used with the primary container  11 , the protective cap  23  is positioned so that the sealing plug  1  is surrounded by the protective cap  23 . Since the handgrip  8  is positioned within the cavity  9  and does not extend outwards beyond the top end  2 , the sealing plug  1  does not interfere with the process of positioning the protective cap  23 . For the protective cap  23  to remain stationary when attached, the protective cap  23  comprises a cap interlocking mechanism  200 . The cap interlocking mechanism  200  is removably attached to the neck interlocking mechanism  20  of the primary container  11  so that the protective cap  23  can be separated from the primary container  11  according to user preference. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of female receptors  21  of the cap interlocking mechanism  200  is radially distributed about an inner lateral surface  24  of the protective cap  23 . When attached, a plurality of radial pins  22  of the primary container  11  is removably positioned into the plurality of female receptors  21  of the protective cap  23 . The lack of a firm grip can be a concern when tightening or loosening the protective cap  23  from the plurality of travel containers  10 . In order to address the issue, the present invention comprises a plurality of gripping portions  26  which is distributed along an outer lateral surface  25  of the protective cap  23 . 
     In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a bayonet mount mechanism is used as the neck interlocking mechanism  20  and the base interlocking mechanism  19 . However, the neck interlocking mechanism  20  and the base interlocking mechanism  19  can vary in different embodiments of the present invention. As seen in  FIG. 5 ,  FIG. 6 , and  FIG. 12  the neck interlocking mechanism  20  comprises a plurality of radial pins  22  which is radially distributed about the neck portion  17  of each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . Moreover, the plurality of radial pins  22  is positioned in between the opening  16  and the body portion  13  of each of the plurality of travel containers  10 . As seen in  FIG. 6  and  FIG. 9 , the base interlocking mechanism  19  comprises a plurality of female receptors  21  to correspond to the plurality of radial pins  22 . In order to interlock each of the plurality of travel containers  10 , the base portion  14  of the primary container  11  is attached to the neck portion  17  of the secondary container  12 . Therefore, the plurality of female receptors  21  is radially distributed about the base portion  14 . When the need to interlock the primary container  11  to the secondary container  12  occurs, the plurality of radial pins  22  is removably positioned into the plurality of female receptors  21 . As discussed earlier, the plurality of travel containers  10  in the preferred embodiment of the present invention is available in eight different sizes. Therefore, when a third container  300  of the plurality of travel containers  10  is used, the base interlocking mechanism  19  of the secondary container  12  is removably attached to the neck interlocking mechanism  20  of the third container  300 . In other words, the plurality of radial pins  22  of the third container  300  is removably positioned into the plurality of female receptors  21  of the secondary container  12 . Even though only three containers from the plurality of travel containers  10  are described, the user can utilize any number of containers from the plurality of travel containers  10 . 
     When utilizing the present invention, the following process flow is generally followed. Initially, the user places a preferred item within one of the plurality of travel containers  10 . As an example, we shall consider placing an item within the primary container  11 . In doing so, the user utilizes the opening  16  of the primary container  11  to place items within the body portion  13  of the primary container  11 . When placing the preferred item is complete, the user then positions the sealing plug  1  within the opening  16 . The handgrip  8  is used to hold the sealing plug  1  and tighten the sealing plug  1  within the opening  16  of the primary container  11 . When positioned within the opening  16 , the lip  7  rests on the rim  18 . Moreover, the first sealing ring  6  and the second sealing ring  5  press against an inner wall of the neck portion  17 . Next, the user attaches the protective cap  23  so that the sealing plug  1  is surrounded by the protective cap  23 . In doing so, the cap interlocking mechanism  200  and the neck interlocking mechanism  20  of the primary container  11  are used. Moreover, the plurality of gripping portions  26  is used to tighten the protective cap  23  around the sealing plug  1 . If the secondary container  12  is also being used, the primary container  11  is interlocked with the secondary container  12 . More specifically, the base interlocking mechanism  19  of the primary container  11  is interlocked with the neck interlocking mechanism  20  of the secondary container  12 . When each of the plurality of travel containers  10  are interlocked to each other the user can conveniently transport the plurality of travel containers with a carrying case  400 . As shown in  FIG. 15 , the carrying case  400  will be sufficiently sized to receive the assembly of the plurality of travel containers  10 . 
     Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.