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A nestable and stackable food storage container has a base with a bottom panel. The bottom panel has an upper side, a lower side, and a base perimeter. The base also has a cylindrical side wall extending generally upward from and around the base perimeter. The side wall terminates at a top edge and

A nestable and stackable food storage container has a base with a bottom panel. The bottom panel has an upper side, a lower side, and a base perimeter. The base also has a cylindrical side wall extending generally upward from and around the base perimeter. The side wall terminates at a top edge and defines an open top. A lid has a top panel with a top side, a bottom side, and a lid perimeter. A nesting structure is provided at least in part on a portion of the base and at least in part on a portion of the lid. The nesting structure permits removably nesting the lower side of the base with the lid in either a standard lid orientation or an inverted lid orientation.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A food storage container comprising:a base having a base bottom panel with an upper side, a lower side, and a base perimeter, and having a cylindrical side wall extending generally upward from the base perimeter, the side wall terminating at a top edge and defining an open top; a lid having a top

1. A food storage container comprising:a base having a base bottom panel with an upper side, a lower side, and a base perimeter, and having a cylindrical side wall extending generally upward from the base perimeter, the side wall terminating at a top edge and defining an open top; a lid having a top panel with a top side, a bottom side, and a perimeter terminating at a bottom edge, the top panel extending inwardly from the perimeter toward a center portion of the top panel, the top panel also having a first shoulder spaced inward from and around the perimeter and extending angularly downward relative to the top side, a first step extending inwardly from the first shoulder toward the center portion of the lid, a second shoulder extending angularly downward from the first step relative to the top side, and a recessed surface extending inwardly from the second shoulder forming the center portion of the top panel; and a nesting structure provided at least in part on a portion of the base bottom panel and at least in part on the lid top panel, the nesting structure adapted for registering a portion of the lower side of the base with a portion of the lid top panel both when the lid is in a standard lid orientation and when the lid is in an inverted lid orientation. 2. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the base is nestable with other bases of other containers to form a base stack, and wherein an exposed lower most base of the base stack is registerable with the lid in either lid orientation.3. A food storage according to claim 1, wherein the lid is nestable with other lids of other containers to form a lid stack, and wherein a selected one of an upper most exposed lid and a lower most exposed lid of the lid stack is registerable with the lower side of the base.4. A food storage container according to claim 2, wherein the lid is nestable with other lids of other containers to form a lid stack, and wherein a selected one of an upper most exposed lid and a lower most exposed lid of the lid stack is registerable with the exposed lower most base of the base stack.5. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the side wall is a generally circular cylinder.6. A food storage container according to claim 5, wherein the side wall is at least a slightly frusto-conical circular cylinder.7. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the side wall is a generally rectangular cylinder.8. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the nesting structure part of the base is a depending annular element extending downward from the base bottom panel that can rest on a selected one of a step top surface or a step bottom surface provided between the first and second shoulder portions.9. A food storage container according to claim 8, wherein the depending annular element is a rib extending from the lower side of the bottom panel.10. A food storage container according to claim 8, wherein the lower side of the bottom panel has an upwardly recessed section defining the depending annular element as a leg in the lower side between the recessed section and the base perimeter.11. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the nesting structure further comprises:a first area on the lid for supporting an adjacent lid in a stacked lid configuration; and a second area on the lid for supporting a base in a stacked lid and base configuration when the lid is in a standard orientation; a third area on the lid for supporting a base in a stacked lid and base configuration when the lid is in an inverted orientation. 12. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the second area includes an inner shoulder surface that extends substantially continuously around a perimeter of the lid, the inner shoulder surface adapted to register with a portion of the base when the base is stacked upon the lid in the standard orientation.13. A food storage container according to claim 1, wherein the third area includes an outward facing shoulder surface that extends substantially continuously around a perimeter of the lid, the outward facing shoulder surface adapted to register with a portion of the base when the base is stacked upon the lid in the inverted orientation.