CA2755244A1

CA2755244A1 - Food tray with side by side compartments

Info

Publication number: CA2755244A1
Application number: CA 2755244
Authority: CA
Inventors: Steven M. Parsons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-10-12
Filing date: 2011-10-12
Publication date: 2013-04-12

Abstract

A food tray with two compartments side by side. A first compartment for holding a food product, and a second compartment which holds sauce for the food product. The tray can be made of plastic or other material suitable for use in a microwave oven. One piece of film can be used to seal both trays. A consumer would heat both trays at once in the microwave, remove the film, and pour sauce onto the food product. A covered depression, steam dimples or a steam channel in the first compartment hold water that would be used to steam the food product. The tray sides can be separated by perforation or tear strip.

Description

FOOD TRAY WITH SIDE BY SIDE COMPARTMENTS
BACKGROUND
[0001] Food trays for holding and heating a food product are well known. One type in common use has a single compartment. When a pasta or other low value product is heated for consumption in the single compartment, any sauce, which may contain meat and or vegetables, is layered on top or beside of the low value product. Heating of the food arranged in this manner causes the flavours to blend and textures to deteriorate.
Another food tray has two compartments, one beside the other. Heating does not cause blending of flavour, but having to spoon sauce from one compartment to another for consumption by the customer is inconvenient.

[0002] In US patent 5,012,929, Roosa discloses a paperboard food tray comprising two containers connected by a central portion having a tear strip for easy separation of the two containers. Roosa suggests in the background of his patent that trays like his can be adapted to microwave use.

[0003] In US patent 6,559,431, Hopkins discloses a microwaveable food tray with two compartments, the compartments being connected by grooves and not being separable. The tray is heat sealed with a film. The bottom of the tray has steam channels to produce steam for cooking the food.

SUMMARY

[0004] The food tray claimed here is intended to provide the advantages of separate heating of food products. In addition, the claimed food tray is convenient to use.

[0005] Therefore, there is provided a food tray, which may be made of microwaveable plastic, having a first compartment for containing a first food product and a second compartment for containing a second food product, the second compartment located side-by-side with the first compartment. The first and second compartments are connected by a bridge having a tear strip or perforations for easy separation by a consumer. In some embodiments, the first and second compartments have respective flanges for sealing to a cover. In some embodiments, each of the first and second compartments has a bottom and sidewalls forming a continuous unbroken surface up to the respective flange. Preferably, each flange occupies a single plane without any rises or dips. Preferably the cover is a single sheet of film such as heat-sealed shrinkwrap which seals both the first compartment and the second compartment.
The film may have perforations allowing the easy separation of the first and second compartments while the film remains attached. A separate cover could also be used for each compartment. The first compartment may have a depression, steam dimples, or a steam channel for holding water to steam the first food product when heated.
Preferably the bottom of the first compartment has a depression for holding water to steam the first food product and an insert is placed in the depression to keep the first food product out of the depression, the insert having holes to permit steam to escape through the insert.

[0006] These and other aspects of the food tray are set out in the claims, which are incorporated here by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0007] Preferred embodiments of the food tray will now be described with reference to the figures, in which like reference characters denote like elements, by way of example, and in which:

[0008] Fig. 1 is a top view of a food tray according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0009] Fig. 2 is a side view of the bottom of the food tray of Fig. 1;

[0010] Fig. 3 is a top view of an insert with steam holes for placement in a rectangular depression in the bottom of the food tray of Fig. 1;

[0011] Fig. 4 is a top perspective of the food tray of Fig. 1 with a perforation having a tab on the opposite side than in Fig. 1;

[0012] Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the food tray of Fig. 4;

[0013] Fig. 6 is a side view of the food tray of Fig. 4;

[0014] Fig. 7 is a top perspective view of the food tray of Fig. 4 with the insert with steam holes removed from the tray and shown separately;

[0015] Fig. 8 is a close-up section side view of the bottom of a first compartment of the food tray of Fig. 4, shown upside down, including the insert with steam holes;

[0016] Fig. 9 is a section side view of the food tray of Fig. 4, shown upside down;

[0017] Fig. 10 is a bottom view of an embodiment of a food tray with a circular depression, with a circular insert removed and shown separately;

[0018] Fig. 11 is a closeup view of a central portion of the food tray of Fig.
10;

[0019] Fig. 12 is a bottom view of the food tray of Fig. 10;

[0020] Fig. 13 is a side view of a first compartment of the food tray of Fig.
10; and

[0021] Fig. 14 is a side section view of the food tray of Fig. 1 showing a cover.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In the claims, the word "comprising" is used in its inclusive sense and does not exclude other elements being present. The indefinite article "a" before a claim feature does not exclude more than one of the feature being present.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 1, a food tray 10 is formed from a first compartment 12 and a second compartment 14 located side by side and connected by a bridge 16. As shown more clearly in Fig. 14, each compartment has sidewalls 36. The second compartment has a bottom 38 and the first compartment has bottom 32 which preferably slopes downward slightly (1-2%
slope) towards a depression 30 located approximately in the centre of the bottom 32. In the embodiments shown in the figures, the bridge 16 has perforations 18 for enabling the consumer to more easily separate the first compartment and the second compartment. In another embodiment a tear strip could be used. There can be a tab 28 for the consumer to lift to more easily separate the compartments. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 an insert 20 has steam holes 22 for releasing steam from water held in a depression 30 covered by the insert, in order to steam a food product in the first compartment when heated. The insert shown in Figs. 1-3 is a 20 mm wide by 40 mm long injection molded plate with 1 mm diameter holes and snaps into a depression 30 which is 20 mm wide by 40 mm long with a depth of 4 mm.
Figures 4-9 show an embodiment similar to the embodiment of Figs. 1-3, with the tab 28 on the opposite side than in Fig. 1, and the perforations 18 are circular in Figs. 4-9 and slit-shaped in Fig. 1. In another embodiment the first compartment could have steam dimples holding water for steaming, with or without an insert. In further embodiments steam channels could be included in the bottom of the first compartment with or without an insert. In a more preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 10-13 depression 30 is larger and deeper than in Figs 1-3 and is circular in shape and the insert 20 is a plastic disk with holes through it, although the holes are not visible in Figs. 10-13. The embodiment shown in Figs. 10-13 also has two tabs 28, and the perforations are slit-shaped as in Fig. 1.
[00241 Both the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14 include respective flanges or lips 24 and 26. In preferred embodiments, the sidewalls 36 and bottom 32 of the first compartment forms a continuous unbroken surface up to the flange or lip

24 and the sidewalls 36 and bottom 38 of the second compartment form a continuous unbroken surface up the flange or lip 26. The flanges or lip 24 preferably occupies a single plane without any rises or dips for ease of sealing and containment of the food product when unsealed, and for the same reasons the flange or lip 26 also preferably occupies a single plane without any rises or dips. Preferably, the flange or lip 24 and the flange or lip 26 each occupy the same plane to enable them to more easily be sealed simultaneously, preferably with a single sheet of film.
Each of the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14 may be made by injection moulding, thermoforming or any other suitable manufacturing process. The first compartment 12 and the second compartment 14 should be formed of a material that is suitable for use in a microwave oven, and also may be formed of a material suitable for use in a conventional oven. Exemplary materials are polypropylene (microwave only) and dual use CPET (crystalline polyethylene terephthalate) available from a number of manufacturers.
CPET is particularly suitable due to its wide temperature tolerance. The compartments 12, 14 may be transparent or opaque. In the embodiments shown, the first compartment is larger than the second compartment, for example in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 the first compartment has a volume of 500 ml and the second compartment has a volume of 350 ml.
100251 As shown in Fig. 2, insert 20 is placed in and covers a depression 30 in the bottom 32 of first compartment 12. The depression can hold water which when heated releases steam for steaming of a food product in first compartment 12. Preferably the depression has about 9 mm of water. The water can be supplied from the food or additional water can be added to the tray during packing or even by the customer. The insert 20, shown more clearly in a top view in Fig. 3, keeps the food product out of the depression while allowing steam to escape through holes 22 to cook the food.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 14, the food tray is preferably provided with a cover, such as a film 34 that is heat sealed to the lip 24 on the first compartment 12, and to the lip 26 on the second compartment 14. The film may be a stand alone cover heat sealed to the lips 24, 26.
Preferably both compartments are sealed together with a single film, the film having perforations corresponding to perforations 18 on the bridge 16. The customer may separate the compartments and then microwave them and then remove the film.
[0027] The food tray cover may also include a sleeve. The sleeve may be a paperboard sleeve into which the combined compartments 12 and 14 are inserted. The cover could also include a carton that encloses both compartments 12 and 14 completely.
[0028] Food is placed in each of the first compartment 12 and second compartment 14.
The food product in the second compartment 14 may be a higher value food product in terms of cost per weight than the food product in the first compartment 12. Thus the first compartment 12 may include pasta, rice or vegetable, which is usually the higher volume product. The second compartment 14 may include a sauce, such as cheese sauce, meat or seafood sauce, or vegetable sauce. The customer may separate the compartments after heating and pour the sauce from the second compartment into the first compartment.
Sauce could also be included in a smaller tray within the second compartment and the customer could remove the smaller tray in order to pour the sauce. Water may be added to the first compartment 12 to assist in cooking the food product in the first compartment 12. Preferably, the water is held in steam dimples, a steam channel, or a covered depression in order to steam the food product without putting the food product in the water.
[0029] When sold, the food tray, including food, may be wrapped in shrink wrap. For use, the customer removes the shrink wrap and deposits the food tray in an oven, preferably a microwave oven, where the food tray is subject to food heating energy. The film may be pierced or could be self-venting film to provide venting during heating. Self-venting film is known in the art. Upon removal of the food tray from the oven, the higher value food product may be added to the lower value food product, simply by pouring the higher value food product into the first compartment. Due to the product being in separate trays, quicker more even heating is obtained.
100301 Either or both the cover 34 or the sidewalls 36 may be provided with graphics illustrating the food product and providing instructions for use. In embodiments where the flange is not present on one or both compartments, the compartments may be covered by a variety of possible covers including lids, for example made of plastic and having depending flanges, heat sealed plastic extending over and down the tops of the compartments and shrink wrap.
[00311 Immaterial modifications may be made to the embodiments described here without departing from what is claimed.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A food tray, comprising:
a first compartment;
a second compartment for holding sauce located side-by-side with the first compartment and connected to the first compartment by a bridge, the bridge having a tear strip or perforations for separation of the first compartment and the second compartment; and the first compartment having a first upper edge forming a first flange and the second compartment having a second upper edge forming a second flange to accommodate sealing of the top of the first compartment to a first cover and the second compartment to a second cover.

2. The food tray of claim 1 in which the first compartment has a depression for holding water for steaming a food product in the first compartment when heated.

3. The food tray of claim 2 further comprising an insert for placement in the depression to keep the food product out of the depression.

4. The food tray of claim 3 in which the insert comprises holes permitting steam to escape the depression through the insert.

5. The food tray of claim 1 in which the first compartment has a steam channel or steam dimples or for holding water for steaming a food product in the first compartment when heated.

6. The food tray of any one of claims 1-5 in which the first compartment comprises a bottom and sidewalls forming a continuous unbroken surface up to the first flange or lip, and the second compartment comprises a continuous unbroken surface up to the second flange or lip.

7. The food tray of any one of claims 1-6 in which the first flange occupies a first plane without any rises or dips, and the second flange or lip occupies a second plane without any rises or dips.

8. The food tray of claim 7 in which the second plane is the first plane.

9. The food tray of any one of claims 1-8 in which a single piece of material comprises the first cover and the second cover.

10. The food tray of any one of claims 1-9 in which the first cover and the second cover are made of heat-sealed shrinkwrap.

11. The food tray of any one of claims 1-10 in which the food tray is made of microwaveable plastic.

12. A food tray, comprising:
a first compartment;
a second compartment for holding sauce located side-by-side with the first compartment and connected to the first compartment by a bridge, the bridge having a tear strip or perforations for separation of the first compartment and the second compartment; and the first compartment having a first upper edge and comprising a first bottom and sidewalls forming a first continuous unbroken surface up to the first upper edge, and the second compartment having a second upper edge and comprising a second bottom and sidewalls and forming a second continuous unbroken surface up to the second upper edge.

13. The food tray of claim 12 in which the first compartment has a depression for holding water for steaming a food product in the first compartment when heated.

14. The food tray of claim 13 further comprising an insert for placement in the depression to keep the food product out of the depression.

15. The food tray of claim 14 in which the insert comprises holes permitting steam to escape the depression through the insert.

16. The food tray of claim 12 in which the first compartment has a steam channel or steam dimples or for holding water for steaming a food product in the first compartment when heated.

17. The food tray of any one of claims 12-16 in which a single piece of material comprises the first cover and the second cover.

18. The food tray of any one of claims 12-17 in which the first cover and the second cover are made of heat-sealed shrinkwrap.

19. The food tray of any one of claims 12-18 in which the food tray is made of microwaveable plastic.