Patent Abstract:
A container for holding a dipping condiment or sauce and allowing a user to wipe a food item to remove excess condiment or sauce. The container has a base and a side wall having one portion higher than an opposing portion, the wall including at least one ridge, groove or other fluid retention device. The wall also includes a pair of opposing inwardly curved gripping surfaces for facilitating gripping by a user&#39;s fingers, the gripping surfaces including ribs or grooves. The container may also include a lid which snap fits onto the lip of the container.

Full Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to containers for holding, storing and dispensing liquids, such as sauce, dressing or other items. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Food items served with sauces or other condiments (such as ketchup, mustard, dressings, or the like) for dipping are common (generically, the foregoing referred to herein as condiments). Typically, the condiment is provided in a small round plastic container which may or may not have a lid. A problem with such a container is that it is not convenient or efficient to remove excess condiment on the container rim after the food item is dipped therein, resulting in excess condiment remaining on the food item. Also, round containers are difficult to grasp when a user&#39;s fingers may be slippery from condiment, grease, or the like which may accumulate during eating. 
         [0003]    It would be desirable to have a condiment container which would provide a more effective and efficient means to remove excess condiment on a dipped food item. It would also be desirable to have a condiment container which could be easily grasped in a user&#39;s fingers even if the fingers are slippery. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    Generally described, the present invention provides in a first exemplary embodiment a container for holding and storing sauces and other liquids, comprising a base having a generally flat base bottom, a generally frusto-conical wall extending upward from the bottom and having a rim, the wall having a first section, a second section opposing the first section, the first section having a height greater than the second section, a third section, and a fourth section opposing the third section, the third and fourth sections each having an inwardly curved gripping section, the gripping section having at least one gripping surface a lip extending substantially around the rim of the wall. 
         [0005]    The wall first section has at least one and preferably a plurality of fluid retention devices for retaining fluid when a food item is wiped across the retention devices. The retention devices can be ribs, grooves, bumps, other protrusions, combinations and mixtures of the foregoing or the like. 
         [0006]    The container may have a lid adapted to snap fit over the lip, the lid having a generally flat lid bottom, a lid wall extending upward from the lid bottom, the lid wall having a first section and a second section, the first section having a height greater than the second section, a seal portion comprising a first flange extending generally outward and generally perpendicular to the lid wall and a second flange extending generally downward from the first flange, the seal portion being adapted to mate with the lid and form a seal therewith, whereby the lid wall first section is generally aligned with the base wall first section. 
         [0007]    The gripping section may include a plurality of retention devices to facilitate gripping. The retention devices can be grooves, ribs, bumps, combinations of the foregoing or the like. 
         [0008]    The container is preferably constructed to allow a number of containers to nest and stack to minimize storage space. The lid is similarly constructed. When the lid is attached to the container a number of lid-container units can be stacked to permit storage of pre-filled containers. 
         [0009]    Other features of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the appended claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention is illustrated in the drawings in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures of which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container base according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a bottom plan view of the base of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a side elevation view of the base of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the base of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a lid according to one exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the base of  FIG. 1  and the lid of  FIG. 5  in which the lid is in position over the base. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the lid attached to the base. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of a base, including a plurality of retention devices. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a second alternative of a lid including a tab. 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of a container base with condiment showing a food item being wiped across the lip and retention devices. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]      FIGS. 1-7  show one exemplary embodiment of a container  10  having a base  20  and a lid  22 .  FIGS. 1-4  show the details of the base  20 , which generally has a bottom  24 , a wall  28  and a lip  30 . 
         [0022]    The wall  28  has a first section  32 , second section  34 , third section  36  and fourth section  38 . The first and second sections  32 ,  34  oppose each other and the first section  32  has a height greater than that of the second section  34  so that the lip  30  is angled with respect to the base  20 . The wall  28  may flare outward in a generally frusto-conical shape. The general relationship between the diameter of the base  20  and the lip  30  is such that a container is created which, when placed on a flat surface, is generally resistant to tipping when a condiment is placed therein. 
         [0023]    The third and fourth sections  36 ,  38  oppose each other and each has a recessed area which serves as a gripping area  40 . Each recessed gripping area  40  may curve inward slightly so that a user can grip the gripping areas  40  with a thumb and opposing finger. Each gripping area  40  may optionally have one or more gripping surfaces  42 , which may take the form of protrusions, grooves, recesses, ribs, ridges, steps, bumps, spikes, domes, fingers, nibs, and combinations of the foregoing. The gripping area  40  may extend to the base  20  (as shown in  FIG. 1 ) or may extend only toward the base  20 . If the former, the gripping area  40  may optionally create a curved notched out area  44  in the base  20 . 
         [0024]    The lip  30  may extend outward from the wall  28 . Alternatively, the lip  30  may have a flange which extends both outward and inward. 
         [0025]    Turning to  FIG. 5 , the lid  22  includes a bottom  60  and a sidewall  62 . The sidewall  62  has a first section  64  that is greater in height than a second section  66 . A rim  68  has a seal  70  comprising a first flange  72  and a second flange  74 , the seal  70  being adapted to mate over the lip  30  by a friction or snap fit to seal the container base  10 , as shown in  FIGS. 6-7 . The seal  70  can be one which is removable and resealable, or, the seal  70  can be a seal which is formed so that in use, a container  10  filled with condiment has the lid  22  and seal  70  formed to provide a seal which can be unsealed only once (such as a milk jug cap seal). In such an embodiment the seal  70  may have a weakened or frangible area which a user can separate or remove by pulling on a tab  90  (see  FIG. 9  and as described hereinbelow). 
         [0026]    The container  10  may be made of any suitable material, such as, but not limited to, polymer plastic, stainless steel, aluminum, paper/cellulose, wood, recycled or recyclable material, edible materials, mixtures and combinations of the foregoing or the like and may be formed by any suitable manufacturing process, such as, but not limited to, vacuum forming, blow molding, or the like. 
         [0027]    The lid bottom  60  can be marked with a pen, pencil or marker with the contents, or can have a sticker adhered to or a stamp placed on the bottom  60  as advertising. 
         [0028]    In one use, a server can place a quantity of liquid, such as a condiment  78  (e.g., ketchup or mustard), sauce (e.g., barbeque) or dressing (e.g., ranch, blue cheese) (the foregoing referred to generically as “condiment(s)”, but is intended to include such items as can be contained in the container), in the base  20  and attach the lid  22  to the base  20  to prevent spilling. The container  10  can be served with various food items suitable for dipping, such as, but not limited to, chicken wings, vegetable sticks, fried cheese sticks, spring rolls or the like. The user can then remove the lid  22  and dip the food item into the condiment and wipe the excess condiment on the lip  30 , such as proximate the wall first section  32 . As the food item is raked across the lip  30  the excess condiment is retained by the lip  30  and flows down the wall  28  and back into the container base  20 . The angle and diameter of the wall first section  32  is such that the condiment is retained in the base  20 . 
         [0029]    A user can pick the base  20  up and hold it between his or her fingers, using the gripping areas  40  to hold the base  20 . The gripping surfaces  42  help to maintain the user&#39;s grip, particularly when the user&#39;s fingers may be slippery, wet or greasy or have excess condiment on them. 
         [0030]    In a first alternative embodiment, shown in  FIG. 8 , the base  20  can have at least one, and preferably a plurality of fluid retention devices  80 , such as, but not limited to, protrusions, grooves, recesses, ridges, steps, bumps, spikes, domes, fingers, nibs, combinations and mixtures of the foregoing or the like formed as part of the wall  28 , such as part of the first section  34  (it being understood that other portions of the wall can include such retention devices  80 ). The condiment retention device  80  helps to retain excess  79  condiment  78  (see  FIG. 10 ) when the user wipes the food item across the lip  30  and the wall  32 . 
         [0031]    The base  20  can be nestably stacked with multiple bases  20  to minimize the area needed for storage. Similarly, the lid  22  can be nestably stacked with a plurality of other lids  22 . The base bottom  24  and lid bottom  60  are generally the same diameter so that multiple containers  10  (in which the lid  22  is fitted on the base  20 ) with or without condiments, can be stacked. In this manner, a set of different condiments can be conveniently carried from kitchen to table by stacking several containers  10  on top of each other without fear of spilling or inadvertently mixing the contents. Containers  10  can be filled with condiments, sealed, and stacked and stored, such as in a refrigerator, until used. 
         [0032]    The lid  22  can optionally have a tab  90  (as shown in  FIG. 9 ) to aid in removal of the lid  22 . 
         [0033]    In one exemplary embodiment, the container base  20  can be a 2, 3 or 4 ounce capacity size. It is to be understood that the size and proportions can be adapted for different uses. Similarly, the angle of the wall  28  can be modified as the use requires. For example, the container  10  can be adapted for use as a paint container such that a user can hold the container in one hand and dip a small brush in to reservoir of paint, wiping the excess paint off using the lip  30  or the retention devices  80  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
         [0034]    Although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims. 
         [0035]    As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” one particular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent “about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint. 
         [0036]    “Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described event or circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includes instances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where it does not. 
         [0037]    Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word “comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and “comprises,” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intended to exclude, for example, other additives, components, integers or steps. “Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey an indication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used in a restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes. 
         [0038]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope or spirit. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by the following inventive concepts. It should further be noted that any patents, applications and publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1