EP2852539B1

EP2852539B1 - Food packaging

Info

Publication number: EP2852539B1
Application number: EP13721775.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Samuel Lamar Huffman; Erich HEINZE
Original assignee: Nestec SA
Current assignee: Nestec SA
Priority date: 2012-05-21
Filing date: 2013-05-13
Publication date: 2016-09-14
Anticipated expiration: 2033-05-13
Also published as: US20150166241A1; EP2852539A1; ES2604839T3; IL235462B; WO2013174669A1; CA2872761A1; CA2872761C

Description

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to food packaging.
A great variety of packaged convenience foods are available to a consumer. However, there is a continuing need for packaged convenience foods that suit the tastes of as many consumers as possible.
For example, EP 0 449 643 A1 discloses a food product comprising first and second nested containers, the first container being a closed container formed of a non-metalic (e.g. plastics) material capable of withstanding retorting conditions, the said first container being in the form of a dish and containing a food which has been subjected to cooking by retorting in the container; the second container being a closed container formed of a non-metallic (e.g-plastics) material capable of withstanding temperatures generated in a microwave oven, the said second container containing a dehydrated foodstuff. In particular, the first and second containers are in the form of a set of nested bowls, the outermost of the two bowls containing a pre-cooked dehydrated foodstuff such as instant rice or instant pasta, and the innermost of the two bowls containing a wet retorted foodstuff.
US 4 941 401 A discloses an elongated microwaveable fish poacher comprising a non-metallic, plastic base, rack and cover, and defining a fish poacher interior. The assembled parts present the appearance of a fish, with handles serving as a tail and fins, and cooperate to minimize undesired exchange of air from exterior of the assembled parts within which fish is adapted to be cooked in a microwave oven.
JP H10 129742 A discloses a container with a lid which holds different kinds of objects and can be handled as a single container when sold, used, and so forth and which, for the use after unsealing, may constitute separate containers and which is easy to unseal. The package with lid comprises a container body which holds objects for packaging inside and a lid body in the form of sheets provided for closure of the opening part of the container body. The container body is composed of a plurality of container constituents, which are laid one over another in a manner of causing the perimetric parts of their opening parts to slide against each other so as to expose part of the perimetric part on the lower side. The lid body is attached to the respective container constituents along the perimetric parts.

SUMMARY

In an aspect of the present invention, food packaging has a food vessel and a food tray. The vessel has an upper lip and an inwardly projecting ledge below the upper lip. The food tray has a pair of opposed handle structures and a tray portion depending from the handle structures. Each handle structure has an outwardly projecting protuberance. The food tray is positioned within the food vessel with each protuberance resting on the inwardly projecting ledge such that the tray portion is suspended within the food vessel by the handle structures. This forms two food compartments: one below and one above the tray portion. The vessel may be topped by a topping film.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings which illustrate example embodiments of this invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of food packaging made in accordance with an embodiment,
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the packaging of FIG. 1 ,
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a food bowl of the packaging of FIG. 1 ,
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging of FIG. 1 shown containing food components and covered with a topping film,
FIGs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the packaging of FIG. 1 containing food components showing the packaging in use,
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view along the lines 7A-7A of FIG. 1 ,
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the food bowl of the food packaging of FIG. 1 and a tray in accordance with another embodiment,
FIGs. 8 to 13 are perspective views of trays made in accordance with different embodiments, each for use with the food bowl of FIG. 1 ,
FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a food bowl made in accordance with another embodiment,
FIG. 15A is a cross-sectional view of the food packaging in accordance with another embodiment,
FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view of the food packaging in accordance with another embodiment, and
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a food bowl made in accordance with another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning to FIGs. 1 to 3 , food packaging 50 has a food vessel and a food tray 54 which rests within the food vessel.
The example food vessel is a food bowl 52 with a circumferential upper lip 56 and an inwardly projecting continuous circumferential ledge 58 in the side wall 60 of the bowl below the upper lip 56. As will be apparent, the side wall 60 of the bowl is smooth and terminates at base wall 62.
With reference to FIGs. 1 and 2 food tray 54 has a pair of opposed handle structures 70a, 70b with a disc shaped tray portion 72 depending from the handle structures 70a, 70b. Each handle structure 70a, 70b has a pair of arms 74, 76 extending upwardly from the tray portion 72 and terminating in a cross-bar 80 which bridges the pair of arms. The cross-bar 80 has an outwardly projecting protuberance lip 82. The arms 74, 76 are joined at their basal ends by a reinforcing ridge 84. In consequence, there is an opening 86 through the handle structures between the pair of arms 74, 76; this opening is sized so as to be able to receive the thumb of a user. The cross-bar 80 is curved with a radius of curvature matching the radius of curvature of the bowl 52 at the ledge 58. The tray portion 72 of food tray 54 has a plurality of through holes 88 arranged in a pattern of concentric circles.
The food tray 54 can be positioned within the bowl 52 with the protuberance lip 82 of each handle structure 70a, 70b resting on the inwardly projecting ledge 58 such that the tray portion 72 is suspended within the bowl by the handle structures 70a, 70b as is illustrated by FIGs. 1 and 7A . In this regard, the diameter of the tray portion 72 may be chosen so as to be slightly less than the diameter of the bowl 52 at the level where the tray portion is suspended within the bowl by the handle structures. Because the cross-bars 80 have a radius of curvature matching that of the bowl at the ledge 58, the tray portion 72 can be suspended within the bowl 52 at any angular orientation of the food tray 54 with respect to the bowl 52. The cross-bars are laterally elongated so as to extend along a section of the ledge. This enhances the stability of the food tray within the bowl. The cross-bars 80 are designed so that, with the tray portion suspended within the bowl, the protuberance lips 82 of the cross-bars extend in close proximity to the side wall 60 of the bowl so that there is insufficient space between the outside edge of protuberance lips 82 and the bowl side wall 60 to admit a finger of a user. It will be apparent from FIG. 7A that, with the food tray 54 resting within the bowl 52, the bowl is divided into a lower compartment 90 and an upper compartment 92.
Food packaging 50 can be used to package a convenience food. For example, with reference to FIG. 4 , bowl 52 may hold a first component 94 of a convenience food such as a food component that includes a liquid: for example, the first food component could comprise meat and a sauce. Food tray 54 may hold a second food component 86, such as a solid component, for example, pasta.
Both the bowl 52 and food tray 54 may be made of a microwaveable material such as polypropylene. The bowl may be constructed by an injection moulding or thermoforming process. The tray could be constructed by injection moulding, or by a thermoforming process followed by secondary operations.
To package a convenience food, a first food component may be added to bowl 52, food tray 54 may be placed within the bowl so that the tray portion 72 is suspended by handle structures 70a, 70b and a second food component added on top of the tray portion 72. Next a topping film 98 may be adhered to the upper lip 56 of the bowl. The topping film may be a self-venting film or a steam impervious film. Typically, the food components will be frozen. To prepare the convenience food, the consumer may simply place the filled food packaging of FIG. 4 in the microwave where the film 80 is self-venting. If the film is not self-venting, a portion of the film may be peeled back or the film may be punctured prior to microwave heating or cooking.
During microwave heating or cooking, the openings 88 in the tray portion 72 allow moisture from the first food component to rise through the second food component as steam.
Where the topping film 98 is a peelable film, at the conclusion of microwave heating or cooking, the consumer may peel away the film. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , the user may place a thumb (or finger) at and within the opening 86 in each handle structure 70a, 70b and draw upwardly on the cross-bars 80 of the handle structures to move the food tray 54 upwardly along the side wall 60 of the bowl. Once the cross-bars reach the top of the bowl, the user may grasp the cross-bars between the thumb and fingers of both hands, lift the food tray above the bowl, and tip the food tray to dispense (all or a selected amount of) the second food component into the first food component, as illustrated in FIG. 6 . The food components may be stirred together, as desired and, optionally, consumed directly from the bowl 52.
A user also has the option of dispensing the second food component into a separate food container if the user wished to enjoy the food components separately.
Turning to FIGs. 7A and 7B , optionally food bowl 52 can be used with a second food tray 154 rather than with the aforedescribed first food tray 54. Second food tray 154 is similar to first food tray 54 except that the arms of handle structures 170a, 170b of food tray 154 are longer than the arms of handle structures 70a, 70b of food tray 54 and the diameter of the tray portion 172 of food tray 154 is less than the diameter of the tray portion 72 of food tray 54. In consequence, tray portion 174 of food tray 154, when suspended within bowl 52 by handle structures 170a, 170b, is positioned deeper within the bowl than is tray portion 74 of food tray 54. Thus, the first food compartment 190 formed within bowl 52 by food tray 154 is smaller than the first food compartment 90 formed within bowl 52 by food tray 54 and the second food compartment 192 formed within bowl 52 by food tray 154 is larger than the second food compartment 92 formed within bowl 52 by food tray 54. This adapts the food packaging for use with a convenience food with different relative portions of the first and second food components. Advantageously, therefore, different convenience foods can be packaged in the same food bowl 52 by using different food trays.
A variety of differently designed food trays may be used with food bowl 52. For example, turning to FIG. 8 , a food tray 254 has handle structures 270a, 270b each with an upstanding wall 274 terminating in an outwardly projecting protuberance lip282. Each wall 274 is buttressed by a radially inwardly directed fin 276 that is joined to the middle of the wall 274. The sides of each fin have raised dimples 277. The holes 288 in the tray portion 272 of the food tray 254 have a different pattern. In using food tray 254, the user may grip the opposed fins 276 of the tray. The dimples frictionally enhance the grip of the tray. Optionally, the dimples may be concave rather than raised.
FIG. 9 illustrates another food tray 354 that may be used with bowl 52. Food tray 354 has a pair of spaced fins 376 bridged by a cross-bar 380 with protuberance lip 382. The fins have dimples 377 on their outer sides. The tray portion 372 of food tray 354 has no through holes and so is suited for use with a food component that might otherwise drop through holes in the tray portion. In use, the user has the option of gripping the outer surface of each pair of fins between thumb and fingers or placing a thumb (or finger) in the hole 386 formed between the pair of fins 376 at the cross-bar 380 of each handle structure 370a, 370b in order to raise the food tray 354.
Turning to FIG. 10 , food tray 454 has handle structures 470a, 470b each with a concavely curved upstanding wall 474 terminating at either end in an outwardly projecting protuberance finger 480, 480'. The convex curve of wall 474 strengthens the wall. When in place within the bowl, the protuberance fingers rest on the ledge of the bowl. A user may grip the inner and outer sides of each wall in 474 order to lift the food tray 454 from the bowl.
The food tray 554 of FIG. 11 is similar to the food tray 254 of FIG. 8 except that the single fin of each handle structure of food tray 254 is replaced by a pair of adjacent fins 576 and 576' in food tray 554. Thus, each handle structure 570a, 570b of food tray 554 has an upstanding wall terminating in an outwardly projecting protuberance lip 582. The fins 576, 576' are shown smooth walled which, especially for lighter second food components, may provide a sufficient gripping surface to allow a user to lift the food tray from the bowl.
The tray portion 672 of the food tray 654 of FIG. 12 has opposed cut-out areas 671 from which upstanding walls 674 of handle structures 670a, 670b extend. The top of each upstanding wall 674 curves outwardly and protuberance fingers 680, 680' extend outwardly from the top of each wall at either end of the wall. The protuberance fingers are designed to rest on the ledge of the bowl when the food tray 654 is placed within the bowl. There is an opening 687 between the protuberance fingers such that a user's finger will fit between the wall 674 and the side wall of the bowl so that the user can raise the food tray 654 either by hooking his or her fingers under the outwardly curved top of each wall 674 or by gripping the outer and inner sides of each wall 674.
The tray portion 772 of food tray 754 of FIG. 13 has opposed cut-out areas 771 from which upstanding walls 774 of handle structures 770a, 770b extend. Each wall 774 terminates in an outwardly protruding protuberance flange 780 that rests on the shelf of the bowl when the food tray 754 is placed within the bowl. The user may grip opposite ends of the flange 780 to raise the food tray from the bowl. The tray portion 772 has holes in the nature of slots 788 which may allow a greater amount of steam from the lower food component to pass through the upper food component during cooking.
Each of the described food trays may also be used with the food bowl 152 of FIG. 14 . Referencing FIG. 14 , food bowl 152 is a bowl similar to bowl 52 of FIG. 2 except that its side wall 160 has an array of inwardly directed dimples 161 extending medially between the base wall 162 of the bowl and its upper lip 156. In use, with a food tray set within bowl 152, the dimples abut and frictionally engage the outer periphery of the tray portion of the food tray when the protuberances of the food tray rest on the inwardly directed ledge 158 of the bowl. Thus, the dimples assist to further stabilize the food tray within the bowl.
Optionally, as illustrated in FIGs. 15A and 15B , the dimples 261 of the bowl 252 may be more vertically elongated than the dimples of bowl 152 of FIG. 14 so that they will abut the outer periphery of the tray portion of both food trays 54 and 154 with different length handle structures.
Each of the described food trays may also be used with the food bowl 352 of FIG. 16 . Food bowl 352 is a bowl similar to bowl 52 of FIG. 2 except that its side wall 360 has an array of inwardly directed lugs 361, 363 extending medially between the base wall 362 of the bowl and its upper lip 356. In use, a food tray is positively set within bowl 352 such that the tray portion of the food tray snaps under lugs 363 to rest on lugs 361 when the protuberances of the food tray rest on the inwardly directed ledge 358 of the bowl. This strongly seats the food tray within the bowl.
While the example food trays are shown with a tray portion which is preferably a wall-less platform, optionally, the tray portion could be a platform with a peripheral wall.
While the example food vessels are round bowls, the food vessels may have any other desired shape (although this may constrain the orientation of the food tray within the food vessel).
Other features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art and, therefore, the invention is defined in the claims.

Claims

Food packaging (50), comprising:
a food vessel (52) having an upper lip (56) and an inwardly projecting ledge (58) below said upper lip (56);

a food tray (54) having a pair of opposed handle structures (70a, 70b) and a tray portion (72) depending from said handle structures (70a, 70b), each handle structure having an outwardly projecting protuberance (82), said food tray (54) positioned within said food vessel (52) with each said protuberance resting on said inwardly projecting ledge (58) such that said tray portion (72) is suspended within said food vessel (52) by said handle structures (70a, 70b).
The packaging according to claim 1 wherein said inwardly projecting ledge (58) is a continuous ledge extending about a circumference of said food vessel (52).
The packaging according to claims 1 or 2, wherein said tray portion (72) has a plurality of through holes (88).
The packaging according to claims 1 to 3, wherein each said protuberance (82) is laterally elongated so as to extend along a section of said ledge (58).
The packaging according to claim 4 further comprising an opening between each said protuberance (82) and a base of each said handle structure (70a, 70b) sized to receive a thumb or finger of a user.
The packaging according to any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a topping film (98) adhered to said upper lip (56) of said food vessel (52).
The packaging according to claim 6 further comprising a first food component (94) within said vessel below said tray portion (72) of said food tray (54) and a second food component (86) supported on said tray portion (72) of said food tray (54).
The packaging according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein said food vessel (52) is a bowl, wherein each said protuberance (82) is laterally elongated so as to extend along a section of said ledge (58).
The packaging according to claim 8, wherein each said handle structure (70a, 70b) comprises a pair of arms (74, 76) extending upwardly from said tray portion (72) terminating in a cross-bar (80) bridging said pair of arms (74, 76), said cross-bar comprising said protuberance (82) of said each handle structure (70a, 70b).
The packaging according to claim 8, wherein said handle structures (70a, 70b) comprise opposed inwardly directed fins.
The packaging according to claim 2 wherein said food vessel (52) has a circumferential array of inwardly directed dimples (161) extending medially between a base of said food vessel (52) and said upper lip (156) frictionally engaging said tray portion (72) of said food tray (54).
A food packaging system, comprising:
a food vessel (52) having an upper lip (52) and an inwardly projecting ledge (58) below said upper lip (56);

a first food tray (54) having a pair of opposed first handle structures (70a, 70b) and a first tray portion (72) depending from said first handle structures (70a, 70b), each first handle structure having an outwardly projecting first protuberance (82), said first food tray (54) positionable within said food vessel (52) with each said first protuberance (82) resting on said inwardly projecting ledge (58) such that said first tray portion (72) is suspended within said food vessel (52) by said first handle structures (70a, 70b); and

a second food tray (154) having a pair of opposed second handle structures (170a, 170b) and a second tray portion (172) depending from said second handle structures (170a, 170b), each second handle structure having an outwardly projecting second protuberance, said second handle structures (170a, 170b) being longer than said first handle structures (70a, 70b), said second food tray (154) positionable within said food vessel (52) with each said second protuberance resting on said inwardly projecting ledge (58) such that said second tray portion (172) is suspended within said food vessel (52) by said second handle structures (170a, 170b) at a level below which said first tray portion (72) is located when suspended within said food vessel (52),
whereby a first food component (94) may be added to said food vessel (52), one of said first food tray (54) and said second food tray (154) positioned within said food vessel (52), a second food component (86) added on top of said one of said first food tray (54) and said second food tray (154), and a topping film (98) adhered to said upper lip (56) of said food vessel (52) to create a food package (50).
The packaging according to claim 12 wherein said bowl (52) has a circumferential array of inwardly directed dimples (161) extending medially between a base (162) of said bowl (52) and said upper lip (56), said dimples for frictionally engaging said first tray portion (72) of said first food tray (54) when positioned within said food vessel (52) with each said first protuberance (82) resting on said inwardly projecting ledge (58) and for frictionally engaging said second tray portion (172) of said second food tray (154) when positioned within said food vessel (52) with each said second protuberance resting on said inwardly projecting ledge (58).
A packaged convenience food comprising:
a food vessel (52) having an upper lip (56), a side wall (60), a base wall (62), and an inwardly projecting ledge (58) in said side wall;

a food tray (56) having a pair of opposed handle structures (70a, 70b) and a tray portion (72) depending from said handle structures (70a, 70b), each handle structure having an outwardly projecting protuberance (82), said food tray (56) positioned within said food vessel (52) with each said protuberance (82) resting on said inwardly projecting ledge (58) such that said tray portion (72) is suspended within said food vessel (52) by said handle structures (70a, 70b);

a topping film (98) adhered to said upper lip (56) of said food vessel (52);

a first food component (94) within said food vessel (52) between said base wall (62) of said food vessel and said tray portion (72) of said food tray; and

a second food component (86) within said food vessel (52) on top of said tray portion (72).
The packaged convenience food according to claim 14 wherein said bowl (52) has a circumferential array of inwardly directed dimples (161) extending medially between a base (162) of said bowl (52) and said upper lip (156), said dimples frictionally engaging said tray portion (72) of said food tray (54).