Horizontally expansible and contractible food storage container with Hinged folding cover

Abstract

A storage container has two sections of horizontally moving asymmetrical accordion pleats to change the size of the container. A mating container cover having three sections hinged together to adjust the cover to fit the container. The container and cover expand and contract horizontally to adjust the size of the container and the container opening to allow for different shapes, sizes, and volumes of food or other matter stored therein. Each accordion pleat has a pair of accordion walls hinged together of two different widths which lock together.

1 . A transformable storage device which changes the size and shape of a container bottom, a container opening and a mating container cover in a horizontal direction, the device comprising: 
 a storage container comprising a container center section comprising a non-expanding center section bottom and two non-expanding center section side walls interconnected to the center section and rising vertically therefrom, the two center section side walls spaced apart to form an opening at the tops of the side walls communicating with a storage space between the two center section side walls and the center section bottom; at least one container accordion section attached to the center section, the at least one accordion section comprising an accordion bottom attached to the center section bottom and two spaced accordion side walls sections each attached to one of the center section walls, the accordion bottom and accordion side walls formed of a series of container accordion pleats expansible and contractible in a horizontal direction to transform the horizontal size and shape of the storage container and horizontal size and shape of a top opening in the storage container to accommodate a variety of sizes and shapes of external items through the top opening into the storage container for storage therein; two opposing container end sections each comprising an end section bottom, an end wall connected to the end section bottom, and two end side walls connected to the end section bottom and end section end wall, the end sections connected to the at least one accordion section or the center section to form a storage container transformable in horizontal size and shape from a first fully extended position to a second contracted position;    a container cover comprising a non-expanding cover center section and at least one cover end section hinged together with an air sealed hinge connection so that the at least one end section is reversibly pivotable between a first extended position aligned with the center cover section to form a fully elongated container cover to mate with and cover the storage container in the first fully extended position and a second shortened position pivoted on top of the center cover section to form a contracted container cover to mate with and cover the storage container in the second contracted position.    
   
   
       2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the storage container comprises a non-expanding container center section and two accordion container sections, one on each side of the center section and two container end sections, one on each side of the container accordion sections; and the mating container cover comprises a non-expanding container cover center section to mate with and cover the container center section and two container cover end sections each attached by an airtight hinge to one side of the container cover center section so that in the first extended position each of the container cover end sections mates with and covers an extended container accordion section and a connected container end section, and when the container accordion section and the connected container end section are in the second contracted position, the mating container cover end section is pivoted up onto the container cover center section.  
   
   
       3 . The device of  claim 1  wherein each of the container accordion pleats comprises a pair of container accordion walls hinged together, comprising a first container accordion wall and a second container accordion wall both pivotally connected to a narrow connecting accordion wall, the first container accordion wall wider than the second container accordion wall so that upon compression, each of the container accordion pleats is separately collapsible with the first container accordion wall of each of the pleats forcing the second container accordion wall to snap backward internally overlapping the adjacent first container accordion wall, thereby collapsing the container accordion pleat and locking the container accordion pleat in a closed position and shortening a horizontal length of the container by a difference in width between the expanded container accordion pleat and the contracted container accordion pleat.  
   
   
       4 . The device of  claim 3  wherein the container is expansible and contractible to any desired length in increments of the difference in width of each of the container accordion pleats between the expanded and contracted position and changing the number of container accordion pleats changes the size of contraction and expansion of the container.