Air-tight container system for cookies or other food items

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment of a container system includes a container vessel, a lid configured to attach to the vessel, and a seal or gasket member for providing a seal between the vessel and the lid which is substantially air-tight.

1 . A container system, comprising:
 a container vessel, the vessel having a bottom floor portion, a sidewall portion and an open top, the vessel having a vessel sealing surface at or adjacent the open top and a locking detent engagement surface;   a lid configured to attach to the vessel, the lid fabricated as a unitary structure and including a peripheral structure portion and a lid web portion enclosing the area surrounded by the peripheral structure portion, the peripheral structure portion including a downwardly protruding lid wall portion; and   a seal structure carried by the lid, the seal structure for providing a peripheral seal between the vessel and the lid which is substantially air-tight when the lid is attached to the vessel, the seal structure including an elastomeric peripheral portion protruding generally outwardly around an entire interior peripheral region of the lid toward said lid wall portion, the peripheral portion configured to engage against the vessel seal surface as the lid is being positioned onto the top of the vessel, the elastomeric peripheral portion configured to be deflected by the vessel seal surface and rotated toward the open top of the vessel such that a sealing surface of the seal structure engages the vessel sealing surface to provide a substantially air tight seal between the lid and the vessel.   
     
     
         2 . The container system of  claim 1 , wherein the open top of the container vessel has a generally circular periphery. 
     
     
         3 . The container system of  claim 1 , wherein the container vessel and the lid are each fabricated from a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         4 . The container system of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel sealing surface is formed by an inner surface of the sidewall portion. 
     
     
         5 . The container system of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel has a circular footprint, and the sidewall portion has an inverted frustoconical configuration, with a slight taper from a somewhat large diameter of the open top of the vessel to a somewhat smaller diameter of the bottom floor portion of the vessel. 
     
     
         6 . The container system of  claim 5 , wherein the vessel bottom floor portion has a downwardly protruding peripheral stacking rib, and the lid has a stacking feature defined in a top surface to receive a stacking rib of the bottom floor of a like-sized second vessel of a second container system in a stacked configuration. 
     
     
         7 . The container system of  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral structure portion of the lid further includes a latch detent to provide a latching mechanism to engage the locking detent engagement surface of the vessel to hold the lid in place on the vessel. 
     
     
         8 . The container system of  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral lid portion includes a plurality of lock channels which each define an opening for insertion of a stacking binding element to provide for secure holding of the binding element, to facilitate tying together a plurality of container systems in a stacked configuration. 
     
     
         9 . A container set of a plurality of different sized container systems according to  claim 1 , the plurality of container systems including first and second container systems, the first system sized to accommodate the second system within the vessel of the first system in a nested configuration. 
     
     
         10 . A container set according to  claim 9 , further comprising a third container system configured to fit within the vessel of the second container system in the nested configuration. 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the seal structure comprises a separate seal member, the lid peripheral structure includes a peripheral seal channel, and the seal structure includes a main body portion and a leg portion, the main body portion positioned in the seal channel of the lid, and the sealing surface is located at the bottom edge of the leg of the seal to engage the vessel sealing surface as the lid is positioned onto the top of the vessel. 
     
     
         12 . A container system, comprising:
 a container vessel fabricated from a thermoplastic material, the vessel having a bottom floor portion, a sidewall portion and an open top circumscribed by a locking lip portion with a downwardly protruding lip leg portion and a top flat portion, and a locking bottom surface portion to form a locking detent engagement surface, the vessel having a vessel sealing surface at or adjacent the locking lip portion;   a lid configured to attach to the vessel, the lid fabricated as a unitary structure and including a peripheral structure portion and a lid web portion enclosing the area surrounded by the peripheral structure portion, the peripheral portion defining a seal channel and further including a downwardly protruding lid wall portion, with an interior surface from which a latch detent protrudes; and   a seal member for providing a seal between the vessel and the lid which is substantially air-tight when the lid is attached to the vessel, the seal including a main body portion and a leg portion, the main body portion positioned in the seal channel of the lid, and a sealing surface located at the bottom edge of the leg portion of the seal to engage the vessel sealing surface as the lid is positioned onto the top of the vessel.   
     
     
         13 . The container system of  claim 12 , wherein the open top of the container vessel has a generally circular periphery. 
     
     
         14 . The container system of  claim 12 , wherein the seal member is fabricated of an elastomeric material. 
     
     
         15 . The container system of  claim 12 , wherein the vessel sealing surface is formed by an inner surface of the sidewall portion. 
     
     
         16 . The container system of  claim 12 , wherein the vessel has a circular footprint, and the sidewall portion has an inverted frustoconical configuration, with a taper from a somewhat large diameter of the open top of the vessel to a somewhat smaller diameter of the bottom floor portion of the vessel. 
     
     
         17 . The container system of  claim 12 , wherein the vessel bottom floor portion has a downwardly protruding peripheral stacking rib, and the lid has a stacking feature defined in a top surface to receive a stacking rib of the bottom floor of a like-sized second vessel of a second container system in a stacked configuration. 
     
     
         18 . The container system of  claim 12 , wherein the peripheral lid portion includes a plurality of lock channels which each define an opening for insertion of a stacking binding element to provide for secure holding of the binding element, to facilitate tying together a plurality of container systems in a stacked configuration. 
     
     
         19 . A container set of a plurality of different sized container systems according to  claim 12 , the plurality of container systems including first and second container systems, the first system sized to accommodate the second system within the vessel of the first system in a nested configuration. 
     
     
         20 . A container set according to  claim 19 , further comprising a third container system configured to fit within the vessel of the second container system in the nested configuration. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the seal member is fabricated of an elastomeric material, and said leg portion is configured to be deflected by the vessel seal surface and rotated toward the open top of the vessel as the lid is brought into contact with the vessel such that the sealing surface of the seal member engages the vessel sealing surface to provide a substantially air tight seal between the lid and the vessel. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the lid is fabricated from a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         23 . A container set of a plurality of like or differently sized container systems,
 each container system including a container vessel having an open top, and a lid for removable attachment to the open top of the vessel; and   wherein a peripheral lid portion of each lid includes a plurality of lock channels which each define an opening for insertion of a stacking binding element to provide for secure holding of the binding element, to facilitate tying together said plurality of container systems in a stacked configuration.   
     
     
         24 . The container set of  claim 23 , wherein each container system includes a peripheral seal structure between the vessel and the lid which is substantially air-tight when the lid is attached to the vessel. 
     
     
         25 . The container set of  claim 23 , wherein a peripheral structure portion of the lid includes a latch detent to provide a latching mechanism to engage the vessel to hold the lid in place on the vessel. 
     
     
         26 . The container set of  claim 23 , wherein the plurality of container systems includes first and second container systems, the first system sized to accommodate the second system within the vessel of the first system in a nested configuration.