US1858294A - Lunch box - Google Patents

Description

2 Sheets-Shet l J. H. DEVINE LUNCH Box Filed June 21, 192g ffzmfvz for Jawa? ewfz May 17, 1932.

J. H'. DEvlNE lMay 17, 1932.

LUNCH BGX Filed June 21, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Illlllllllllllllflllllgllll111111111111111 Patented May 17, 1932 narrato sra ras JAMES n. nnvma on crmurarem rumors,

Limon Box Application fired; :une 21, 192s; serial' Nn., 287:105;

This invention relates to food containers,

andI more particularly' to lunch boxes, picnicl boxes, andI containers 03E similar nature.

It 1s known toA provide lunehi boxes and Bf coi-itainers of similar nature` havingfassociati`v ed therewithveither retrigerating orwheat` radiating means, optionally, for coohngor heating; the contents ofthe box or containl have tou-nd that devices ot 10 tliisfcharacter, as commonlyconstructed, aire erI as, desi'redf.

objectionable in tliat avery appreciable part of the heating or cooling elect is lost by ifa-- (li-ation. or conductiom as the case. maybe. This objection. can be avoided by properly mi disposing` the container for the cooling' or heat' radiating material? relative tothe food andi in such: manner tllatthe ii'ood? itself maybe` utilized to insulate the tank or container tory' they refrigerant or the heated substance.

mi By.- this arrangement, the food isactedupon: to. thebest advantage and-f the heating ortho rerigenant effect producedf is materiallypno longed-1 andi its effectiveness greatly in.- creased'.I

n @ne oi the. main. objects. of my.A innen.

tion; istoaprovide a lunch boxl orkiztzof neat and attractive appearance which can be read ily produced at relatively small cost, andnzhich.- is highlyv sanitaryl and' can be readily ai assembled and disassembled.. A tur-therl object is to; provide a. lunch box having a tank,

or body` providing a source of heat or cold,`

as: desired. this body being;- so. supported inv al, structure associatedI therewith aat-o,y permit the food; co1 be introduced. about: thel bodyY in suehi manner as toinsu-late they same: and also; tof be acted upon to. best advantage by the.

heat or the cold, as the case may; be1,roii'V the body., A further objectk is to provide af conectively insulated from the( casing;` Funftai'ner in which; the body is disposed' and; means associated with the container andi a caslng therefor whereby the container 1s efey then objects and, advantageszwilh appear: trom Y Fig; 3fis: aesect'ion taken substantially on line of 2;'

Figa 4i`s. a side View of the sandwich and tank.'receiafingftrame;

' Fig; isa section taken; lineiwot Fig, 4;`

*Eig @Bis a fragmentary sectional view', on an enlarged scale, throughthe filling neck ot the tankand associated parts;Y

Eig: rf'is af-sectfion taken1 substantially onv line. 7?-7 of. 4, onf anrenlarged scale;

Fig. Sisa detail sectional view through one-- ot" the top spacing and? cushion members of thel sandwich and' tank 'receiving trame, on1 an: enlairgedscalei.'

lin constructingy my lunch box, I providev av suitable casing l of? rectan-gularI shape in Vertical? and? horizontal section. This casing may be tormedf o any suitablematerial, though preferably use sheet metal, preferably aluminum. 'The casirigma-y be given a. suitable iinislr to represent Wood, in alino-Wn. manner, or the'v casing; mayY be covered with leather or other vsuitablemaf-terial'f, so as to present a neat andi attractivefappea-rance; A cover 2 is hingedly'securedftocasing' at 3 andmaybe constructed ot' the samegmaterial' as the` casing. A suitable handlel t is suitably securedl tlostlecover, as bybeing' rivetedfthereto, and-I the-cover ils furtlienprovided', at its front edge, with a@ liaspnhich cooperates With av lock 6 iioivloclsing the coverclosed'. Preferably thecoverl is; alsoA securect by t-Wospring clasps 75 known type, inA a known manner;

et lowerfcontainer is disposed Within the lowerportion of casing 1. This container comprises an: inner' member 8, preferably of' glass, which: is spacedi a-Way from they casing 1- by alientanmember 9 formed ot'fco-rl or other suitablematerialwhich isfan efiicien-t heat in-h surlatoriandis alsoo-f li-ght Weight. I also contemplate insulating4 the inner member 8 from the-casing ll by a; space between this membery andir the casing, this space being exfhausted-to provide a-v vacuum, iny a knownV substantially onf manner: The'i'nner member'orliner'S of glassis non-corrodible and provides a sanitary' contarncr" whichl rsf not affected by articles of foodgthus'assurmg th at the container is 'main- 'tainedgv inI a: sanitary condition;

roo

The upper e-nd or top of the lower container is closed by a suitable flanged cover 10 which fits snugly into the upper end of the container so as to form a tight closure therewith. This cover may be constructed of any suitable heat insulating material, such as wood, and is provided with a central depression 411 having a transverse rib 12 which provides a gripping element for removing the cover from the container. The cover 10 is preferably provided with an inner layer 10aofsheetl cork or other suitable heat insulating material, or may be formed entirely of such material.

An upper container 13 in the form of a relatively deep tray is mounted in the upper portionvof casing 1 and seats upon cover '10. This container 13 is preferably formed of sheet aluminum and is divided by a transverse partition 14 into two compartments, 15

i and 16. The compartmentl is adapted for reception of two one-half pint vacuum bottles or containers though, obviously, this compartment can be used to contain various other articles desired. The compartment 164 is adapted for reception of a supplemental container 17 having a glassliner 18 and in-l sulated from the tray or container'13 by a surrounding` layer of cork or other suitable 1nsulating material. This container 17 is also provided with a snugly fitting cover 20 which maybe formed offwood, cork, orany other suitable or-preferred material, a good insulator of heat being p-referably used. The supplemental container 17 is constructed simi-v larly,in all essential respects, to the lower container and, if desired, the insulating layer of cork 19 may be replaced a space from which the air is exhausted to form a vacuum, in a manner well understood in the art.

- The lower container receives a frame 21 which is of rectangular shape in plan and in side view, this frame being formed ,of sheet metal, preferably sheet aluminum. The frame 21 is provided at each end and at its `bottom with outwardly projecting spacing ymembers 22 which serve to space the frame fromthe .bottom and end walls .of the glass liner 8. Similar spacing members 23 (Fig. 3) are also provided at each end of the frame and project laterally thereof so as to space the frame from the side walls of the liner 8, as illustrated. In this manner, the frame is supported out of contact with the liner and is effectively insulated therefrom, by the spacing elements 22 and 23, whichare of relatively small area, so that the flow of heat between the frame and the container by conduction is" reduced to aminimum. This is of very material assistance m preventing loss of heat 0r cold, as the 4case may be, due to conductionl between the frame and the container therefor. f l

A channel member2t (Fig. 7 is secured to the inner face of each-end wall 26 of frame 21. This member is' arranged transversely of end wall 25 and is disposed substantially centrally of such wall. Channel member 24 1s closed at one end, at 26, and is provided at its other end with a depending U-shaped flange 27 adapted for reception of the lower portion of a latch plate 28 pivoted at 29 on the upper liange of channel member 24. The channelmembers receive lugs 30l of elongated rectangular shape which are secured to the ends of a tank 31. This tank is flat and relatively thin, being of rectangular shape transversely and longitudinally.

' The tank 31 may be constructed of any suitable material depending largely upon the characteristics of the substance to be placed within the tank. Under ordinary conditions,

this tank may be constructed of sheet alu-V I have found the manner of mounting t e4 tank which I have illustrated anddescribed highly eliicient, as permitting ready insertion and removal of the tank. l

Tank 31 is provided, in one side wall there of, with a cylindrical opening 32, in which isdisposed a flange neck 33 suitably secured, as by soldering, to the tank wall. This neck is adapted for reception of a suitable closure member, such as acork stopper .34, and is exteriorly threaded for reception of a suitable cap 35 screwed thereon. Preferably, an expansion spring 36 is conined between the cap 35 and the outer end of stopper 34 and serves to effectively hold the stopper in the neck 33, the stopper and the cap cooperating to precent leakage of thecontainer through neck 33. Other means than that illustrated may be provided for filling and emptying the tank. v.

Tank 31 is supported in spaced relation to the top and bottom walls ofthe frame 21, as illustrated. Suitable trays'37, which may be formed of sheet aluminum, are adapted to lit snugly between the tank and the top and bottom ofthe frame, these trays and the tank cooperating to close the sides of the frame. The trays 37 are adapted for reception of sandwiches or other articles of food placed therein, as illustrated in Fig. 5.

With the trays insertedl into the frame 21,

the upper tray rests upon the top wall of the estema y the tank from the frame.

To prevent any vertical looseness or play of the frame 21, I preferably provide suitable cushioning members on the top of the frame. These members are indicated by ref-y erence number` 38. Each of the members 38 comprises a neck 39 provided at its lower end with a flange 40 which is suitably secured to the top wall of the frame 21, this neck slidably receiving a shank 41 which depends from a button shaped head 42. An expansion coil spring 43 is mounted about member 38 and is confined between head 42 and fiange 40. Upward movement of the shank 41 is limited by a pin 44 secured therethrough, this pin passing through slot 45 in neck 39. Vhen cover 10 is depressed into its lower-most or operative position, which occurs when the upper container or tray 13 is in position and the cover 2 is secured closed, the heads 42 of the members 3S are depressed placing springs 43 under compression. These springs serve to effectively hold the frame 21 against any undesirable looseness or play in a vertical direction while also eliminating liability of breakage of the inner glass member or liner 8 of the lower container due to pressure exerted thereon.

In practice, the tank 31 is removed from the frame 21 and is filled with a suitable refrigerant or a suitable heat retaining substance, as desired. If a refrigerant is desired, the tank 31, including the solution therein, may be cooled down by being placed in crushed ice, or a mixture of crushed ice and salt, or in any other suitable manner as by being placed over night in a refrigerator. If it is desired to maintain the sandwiches or other articles of food hot, the tank may be filled with boiling water or with a suitable solution which has been heated. A solution of an organic substance, such as glycerine, is preferably used. Obviously, after having once been filled, instead of heating water of a solution and pouring it into the tank, the tank and the contents thereof may be heated as a unit in any suitable manner. The tank is then replaced in frame 21 and the sandwiches or other articles of food, either with or without the trays 37, are inserted into the frame between the top and bottom walls hereof and the tank. The frame, together with the tank and the sandwiches, as wel] as the trays 37, if used, is then replaced in the lower container as a unit, after which the upper container 13 is replaced and the box is closed.

The container 17 is intended for reception of fruit, preserves, and other articles of food. The glass lining 18 of this supplemental compartment assures that it will be maintained in a. neat and sanitary condition, since the fruit juices will not attack the glass lining.

While I have illustrated and described my invention as applied to a lunch box, it is well adapted for other. vpurposes as by making it in larger sizes, it is capable ofcontaining relatively large quantities of food stuffsV for picnicsand other purposes.

- Sincey the frame 21 is effectually insulated from the lower container, and the tank 31 is,

in great part, insulated from frame 21, loss of` heat or cold from the tank 31 due to conduc# tion between the outer casing l and the tank and associatedl parts is reduced to a minimum.

As al result, the articles of food which are disposed closely adjacent the tank will be kept in the desired condition for a relatively long period of time. This produces a device of high efficiency but simple and inexpensive construction which may be readily assembled and disassembled for storing the food and giving access thereto.

The inner surface of case 1 is preferably highly polished to reflect heat. This is of advantage as decreasing the loss of heat by radiation, and contributes to the efficiency of the box when used for heating articles of food.

As will bev understood by those skilled in the art, and as above indicated, changes in construction and arrangement of parts of the invention may be resorted to Wit-hout departing from the field and scope of the same, and I intend to include all such variations, as fall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application, in which the preferred form only of my invention is disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. In a lunch kit, a casing, a container within the casing and thermally insulated therefrom, a frame removably mounted in the container and open at one side, channel members secured to the inner face of each end wall of the frame and extending transversely thereof, and a tank having end lugs fitting into the channel members and cooperating therewith to support the tank substantially centrally of the frame.

2. In a lunch kit, a casing, a container Within the casing and thermally insulated therefrom, a frame removably mounted in the container and open at one side, open ended channel members secured to the end Walls of the frame and disposed transversely thereof, a tank having end supporting lugs slidable into and out of said members, and removable means for closing the ends of the channel members against withdrawal therefrom of said lugs.

3. In a lunch kit, a casing, a container within the casing and thermally insulated therefrom, a frame removably mounted in the container, and open at one side, and a tank inl sertible into and removable from the frame, said tank and the frame having cooperating channel elements and projections for supporting and guiding the tank, and means cooperating with said projections for releasably securing the tank in the frame.

4. In a lunch kit, a casing, a container Within the casing and thermally insulated therefrom, a frame removably mounted in the container and open at one side, a tank vinsertble intoand removable from the frame, means for guiding and supporting the tank, and means for releasably securing said tank in the frame.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 16 day of June, 1928.

v i JAMES H. DEVINE.

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