Non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system

Abstract

A non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system includes a channel or pouring spout to be connected to a food container. The channel or pouring spout has an inner surface to be contacted by contents of the container. A closure may be provided for the channel or pouring spout. A seal prevents human contact with the inner surface of the channel or pouring spout and has a tab permitting manual removal of the seal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a non-contaminating milk or food container seal and a seal removal system.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Presently many containers, cardboard and plastic milk containers in particular, have a sealing system which requires the user to insert a finger down "inside" the neck of the entrance channel or pouring spout and hook onto a loop for traction, to break a container seal. The seal is then discarded and the cap reapplied.

[0005] The damage, however, has already been done. The same fingers used the bathroom, wiped the nose, shook hands or handled money. Those contaminated fingers have now touched the "inner" surface of the milk or food container entrance channel or pouring spout.

[0006] A contaminated finger must reach down into the entrance channel, neck, or pouring spout to hook and pull the ring attached to the seal in order to break the seal and open the container. The seal is critical to protecting the previous sterility and continuing safety of the contained milk or food substance, i.e. orange or apple juice. The inner surface of the neck, entrance channel or pouring spout you reach into, is an interior surface part of a container compartment space to be contacted by the milk or other food.

[0007] The contaminated finger tip drags up the inner surface of this internal space as it hooks and recovers the ring to pull, break, and remove the seal.

[0008] This simple unprotected act deposits bacteria and other contamination within the neck compartment, entrance channel or pouring spout, which is enclosed under the sealing cap, a contiguous and continuous part of the milk or food containing space.

[0009] The present milk or food container seal and seal removal system makes the deposit and trapping of bacteria or other types of contamination within the milk or food containment area "unavoidable". The bacteria are transported and left inside the container, violating all rules of sterile technique. To make it worse, the cap is then reapplied, trapping the bacteria and milk within the same compartment.

[0010] As milk or other foodstuffs drip back down the entrance channel or pouring spout, bacteria and other contamination drip into, and mix with the residual stored milk or food. Milk is specially treated because of its susceptibility to bacterial growth. There are precise laws governing sterilizing temperatures, heat duration, rapid cooling and finally sterile, sealed, packaging under acute tolerances. The reason again, for all of the special preparation and sterile technique is because milk is especially susceptible to multiple bacterial growths.

[0011] Milk is a biological substance with fat, sugar, and water. Milk is a nutrient media and a natural culture media. Almost all bacteria thrive in milk. Refrigeration only slows or delays bacterial growth, it does not prevent the growth, nor kill bacteria. Milk spoils slowly in spite of refrigeration, and as bacteria further adapt, refrigeration will be even less helpful at preventing food contamination and food poisoning. It is inconceivable after all of these protective safety steps of processing to protect the consumer, that the milk or other foodstuffs are still packaged in a container system that almost "guarantees" contamination from the instant of opening. The prior art, seems not only disinterested in consumer safety, but actually sets up a sequence of actions and designs that "cause" rather than prevent, contamination. The prior art actually sets a "booby trap" for the unsuspecting consumer. The presently used construction is clearly negligent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system, which overcome the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type that cause contamination of the milk or other food in a container when opening the seal.

[0013] With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system. The system comprises a channel or pouring spout to be connected to a food container. The channel or pouring spout has an inner surface to be contacted by contents of the container. A seal prevents human contact with the inner surface of the channel or pouring spout. The seal has a tab permitting manual removal of the seal. Thus, the seal according to the invention renders it impossible for there to be any contact between the finger of the user and any surfaces to be contacted by food.

[0014] In accordance with another feature of the invention, there is provided a closure for the channel or pouring spout. A closure is not necessary for single-use containers, such as a personal size milk container.

[0015] In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the inner surface of the channel or pouring spout has a top edge, and the seal has an outer periphery attached to the top edge. The placement of the seal at the very top of the channel or pouring spout means that the entire inner surface of the channel or pouring spout is inaccessible.

[0016] In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the tab is an extraction ring attached to the seal. Such a ring is quite easy to be hooked by a finger for removal.

[0017] In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the seal is cup-shaped. The concave shape of the seal facilitates grasping and extraction of the tab or ring.

[0018] In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the seal completely covers the inner surface before removal of the seal. In this way, no surfaces which come into contact with food can be contacted by a non-sterile object such as a human finger.

[0019] In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the outer periphery of the seal is "thin link" fused to or cast with the top edge of the channel or pouring spout. This line of weakness extends circumferentially of the receptacle mouth or spout. This separation line facilitates tearing of the seal from the channel or pouring spout.

[0020] In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, the closure is a cap, which is preferably to be screwed onto the channel or pouring spout.

[0021] In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, the seal is formed of flexible plastic, which makes it easy to remove.

[0022] The new seal and seal removal system according to the invention controls and maintains a sterile technique for seal breaking and seal removal. This simple, easy to use, and failsafe system, even when operated by the untrained consumer, keeps contamination totally contained within the seal and discards bacteria within the seal. The entrance channel or pouring spout is never touched, and sterile technique is maintained before, during and after opening the seal. The milk or food is protected.

[0023] The improvement according to the invention provides a milk or foodstuffs sealing device that is removed, in a simple but sterile manner, by the untrained operator.

[0024] The normally exposed inner surface of the entrance or pouring spout is totally covered and protected. The seal junction is raised from near the bottom of the channel or pouring spout, to the top lip of the spout. A deep dished-out or cup-shaped area is developed within the body of the seal, with the extraction ring or loop still attached, at the top.

[0025] The finger is inserted as before, in a simple and intuitive way to hook the extraction ring or loop, but now because of the unique concave structure of the seal, all areas touched by the contaminated finger are now contained within the seal (outside the container) which is then discarded. At no time is any interior surface exposed before, during or after the seal is broken or removed. Sterility is maintained even by the untrained. Bacteria are excluded and safety is maintained.

[0026] Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

[0027] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

[0028] The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of the specific embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, exploded, perspective view of a prior art milk or food container seal and seal removal system, along with a cap and an entrance channel or pouring spout;

[0030] FIG. 2 is an enlarged, perspective view of the prior art milk or food container seal and seal removal system and the entrance channel or pouring spout, in the assembled condition with a seal extraction ring in a partly extracted position;

[0031] FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the entrance channel or pouring spout with a contaminated contact area according to the prior art;

[0032] FIG. 4 is an exploded, perspective view of the entrance channel or pouring spout with the contaminated contact area according to the prior art and the cap about to be replaced, after removal of the seal and seal removal system;

[0033] FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing potential bacterial growth on the contaminated contact area according to the prior art, on the entrance channel or pouring spout;

[0034] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system according to the invention having a seal extraction ring in a partly extracted position and a seal still in place at the entrance channel or pouring spout;

[0035] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system according to the invention, with the seal extraction ring and seal removed from the entrance channel or pouring spout and clearly showing the area of potential contamination being removed and discarded with the seal; and

[0036] FIG. 8 is an exploded, perspective view of the cap, the clean, non-contaminated entrance channel or pouring spout, and the discarded seal extraction ring and seal (with its contained contamination), of the non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a conventional entrance channel or pouring spout 1, which is attached at a bottom rim 2 thereof to an opening at the top of a milk or food container 12. A cap 10 has a non-illustrated internal thread which is to be screwed onto an external thread 3 of the channel or pouring spout 1. A prior art milk or food container seal and seal removal system includes a disk-shaped seal 4 having an outer periphery which is connected to an inner surface 5 of the channel or pouring spout 1 at a level 6. More specifically, the seal 4 is fused or cast onto the lower one-quarter of the channel or pouring spout 1. An extraction ring 7 is connected to the seal 4. The ring 7 is hooked by the finger for tearing and extracting the seal 4 from the channel or pouring spout 1, thus breaking the sterile seal of the container.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows the seal 4, the ring 7 and the channel or pouring spout 1 having the inner surface 5, which is susceptible to contamination. The ring 7 has been pulled up and partly extracted from the channel or pouring spout 1. When the finger hooks the ring 7, it touches and contaminates the ring and a contact area 8 of the inner surface 5, as is indicated in FIGS. 2-4 by shading.

[0039] As is indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4, after the ring 7 and with it the seal 4 have been discarded, the contact area 8 and the remainder of the inner surface 5 are covered by the cap 10. It is seen from FIG. 5 that bacterial growth 9 has been formed on the contact area 8. The bacterial growth 9 contaminates the liquid in the container 12 when the container is tilted for pouring and that contamination spreads throughout the liquid in the container when the container is returned to its upright position.

[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates the non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system according to the invention. The entrance channel or pouring spout 1 has the bottom rim 2 to be attached to an opening at the top of a milk or food container 12, the external thread 3 onto which an internal thread of a cap 10 is to be screwed and the inner surface 5, which are identical to that of the prior art as shown in FIGS. 1-5. However, instead of connecting a seal to the lower one-quarter of the inner surface 5 of the channel or pouring spout 1 as in the prior art, a seal 14 according to the invention has an outer periphery which is connected, i.e. thin-link fused or cast, to a top edge 16 of the inner surface 5 of the channel or pouring spout 1 at a line of weakness. Furthermore, instead of using a disk-shaped seal as in the prior art, the seal 14 is cup-shaped or concave, as seen from above. It is also noted that it is not necessary to provide a closure or cap and consequently the threads, if the container is a single-use or personal-size container to be completely emptied immediately and discarded.

[0041] FIG. 7 shows the seal 14 after it has been removed from the channel or pouring spout 1 by using a tab 17. The tab 17 may have the shape of an extraction ring or any other shape suitable to be manually grasped. The cup shape of the seal 14 can be clearly seen as well as the inner surface 5 of the channel or pouring spout 1. FIG. 7 also shows a contact area 18 which is touched by the finger of the user of the seal and seal removal system as the tab or ring 17 is being hooked for removal of the seal 14. It is noted that the contact area 18 is exclusively on the seal 14 which is to be discarded and not on the inner surface 5 of the channel or pouring spout 1. Therefore, there is no exposure of the contents of the container to the contaminated and non-sterile contact area 18 and bacteria cannot reach the liquid within the container.

[0042] FIG. 8 illustrates the channel or pouring spout 1 after removal of the seal 14, the discarded seal 14 and the cap 10 to be screwed onto the channel or pouring spout 1 in the direction of the arrow.

Claims

1. A non-contaminating milk or food container seal and seal removal system, comprising: a channel or pouring spout to be connected to a food container, said channel or pouring spout having an inner surface to be contacted by contents of the container; and a seal preventing human contact with said inner surface of said channel or pouring spout, said seal having a tab permitting manual removal of said seal.

2. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 1, which further comprises a closure for said channel or pouring spout.

3. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 1, wherein said inner surface of said channel or pouring spout has a top edge, and said seal has an outer periphery attached to said top edge.

4. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 1, wherein said tab is an extraction ring attached to said seal.

5. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 1, wherein said seal is cup-shaped.

6. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 1, wherein said seal completely covers and completely prevents contact with said inner surface before removal of said seal.

7. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 3, wherein said outer periphery of said seal is fused to or cast with said top edge of said channel or pouring spout at a line of weakness.

8. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 2, wherein said closure is a cap.

9. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 8, wherein said cap is to be screwed onto said channel or pouring spout.

10. The container seal and seal removal system according to claim 1, wherein said seal is formed of flexible plastic.