Food container with discard compartment

Abstract

A food container is divided into two compartments by a vertically extending partition wall. A user selects which of the two compartments will hold a food product and which compartment will receive inedible parts of the food product after edible part of the food product is consumed. A snap-on lid closes the container to retain the food product and discarded inedible parts inside the container. Flap openings in the lid allow access to the compartments.

1 . A food container device, comprising:
 a container body having an inner chamber, a closed bottom, a continuous peripheral sidewall, an exterior peripheral rim with an outwardly extending alignment projection, and an open top;   a lid member detachably engageable with the open top of the container body and having an interior surface, an alignment groove formed in the interior surface and a pair of access openings, the alignment groove receiving the alignment projection of the rim of the container body;   a partition wall extending from the bottom of the container to at least the top of the container body, said partition wall dividing the inner chamber into a food compartment configured to store a food product therein and a discard compartment configured to receive inedible parts of the food product after the edible part of the food product in the food compartment has been consumed.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the discard compartment is user-selectable depending on a type of food product stored in the food container. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein said lid member comprises a pair of flap members selectively closing the access openings. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 3 , said lid member comprising a downwardly extending lid flange. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein said lid flange has an interior surface and wherein a pair of spaced-apart sealing rings extends circumferentially about the interior surface. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 4 , said lid flange is provided with an indentation aligned with a flap member. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 4 , wherein the lid member has a planar top surface and wherein the flap members are pivotally oriented in relation to the top surface along respective pivot lines. 
     
     
         8 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the food compartment has a different volume than the discard compartment. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the partition wall has an upper edge which extends above the open top of the container body. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the partition wall is formed unitary with the container body. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the partition wall is formed unitary with the lid member. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 1 , said lid member configured to snap over an upper part of the container body. 
     
     
         16 . A method of collecting inedible parts of a food product as the food product is being consumed, comprising the steps:
 providing a container body having an inner chamber, a closed bottom, a continuous peripheral sidewall, an exterior peripheral rim with an outwardly extending alignment projection, and an open top;   providing a lid member detachably engageable with the open top of the container body, the lid member having an interior surface, an alignment groove formed in the interior surface and a pair of access openings, the alignment groove receiving the alignment projection of the rim of the container body when the lid member is secured to the container body;   providing a partition wall extending from the bottom of the container to at least the top of the container body, said partition wall dividing the inner chamber into two independent compartments;   securing the lid member with the top of the container body;   selecting one of the two compartments as the discard compartment depending on a type of food product to be consumed;   depositing the food product into another of the two compartments; and   consuming the food product and depositing inedible parts of the food product into the discard compartment.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , said compartments having unequal dimensions. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising a step of providing the lid member with a pair of flap members and selectively opening and closing the access openings. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising a step of positioning the lid member over the open top after depositing the food product into the food compartment. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , comprising a step of positioning the lid member over the open top prior to depositing the food product into the food compartment. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 16 , said lid member comprising a downwardly extending lid flange. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein said lid flange has an interior surface and wherein a pair of spaced-apart sealing rings extends circumferentially about the interior surface. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21 , said lid flange is provided with an indentation aligned with a flap member. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the lid member has a planar top surface and wherein the flap members are pivotally oriented in relation to the top surface along respective pivot lines. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein, the alignment groove extends across the interior surface of the lid member and downwardly along the flange. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , comprising a step of aligning the lid member with the partition wall such that the alignment groove receives a top edge of the partition wall therein, while aligning the alignment groove with the alignment projection. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the pivot lines are oriented in a substantially parallel relationship to the alignment groove. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said lid member is provided with an extension part adjacent the alignment groove. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the partition wall has an upper edge which extends above the open top of the container body 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the partition wall is formed unitary with the container body. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the partition wall is formed unitary with the lid member. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 16 , said lid member configured to snap over an upper part of the container body.