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  Food containerUSPTO Application #: 20050211109Title: Food container Abstract: A food container is shown having a plurality of openings used to move food into and/or out of the container. Each of the openings has an air curtain positioned across the opening. The air curtains form barriers between the interior of the container and the exterior environment. The food container may be capable of humidifying and/or heating food positioned therein. (end of abstract)
Agent: Foley & Lardner - Milwaukee, WI, US Inventors: Michael Majchrzak, Allan Witt, David Rolston USPTO Applicaton #: 20050211109 - Class: 099468000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Foods And Beverages: Apparatus, Subjecting Food To An Enclosed Modified Atmosphere, Automatic Control Or Time Means The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050211109. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/763,726, filed on Jan. 23, 2004, entitled "Food Container," the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND [0002] The subject matter described herein relates generally to the field of containers. In particular, the subject matter described herein relates to food containers. The food containers may be used for storing food, holding food at temperature, cooling food, humidifying food, rethermalizing food, warming food, and/or cooking food. [0003] A wide variety and configuration of food containers are used to house and display food in places such as convenience stores, restaurants, etc. Depending on the type of food, these containers may be heated, cooled, and/or humidified to prevent the food from becoming cold and/or hard, thus making the food more appealing to consumers. For example, the containers may be used to house and display donuts, pastries, hot dogs, etc. In other applications, the containers may be used to refrigerate and/or freeze food to prevent it from melting, spoiling, etc. In still other applications, the containers may be used to hold food at elevated temperature or to cook food. [0004] Typically, a solid barrier such as a door is used to isolate the interior of the container from the exterior environment. The door prevents the transfer of heat and/or humidity between the interior of the container and the exterior environment. The door is usually hinged on one side so that it can be opened and closed to provide access to the interior of the container. Unfortunately continually opening and closing the door may result in a loss of productivity and efficiency on the part of the persons using the containers. Users often desire to quickly remove items from the containers. For example, in a fast food setting, a food preparer may want to be able to quickly access food components (e.g., hot dog buns, hot dogs) to prepare the finished food product (e.g., a hot dog in the bun with desired toppings). In other situations, the container may be provided with an opening that does not include a barrier between the exterior environment and the interior of the container. This arrangement results in a loss of efficiency due to excess heating, cooling, and/or humidifying. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved food container for housing items such as food. [0005] It should be understood that the claims define the scope of the subject matter for which protection is sought, regardless of whether any of the aforementioned disadvantages are overcome by the subject matter covered by the claims. Also, the terms recited in the claims should be given their ordinary and customary meaning as would be recognized by those of skill in the art, except, to the extent a term is used herein in a manner more expansive than its ordinary and customary meaning, the term should be given its ordinary and customary meaning plus the additional expansive meaning, or except if a term has been explicitly defined to have a different meaning by reciting the term followed by the phase "as used herein shall mean" or similar language. Accordingly, the claims are not tied to any particular embodiment, feature, or combination of features other than those explicitly recited in the claims. DRAWINGS [0006] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a container according to one embodiment. [0007] FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of the container from FIG. 1. [0008] FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the container from FIG. 1. [0009] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the container from FIG. 2 along line 4-4. [0010] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional front view of the container from FIG. 3 along line 5-5. [0011] FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the container from FIG. 1 with the outside covers removed. [0012] FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the container from FIG. 6 with additional covers removed. [0013] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a container according to another embodiment. [0014] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of a container according to another embodiment. [0015] FIG. 10 is a to perspective view of a container according to another embodiment. [0016] FIG. 11 is a to perspective view of a container according to another embodiment. [0017] FIG. 12 is a front view of a container according to another embodiment where portions of the interior of the container are shown in outline. [0018] FIG. 13 is a side view of a container according to another embodiment where portions of the interior of the container are shown in outline. DESCRIPTION [0019] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show a top perspective, front perspective, and side elevation views, respectively, of a container 50 according to one embodiment. Container 50 comprises an interior chamber 52, which is configured to house items such as food in a controlled environment. Container 50 shown in FIGS. 1-9 is shaped similarly to a box with an opening 54 on one side for moving food between the interior and the exterior of container 50. In other embodiments, container 50 may be any of a number of suitable shapes and configurations. For example, container 50 may be substantially cylindrical, etc. Also, container 50 may be configured to be portable (e.g., moved by hand, rolled on castors, etc.) or fixed in a stationary position using a suitable fastening mechanism (e.g., welding, bolted, glued, etc.). In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-9, container 50 is configured to be placed on top of a countertop or table. In another embodiment, opening 54 may be located on a top side of container 50. In still another embodiment, container 50 may comprise two, three, or more openings 54 for moving food between the interior and the exterior of container 50. In yet another embodiment, container 50 may comprise transparent sides (e.g., glass, plastic, etc.) so that the food is visible. [0020] In one embodiment, container 50 comprises a control system, which is used to maintain the physical characteristics (e.g., temperature, humidity, etc.) of the air in chamber 52 substantially constant. The control system is typically configured to control both temperature and humidity of the air in chamber 52. However, in other embodiments, the control system may be configured to control only one of the temperature and humidity of the air in chamber 52 or may be configured to control additional properties of the air in chamber 52 such as the air's speed. In general, the control system includes any of the components, structure, and matter that is used to control the temperature and humidity of the air in container 50. In one embodiment, the control system comprises at least a thermometer and/or a hygrometer. In another embodiment, the control system comprises a thermostat and/or a humidistat which are used to control the temperature and/or humidity, respectively, of the air in chamber 52. In still another embodiment, the control system may use feedback control to control the temperature and/or humidity of the air in chamber 52. Continue reading... Full patent description for Food container Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Food container patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Food container or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Filling apparatus and methods for using same Next Patent Application: Method and device for automatically regulating a quantity of product deposited Industry Class: Foods and beverages: apparatus ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Food container patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.6443 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Canon USA , Celera Genomics , Cephalon, Inc. , Cingular Wireless , Clorox , Colgate-Palmolive , Corning , Cymer , |
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