Food storage and serving device

Abstract

A sealed portable container for storing a food item such as cheese in a refrigerator, transporting the item to another location, and serving the item to individuals. The container having a housing with an interior adapted to store the food item, and a drawer insertable into the storage container for inserting and removing the food item within the housing. The container forms a seal between the drawer and the housing for retaining the freshness of the item when the drawer is fully inserted into the housing. The drawer may be used as a serving tray, and additionally, the drawer may be used as an integrated cutting surface.

1 . A portable food storage and serving container comprising: 
 a housing having an exterior wall and an opening, the exterior wall bounding a storage interior; and    a drawer having a tray with a top surface, the tray slidably and removeably insertable into the storage interior through the opening, the drawer forming a seal and closing off the opening when the drawer is fully inserted into the housing interior.    
   
   
       2 . The container of  claim 1 , wherein the drawer further comprises a drawer face coupled to the tray, the drawer face arranged to close off the opening.  
   
   
       3 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the drawer face and tray are integrally formed as a single unit.  
   
   
       4 . The container of  claim 2 , wherein the drawer face is removeably mounted to the tray.  
   
   
       5 . The container of  claim 4 , wherein the tray comprises a connector carried near a front edge of the tray, and wherein the drawer face is removeably mountable to the connector.  
   
   
       6 . The container of  claim 5 , wherein the drawer face comprises a receptacle, and wherein the connector of the tray is removeably insertable into the receptacle of the drawer face.  
   
   
       7 . The container of  claim 6 , wherein the receptacle of the drawer face comprises at least one aperture and wherein the connector of the tray comprises at least one flexible tab, the tab adapted to releasably engage the aperture of the drawer face upon insertion of the connector into the receptacle.  
   
   
       8 . The device of  claim 2 , wherein the drawer face comprises an inner surface having a perimeter, the inner surface having a skirt extending inwardly from at least a portion of the perimeter of the inner surface of the drawer face.  
   
   
       9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the skirt comprises at least one radially outwardly extending sealing lip that bears against at least a portion of the housing to form a seal between the drawer and the housing when the drawer is inserted in the storage interior.  
   
   
       10 . The device of  claim 9 , wherein the opening into the housing interior comprises an opening perimeter and an inner surface, and wherein the at least one sealing lip comprises a first sealing lip to form a first seal between the drawer and the opening perimeter, and a second sealing lip to form a second seal between the drawer and the inner surface of the housing interior near the opening perimeter.  
   
   
       11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the top surface of the tray comprises a cutting surface.  
   
   
       12 . The device of  claim 11 , wherein the cutting surface is integrally formed as the top surface of the tray.  
   
   
       13 . A cheese storage and serving device comprising: 
 a housing having an exterior wall bounding a housing interior, the exterior wall terminating at a front end that defines an opening into the housing interior;    a drawer having a drawer face coupled to a drawer tray adapted to support at least a portion of a block of cheese, the drawer removeably slideably mountable within the housing; and    a seal formed when at least a portion of the drawer face bears against the housing when the drawer is in a closed position.    
   
   
       14 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the drawer tray comprises a top surface having a perimeter and having a lip extending upwardly relative to the top surface near at least a portion of the perimeter of the top surface.  
   
   
       15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein the lip is positioned on an end of the drawer tray opposite the drawer face.  
   
   
       16 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the drawer tray has a bottom surface with at least one beam extending downwardly from at least a portion of the bottom surface.  
   
   
       17 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the drawer face is removeably mounted to the drawer tray.  
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the drawer tray comprises a connector carried near a front edge of the drawer tray, and wherein the drawer face is removeably mounted to the connector.  
   
   
       19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the drawer face comprises a channel, and wherein the connector of the drawer tray is adapted to be removeably inserted into the channel of the drawer face.  
   
   
       20 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the drawer face comprises at least one aperture, and wherein the connector of the drawer tray comprises at least one tab, the tab adapted to releasably engage the aperture of the drawer face.  
   
   
       21 . The device of  claim 13 , wherein the drawer face comprises an inner surface having a perimeter, the inner surface having a skirt extending inwardly from at least a portion of the perimeter of the inner surface.  
   
   
       22 . The device of  claim 21 , wherein the skirt comprises at least one radially outwardly extending sealing lip arranged to bear against the housing when the drawer is in the closed position.  
   
   
       23 . The device of  claim 22 , wherein the opening into the housing interior comprises an opening perimeter and an inner surface, and wherein the at least one sealing lip comprises a first sealing lip to form a seal between the drawer and the opening perimeter, and a second sealing lip to form a seal between the drawer and the inner surface of the housing interior.