Food Container Lid Protrusions for Decorated Item Retention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing food containers fail to effectively prevent vertical movement of decorated food items during transport and display, leading to potential damage and loss of aesthetic appeal.

Innovation Solution

A container design with a base and lid featuring protrusions that extend downward from the lid to engage undecorated marginal portions of the food items, preventing axial movement and maintaining the decorated sections away from the container's interior.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a container lid is closed to secure food items, then the food items are held in place, but the decorated sections may contact the container interior and suffer damage

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood item retentionVSAvoiddamage to decorated sections

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a vertical dimension to the retention mechanism by extending protrusions downward from the lid into the container cavity. These protrusions engage with the food items from above, creating a vertical retention force that holds food items in place without requiring the decorated sections to contact the container interior surfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The protrusions act as intermediary elements between the lid and the food items. Instead of the lid directly contacting and potentially damaging the decorated sections, the protrusions serve as a mediating structure that transfers the retention function while maintaining clearance between the lid interior surface and the food item decorations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If protrusions are extended downward from the lid to engage food items, then vertical movement is prevented, but the lid structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefood item position stabilityVSAvoidlid structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The protrusions are integrated directly into the lid structure, merging the retention function with the existing lid component. This consolidation approach provides stable food item positioning while avoiding the need for separate, additional retention mechanisms that would increase overall device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The lid structure serves multiple functions: it provides closure for the container, structural support for the food items, and through the integrated protrusions, vertical retention capability. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and maintains relative structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20240300727A1Container for food items

Publication Date: 2024.09.12 GIVE & GO PREPARED FOODS

AI summary

A method of providing packaged food items on display in a retail store includes preparing a plurality of edible body portions of respective food items in a preparation facility, and loading the food items in a container. The container has a lid with at least one protrusion extending downward from a lid upper surface. After applying an edible decorating product to a decoration portion of an upper surface of the edible body portion of each food item, the lid is closed, thereby bringing respective retainers of the protrusion into abutment with undecorated marginal portions of the upper surface of the edible body portions of each food item. The container is then placed for display on a sales shelf in the retail store.