EP2050675B1 - Process for the preparation of a folded pouch for cooking food in paper wrap - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves deploying flat preforms formed by folding a rectangular paper sheet (40) i.e. parchment paper, for obtaining parallelepiped boxes, where each box is opened on top, and comprises a flat bottom. The boxes are positioned on a conveyor. A clamp system descends on the boxes after the boxes are placed on the conveyor. The boxes are filled by a culinary preparation i.e. food, and are closed by a separate cover. Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a folded pouch comprising a box (2) a package comprising a cover.

Description

The present invention relates to packaging made of paper by folding, which can receive portions of cooking preparations and for cooking, papillotes made with these packages, and a method of implementation of these packages and papillotes.

It is known to cook food in foil packages, including sheets of paper or aluminum, in which a food preparation is deposited before closing, then to bake and cook food.

This food packaging in a foil for cooking, called foil, has many advantages. It cooks in particular in the juice of food and in a closed enclosure, without adding fat, which allows the preparation to develop all the flavors of the ingredients arranged in it, and to make a dish with good nutritional and dietary qualities .

The wrapping in sheet is generally done in a traditional way, directly by the cook, who uses a sheet laid flat to arrange on the culinary preparation, and then closes this sheet by going up the edges and gathering them on the top for then the tie together with a tie, such as a string or staples. This produces a closed volume containing the food, of globally spherical shape, comprising on the top the edges of the sheet knotted together, which can then be deposited directly on a baking sheet for cooking.

However, a series of papillotes production would produce products in a constant process, lowering production costs by reducing the labor time for manufacturing, and offer quality products at reasonable prices.

EP 1 495 972 discloses a method and a package for a food product corresponding to the preamble of claim 1 respectively of claim 6. FR 2 796 618 discloses a foil containing a food product corresponding to the preamble of claim 11.

A main disadvantage of the type of foil is that the packaging having no defined and stable shape, it can hardly be handled with industrial handling means. Indeed, a continuous industrial production using a conveying system for handling, and carrying out the dosing and removal of culinary preparations with tools that can be at least partly automated, requires packages of constant and stable shape, which must be positioned quickly and accurately, and then held in place.

In addition, the packaging must be easily closed to achieve a substantially sealed volume.

The present invention is intended in particular to avoid these drawbacks of the prior art, and to provide a foil and a method of implementation that is simple, effective and economical, allowing easy production in series.

It proposes for this purpose a papillote containing in paper packaging a culinary preparation and for cooking in an oven, characterized in that it comprises a geometrically shaped housing, in particular of parallelepiped shape, open on top and comprising a bottom flat, and a separate lid, the housing and the lid being made from flat preforms prepared by folding food-grade paper sheets and resistant to baking, which are deployed to obtain geometric shapes, including parallelepiped, s 'nesting into each other.

The invention furthermore proposes a process for manufacturing papillotes for cooking culinary preparations in a paper packaging, on a continuous production line, characterized in that flat preforms made by folding a sheet of quality paper foodstuffs and resistant to baking, are deployed to obtain parallelepiped boxes open on the top and having a flat bottom, these housings are then positioned on a conveyor comprising positioning means and means for holding the shaped housing, then the Enclosures are filled with culinary preparation and closed with a lid.

An essential advantage of the method according to the invention is that it provides paper containers economically, a defined geometry and stable forms for using implements for subsequent operations.

The assistance device according to the invention may further comprise one or more of the following features, which may be combined with each other.

According to a feature of the invention, the shaped housing holding means comprise an air suction device producing a depression under the bottom of the housing to keep it flat.

Advantageously, a system of clamps is lowered on the housings after their removal on the conveyor, to spread the edges of these housings and hold them in position.

Advantageously, the conveyor comprises positioning means comprising rows of cells arranged transversely.

According to one embodiment, several layers of different culinary preparations are successively deposited in a housing.

Advantageously, the housing and the lid are each made from a baking-resistant, food-grade paper sheet which is folded to provide a flat preform that can be easily deployed to obtain a parallelepipedal shape open on top. to form a housing comprising a bottom that can be held flat by suction of air, and a cover that fits over the housing to form a substantially sealed container.

Advantageously, the preform of the cover comprises a folding similar to that of the preform of the housing, and comprises slightly larger dimensions to fit on the housing substantially sealingly.

Alternatively, it is possible to use a different folding of the preform of the cover relative to that of the housing, thus always obtaining a parallelepiped shape while facilitating unfolding.

The folding of the preforms may comprise the following operations, for folding symmetrical with respect to a transverse axis of a rectangular sheet, the sheet is divided in length into six equal transverse strips, named starting from the axis, central strip, intermediate band and end band, the intermediate band and the end band are folded accordionally on the central band, the end band is unfolded, then the four corners of the surface formed by the intermediate band and the band end are folded inward and meet two by two, and finally the end band is then folded back onto the intermediate band.

According to one embodiment, several housings are juxtaposed in the same lower cover, and an upper cover identical to the lower cover is deposited on the assembly.

Advantageously, the housing and the lid are formed with parchment paper.

• la figure 1 représente une ligne de fabrication suivant un procédé de fabrication selon l'invention ;
• les figures 2 à 7 représentent différentes étapes de réalisation d'un boîtier ou d'un couvercle ;
• la figure 8 représente l'assemblage d'un couvercle sur un boîtier déposé sur un convoyeur ; et
• la figure 9 représente en variante l'assemblage de deux boîtiers avec un même couvercle.

According to a variant of the manufacturing process, the culinary preparations are previously molded and frozen separately, before being deposited in the boxes. The invention will be better understood and other features and advantages will appear more clearly on reading the following description given by way of example, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

• the figure 1 represents a manufacturing line according to a manufacturing method according to the invention;
• the Figures 2 to 7 represent different steps of producing a housing or a cover;
• the figure 8 represents the assembly of a cover on a housing deposited on a conveyor; and
• the figure 9 represents as an alternative the assembly of two housings with the same cover.

The figure 1 represents a manufacturing line 1 of curl 28, comprising a belt conveyor 2 which rotates continuously, and different work stations arranged along this conveyor.

The first station includes a storage of flat box preforms stacked in a package. An operator grasps them and opens them by lifting folded sides on the bottom, to make boxes 22 parallelepiped, open on the top and having a flat bottom.

The housings 22 are then deposited in cells 4 connected to the continuous band of the conveyor 2, to position them according to defined positions. A vacuum system 6 carries by air suction a slight depression in the conveying system, which communicates through openings 8 in the positioning cells 4. In this way the bottom of the housings 22 is sucked by the depression, and is pressed immediately on the belt of the conveyor 2 to be positioned flat and held in position.

A clamp system 10 is then lowered to the housings 22. It comprises arms that penetrate the housings 22 and spread the edges, to open them and keep them open. In particular, it may comprise 4 arms each applying at an angle of the housing 22, to clearly mark the rectangular shape.

In this way, the clamps 10 in combination with the vacuum system 6 contribute to conforming the geometry of the housing 22, while after unfolding the preform 20, the folds do not naturally take their shape and the housing does not remain open of himself.

Thus a well-defined and constant geometric volume can be achieved from paper sheets of reduced thickness and low rigidity, and a simple folding, which is economical.

Once all the transverse cells 4 of the conveyor 2 have been filled, the belt moves forward to move the housings 22 towards filling stations. of culinary preparations 12a, 12b. To feed these items different components are prepared and mixed, which may contain meat, fish, vegetables or spices, to provide culinary preparations. The components are preferably cut into small pieces, after mixing to provide a pasty product that can be stored in a container, and poured from dosing systems.

The metering systems may include mechanized means, such as pistons, worms or gears for withdrawing the dough from storage, and delivering precise dosages of each preparation for depositing them in the housings 22. Preparations may come to be superimposed in different layers, to form assemblies bringing together both good nutritional and taste qualities. Finally, products like spices or decorative elements can be deposited last.

The belt of the conveyor 2 comprises transversely rows of aligned cells 4, in order to be able to process simultaneously when filling the rows of housings 22.

A following operation, which can also be performed between the deposition of the layers of the preceding steps, consists of shaping the food preparation if necessary, for example with a buffer 14 which goes down to press the surface is pressed the preparation in the housing 22 This step may be necessary in the case where the preparations are thick and difficult to fill themselves by gravity with the housing 22.

At the next station, an operator takes stacked flat preforms 24, similar to the preforms 20 of housing 22 but slightly larger, opens them by lifting folded sides on the bottom, and makes covers 26 which fit on the housing 22 in a substantially watertight manner, for closing the curl 28.

The cover 26 separated from the housing 22 facilitates the handling and filling of the housing, without being clogged by a lid that would be bound to it or risk contaminating it.

In addition, the geometric shapes for the housing 22 as for the cover 26, allow without using additional component such as a link, for example, to achieve a sufficiently tight closure of the foil, which is quickly implemented by simple casing.

The covers 26 comprising bends similar to those of the housings 22, allow to provide identical manufacturing processes from the same material and with similar tools.

Then, the papillotes 28 pass through a freezing tunnel to leave frozen. The papillotes then represent compact and hard elements, with regular shapes, which are easily handled by operators or machines to package them in packages 30.

Alternatively, the culinary preparations of the curl can be arranged in molds moving on a conveyor, to be then frozen and demolded and deposited in the casings 22 previously opened. the lid is finally deposited.

Alternatively, the housings 22 may be deposited on trays having rows of cells, these trays being moved by a conveyor.

The papillotes thus formed are economical, the raw material of the packaging being inexpensive, and the stacked preforms occupying a very small volume. The papillotes made in a food grade paper that can be baked, parchment paper in particular, which has good qualities for this, can then be put directly into an oven for heating or cooking food. The papillotes closed tight enough, keep the cooking juices and all the aromas that emerge during cooking.

The nutritional quality is very good. The container during cooking represents a negligible thermal mass, the heat is directly in contact with food, the cooking is fast which limits the degradation of elements such as vitamin C resistant to heat.

In addition, the thus formed papillote stands and is very presentable. It can after cooking be placed directly on the plate, the lid can stay to keep food warm.

This foil is also ecological, the paper used for packaging bringing significant benefits. It has real advantages in relation to plastic or metal packaging, including a weight and a higher volume, and requiring a greater consumption of material and energy. In addition, the paper being biodegradable, it can after the meal be thrown with food waste that will degrade with the packaging, without the need for sorting materials.

The Figures 2 to 7 show an example of folding of a rectangular paper sheet 40, to obtain a housing 22 or a cover 26. The folding is symmetrical with respect to a transverse axis 42 of the sheet 40.

The sheet 40 is divided in length into 6 equal transverse strips, named starting from the axis 42 to each side, central strip 44, intermediate strip 46 and end strip 48. The intermediate strip 46 and the end strip 48 are folded in accordion on the central band 44, as shown figure 3 .

The end band 48 being unfolded as shown figure 4 the four corners of the surface formed by the intermediate strip 46 and the end strip 48 are folded inwards and meet two by two, as shown figure 5 . The end band 48 is then folded back onto the intermediate band 46 as shown figure 6 . By performing the same on the other three strips on the other side of the axis 42, the preform 20 is finished as shown figure 7 .

In addition, to prepare the deployment of the housing 22, mark a fold following the base of the tips formed at each end of the preform 20, this base being indicated by a dashed line on the figure 7 .

For the complete deployment presented figure 7 , the operator raises the sides 50 of the preform 20, and thus forms a housing 22 or a lid 26. In general, the housings 22 or the covers 26 may have a square or rectangular shape.

The figure 8 presents the mounting of a lid 26 on a housing 22 which has received the culinary preparations. The conveyor 2 comprises cells 4 surrounded on each side by flanges 60, in which the housings 22 fit, these flanges having inlet chamfers to facilitate the introduction of a housing. A central bore 8 in each cell carries the air intake, which in combination with the flanges 60 ensures a good disposition of the housing 22, the bottom is well laid flat. The filling of the housing 22 and the assembly of the cover 26 are facilitated, and can be done quickly.

This type of housing comprising a parallelepipedal shape is particularly suitable for a manufacturing method according to the invention, unlike the curl according to the prior art, because its flat bottom allows easy maintenance on the continuous belt of a conveyor, which has a flat surface. The sides of the housing including geometric shapes, facilitates accurate positioning with a simple device of flanges on the strip.

In particular, it is possible to create a range of papillotes of different sizes that can contain various dishes, for example comprising two widths that can be 5 and 8 cm.

The figure 9 shows another embodiment of two individual portions, assembled in two housings 70 juxtaposed in the same lower cover 72. Each element of the package is made according to the same principle, and the assembly is also maintained in cells of a conveyor by an air suction device. After filling the housings 70, an upper cover 74 identical to the lower cover 72, is deposited. Then the whole is frozen, then packaged. We can in the same way assemble more than two boxes.

Claims (15)

1. A method for the production of wraps (28) for cooking culinary preparations in a package, on a continuous production line, characterized in that flat preforms (20) made by folding of a food grade sheets of paper (40) resistant to baking, are spread to obtain parallelepiped boxes (22) open at the top and having flat bottom, these boxes are then positioned on a conveyor (2) comprising positioning means and means for maintaining the form of the box, then the boxes are filled with a culinary preparation and closed with a lid (26).
2. The method for the production of wraps according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for maintaining the form of the box (22), comprise an air suction device (6) providing a depression under the bottom of the box to keep it flat.
3. The method for the production of wraps according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a clamp system (10) is moved down on the boxes (22) after having been deposited on the conveyor (2), to separate the edges of these boxes keep them in position.
4. The method for the production of wraps according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the conveyor (2) comprises positioning means comprising rows of alveolus (4) arranged transversally.
5. The method for the production of wraps according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several layers of different culinary preparations are deposited successively in a box (22).
6. Package comprising a box and a lid each made from a food grade sheet, characterized in that the selected sheet are sheet of papers (40) resistant to baking, and in that each sheet is folded to obtain a flat preform (20, 26) that can be easily spread to obtain a parallelepiped shape open at the top to form a box (22) comprising a bottom that can be held flat by suction of air, and a lid (26) which fits over the box to form a substantially tight container.
7. Package comprising a box and a lid according to claim 6, characterized in that the preform (24) of the lid (26) comprises a folding similar to that of the preform (20) of the box (22), and comprises slightly larger dimensions to fit over the box in a substantially tight manner.
8. Package comprising a box and a lid according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that preforms (20,24) folding comprises the following steps, for a symmetrical folding in relation to a transverse axis (42) of a rectangular sheet (40), the sheet is divided lengthwise in six equal transverse strips, named from the axis (42), central strip (44), intermediate strip (46) and end strip (48), the intermediate strip and the end strip are fanfolded on the central strip, the end strip is unfolded, then the four corners of the surface formed by the intermediate strip and end strip are folded inward and joined two by two, and finally the end strip is then folded back on the intermediate strip.
9. Package comprising a box and a lid according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that several boxes (70) are juxtaposed in a single bottom lid (72), and in that a top lid (74) identical to the bottom lid, is put down on the whole.
10. Package comprising a box and a lid according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that it is formed from vegetable parchment.
11. Wrap (28) containing a culinary preparation in a wrapping paper and adapted to baking, characterized in that it comprises a box (22) with a parallelepiped shape open at the top and having flat bottom and a separate lid (26), made from preforms (24, 26) prepared by folding food grade sheets of paper (40) resistant to baking, that are spread to obtain parallelepiped shapes that fit one into the other.
12. Wrap (28) according to claim 11, characterized in that the lid (26) comprises a folding similar to that of the preform (20) of the box (22), and comprises slightly larger dimensions to fit over the box in a substantially tight manner.
13. Wrap (28) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that preforms (20,24) folding comprises the following steps, for a symmetrical folding in relation to a transverse axis (42) of a rectangular sheet (40), the sheet is divided lengthwise in six equal transverse strips, named from the axis (42), central strip (44), intermediate strip (46) and end strip (48), the intermediate strip and the end strip are fanfolded on the central strip, the end strip is unfolded, then the four corners of the surface formed by the intermediate strip and end strip are folded inward and joined two by two, and finally the end strip is then folded back on the intermediate strip.
14. Wrap (28) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that it is formed from vegetable parchment.
15. Wrap (28) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that the culinary preparations are first molded and frozen apart before being placed in the boxes (22).

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