Food storage containers

Abstract

In some embodiments, a food container for retaining and displaying a plurality of food items includes a base having triangular overall perimeter. The base includes a bottom wall portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion such that the bottom wall portion and the sidewall portion together define three interconnected substantially circular cavities each configured to retain a substantially circular food item. The container further includes a lid configured to couple to the base and cover the substantially circular cavities of the base and the food items retained in the substantially circular cavities of the base. The lid is also configured for uncoupling from the base to uncover the cavities of the base and provide access to the food items retained in the substantially circular cavities of the base.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A food container for retaining and displaying a plurality of food items, the food container comprising:
 a base having a bottom wall portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from a perimeter of the bottom wall portion, the bottom wall portion and the sidewall portion together defining three interconnected substantially circular cavities each configured to retain a portion of a substantially circular food item;   the base including a multi-faceted central protuberance extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion; and   a lid having a top wall portion and a skirt portion depending downwardly from a perimeter of the top wall portion, the top wall portion and the skirt portion together defining three interconnected substantially circular cavities configured to cover the interconnected substantially circular cavities of the base, the top wall portion including a central protuberance extending downwardly therefrom;   wherein portions of the central protuberance of the base, together with portions of the sidewall portion located opposite the portions of the central protuberance of the base, define a plurality of channels that interconnect the three substantially circular cavities of the base.   
     
     
         2 . The food container of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the perimeter of the bottom wall portion includes three substantially circular perimeter portions and three linear perimeter portions interconnecting the substantially circular perimeter portions;   wherein the sidewall portion includes three substantially circular sidewall portions and three linear sidewall portions interconnecting the substantially circular sidewall portions; and   wherein none of the three substantially circular perimeter portions forms a complete circle; and   wherein none of the three substantially circular sidewall portions forms a complete circle.   
     
     
         3 . The food container of  claim 2 ,
 wherein each of the three linear sidewall portions includes a strengthening rib extending upwardly from a respective one of the three linear perimeter portions of the bottom wall portion.   
     
     
         4 . The food container of  claim 3 ,
 wherein the central protuberance of the base includes three major facets each including a strengthening rib, each of the strengthening ribs of the three major facets of the central protuberance of the base being located directly opposite a respective one of the strengthening ribs of the three linear sidewall portions; and   wherein the three major facets, together with their respective three linear side wall portions, define the channels that interconnect the three substantially circular cavities of the base.   
     
     
         5 . The food container of  claim 4 ,
 wherein the central protuberance of the base includes three minor facets each located between adjacent ones of the three major facets of the central protuberance of the base, each of the minor facets extending upwardly from a base of the central protuberance and terminating in an upwardly facing lip configured to support at least a portion of packaging material retaining the food item therein; and   wherein the central protuberance of the lid includes three facets, each of the three facets of the central protuberance of the lid including a rounded tab extending therefrom; and   wherein, when the lid and the base are coupled together, the at least a portion of the packaging material is retained between the rounded tab and the upwardly facing lip.   
     
     
         6 . The food container of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the central protuberance of the base includes a top-most upwardly-facing surface and a lid-coupling aperture formed in the top-most upwardly-facing surface of the central protuberance of the base;   wherein the central protuberance of the lid includes a bottom-most downward-facing surface and a projection extending downwardly from the bottom-most downward-facing surface of the central protuberance, the projection being configured to mate with the lid-coupling aperture of the central protuberance of the base when the lid and the base are coupled together; and   wherein the top-most upwardly-facing surface of the central protuberance of the base and the bottom-most downward-facing surface are in contact with each other, and the projection of the central protuberance of the lid is located in the lid-coupling aperture of the central protuberance of the base when the lid and the base are coupled together.   
     
     
         7 . The food container of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewall portion extends upwardly from the perimeter of the bottom wall portion to a peripheral rim including three substantially circular portions extending along the three interconnected substantially circular cavities of the base. 
     
     
         8 . The food container of  claim 7 ,
 wherein the peripheral rim includes:
 an upwardly-facing surface having an inner edge and an outer edge; and 
 a raised perimeter portion extending upwardly from the outer edge of the upwardly-facing surface of the peripheral rim; and 
   wherein a flange extends outwardly from the raised perimeter portion of the peripheral rim, the flange including an upwardly-facing surface including a plurality of recesses configured to receive matching protrusions of the lid when the lid and the base are coupled together.   
     
     
         9 . The food container of  claim 8 , wherein the skirt portion of the lid extends downwardly from the perimeter of the top wall portion of the lid to a peripheral rim including three substantially circular portions extending along the three interconnected substantially circular cavities of the lid. 
     
     
         10 . The food container of  claim 9 ,
 wherein the peripheral rim of the skirt portion of the lid includes an downward facing surface having an inner edge and an outer edge;   wherein a flange extends outwardly from the outer edge of the downward facing surface of the peripheral rim of the skirt portion of the lid, the flange including:
 a raised perimeter portion extending downwardly from a distal edge of the flange; and 
 a plurality of protrusions configured to mate with the recesses located in the flange of the base when the lid and the base are coupled together. 
   
     
     
         11 . The food container of  claim 10 , wherein each of the flange of the lid and the flange of the base has a generally triangular overall perimeter. 
     
     
         12 . The food container of  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the base and lid comprises at least one of a polymer material and a plastic material. 
     
     
         13 . The food container of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of food items retained at least partially in the interconnected substantially circular cavities of the base. 
     
     
         14 . A base for a food container for retaining and displaying a plurality of food items, the base comprising:
 a bottom wall portion having a perimeter;   a sidewall portion extending upwardly from the perimeter of the bottom wall portion;   the bottom wall portion and the sidewall portion together defining three interconnected substantially circular cavities each configured to retain a portion of a substantially circular food item;   a central protuberance extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion and including a plurality of facets, three of the facets of the central protuberance each defining a part of a respective one of the three interconnected substantially circular cavities of the base.   
     
     
         15 . The base of  claim 14 ,
 wherein the perimeter of the bottom wall portion includes three substantially circular perimeter portions and three linear perimeter portions interconnecting the substantially circular perimeter portions;   wherein the sidewall portion includes three substantially circular sidewall portions and three linear sidewall portions interconnecting the substantially circular sidewall portions;   wherein each of the three linear sidewall portions includes a strengthening rib extending upwardly from a respective one of the three linear perimeter portions of the bottom wall portion;   wherein the central protuberance of the base includes three major facets each including a strengthening rib, the three major facets extending upward from the bottom wall portion to a top-most upwardly-facing surface of the central protuberance including a lid-coupling aperture formed therein; and   wherein the central protuberance of the base includes three minor facets each located between adjacent ones of the three major facets of the central protuberance of the base, each of the minor facets extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion and terminating in an upwardly facing lip located below the top-most upwardly-facing surface and configured to support at least a portion of packaging material retaining the food item.   
     
     
         16 . The base of  claim 15 ,
 wherein each of the strengthening ribs of the three major facets of the central protuberance of the base is located directly opposite a respective one of the strengthening ribs of the three linear sidewall portions;   wherein the three major facets of the central protuberance of the base, together with their respective three linear side wall portions, define the channels that interconnect the three substantially circular cavities of the base;   wherein none of the three substantially circular perimeter portions of the bottom wall portion forms a complete circle; and   wherein none of the three substantially circular sidewall portions forms a complete circle.   
     
     
         17 . The base of  claim 14 , wherein the sidewall portion extends upwardly from the perimeter of the bottom wall portion to a peripheral rim including three substantially circular portions extending along the three interconnected substantially circular cavities, the peripheral rim including an upwardly-facing surface having an inner edge and an outer edge and a raised perimeter portion extending upwardly from the outer edge of the upwardly-facing surface of the peripheral rim. 
     
     
         18 . The base of  claim 17 , wherein a flange extends outwardly from the raised perimeter portion of the peripheral rim, the flange including an upwardly-facing surface including a plurality of recesses configured to receive matching protrusions of a lid. 
     
     
         19 . The base of  claim 18 , wherein the flange has a generally triangular overall perimeter. 
     
     
         20 . The base of  claim 14 , wherein the base comprises at least one of a polymer material and a plastic material. 
     
     
         21 . The base of  claim 14 , further comprising a plurality of food items retained at least partially in the interconnected substantially circular cavities of the base. 
     
     
         22 . A lid for coupling to a base of a food container for retaining and displaying a plurality of food items, the lid comprising:
 a top wall portion having a perimeter;   a skirt portion depending downwardly from the perimeter of the top wall portion;   the top wall portion and the skirt portion together defining three interconnected substantially circular cavities configured to cover matching substantially circular cavities of the base;   a central protuberance extending downwardly from the top wall portion and including a plurality of facets, three of the facets of the central protuberance each defining a part of a respective one of the three interconnected substantially circular cavities of the lid.   
     
     
         23 . The lid of  claim 22 ,
 wherein each of the three facets of the central protuberance of the lid includes a rounded tab extending therefrom and configured to overlay at least a portion of food packaging material retaining the food item when the lid and the base are coupled together; and   wherein the central protuberance of the lid includes a bottom-most downward-facing surface and a projection extending downwardly from the bottom-most downward-facing surface, the projection being configured to mate with a lid-coupling aperture of the central protuberance of the base when the lid and the base are coupled together.   
     
     
         24 . The lid of  claim 22 , wherein the skirt of the lid extends downwardly from the perimeter of the top wall portion of the lid to a peripheral rim including three substantially circular portions extending along the three interconnected substantially circular cavities of the lid. 
     
     
         25 . The lid of  claim 24 , wherein the peripheral rim includes an downward facing surface having an inner edge and an outer edge and a flange extending outwardly from the outer edge of the downward facing surface of the peripheral rim. 
     
     
         26 . The lid of  claim 24 , wherein the flange includes a raised perimeter portion extending downwardly from a distal edge of the flange and a plurality of protrusions configured to mate with matching recesses of the base when the lid and the base are coupled together. 
     
     
         27 . The lid of  claim 25 , wherein the flange has a generally triangular overall perimeter. 
     
     
         28 . The lid of  claim 22 , wherein the base comprises at least one of a polymer material and a plastic material. 
     
     
         29 . A food container for retaining and displaying a plurality of food items, the food container comprising:
 a base having a bottom wall portion and a sidewall portion extending upwardly from a perimeter of the bottom wall portion, the bottom wall portion and the sidewall portion together defining three interconnected substantially circular cavities each configured to retain a substantially circular food item; and   a lid configured to substantially cover the substantially circular cavities of the base;   wherein the base comprises at least one of a polymer material and a plastic material; and   wherein an outer perimeter of the base forms a generally triangular shape having rounded corners and inwardly curved side portions.   
     
     
         30 . The food container of  claim 29 ,
 wherein the base includes a multi-faceted central protuberance extending upwardly from the bottom wall portion, three facets of the central protuberance each including a strengthening rib;   wherein the sidewall portion includes three linear portions each including a strengthening rib; and   wherein the three facets of the central protuberance that each include the strengthening rib and the three linear portions that each include the strengthening rib are located opposite one another to form three pairs, each of the pairs defining a channel that interconnects the three substantially circular cavities of the base.