Tray with a plurality of cavities for the freezing and storage of foodstuffs in specific volumes, and methods to stabilize said tray

Abstract

A tray for the storage and preservation of foods and liquids that has a plurality of cavities, the volumes of which are common units of measure in cooking recipes and for calorie counting. A lid is also described which fits tightly onto the top of the tray to act as a sealing piece to help in the extended preservation of the contents of the tray. The lid also acts as a stabilizing element. When the tray is made from a flexible material, design features that create an internal support structure are described. There is also an optional external support structure that can be manufactured and attached to the tray to add dimensional stability, when necessary.

1 . A storage device for preserving and freezing foods and liquids: a tray with a plurality of cavities; a lid that fits on top of the tray; an optional external support structure into which the tray is placed. 
     
     
         2 . The tray as defined in  claim 1  wherein said tray is manufactured from any of the family of silicones that are considered food-safe. 
     
     
         3 . The tray as defined in  claim 1  wherein said tray is manufactured from a material that is considered food-safe, such as PET, PETG, or polycarbonate, or other food-safe plastics. 
     
     
         4 . The tray as defined in  claim 1  wherein said cavities are manufactured to hold specific volumes of foods or liquids in either imperial or metric units of measure; when imperial these volumes include two-cups, one-cup, one-half-cup, one-quarter cup, one-third cup; when metric these volumes include 500-millileters, 250 milliliters, 200-milliliters, 100-milliliters or 50 milliliters, or other volumes used when cooking recipes or for the calculation of caloric content. 
     
     
         5 . The volumes of the cavities as defined in  claim 4  wherein said cavities are manufactured to hold specific volumes of foods or liquid which can be used in the preparation of cooking recipes commonly found in cookbooks, family recipe collections, or on the Internet. 
     
     
         6 . The volumes of the tray in  claim 4  wherein said cavities are manufactured to hold specific volumes of foods or liquid which can be used for the calculation of caloric content of said foods or liquid. 
     
     
         7 . The cavities as described in  claim 1  wherein said cavities have an upper opening that is dimensionally larger than the bottom of the cavity, creating sides that are angled inward toward the bottom of the tray. These sides make the removal of any frozen substance contained in the cavities easier than if the sides were straight. 
     
     
         8 . The tray as described in  claim 1  wherein said tray is made from silicone as described in  claim 2   
     
     
         9 . The tray as described in  claim 8  wherein said tray has a plurality of cavities separated by walls which are either created by the abutting walls of two adjacent cavities or the outer walls of the tray. 
     
     
         10 . The walls as described in  claim 9  wherein said walls are created from abutting walls of two adjacent cavities, said walls are thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom due to the difference in the dimensions between the opening and the bottom surface of the cavity as described in  claim 7 . This creates an angled support structure in the body of the tray when multiple cavities are present in the tray. These support structures extend the full length and width of the tray when multiple cavities are present. 
     
     
         11 . The tray as described in  claim 1  wherein said tray has a top lip or rim that is present around the top circumference of the tray and extends below the top opening of the cavities of the tray 
     
     
         12 . The lip as described in  claim 11  wherein said lip intersects and connects to the support structure as described in  claim 10  due to the lip extending below the cavity opening creating an internal support structure ( FIG. 19 ), which creates dimensional stability for the tray when it is being handled or transported 
     
     
         13 . The lid as defined in  claim 1  wherein said lid is manufactured from: a) a food-safe plastic, such as PET, PETG, or polycarbonate, or other food-safe plastics; b)a food-safe metal or ceramic with thermal conductivity characteristics that aids in the freezing of the contents of the tray; c) or a combination of a) and b). 
     
     
         14 . The lid as defined in  claim 1  wherein said lid fits tightly on top of the tray described in  claim 1  helping the substances stored or frozen in said tray to stay fresh and delay the adverse affects of freezing and storing on contents of the tray. 
     
     
         15 . The lid as defined in  claim 13  wherein the lid creates dimensional stability for the tray, especially when the tray is made from a flexible material such as silicone. 
     
     
         16 . The external support structure defined in  claim 1  wherein said external support structure is manufactured separately from the tray as described in  claim 1  and can be attached to the external sides and/or bottom of the tray. 
     
     
         17 . The external structure defined in  claim 16  wherein said external structure aids in the stability of a full tray when it is transported or handled, especially when the tray is of a larger size or made from a more flexible material such as silicone. 
     
     
         18 . The external structure as defined in  claim 17  wherein the structure, in one embodiment, is formed by one piece that encompasses the outer circumference of the tray and one or more pieces that run along underneath the tray and are attached to the first piece at either end of the tray, lengthwise, widthwise or both. 
     
     
         19 . The external structure defined in claim  30  wherein said external structure is manufactured from: a) a food-safe plastic, such as PET, PETG, or polycarbonate, or other food-safe plastics; b)a food-safe metal or ceramic with thermal conductivity characteristics that aids in the freezing of the contents of the tray; c) or a combination of a) and b).