AU2004218679B2 - Frozen pastry products - Google Patents

Description

Pi00/011 Regulation 3.2 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: READY BAKE PTY LTD Actual Inventor(s): John Henry Kennedy Address for Service: AHEARN FOX Patent Trade Mark Attorneys GPO Box 1149 BRISBANE QLD 4001 Invention Title: "FROZEN PASTRY PRODUCTS" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: cq FROZEN PASTRY PRODUCTS O FIELD OF INVENTION THIS INVENTION relates to frozen pastry products, and it has particular but not exclusive reference to the preparation and 5 vending of products universally referred to as "pies", such as

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00 beef pies, lamb pies, and chicken pies, for example.

ci i BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Ci In standard terms, a "pie" is made by taking a "pie base" consisting of a pastry base or cup into which filling material ("filler") is deposited, and then fitting a lid or "pie top" which is a pastry disc adapted to sit on top of the base, the soformed pie then being baked ready for sale.

At the present time, suppliers or distributors sell the pie bases and pie tops as separately boxed frozen products to the likes of bakeries, hotels, franchisees or other vendors who in turn make up the pies by creating fillings, filling the pie bases, placing the discs on top, and then baking the pies.

This procedure is generally regarded as somewhat messy and relatively tiresome, so that there is a need for an improved system whereby non-trained culinary staff, such as retail shop assistants by way of example, can create pies with ease and convenience for sale at the likes of kiosks, shopping centre outlets, retail stands, and anywhere else where a vendor can operate to sell such products. Accordingly it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel system, -2c-i method, means and products to achieve the advantages as just O described.

0 A further object of the invention is to provide a system or method of the type described which lends itself, in its simplest 5 form, to a vendor being able to receive and store a single box Va 00 of components, suitably refrigerated, so that a staff member can ci Sthen thaw them out, assemble the components of bases and tops, c-i and cook them in a relatively small oven on the premises, whereby there is suddenly created a sales outlet and a seller handling pies specially made and baked on the premises, customers being impressed by the obvious freshness achieved by such a system.

Various other objects and advantages will become apparent from the descriptions herein of preferred embodiments, simplicity and ease of operation being achieved while not causing increase in price of the pies to the public. The invention has as an object not only to provide novel methods, means and systems, but also novel packaging and improved product presentation at all points.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides broadly, according to one aspect thereof, in a method of making and vending pastry products such as pies, wherein the vendor receives from a supplier a frozen package containing tub means holding a predetermined volume of frozen filling material ("filler") and a plurality of filler-support bases, the volume -3of filler in the tub means being equal to the combined volumes O of the plurality of bases, and wherein the vendor retains the 0 package in refrigerated condition prior to use, then thaws out the filler, distributes the contents of the tub means substantially equally among the bases and then cooks the filler-

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OO laden bases in an oven ready for vending.

ci The invention will mostly be applied to pies having bases and tops, in which case the package also contains a plurality of lids or tops corresponding in number to the bases, and the aforementioned broad method includes the additional step of placing the tops or lids on the bases after the latter have received the filler and then cooking the so-formed pies in the oven. Any desired number of bases may be provided while selecting a viable quantity commercially, but we consider a "commercially viable plurality" of bases to be at least four and most suitably a number such as ten for example, or as many as twelve.

In one example, for illustrative purposes only, the said package may include a single cardboard shipment box of standard rectangular form containing a closely fitting tray or tub of frozen filler enough to fill ten pies, and on top of the tray there are ten frozen pie bases and ten frozen tops or lid, all fitting neatly within the package. In one particular instance, the ten bases can suitably be in three stacks each of three bases while the tenth base forms the top of a fourth stack comprising the ten lids. This facilitates designing the package so that the o tub can be a close fit in the bottom of the rectangular ci t container, with the bases in a square formation thereon and 0 symmetry is obtained to maintain a balanced condition. Typically three such packages could be delivered to a vendor, tied together S in superimposed form, one containing beef filler, another lamb

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00 filler, and the third chicken filler.

ci In most cases, as a practical matter, the tub means will ocomprise a single tub or tray, a suitable size for its base being ci A4 or a little larger. However, it may be preferred to provide two identical trays each of AS size, for example, placed side-byside in the box to be equivalent to A4 size in total, or somewhat larger. Other features of the invention will be hereinafter apparent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:- Fig. 1 shows the shipment box at the commencement of the opening thereof and removal of its contents; Fig. 2 shows in perspective view the shipment box of Fig.

1, further opened to expose some of its contents, and Fig. 3 shows in perspective the opened shipment box with its contents removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DEFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the illustrated embodiment, the shipment box 10 contains 0 ten frozen disc-like pie lids or tops 11, ten frozen pie bases O 12 and a frozen filling material 13 contained in a sealed serving 0 box 14 holding sufficient filler to fill ten pies. Thus all components of the pies are stored conveniently in the single shipment box 10 which may suitably be stored prior to use at say Va OO -180C. When the contents are thawed out, they may be used to make ci ten pies, baked by the operator and ready for sale at selected temperature as "freshly made" pies, this feature being of considerable appeal to the public. Typically the vendor could receive three such shipment boxes 10, secured in superimposed relationship by tie-bands or the like, each box 10 being marked to indicate a different filler therein, such as beef, lamb and chicken respectfully.

In the illustrated embodiment, the box 10 may typically be 280mm long by 240mm wide and having a height of 120mm. The two top flaps 15 are hinged along their longitudinal edges. The serving box 14 fits closely in the box 10 and has corresponding dimensions of say 270mm by 230mm and a height of about 45mm. It constitutes a one piece tray having a sealed but removable top sheet 16 secured by a peripheral flange 17 about 10mm wide to facilitate digital separation in order to open the box 14. Stored in the box 10 on top of the serving box 14 there are the ten lids 11 and ten pie boxes 12. The lids 11 may be round sheets of uniform thickness say 125mm in diameter and 2mm in thickness.

Each pie base 12 consists of a pastry shell 18 within an -6- 0 aluminium foil tray 19 the maximum overall diameter being about O 110mm for the tray 19. Suitably the bases 12 can nest within one 0 another to minimise height and it will be seen that there can be provided three stacks each containing three bases 12 while the tenth base can rest on top of the ten lids in a fourth stack to Va 00 achieve uniformity of height of all stacks.

ci To facilitate removal, the bases and lids are held in a c- flexible bag 20 by which they can be lifted, and between the flaps 15 and bag 20 there is held in place a protective element 21 of bubble-pack material of known type, such as two hingedlyconnected sheets.

It will be seen that the invention provides a "single package" concept which is easy to use, involves no fuss, and provides a simple method of "creating" pies on the premises without having to go through any messy preliminary steps. In use the package is stored in a freezer and when it is time to make the pies, an individual can take out the container; let it thaw; set up the ten pie bases; open the sealed serving box; scoop out the filler onto the bases; sit the lids on top and then place the ten completed pies in the oven for baking. The invention will achieve its object in that untrained culinary staff can create pies at any location where there is a small oven on the premises.

The invention will be found to fill an otherwise unfilled void in the manner in which pies are prepared, baked and sold.

While the illustrated forms of the invention will be found -7very effective, it will be understood that these may be varied O considerably in design and they may be applied to other 0 applications. Any commercially viable number of bases may be used with a corresponding size in the filler box. The invention could be used with other forms of pastry products such as pasties and Va OO rolls, and fillers other than those mentioned could be used, such ci Sas seafoods. While the bases will be of tray-like form for c- standard pies, they could be flat sheets receiving a more viscous filler and baked after being formed into rolls. The pies could be square or oval shaped instead of round, and they could be varied as desired so far as sizes and dimensions are concerned.

These and other obvious modifications will indicate that many variations can be made, without departing from the broad scope and ambit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims (6)

1. 2. A method of making and vending pastry products such as pies, according to Claim 1, wherein: the frozen package contains also a plurality of pie lids or tops corresponding in number to the bases, and there is the additional step of placing the lids on the bases after the latter have received the filler, whereby the so-formed pies are cooked in said oven ready for vending.
2. 3. A method of making and vending pastry products such as pies, according to Claim 2, wherein: o the number of bases is chosen between four and ci o twelve, with the same number of lids, as a commercially 0 viable number and the volume of the tub means is predetermined accordingly.
3. 4. Means for carrying out the method defining Claim 1, OO including: ci tub means adapted to fit closely within the lower part of a shipping box of greater height than the tub means ci whereby there is a space between the upper surface of the tub means and the shipping box top; a plurality of filler support bases placed within said space along with protective covering, the volume of filler in the tub means'being equal to the combined volumes of the plurality of bases.
4. 5. Means as defined in Claim 4, including: a plurality of pie lids or tops corresponding in number to the bases, the lids being contained also in the space between the upper surface of the tub means and the top of the box.
5. 6. Means as defined in Claim 4 or 5, wherein: the tub means has a base area approximating A4 size or alternatively As size in which case the tub means will be in two substantially equal parts.
6. 7. A method of making and vending pastry products such as pies, substantially as hereinbefore described with 0, reference to the accompanying drawings. O 8. Means for carrying out the method according to Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 0 0 Dated this 8 th day of October, 2004 '4 READY BAKE PTY LTD 0 By their Patent Attorneys AHEARN FOX