U.S. patent application number 13/702412 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-28 for food package with additional food container and foil comprising an additional food container and a method for filling and sealing an additional food container comprised in a lid of a food tray.
This patent application is currently assigned to Torus Pak Research and Development S.A.R.L.. The applicant listed for this patent is Rickard Gillblad. Invention is credited to Rickard Gillblad.
Application Number | 20130074455 13/702412 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45098308 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130074455 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Gillblad; Rickard |
March 28, 2013 |
FOOD PACKAGE WITH ADDITIONAL FOOD CONTAINER AND FOIL COMPRISING AN
ADDITIONAL FOOD CONTAINER AND A METHOD FOR FILLING AND SEALING AN
ADDITIONAL FOOD CONTAINER COMPRISED IN A LID OF A FOOD TRAY
Abstract
A food package comprising a food tray and a lid, where the food
package comprises an additional food container comprised in the lid
of the food package. The invention further relates to a food
package foil for a food package, where the foil comprises lid
portions and intermediate foil portions, where the food package
foil further comprises an additional food container comprised in
the lid portion of the foil. The advantage of the invention is that
an additional food can be held separated from the rest of the food
but can be prepared at the same time. The invention also relates to
a method for filling and sealing an additional food container
comprised in a lid of a food tray.
Inventors: |
Gillblad; Rickard; (Onsala,
SE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Gillblad; Rickard |
Onsala |
|
SE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Torus Pak Research and Development
S.A.R.L.
Luxembourg
LU
|
Family ID: |
45098308 |
Appl. No.: |
13/702412 |
Filed: |
June 8, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
June 8, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/SE2011/050704 |
371 Date: |
December 6, 2012 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/469 ; 206/216;
206/219; 206/484 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 81/3446 20130101;
B65B 2230/02 20130101; B65D 51/2807 20130101; B65D 81/3233
20130101; B65B 29/08 20130101; B65B 7/00 20130101; B65D 77/2028
20130101; B65D 2581/3471 20130101; B65D 81/3453 20130101; B65D
2205/00 20130101; B65D 51/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/469 ; 206/216;
206/219; 206/484 |
International
Class: |
B65D 81/34 20060101
B65D081/34; B65B 7/00 20060101 B65B007/00; B65D 51/28 20060101
B65D051/28 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 8, 2010 |
SE |
1050588-1 |
Claims
1. A food package foil adapted to be used as a cover for a food
package, comprising a plurality of lid portions, wherein each lid
portion is adapted to be sealed to a food tray at a rim section of
the lid portion, and a plurality of intermediate foil portions
interconnecting the lid portions, wherein the food package foil
further comprises an additional food container comprised in the lid
portion of the foil, wherein the additional food container is
formed between the lid portion and an additional foil that is
attached to the lid portion, where the additional foil is folded
flat when stored such that the food package foil can be supplied as
a roll of foil.
2. Food package foil according to claim 1, wherein each lid portion
is adapted to be heat sealed to a food tray.
3. Food package foil according to claim 2, the additional food
container comprises an opening portion for filling the additional
food container.
4. Food package foil according to claim 3, wherein the opening
portion comprises a funnel-shaped entrance opening.
5. Food package foil according to claim 3, wherein the opening
portion is positioned inside of the rim section of the lid portion,
such that the opening portion does not interfere with the heat
sealing of the lid to the food tray.
6. Food package foil according to claim 3, wherein the opening
portion extends into the intermediate foil portion of the foil.
7. Food package foil according to claim 3, wherein the opening
portion comprises a non return valve.
8. A food package comprising a food tray and a lid made from a lid
portion of a food package foil according to claim 1.
9. Food package according to claim 8, wherein the opening portion
for filling the additional food container is sealed when the lid is
attached to the food tray by heat sealing.
10. Food package according to claim 8, wherein the additional food
container is attached to the lid by a temperature sensitive means
such that the additional food container will open up when the seal
between the additional food container and the lid is above a
specific temperature.
11. Food package according to claim 8, wherein the additional food
container is attached to the lid by a microwave sensitive means
such that the additional food container will open up when the seal
between the additional food container and the lid is exposed to a
predefined amount of microwave radiation.
12. Food package according to claim 8, wherein the additional food
container comprises a material that is at least partly
non-permeable to microwaves.
13. Food package according to claim 8, wherein the lid is fixedly
attached to the food tray and that the food tray further comprises
a bottom that can be removed from the food tray by the use of a
removal means attached to the bottom when the food tray bears on a
serving surface.
14. Method for filling and sealing an additional food container
comprised in a lid of a food tray, the method comprising the
following steps: inserting a filling tool into an opening at a rim
section of the lid of the additional food container, filling the
additional food container with an additional food product, removing
the filling tool, attaching the lid at the rim section to the food
tray by means of a heat sealing operation and, at the same time,
sealing the opening at the rim section of the additional food
container.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a food package adapted for
ready meals and the like comprising an additional food package. The
present invention further relates to a food package foil comprising
an additional food package.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] There is an increasingly large demand for meals that are
simple to prepare and for which the preparation time is short.
Sales of convenience foods or ready meals are increasing. These are
sold in disposable packages and are adapted either to be eaten
directly without heating, such as sushi, or to be heated before
eaten.
[0003] Most ready meals are contained in a disposable package
usually consisting of a tray manufactured from cardboard, metal or
a plastic material with a lid, which often is a thin, transparent
plastic film. A plurality of different heating methods is
available, depending on the packaging material. The most common
tray material for single portion ready meals is plastic or paper,
which allows the meal to be heated in a microwave oven. It is also
possible to use a conventional oven or to place the package in hot
water. The lid of the package is removed either before or after
heating. The meal can be eaten directly from the pack when heated
or it is possible to transfer the food from the package to a plate.
During a transfer of the food, the presentation of the meal is
destroyed and the food content will inevitable mix. If the food is
frozen, it may be possible to transfer the food to a plate prior to
heating without too much problems, but for a non-frozen meal, the
transfer of food is not practical.
[0004] One way of solving the problem with the food mixing is to
use a tray having different sections divided with dividing walls.
Such a tray is manufactured in a single piece using a specific
moulding tool or pressing tool. It is difficult to eat directly
from such a tray, but the food can be transferred in a more
controlled, however time consuming, way. Another disadvantage of
such a package is that the different sections are fixed in size.
Depending on the prepared meals, different packages may thus be
needed for each type of meal.
[0005] One known package is described in WO 2004/045970 A1, in
which the package is subdivided into different sections which are
adapted to preserve different pressures during heating, and
consequently will allow different temperatures in the different
sections.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,708,086 A describes a package which is
subdivided into different sections, which is adapted to be inverted
after heating and having a specific lid acting as a plate.
[0007] WO 2006/115457 describes a food package in which the food is
transferred to a plate by placing the package over a plate and then
by removing the bottom part of the package. The food can in this
way be transferred to the serving surface of the plate without any
mixing of the food content. The ready meal will thereby retain the
same orientation as it had before the transfer of the food. Some
foods, such as sauce, may still intermix some with the other
foods.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,042 A describes a food package in which
a rigid pot adapted to hold an additional food product component is
attached to the lid of the food tray transferred to a plate by
placing the package over a plate and then by removing the bottom
part of the package. In this way, the two different food products
can be stored separately. The pot is filled and attached to the lid
in the same package machine.
[0009] JP 2000062857 A describes a food package having a lid with
an inner compartment adapted to hold a liquid which is formed by an
additional foil attached to the lid.
[0010] WO 2009136038 A1, FR 2536251 A1, WO 9008710 A1 and JP
57154684 U all show examples of food packages having an additional
food compartment attached to or integrated in the lid.
[0011] In the shown examples, relatively complicated solutions are
shown, which require extensive machinery for the production of
complete food packages. There is thus still room for an improved
food package.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0012] An object of the invention is therefore to provide an
improved food package comprising an additional food product which
is easy to fill. A further object of the invention is to provide a
food package foil comprising an additional food container adapted
for the use in a food package.
[0013] The solution to the problem according to the invention is
described in the characterizing part of claim 8. The other claims
contain advantageous embodiments and further developments of the
food package, the food package foil and a method for filling and
sealing an additional food container comprised in a lid of a food
tray.
[0014] In a food package comprising a food tray and a lid having an
additional food container comprised in the lid of the food package,
the object of the invention is achieved in that the lid of the food
tray is made from a foil where the additional food container is
folded flat when stored such that the food package foil can be
supplied as a roll of foil.
[0015] By this first embodiment of the food package according to
the invention, the food package comprises an additional food
container comprised in the lid of the package. The lid can be
supplied as a roll of foil, which makes it easy and simple to
produce the food package. In this way, also small food producers
can supply a food package with an additional food product which can
be held completely separated from the rest of the food in the tray.
The additional food container is formed between the lid and an
additional foil that is attached to the lid. By making the
additional food container from an additional foil allows the
additional food container to be folded flat when stored, which in
turn allows the package foil to be supplied as a roll of foil. This
allows for a compact and cost-effective solution for an additional
food container in a food package. With an additional food container
that can be folded together attached to the lid, the same sealing
machine can be used by the food producer.
[0016] In an advantageous development of the invention, the
additional food container is attached to the lid by a temperature
sensitive means such that the additional food container will open
up when the seal between the additional food container and the lid
is above a specific temperature. In this way, the additional food
container can open up when the additional food has reached a
predefined temperature, which allows the additional food to pour
down on the rest of the food in the food tray. In another
advantageous development of the invention, the additional food
container is attached to the lid by a microwave sensitive means
such that the additional food container will open up when the seal
between the additional food container and the lid has been exposed
to a predefine amount of microwave radiation. The additional food
container may also be provided with a perforated weakening which
opens up when the pressure rises above a predetermined pressure
level.
[0017] In an advantageous development of the invention, the
additional food container comprises a material that is at least
partly non-permeable to microwaves. In this way, the additional
food in the additional food container can be shielded from all or
part of the microwave radiation, which allows the additional food
to be heated less than the rest of the food in the food tray. By
e.g. using a material that is completely non-permeable to microwave
radiation, it is possible to prevent the additional food to be
heated almost completely.
[0018] In an advantageous development of the invention, the lid is
fixedly attached to the food tray and the food tray further
comprises a bottom that can be removed from the food tray by the
use of a removal means attached to the bottom. Such a food tray is
especially advantageous to use, since it is easier to attach the
lid to the tray because the lid and the tray can be attached to
each other in a more rigid way, e.g. by melting them together. The
sealing process is thus less sensitive to variations, which is of
advantage when the lid is attached to the tray in a manual way. It
is also possible to make the seal between the lid and the tray
stronger since other sealing parameters can be used.
[0019] In an advantageous embodiment of an inventive food package
foil adapted to be used as a cover for a food package, the food
package foil comprises a plurality of lid portions and a plurality
of intermediate foil portions interconnecting the lid portions, and
further comprises an additional food container comprised in the lid
portion of the foil. The additional food container is preferably
formed between the lid portion and an additional foil that is
attached to the lid portion. This allows for an additional food
container that can be used to separate an additional food product
form the rest of the food in a food package, and that can be flat
folded before the additional food container is filled. This allows
for a cost-effective handling of the package foil, since the foil
can be transported on foil rolls and be fed to the package station
from the foil rolls.
[0020] In an advantageous development of the invention, the
additional food container comprises an opening portion for filling
the additional food container. In this way, the additional food
container can be filled in an easy and simple way. This allows
small food producers to supply a food package with an additional
food product, since the filling of the additional food container
can be made with simple hand tools.
[0021] The opening portion of the additional food container may
comprise a self-closing valve. The self-closing valve will stop the
food product from escaping the additional food container. The
opening portion may also be sealed at the same time as the lid is
attached to the food tray. In this way, the additional food
container can be filled outside of the tray, in a separate filling
station, and before the lid is positioned over the food tray.
[0022] The opening portion may extend into the intermediate foil
portion of the foil. The opening portion can comprise a
funnel-shaped entrance opening. The advantage of letting the
opening portion extend into the intermediate foil portion is that
this portion is cut away during the packaging of the food package.
This can simplify the filling of the additional food container and
will also prevent spillage of additional food on the food tray,
since any spillage will occur at the intermediate portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0023] The invention will be described in greater detail in the
following, with reference to the embodiments that are shown in the
attached drawings, in which
[0024] FIG. 1 shows a side view of a food package comprising an
additional food container according to the invention,
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a split view of the food tray according to the
invention,
[0026] FIG. 3 shows another split view of the food tray according
to the invention,
[0027] FIG. 4 shows part of a roll of foil having lid portions with
additional food containers, and
[0028] FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a roll of foil having lid
portions with additional food containers.
MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0029] The embodiments of the invention with further developments
described in the following are to be regarded only as examples and
are in no way to limit the scope of the protection provided by the
patent claims.
[0030] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a food package 1
comprising a food tray 2 and a lid 3, where the lid comprises an
additional food container 4. FIGS. 2 and 3 shows split views of the
food package with the additional food container. FIGS. 4 and 5 show
part of a roll of foil having lid portions with additional food
containers. The food tray may be of different types. The inventive
food package may comprise either a regular food tray having a fixed
bottom or a food tray comprising a removable bottom. The food tray
may also have different shapes, such as a rectangular shape, an
oval shape, a circular shape or an asymmetric shape. A rectangular
outer shape is however cost-efficient both to handle and to pack in
larger quantities. The food tray may be made from different
material, such as different plastics, polymers and paper based
materials. The food tray 2 shown comprises a concave section at
each transverse side wall. Food trays adapted for being sealed with
a lid in a heat sealing process are well known and are not
described further.
[0031] The upper periphery of the food tray comprise an upper rim
13 that is adapted to receive a lid 3 which is made up of a foil
that is heat sealed to the rim of the food tray. The lid may be
attached to the food tray in a removable manner, such that the lid
may be easily removed from the food tray in order to open the food
package. This is advantageous when a conventional food tray having
a fixed bottom is used. By attaching the lid in a removable manner,
the lid can be removed without having to use a tool to cut the lid
away. The lid may also be attached to the food tray in a fixed
manner, such that the lid can not be pulled away from the food tray
in an easy way in order to open the food package. When the lid is
fixedly attached to the food tray, the food package is opened by
removing the bottom of the food tray when the food tray bears on a
plate or other serving surface. One advantage of using a food tray
with a removable bottom is thus that the lid is fixed to the food
tray in a more secure way, which is also advantageous such that the
opening of the additional food container can be sealed in a more
secure way in the sealing process.
[0032] The lid 3 may be made from different materials but is
preferably a transparent film or foil that is attached to the upper
rim after food has been inserted into the food tray. The lid
further comprises an additional food container 4. The additional
food container 4 is in the shown example made from a separate foil
sheet 5 attached to the foil making up the lid. The foil that makes
up the lid for the food package is supplied as a roll of foil that
is pulled out over the food tray and subsequently sealed to the
food tray when the ready meal contained in the food package is
completed. The separate foil sheet 5 is consequently attached to
the lid foil in a separate manufacturing step, preferably when the
roll of foil is produced.
[0033] The separate foil sheet 5 of the additional food container 4
is in the shown example somewhat drop shaped, but may also have
other shapes. The separate foil sheet is not attached to the lid
foil in a stretched manner, but is instead attached to the lid foil
such that a cavity is created between the lid foil and the separate
foil sheet. This cavity will hold the additional food. During
manufacture of the additional food container, the separate foil
sheet is preferably held in a somewhat folded state such that the
separate foil sheet is pulled together. The separate foil sheet is
then attached to the lid foil, preferably with a heat seal process
or by using some kind of adhesive. The shape of the additional food
container depends on how the separate foil sheet is held during the
attachment. In the shown example, the main portion 6, i.e. the main
volume, of the additional food container is concentrated to the
middle of the lid. An opening portion 7 is thus created at the rim
section of the lid. The separate foil sheet 5 may e.g. be held by a
suction cup or a similar tool in order to allow the separate foil
sheet to be somewhat folded during the attachment.
[0034] The attachment of the separate foil sheet 5 to the lid foil
is preferably made such that bonding between the separate foil
sheet and the lid foil is relatively weak. This will allow the seal
to open when the pressure in the additional food container rises
during heating of the additional food. When the additional food
container opens up, the additional food product can pour down on
the rest of the food in the food tray just before the serving of
the ready meal. In this way, there is no mixing of the additional
food and the rest of the food during storage and transportation of
the ready meal. The food in the food tray may e.g. be meat and
fried potatoes and the additional food product may be sauce.
[0035] The advantage of placing the sauce in a supplementary food
container is that the sauce will not mix with the food in the tray
before the food is ready to serve. This will prevent the food to be
contaminated by the additional food product during storage and
transportation of the food package. In this way, it is possible to
prevent e.g. fried potatoes to be soaked with sauce which would
inevitably destroy the crispness of the potatoes. Certain chemical
reactions, which will start when some food products are mixed, can
also be prevented by separating one of the food products. One such
situation is discolouring of food by the additional food product,
such as fish by a sauce, which is prevented by the separation of
the food products.
[0036] It is also possible to attach the separate foil sheet to the
lid foil with an adhesive that is relatively weak, such that the
bonding between the separate foil sheet and the lid foil is
relatively weak. This will also allow the seal to open when the
pressure in the additional food container rises during heating of
the additional food. The adhesive may also be temperature
sensitive, such that the additional food container opens up when
the temperature of the seal reaches a predetermined temperature. It
is also possible to use an adhesive that is sensitive to microwave
radiation, such that the seal opens up when the seal has been
exposed to a predefined amount of microwave radiation. It is e.g.
possible to provide a material that is designed to absorb
microwaves in the seal. Such a material will absorb the microwaves
and will heat up, which in turn will cause a heat-sensitive
adhesive to detach. Such a material is referred to as a susceptor.
The complete seal may open up, or just part of the seal. This can
be controlled by the attachment of the separate foil sheet to the
lid foil.
[0037] To facilitate that the additional food container opens up or
to control where the additional food container opens up, it is
possible to provide weaker parts of the seal between the separate
foil sheet and the lid foil. Such a predefined weakening may e.g.
be created by double folding the separate foil sheet at some
positions, which will create a weaker seal. It is also possible to
provide one or more weakening regions or perforations in the
surface of the separate foil sheet. The separate foil sheet is
preferably thinner and/or weaker than the lid foil. This will
guarantee that the additional food container will open up instead
of the lid. Since the additional food container is provided inside
the food package and is protected by the lid, the strength of the
separate foil must not be very high.
[0038] In some cases, it may be of advantage to spread the
additional food in the additional food container evenly over the
complete ready meal. In such a case, the additional food container
may be adapted to explode in a controlled way when the pressure in
the additional food container reaches a predefined value due to the
heating of the additional food. In this way, the additional food is
spread over the entire area of the food in the food tray.
[0039] When the separate foil sheet 5 is attached to the lid foil,
an opening portion 7 is created. The opening portion is used to
fill the additional food container 4 with an additional food
product. It is thus of advantage that the opening portion is rather
well defined and that it resembles a short tube having a cross
section that is smaller than the main portion 6 of the additional
food container 4. By letting the opening section be positioned
above a maximum filling height 8 when the lid with the additional
food container is held in a horizontal position, the additional
food product will stay in the additional food container during the
handling and the sealing of the lid. In this way, there is no need
for a non return valve in the opening portion. It is of course also
possible to provide the opening portion with a non return
valve.
[0040] In one embodiment, the opening portion 7 is advantageously
positioned on the lid foil at a position of the foil 10 that will
be cut off when the lid is attached to the food tray. Normally, the
lid foil is provided with the same width as the food tray and the
foil is cut transverse the longitudinal direction of the foil. In
this way, the food package is released from the foil and the
intermediate foil portions 11 between the lid portions 12 of the
foil are discarded. Preferably, the opening portion 7 extends into
the intermediate foil portion. The outer end of the opening portion
7 may also be formed in a funnel-shaped entrance opening 9 such
that the filling tool may be more easily inserted, especially when
the additional food container is filled manually. It is also of
advantage to let the opening portion end in the intermediate
portion of the foil since spillage that may occur during the
insertion and removal of the filling tool can be caught by the
funnel-shaped portion and discarded together with the intermediate
portion.
[0041] In another embodiment, the opening portion 7 is positioned
inside of the rim section of the lid foil, at a position of the
foil 10 that will not bear on the rim of the food tray when the lid
is heat sealed to the tray. The rim section of the lid is the part
of the lid that will bear on the rim and that will be heat sealed
to the rim of the tray. The opening portion may in this example be
provided with a non return valve that will stop the food product
from escaping the additional food container. It is also possible to
use an opening portion without a non return valve. In this case,
the opening portion may be closed by e.g. an ultrasonic weld when
the additional food container has been filled, before the lid is
attached to the tray. Depending on the food product and the shape
of the opening portion, it may also be possible to leave the
opening portion open. The outer end of the opening portion 7 may
also be formed in a funnel-shaped entrance opening 9 such that the
filling tool may be more easily inserted, especially when the
additional food container is filled manually.
[0042] In this way, the additional food container can be filled
with an additional food product before the lid with the additional
food container is positioned over the food tray and the lid can be
handled without the additional food product spilling out. The
filling of the additional food container is made by inserting a
tube or pipe into the opening portion. The filling may be performed
by a manually operated filling station or an automated filling
station. After the additional food product has been inserted into
the additional food container, the filler tool is withdrawn. The
lid is then positioned above the food tray and the lid, either with
or without the opening of the additional food container, is sealed
to the food tray. The lid is preferably mounted to the tray in a
heat sealing operation. Commonly known heat sealing apparatuses or
machines comprising a heated plate may be used. It is also possible
to use other types of sealing apparatuses, such as an apparatus
using laser or ultrasonic to heat the seal. It would also be
possible to treat the contacting surfaces of the lid and the tray
with substances of a two component adhesive, such that a bond is
created when they come into contact with each other. The same
applies when the additional food container is filled when the lid
is positioned over the food tray prior to the filling.
[0043] It is also possible to provide the separate foil sheet 5
and/or the section of the lid adjacent to the separate foil sheet 5
with a material that is at least partly non-permeable to microwave
radiation. By microwaves are meant electromagnetic waves adapted to
heat food in a microwave oven. Such microwaves normally have a
frequency of 2.45 GHz, but other frequencies in the lower GHz-range
may also be used. In this way, a food product such as a sauce can
be heated less than the rest of the food, or may even be more or
less unheated. This is of advantage for some food products that
degrade at to high temperatures. When the food product is not
heated or only heated to some extent, the seal is preferably opened
by using a microwave sensitive adhesive.
[0044] The invention is not to be regarded as being limited to the
embodiments described above, a number of additional variants and
modifications being possible within the scope of the subsequent
patent claims. The additional food container may have different
sizes and shapes and may be made from any suitable material.
REFERENCE SIGNS
[0045] 1: Food package [0046] 2: Food tray [0047] 3: Lid [0048] 4:
Additional food container [0049] 5: Separate foil sheet [0050] 6:
Main portion [0051] 7: Opening portion [0052] 8: Filling height
[0053] 9: Funnel-shaped entrance opening [0054] 10: Foil [0055] 11:
Intermediate foil portion [0056] 12: Lid portion [0057] 13: Rim
[0058] 14: Rim section [0059] 15: Non return valve
* * * * *