Food container and system composed of multiple food containers.

Abstract

The invention relates to a food container (1) with a lid (3), a base (13), and side walls (11a, 11b, 11c). The food container (1) has a plurality of optically detectable markings (51, 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d), of which at least one (51) is detectable when viewed from above onto the lid (3), and at least one further marking (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) is detectable when viewed from one side of the food container (1) onto one of the side walls (11a, 11b, 11c).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a food container and in particular to a food container with an optically detectable marking and to a system comprising a plurality of food containers.

[0002] Food containers are known from the prior art. For example, document DE 10 2021 003 554 A1 discloses a food packaging with a base part, onto or into which at least one food item can be placed, and a lid part that can be connected to the base part. The lid part can be connected to the base part via four detachable fastenings.

[0003] The document DE 10 2008 050 795 A1 discloses a lid for airtight containers. The lid disclosed therein comprises a plurality of locking tab handles that are rotatably connected to the lid body and are designed to engage in a locking notch formed in the upper edge of an upper end of a container body. The locking tab handles are connected to the lid body by foil hinges.

[0004] The publication DE 10 2021 203 792 A1 discloses a container as a carrier for a dish to be prepared in an oven. The container has a QR code as an optical marking. By reading the QR code, a control process associated with the marking can be initiated in the oven.

[0005] When storing several such boxes in stacks, the problem arises that the interface on the lid is covered and therefore cannot be read or identified.

[0006] There is therefore a need to create a food container that eliminates the problems mentioned above.

[0007] The document DE 10 2017 206 552 A1 discloses a container with a QR code affixed to at least one of its walls. However, this has the disadvantage that containers with a container body and lid can be combined, with the optically detectable markings differing, or the same optically detectable marking appears on two containers in one storage situation.

[0008] From US 2021 371 176 A1, it is known to provide only a single marking on a container, namely on one of several locking hinges of the container. EP 3 061 704 A1 discloses the application of identical markings on two opposing locking hinges of the container.

[0009] A food container according to the invention has a lid, a base, and side walls. The food container has a plurality of optically detectable markings, at least one of which is detectable when viewed from above the lid, and at least one of which is detectable when viewed from one side of the food container toward one of the side walls.

[0010] By providing additional optically detectable markings that can be detected by looking at one of the side walls of the food container, it is possible to optically detect and identify each individual food container, even when several are stacked.

[0011] The lid may be attachable to the food container by means of a locking hinge. The lid may have an optically detectable marking, and at least one of the locking hinges may have an optically detectable marking.

[0012] A locking hinge according to the invention is a tab provided on the lid that is connected to the lid itself by means of a hinge. When the lid is placed on the food container, a portion of this tab can be brought into positive or non-positive engagement with a counterpart provided on the food container. Thus, the lid is firmly connected to the food container and secured against accidental release. Thus, when the locking tab is locked, an optical marking attached to the locking tab can be read from the side.

[0013] The lid can be designed to be removable, and a locking hinge can be assigned to at least two opposite side walls. Each of the locking hinges can have an optically detectable marking.

[0014] Each side panel may also be assigned a locking hinge, and each of the locking hinges may have an optically detectable marking.

[0015] This design has the advantage that the orientation of the container within the stack is not important at all, since access to any side wall is sufficient to read or identify the optical marking. For example, two smaller containers can be stacked crosswise on top of a larger container in a lengthwise position, or they can themselves support a larger container in a lengthwise position.

[0016] A removable lid also makes cleaning in a dishwasher easier, as less space is required to accommodate the separate containers and lids.

[0017] Alternatively, the lid can be attached to one of the side walls of the food container by means of a fixed hinge and can have a locking hinge at least on the side opposite the hinge. The locking hinge can secure the lid in the closed state. The lid can have an optically detectable marking, and at least the locking hinge can have an optically detectable marking.

[0018] The optically detectable marking can be one-dimensional, for example in the form of a barcode, or two-dimensional in the form of a QR code.

[0019] Advantageously, a valve for venting the food container can be provided in the lid or in one of the side walls.

[0020] According to this design, it is possible to create a negative pressure inside the container after it has been closed, thereby improving the shelf life of stored food.

[0021] The inventive design of the lid with the locking hinges, at least one of which, but preferably all of which, has the optically detectable marking, makes it possible to clearly detect and identify a single optical marking even when several food containers are stacked. This is particularly advantageous when the optical marking on the lid is not visible due to other containers being stacked on top.

[0022] While it is possible to provide optical markings on the side walls of the storage container itself, this is less preferred. In this case, care must be taken to ensure that the lid, which also has an optical marking, is correctly assigned to the storage container, which also has the same optical marking.

[0023] Therefore, it is preferred that the optical markings be provided only on the lid, as this eliminates the need to search for the lid and the associated container; any container of suitable size can be used. To enable readability from the side, at least one of the locking tabs of the locking hinge is provided with the optical marking.

[0024] According to the invention, it is also provided that several food containers form a system. In this case, the optically detectable marking is present on the lids of the food containers and the vessel parts of the food containers are free of optically detectable markings. This makes it possible to use the lids with any vessel parts and the unambiguous assignment of the food container is achieved via the marking(s) on the lid. For this purpose, the lids in the system are compatible with the several vessel parts. This means that the several lids can be arranged and attached to the several vessel parts in an interchangeable manner and thus a food container can be formed from a lid and a vessel part and a food container can be closed.

[0025] It is possible in the system that the vessel parts have different sizes.

[0026] Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a currently preferred embodiment, which is given with reference to the figures. In the figures: Fig. 1 is a longitudinal side view of a food container according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a broad side view of the food container; Fig. 3 is a top view of a food container.

[0027] A currently preferred embodiment of the invention is based on the Figures 1 to 3 described.

[0028] The Fig. 1is a longitudinal side view of a food container 1. The food container 1 has four side walls 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, as well as a base 13. Essentially, the food container 1 is a cuboid open at the top. The four side walls 11a, 11b, 11c, and 11d, as well as the base 13, form a vessel part 2 of the food container 1. A lid 3 serves to close the food container 1. A closed food container 1 is thus formed from the vessel part 2 and the lid 3.

[0029] The cover 3 is in the Fig. 3shown in a plan view. The lid 3 is essentially rectangular and is intended to be placed on the upper edges of the side walls 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d of the food container 1. On the sides of the lid 3, tabs 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d are provided, which are attached to the lid 3 by means of a hinge. To close the food container 1, the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d are removed from the Fig. 3 shown position against the side walls 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d. The tabs 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d have means for positively engaging with counterparts provided on the side walls 11a, 11b, 11c and 11d of the food container 1. This prevents the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d from accidentally being folded back into the Fig. 3 Open to the visible opening position.

[0030] Thus, the food container 1 is reliably closed by folding over the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c and 31d.

[0031] For identification purposes, the lid 3 has an optical marking 51, which is visible in plan view even when the food container is closed. Furthermore, the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d each have a similar optical marking 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d. These optical markings on the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d are visible from each side of the food container by folding over the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d.

[0032] Thus, it is possible to detect and read one of the optical markings 53a, 53b, 53c, or 53d even in a state in which the lid 3 of the food container 1 is inaccessible, e.g., due to multiple food containers being stacked on top of one another, and thus the optical marking 51 on the lid 3 itself is not visible. These are located in the closed state of the container 1, namely due to the folding down of the tabs 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d on the respective sides of the food container.

[0033] According to the embodiment, the optical markings are always the same QR code. However, instead of a QR code, other types of optical markings are possible, such as a barcode or even simple symbols such as circles, triangles, squares, or stars.

[0034] The QR code design of the optical marking makes it possible to assign and manage data regarding the contents of the food container to the lid, which is uniquely identified by the QR code, and to the food container sealed with it. This data can include the type of food, an expiration date, a Nutri-Score, and instructions for further processing, such as recipes, etc.

Claims

1. A food container (1) with a lid (3) and a vessel part (2), wherein the vessel part (2) consists of a base (13) and side walls (11a, 11b, 11c), wherein a plurality of optically detectable markings (51, 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) are located on the food container (1), wherein at least one of the plurality of optically detectable markings (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d) is detectable when viewed from one side of the food container (1) onto one of the side walls (11a, 11b, 11c), wherein the optically detectable marking is a one-dimensional interface such as a barcode or a two-dimensional interface such as a QR code, wherein the lid (3) is secured to the food container (1) by means of a locking hinge (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d). can be fastened, wherein at least one of the locking hinges (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) has an optically detectable marking (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d), characterized in thatthe lid (3) has an optically detectable marking (51), whereby at least one of the plurality of optically detectable markings (51) can be detected when the lid (3) is viewed from above.

2. Food container according to the preceding claim, wherein the lid (3) is designed to be removable, and a locking hinge (31a, 31c) is assigned to at least two opposite side walls (11a, 11c), and each of the locking hinges (31a, 31c) has an optically detectable marking (53a, 53c).

3. Food container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein each side wall (11a, 11b, 11c) is assigned a locking hinge (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) and each of the locking hinges (31a, 31b, 31c, 31d) has an optically detectable marking (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d).

4. Food container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the lid is attached to one of the side walls of the food container by means of a fixed hinge, and has a locking hinge at least on the side opposite the hinge, by means of which the lid can be fixed in the closed state, wherein the lid has an optically detectable marking, and at least the locking hinge has an optically detectable marking (53a, 53b, 53c, 53d).

5. Food container according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a valve for venting the food container is provided in the lid or one of the side walls.

6. A system comprising a plurality of food containers according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of optically detectable markings are present on the lids of the food containers and the vessel parts of the food containers are free of optically detectable markings, characterized in that the plurality of lids are compatible with the plurality of vessel parts and the plurality of lids are designed and constructed to be interchangeable on the plurality of vessel parts to form and close a food container.