Apparatus for maintaining freshness in a packaged product

Abstract

A device for maintaining freshness in a packaged consumable product, which includes multiple portions of the consumable product, includes a container defining an interior and having an opening, a closure that can be mounted to the container and is configured to move between an opened position that allows access to the interior of the container and a closed position where the closure closes and seals the opening.

1 . A device for maintaining freshness of a consumable product provided in an original package, which includes multiple portions of the consumable product comprises:
 a container sized to fit within the original package of the consumable product and defining an interior and having an opening;   a closure having an access door mounted thereto, the access door movable with respect to the closure between a closed position and an opened position, wherein the closure is associated with the opening of the container and is positionable between a first position wherein the closure closes the opening when the access door is in the closed position and a second interior fill position wherein the consumable product can be placed into the interior; and   a guide operably coupled to the access door and moveable with the access door between a stored position when the access door is in the closed position and a dispensing position when the access door is in the opened position.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the operable coupling of the guide to the access door comprises a mechanical coupling that converts movement of the access door to movement of the guide. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 2  wherein the mechanical coupling comprises at least a portion of a spur gear mounted to one of the access door and the guide and at least a portion rack gear mounted on the other of the access door and the guide. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , further comprising a hinge provided between the access door and the closure to comprise the moveable mounting between the access door and the closure. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4  wherein a portion of a periphery of the closure is aligned with a portion of a periphery of the opening on the container, and a portion of a periphery of the access door is aligned with the remainder of the periphery of the opening when the access door is in the closed position and the closure is mounted to the container. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the guide has at least one protrusion at a distal end thereof, and the container further comprises at least one track in juxtaposition with the at least one protrusion on the guide to maintain a location of the guide as the guide is moved between the stored position and the dispensing position. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the container further comprises a first sealing surface and the closure includes a second sealing surface that mates with the first sealing surface when the closure is in the closed position. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the closure further comprises a locking mechanism to hold the access door in the opened position. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8  wherein the locking mechanism comprises at least one retainer on one of the access door and the closure, and an aligned at least one retainer on the other of the access door and the closure, wherein the at least one retainer on the access door and the at least one retainer on the closure are configured to releasably engage with one another when the access door is moved to the opened position. 
     
     
         10 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the closure is detachably mounted to the container around a periphery of the opening in the closed position. 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the container includes an adjustment mechanism which can be moved to adjust a lateral size of an exterior of the container to fit within a variety of consumable product packages, when the consumable product package is inserted onto the exterior of the container. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 11  wherein the adjustment mechanism comprises a first wall portion of the container that is slidingly received into a second wall portion of the container, wherein movement of the second wall portion relative to the first wall portion thereby changes the size of the exterior of the container. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 11  wherein an exterior of the container comprises at least one recess having a depth, and the adjustment mechanism comprises an insert having an extension wall and tabs at first and second ends thereof, wherein the insert can be mounted within the recess along the depth thereof so that the tabs engage a portion of the recess and the insert extends beyond at least one wall of the container to adjust an overall size of the exterior of the container. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1  wherein the container has a downturned lip surrounding a periphery of the opening, forming a receiver for an upper edge of the original package of the consumable product, when the original package is inserted over the container after the consumable product has been removed from the original package and placed into the interior of the container.