Abstract:
The present invention provides multi-walled food storage containers in which the cavity between the walls may be filled by individual users. In particular, the present invention provides users with the ability to insert written storage notes, date of storage and/or preparation instructions in between the walls of the container. In this manner, the notes are not subject to smearing, smudging or erasure from mishandling, nor are they susceptible to damage from condensation or frost. The food storage containers may further include designated regions within the multi-walled structure in which one or more regions includes a cellular structure that provides additional rigidity and insulation for long-term storage of food. Alternately, one or more regions between the walls may be filled with a fluid or gas to provide additional insulation.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   This invention relates to food containers for storing food in the freezer and refrigerator and for identifying the contents of the container. More particularly, this invention relates to food containers that provide the capability to effectively store labels with the containers that identify the contents of the containers. 
   There are many different types of food storage containers available in the market today. Typical food containers are those made by companies such as TUPPERWARE, RUBBER MAID, and GLAD. The known containers come in a variety of sizes, shapes, compositions, colors, durability, and airtight qualities. The variety of sizes and shapes provides many different options in storing various kinds of foods. Sometimes, however, this variety makes it difficult to store the containers efficiently (i.e., in the least amount of space) when they are not in use. For example, bowls of the same size may be efficiently stacked inside a freezer or refrigerator when filled with food, but may not be stored as efficiently because they are less likely to nest inside of each other, and thus take up less space, when not in use. 
   Moreover, a multitude of different colors and shapes can make it difficult to distinguish what type of food stuffs are contained within the food storage container. In addition, these containers also make it difficult, if not impossible, to discern how long the food stuff has been inside the container. Conventional bookkeeping systems could be used to attempt to keep track of the contents of the containers and the date they were stored in the freezer, but such a task is likely to be time consuming, burdensome, difficult to maintain and difficult to use. When looking in at stored food in a freezer, for example, individuals do not want to have to go to a notebook somewhere to determine the contents of the containers they were just looking at. 
   As an alternative to developing a food container bookkeeping system, people often simply label their food containers. For example, some people may label containers by writing on the food container itself with crayons, markers, or china marking pencils. These writings, however, often produce unsatisfactory results, at least in part, because of the composition of the container, which is generally plastic. The plastic may cause, for example, the pencil, crayon, or marker to become smeared and illegible, either during the initial writing, while being stored in the freezer, or in subsequent handling of the container. Moreover, attempts to remove these writings, once the container is emptied, usually results in messy smudges on the container, making it harder and harder to properly reuse the container. 
   Other labeling methods may include applying masking or other tape to the container and using a ball point pen or other writing instrument to write down the contents of the food, date stored and/or any instructions associated with the contents of a particular food storage container. The size of the tape, however, may limit the individual&#39;s ability to provide a full description and/or preparation instructions for the food. This can lead to frustration, such as when one cannot remember the next step involved in preparing the stored food for serving because of limited written instructions. Moreover, the masking tape may slip off the container while in the freezer or later on in the refrigerator, or the ink may become smudged or blurred due to condensation, frost, or handling of the container, thus causing the individual great frustration. 
   Other types of storage containers may include plastic bags such as those offered by ZIPLOCK, the zipper closure plastic bag, or GLAD. But these bags are often not sufficient for storing foods for extended periods of time. For example, plastic bags have been known to leak and permit air to enter into the bag, resulting in freezer burn and other unwanted occurrences. This is even more likely to occur when the bags are used for an extended period of time because the plastic bags simply are not as durable as plastic storage containers. Furthermore, applying labels to plastic bags is usually impractical. The label may not stay put. In fact, some plastic bags are sold which include an exterior region that is specially designated for writing information, such as the date stored. This region, however, is also prone to smudging and erasure. 
   It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for storing that provide the capability to neatly and effectively label the contents of the storage container. 
   It is also an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for maintaining food over extended periods of time in an airtight, well insulated storage unit. 
   It is also an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for storing food that include a multi-walled structure. 
   It is another object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for containing labels within a doubled walled structure of a food storage container. 
   It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for storing food utilizing a multi-walled structure that includes a cellular structure contained therein that provides additional rigidity and insulation. 
   It is a still further object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for storing food that include a multi-wall structure that may be filled with a fluid or gas. 
   It is still another object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for storing multiple containers using a reduced amount of space when the containers are not in use. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The above, and other objects of the present invention are accomplished by providing multi-walled food storage containers in which the cavity between the walls may be filled by the individual users. In particular, the present invention provides users with the ability to insert written storage notes, date of storage and/or preparation instructions in between the walls of the container. In this manner, the notes are not subject to smearing, smudging or erasure from mishandling, nor are they susceptible to damage from condensation or frost. 
   In accordance with the present invention, food storage containers may further include designated regions within the multi-walled structure in which one or more regions includes a cellular structure that provides additional rigidity and insulation for long-term storage of food. Alternately, one or more regions between the walls may be filled with a fluid or gas to provide additional insulation. 
   Moreover, the food storage containers of the present invention may be configured such that multiple containers can be stored in significantly less space when not being used than the containers require when they are in use. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded perspective view of a food storage container constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are two alternate embodiments of the wall structure of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the walls of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  3 — 3 ; 
       FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of internal structure of the walls of the food storage container taken alone line  3 — 3 ; 
       FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of internal structure of the walls of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 , taken along line  3 — 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a side view illustration of how the food storage containers of the present invention may be stored when not in use; 
       FIG. 7  is a side view illustration of how the food storage containers of the present invention may be efficiently stacked when in use; 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the bottom of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the bottom of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 10  is cross-sectional view of the assembled wall/lid interface of one embodiment of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 ; and 
       FIG. 11  is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a lid of the food storage container of  FIG. 1 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
   In accordance with the principles of the present invention,  FIG. 1  shows a food storage unit  10  that may be used to store food in a refrigerator or freezer. Food storage unit  10  includes container  20  and lid  50 . Container  20  if formed from an inner wall  22  and an outer wall  24 , where there is a hollow channel  30  between inner wall  22  and outer wall  24  on at least one side of container  20 . For ease of manufacturing, however, it may be practical to form container  20  such that each side of container  20  includes inner wall  22  and outer wall  24 . The top of inner wall  22  includes an inner wall lip  25  that may be attached to a corresponding inner wall lip  52  of lid  50 . Outer wall  24  likewise includes an outer wall lip  26  that may be attached to a corresponding outer wall lip  54  of lid  50 . 
   A hollow channel  30  represents the gap of empty space between inner wall  22  and outer wall  24 . Hollow channel  30  may vary in depth individually for each side of container  20 , or they may all have the same depth. For example, three sides may have a hollow channel depth of one-half inch, while the fourth side has a hollow channel depth of one and a half inches. This enables a user to place a card or other writing in the channel. The actual depth of each channel depth is controlled by the positioning of hollow channel barrier  32  during the manufacturing process. As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , hollow channel barrier  32  may have a variety of physical configurations such as squared channel barrier  33 , rounded channel barrier  34 , or any other suitable type of channel barrier. A squared or rounded channel may be preferable because those shapes would likely be easier to clean if, for example, food happened to fall into hollow channel  30  while being placed in container  20 . In addition, the hollow channel may, in accordance with the present invention, be filled with liquid or gas to provide additional insulation to the container. 
   As shown in  FIG. 1 , hollow channel  30  provides a space for effectively storing a label or other writing in label container area  40 . This label may be used, for example, to describe the contents of the container, to provide future instructions regarding further food preparation, or any other notes related to the food that is placed in the food container (such as the date stored, or a “USE BY” date). While the label may be placed into any of hollow channels  30 , it may be most advantageous to place the label in the deepest of hollow channels  30  (i.e., in area  40 , as shown in  FIG. 1 ). For example, if the deepest hollow channel  30  has a depth of two inches, a piece of paper or any other suitable label having a height of about two inches may be placed into the area between inner wall  22  and outer wall  24 . 
   The label would thus be contained by inner wall  22 , outer wall  24 , hollow channel barrier  32 , and lid  50 , which would itself be attached to inner wall lip  25  and outer wall lip  26 . Because the label is fully contained within label area  40 , the label is safe from being accidentally misplaced, smeared, smudged or otherwise damaged from handling of the container. Moreover, the label would also be more legible to the user after removal from the freezer or refrigerator then conventional markings, because the label in label area  40  is not directly exposed to the harsh cyclic conditions present in freezers and refrigerators, such as frost. Label container area  40  thus provides an effective way of keeping a label safely with the stored food without obliterating the writing on the label. 
   Storage container  10  may be formed from any of a variety of materials. For example, container  20  and/or lid  50  may be fabricated out of plastic, wood, STYROFOAM, the polystyrene foam insulation material, metal or any other suitable material for constructing container  20  and/or lid  50 . It may, however, be preferable to manufacture container  20  and lid  50  from some form of plastic. The use of plastic for container  20  and lid  50 , makes it easier to incorporate one or more colors or mixture of colors. Moreover, it would be advantageous to fabricate at least the portion of outer wall  24  that includes container label area  40  out of a translucent material, so that users can easily read the writing on the label without having to open lid  50  to read the label. 
     FIG. 3  shows an illustrative cross-section of a hollow channel  30  that provides increased thermal protection from the effects of cold storage. In this embodiment, inner walls  22 , outer walls  24  and channel barrier  32  may be fabricated in such a way that an insulating material  60  is placed within the closed cavity therein. Insulating material  60  may thus be located within the volume of space below channel barrier  32 , as well as on the bottom of the food container. Insulating material  60  may include any insulating material known to persons skilled in the art, such as STYROFOAM, the polystyrene foam insulation material, ceramics, fiberglass, or anything else suitable for providing insulation. Insulation materials  60  may help prevent freezer burn of the food contained within container  20 . Insulation material  60  may also provide additional structural support to container  20  by adding rigidity to the walls of container  20 . 
     FIG. 4  shows an alternate embodiment of a cross-section of hollow channel  30 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the space between inner wall  22  and outer wall  24  may be filled with a support structure  62  that is contained below hollow channel barrier  32 . Support structure  62  provides additional structural integrity to container  20  over that described above with respect to insulation material  60 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , support structure  62  may be cellular, or honeycomb in nature, thereby allowing for individual units to be placed together to form additional structural support in channel  30 . Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 5 , support structure  62  may be used in conjunction with the above-mentioned insulation material  60  to provide both insulation  60  and additional support structures  62  to container  20 . 
   In another aspect of the present invention, container  20  may be constructed so that multiple containers of differing or the same sizes can easily be stacked on top of and within each other for easy and efficient storage. As shown in  FIG. 6 , in such a configuration, multiple, different sized stackable containers  20  can be efficiently stored in essentially the space of the largest container, thereby taking up less space in cupboards or cabinets when the containers are not in use. Each container  20  may be shaped in any suitable form that allows the bottom end of the container  20  to be inserted into another container  20 , larger sized container. For further efficiency, the different sized containers should be of the same shape. 
   Moreover, containers  20  may be constructed to include, for example, a tapered bottom end to further enhance efficiency in stacking and storing. This may be particularly advantageous for storing multiple containers of the same size. A tapered bottom (i.e., where the bottom portion is smaller in diameter than the open, top end of the container), may allow containers  20  to be easily placed on top of each other in stackable fashion, especially when the containers are being used to store food. This is clearly shown in  FIG. 7 , where the food containers are arranged in a stack in a freezer or a refrigerator. Lid  50  may be configured to include an insert or lip  56  that acts as a stacking support structure and which is specifically designed to hold container bottom  28  of a container  110  in a uniform position on top of container  10  (i.e., the container bottom nestles securely on top of the lid of another food container unit). In this manner, valuable storage space in the freezer or refrigerator is utilized efficiently, and there is less likelihood that spillage will occur. 
   Container bottom  28  can take any one of a variety of different forms. One embodiment of a container bottom  28  includes a single structure that combines inner wall  22  and outer wall  24 . For example,  FIG. 8  shows a cross-section plan view of a container  20  having a bottom  28  that is formed by unionizing inner wall  22  and outer wall  24  into a single wall. This particular embodiment would not include any insulating material  60  or support structures  62  present in container bottom  28 . 
   Another embodiment of container bottom  28  may include a “dual walled bottom” in which inner wall  22  and outer wall  24  are both used to form container bottom  28 . In this embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 9 , inner wall  22  and outer wall  24  remain parallel to each other from the one side of the top of container  20 , down to bottom  28  and up the other side. The channel between parallel inner wall  22  and outer wall  24  may be formed to include insulating material  60 , support structures  62 , or insulation support structures  64 , as previously described, in accordance with the present invention. 
   In still another aspect of the present invention, as shown in  FIG. 10 , the top portion of the container  20  may include lip ends or flanges that interact with lid  50  so that container  20  and lid  50  attach together in a substantially airtight fit. The lips of either inner wall  22 , outer wall  24 , or both may be configured to provide a uniform lip or flange for lid  50  to interlock with. Alternately, the lips or flanges of each wall may be differently shaped (e.g., inner lip  25  may be a fatter, more rounded lip, while outer lip  26  may be narrower sharper lip), to provide for a substantially airtight seal. Moreover, lips  25  and  26  may be integrated with hollow channel  30  to provide a receptacle for lid  50  when it is used to close container  20 . 
   Lid  50 , when used, covers container  20  in an airtight seal to keep food fresh and avoid freezer burn. More particularly, lid  50  is configured such that it clasps onto the flanges of inner wall lip  25  and/or outer wall lip  26  to essentially completely cover and seal the opening of the container  20 . This may include, for example, the ability for the outer edge  54  of lid  50  to snap onto outer wall lip  26  while the inner edge  52  of lid  50  is pressed onto wider, more bulbous inner wall lip  25 . It may also be advantageous for this snapping action to include an audible sound that signals the user that the container is properly sealed. 
   A cross-sectional illustrative view of this interaction between container  20  and lid  50  is shown in  FIG. 10 . Lid  50 , for example, may contain a depression  70  located between the outer lip  54  and the inner lip  52 , which could then be inserted into hollow channel  30  to further assist in providing a substantially airtight seal. Depression  70  may be configured to fit specifically into channel  30  (e.g., depression  70  may be formed to include a rounded edge that substantially matches the shape of barrier  32 ). Alternately, depression  70  may be formed of any shape that would be suitable for the task of assisting in maintaining an airtight seal. Moreover, depression  70  may be formed with built-in clips or other mechanisms that interlock with inner lip  25  and/or outer lip  26  to provide for an airtight fit with container  20 . 
     FIG. 11  shows an additional feature of lid  50  which provides assistance to users in opening up container  20 . This feature may be particularly useful due to the fact that the container and lid may be frozen  together. Thus, lid  50  may include at least one tab  100  which extends beyond the periphery of the body of container  20 . Tabs  100  may be placed adjacent to one or more corners of lid  50 , or placed anywhere between the corners of the lid  50 , or both, to assist the user in opening container  20 . 
   From the foregoing description, persons skilled in the art will recognize that this invention provides effective, efficient, food storage containers that give users the ability to label the containers without being  concerned that the labels will become damaged during storage. It will also be recognized that the invention may take many forms other than those disclosed in this specification. Accordingly, it is emphasized that the invention is not limited to the disclosed methods and apparatuses, but is intended to include variations to and modifications thereof which are within the spirit of the following claims.