Patent Publication Number: US-2002005368-A1

Title: Reusable lid with date indicating device

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION  
       [0001] This invention relates to a reusable lid for use on a food storage container and more particularly to such a reusable lid which includes a resettable date indicating device.  
       BACKGROUND OF INVENTION  
       [0002] Reusable food storage containers have been in use for many years and enable consumers to store leftovers and other food products. One problem associated with these storage containers is that it is difficult to keep track of the date when the food was stored in the container.  
       [0003] Since currently available food storage containers do not include any indicator to enable the user to mark the date when the food was placed in the container, quite often these containers are placed into the refrigerator or freezer without any date indication at all. This poses a serious health concern to the consuming public, as the FDA has shown that millions of Americans are stricken by illness every year caused by the food they consume and that approximately nine-thousand (9,000) people a year die of food poisoning. By simply storing food in the food storage container without indicating the date in which the food was placed in the container, there is a possibility that the food in the container will go rancid prior to being consumed. In the event that the food is not spoiled to the point that it is visibly noticeable to the consumer, there is a possibility that the consumer will eat the spoiled food and become sick and/or die of food poisoning. Needless to say, this is a very serious health concern.  
       [0004] In an attempt to indicate the date upon which the food in a container was stored, various companies offer “freezer tape”, which is essentially tape which can be written upon. This tape is placed on the lid of the food storage container and a storage date is written on the tape. However, this method is quite inconvenient, as the use of this product requires the consumer to apply the tape to the container (removing any old tape which remains from any previously stored food) and write the food storage date on the freezer tape itself. Further, this tape will only stick to a container that is dry and not overly cold. Additionally, this handwritten date is often blurred and unreadable once exposed to frost or cold moist air. All these inconveniences add up to a system that is overly burdensome to use and will most likely result in the system not being used.  
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION  
       [0005] It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a reusable lid with date indicating device which allows for easy indication of the date the food was stored or needs to be disposed of.  
       [0006] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a reusable lid which is low in cost and easy to use.  
       [0007] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a reusable lid which is totally self contained and does not require any additional products to function.  
       [0008] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a reusable lid which functions regardless of the external condition of lid.  
       [0009] It is a further object of this invention to provide such a reusable lid which is easily resettable.  
       [0010] This invention results from the realization that a reusable lid with date indicating device can be achieved by incorporating into the lid a date indicating device which allows for easy indication of the critical date of the food stored, where the date indicating device is easily resettable and functions regardless of the external condition of the lid.  
       [0011] This invention features a reusable lid for a food storage container comprising: means for removably attaching the lid to the container; and a resettable date indicating device for indicating the critical date of the contents of the container.  
       [0012] In a preferred embodiment, the date indicating device includes a plurality of twoposition indicators. Each of the plurality of two-position indicators may be a resettable, indentable dimple. The plurality of resettable, indentable dimples may be arranged into a plurality of groups, where each group indicates a portion of the critical date. The critical date may contain a month portion and a day portion and the plurality of groups may include a first group for indicating the month portion and a second group for indicating the day portion. The plurality of resettable, indentable dimples may have visual indicia, associated with each dimple, for indicating at least a portion of the critical date. The visual indicia may be located on the plurality of resettable, indentable dimples. The reusable lid may be constructed of plastic.  
       [0013] This invention also features a food storage system comprising: a food storage container; and a reusable lid, removably attachable to the container, including a resettable date indicating device for indicating the critical date of the contents of the container.  
       [0014] In a preferred embodiment, the date indicating device may include a plurality of resettable, indentable dimples. The plurality of resettable, indentable dimples may include visual indicia for indicating at least a portion of the critical date.  
       [0015] This invention also features a food storage system comprising: a food storage container; and a reusable lid, removably attachable to the container, including a plurality of resettable, indentable dimples for indicating the critical date of the contents of the container.  
       [0016] This invention also features a reusable lid for a food storage container comprising: means for removably attaching the lid to the container; and a plurality of resettable, indentable dimples for indicating the critical date of the contents of the container. 
     
    
    
     DISCLOSURE OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
     [0017] Other objects, features and advantages will occur to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings, in which:  
     [0018]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the reusable lid with date indicating device according to this invention;  
     [0019]FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of the reusable lid with date indicating device according to this invention including a plurality of resettable, indentable dimples; and  
     [0020] FIGS.  3 A- 3 D are a series of plan views showing the manner in which the plurality of resettable, indentable dimples are set and/or reset. 
    
    
     [0021] In accordance with this invention, the reusable lid  10 , FIG. 1, for a food storage container  12  includes means  14  for removably attaching the lid  10  to the container  12 . An example of means  14  is a pair  16  and  18  of downwardly extending radial flanges. One of these flanges may include a barb  20  so that when flanges  16  and  18  are slid over rolled lip  22  of container  12 , barb  20  slides under the lower edge  24  of rolled lip  22 . This, in turn, would effectively connect and seal lid  10  to container  12 . A hinge device  26  may be included to hingedly attach lid  10  to container  12 .  
     [0022] Reusable lid  10  includes a resettable date indicating device  24  for indicating a critical date of the contents of the container. This critical date would typically be the date when the stored food was placed into the container, enabling the user to determine how long the food has been stored. However, this critical date need not be the date the food was stored in the container: it could be the date on which the food in the container is to be disposed of.  
     [0023] The date indicating device  24 , FIG. 2, of the reusable lid  30  includes a plurality  34   1-n  of two-position indicators. Each of these two-position indicators  34   1-n  is a resettable, indentable dimple, forming a plurality of resettable, indentable dimples. In the normal position, these dimples appear on the lid surface as raised bumps. However, the user can apply a downward force to the dimple to indent it so that the dimple changes state from its normal convex shape to a concave shape.  
     [0024] The plurality of resettable, indentable dimples  34   1-n  are arranged into a plurality of groups  36   1-2 , where each group indicates a portion of the critical date. The critical date contains a month portion and a day portion and the plurality of groups  36   1-2  includes a first group  38  for indicating the month portion of the critical date and second group  40  for indicating the day portion of the critical date. For example, if the food stored in the container was stored on May 26; in group  38 , the user would indent button  5  (which indicates May) and, in group  40 , the user would indent button  26  (which indicates the 26 th  day). While, in this particular example, the plurality of groups  36   1-2  is shown to contain only two date groups  38  and  40 , this is for illustrative purposes only, as the date indicating device can contain any number of groups. For example, additional groups can be added which correspond to: the year portion of the critical date; the type of food stored in the container (e.g. poultry, beef, fish, liquid); etc.  
     [0025] Each of the plurality  34   1-n  of resettable, indentable dimples has visual indicia  42  for indicating at least a portion of the critical date. For example, the indicators in the second group  40 , namely those which indicate the day portion of the critical date, would have indicia in the form of numerals 1-31 printed on or around each of the plurality  34   1-n  of resettable, indentable dimples. While FIG. 3 shows the indicia printed directly on the dimples, this is for illustrative purposes only, as the indicia could be printed next to the individual dimples. Additionally, group indicia  44  and  46  can be used to indicate the title or type of group  38  and  40 .  
     [0026] During use of the reusable lid  30  for a food storage container, each resettable, indentable dimple  50 , FIG. 3A, initially has a convex shape protruding above the front surface  52  of the reusable lid. When the user applies an inward force  54 , FIG. 3B, onto the surface of dimple  50 , the dimple is indented into a concave shape. When the user wishes to reset now-concave dimple  50 , FIG. 3C, an outward force  56 , FIG. 3D, is applied to the backside  58  of the reusable lid so that dimple  50  is restored to its original convex shape. This system enables the user to indicate on the lid the critical date of the food being stored (e.g. the date the food was stored). Since the dimples are individually settable and resettable, the system can be reused by the user indefinitely. The reusable lid can be constructed of any resilient material, such as plastic or rubber.  
     [0027] Although specific features of this invention are shown in some drawings and not others, this is for convenience only as each feature may be combined with any or all of the other features in accordance with the invention.  
     [0028] Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the following claims: