ES2735326T3 - A portioned package for food product such as butter - Google Patents

Abstract

An individual portion package containing butter, soft cheese or other similar food product intended to be spread on a piece of bread or the like, which package includes a closed container (1, 101) and spreader device (2, 102), which device (2, 102) for spreading is integrated with the container (1, 101) and projecting out of the container (1, 101), which container is formed by a first wall (6, 106) and a second wall (3, 103) connected to each other, whose first wall (6, 106) has a first extension that forms the device (2, 102) for spreading, and whose second wall (3, 103) has a grip device (4, 104) in the end of the container (1, 101) adjacent to the spreader (2, 102), which grip device (4, 104) is arranged to open the container (1, 101) at this end to provide an opening (5, 105) dispensing that allows the contents of the container to be compressed towards a supply side (2a) of the spreader (2), the supply side (2a) of which is on the same side of the first wall (6, 106) as the container (1, 101), wherein the gripping device (4, 104) forms a second extension from the container (1, 101) in the direction of the spreading device (2, 102) to an end of the packaging that is furthest from the container (1, 101), whose second extension completely covers the supply side (2a) of the spreader (2, 102) and that the second extension is larger than the first extension such that the second extension projects beyond at least one edge of the spreader (2, 102), preferably a distance in the range of 2 to 10 mm, that the first wall (6, 106) is aligned with the spreader (2, 102) and extends from the first wall (6, 106) in the direction of the plane of the first wall (6, 106), characterized in that the container (1, 101) is located in the upper part of the first wall (6, 106) and in that the dispensing opening (5, 105) allows the contents of the container to be compressed on top of the supply side (2a) of the spreader (2, 102) whose supply side (2a) is on the same side of the first wall (6, 106) as the container (1, 101).

Description

DESCRIPTION

A portioned package for food product such as butter

Field of invention

The present invention relates to an individual portion package containing butter, soft cheese or similar food product that is intended to be spread over another food product such as a slice of bread or the like. Thus the content of the package is a food product that is liquid, semi-liquid, soft or semi-soft. The most frequent use of such packaging is butter for a slice of bread. The invention will be described in the following in connection with this specific use, but it should be understood that the invention also encompasses other similar food products as indicated above.

Background of the invention.

Butter is often provided in individual portion packages to spread on a slice of bread or a few slices. This type of packaging is mainly used in restaurants and the like. When applying the butter on the bread a knife or similar device, it is required to spread the butter. Often the knife is the same tool as the one used from there to eat a meal. It may be unpleasant for butter to remain on the knife. Another drawback is that both hands are necessary to spread the butter, one holding the container and the other holding the knife.

In order to eliminate these inconveniences it is known to package the butter in a container that has an integrated spreading device such as a knife. Examples of such containers are disclosed in US 4648506, US 5111932, US 3453661, US 48888188, GB 2317553 and SE 527849. Similar devices but for other purposes are disclosed in US 6007264, US 4797309, US 6439792, US 3116152 and JP 54067143.

Although known devices in one way or another solve the problem of eliminating a separate tool for spreading the food product in the container, they have various drawbacks with respect to the manufacturing and / or handling aspects.

The objective of the present invention is to achieve a portion package of the type in question with an integrated container and spreader and not suffer from the inconveniences that entail known attempts with such devices.

A similar objective is at hand for the invention in the document not yet published PCT / SE2012 / 050898. The invention of that application overcomes most of the drawbacks related to the prior art. However, it has been found that the device of that invention can also be improved. From US 4,648,506 a package according to the preamble of claim 1 is known.

In US 20080112750 a package containing a portion and a spatula that is an extension of a wall of the package is disclosed.

JP 357172785 discloses a portioned package that has a wall of the package provided as a spatula for the distribution of a contained product. When the product is used, it is compressed from the packaging by a user's finger and distributed by the spatula.

Invention summary

The objective of the present invention is achieved because a package in individual portions for butter or the like intended to be spread on a piece of bread or the like includes the features specified in claim 1. Thus the package includes a closed container and device for spread, whose spreading device is integrated with the container and projected out of the container, whose container is formed by a first wall and a second wall connected to each other, whose first wall has an extension that forms the spreading device, and whose The second wall has a gripping device at the end of the container adjacent to the spreading device, whose gripping device is arranged to open the container at this end to provide a dispensing opening that allows the contents of the container to be compressed on one side of Spread device supply whose supply side is on the same side of the first wall as the container, whereby the gripping device forms a second extension of the container in the direction of the spreading device whose second extension completely covers the supply side of the spreading device.

Thanks to the provision that the supply side is arranged on the same side of the first wall as the container, the contents of the container are very easily compressed in the spreading device. A very important feature is that the second extension completely covers the supply side of the spreader. That way the supply side surface is effectively protected from contamination before the gasket is used. The invented packaging is therefore very hygienic. When the second extension formed by the gripping device it is removed from the supply side of the spreader and opens the opening of the container, the butter will be pressed out onto a completely clean surface.

The two extensions are preferably joined by an adhesive that is relatively weak such that the separation of the second extension from the first extension is simple.

According to a preferred embodiment, the second extension is larger than the first extension such that the second extension projects beyond at least one edge of the spreader.

Since the second extension is the gripping device the projection will serve as a gripping portion thereof and will facilitate the removal of the second extension of the first extension and then open the package.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the at least one edge is an end edge of the spreader.

In that way the grip of the gripping device will be presented at the end of the spreading device such that the separation and opening are made in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the packing, which will be particularly easy and convenient.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the spreading device has a cutting line and which is weak enough to break along the cutting line by the force of the hand.

This is an alternative solution to the embodiments presented below and will also provide a simple separation of the extensions from each other and the opening of the containers. When this is done, the spreader device bends along the line of cut, so that the spreader breaks. The small part of the spreader that is broken will still be attached to the outer end of the second extension and in that way will form the gripping portion of the gripping device.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the first wall and the second wall are connected to each other along a connection line, whose connection line is completely located in a flat plane. Connecting the two walls along a connection line that is located in a flat plane makes the packing manufacturing less complicated than when the connection takes place partly in the plane of a first wall and partly in the plane of a second wall.

According to the invention, the first wall is completely in a plane with flatness.

This also contributes to facilitate the manufacture of the packaging. This feature also provides a basis for achieving good rigidity when using the spreading device to spread the butter, since the spreading device is an extension of the first wall.

According to the invention, the spreading device extends from the first wall in the direction of the plane of the first wall.

When the spreading device extends in the same direction as the first wall, the handling of the butter-spreading device is very convenient.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the spreading device is planar.

This is in most cases the optimal way to effectively spread the butter on the slice of bread. According to a further preferred embodiment, the first wall and the spreader are coplanar. Having these two parts in a common plane also contributes to the convenient handling of the device. This configuration is also advantageous when manufacturing.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the first wall and the spreading device are made of a single piece and of the same material.

This also contributes to rational manufacturing.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the first wall includes a layer of cardboard.

Since cardboard is a cheap and easy to cut material, this contributes to economic efficiency in manufacturing. It is understood that the cardboard must be relatively rigid. In particular this is related when the spreading device is made in one piece with the first wall in order to achieve sufficient stiffness for the spreading. The first Wall can be made only of cardboard or it can be coated or laminated with some other material to prevent butter from impregnating the wall.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the second wall is deformable by a compression force applied by a user's finger on it.

It is optimal to relate the possibility of compression necessary with this wall, since the first wall is designed for another purpose, specifically the integration with the spreading device. The specified criterion for the amount of force required makes dispensing the butter easy, that is, avoiding the need for a tool or high muscle strength that is inconvenient for compression.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the second wall is of another material than the first wall. In that way the material for each of the walls can be optimized with respect to the purpose of the respective wall. According to a further preferred embodiment, the second wall is a laminate.

In this way the material properties of this wall can be optimally adapted for the various aspects related to its function, such as contacting the butter on one side, contacting the surrounding air on the other side and providing sufficient deformability and strength enough.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the gripping device is an extension of the second wall. The handling of the packaging as well as the manufacture thereof is facilitated in that way, in particular in comparison to making the gripping device as a separate unit.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the gripping device is arranged to allow disconnection of the connection between the first wall and the second wall in the region closest to the spreader.

In this way the dispensing of the butter on the spreader is achieved in the most convenient way. According to a further preferred embodiment, the gripping device is arranged to remain attached to the second wall after the container has been opened.

In that way the packaging is kept as a single piece after use which minimizes the number of pieces of garbage to be taken care of and thus reduces the disturbing appearance of garbage pieces on the eating table. According to a further preferred embodiment, the container has width that is 2 to 10 times the height of the container, preferably 3 to 5 times, whereby the height is the maximum distance between the first wall and the second wall.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the container has a length that is 2 to 10 times the width of the container, preferably 3 to 5 times.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the container has a length that is 1 to 4 times the length of the spreading device, preferably 1.5 to 2.5 times.

The relative dimensions specified in these embodiments represent an optimal adaptation for convenient handling of the package.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the end of the spreading device that is furthest from the container has an end edge that extends at least partially inclined in relation to the direction of packing length.

The slanted end edge facilitates the spread of butter on the slice of bread. The end edge may be inclined along its entire length or only along a part thereof. It can follow a straight and / or curved line.

The preferred embodiments described above of the invention are specified in the dependent claims. It should be understood that of course additional preferred embodiments may be constituted by any possible combination of the above preferred embodiments and by any possible combination of these and features mentioned in the description of examples below.

The invention will be further explained through the following detailed description of examples thereof and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a top view of a package according to a first example of the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the package in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross section of the package in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section corresponding to that of Figure 2 showing the packaging in a first stage in use.

Figure 5 is a section corresponding to that of Figure 2 showing the packaging in a second stage in use.

Figure 6 is a top view of a package according to a second example of the invention.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section of the package in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a section corresponding to that of Figure 7 showing the packaging in a first stage of use.

Figure 9 is a top view of a package according to a third example of the invention.

Figure 10 is a longitudinal section of the package in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a cross section of the package in Figure 9.

Example description

The packaging is illustrated in Figures 1-3. It has a container 1 and a spreadable device 2. The container is filled with butter 10 and has a first wall 6 at the bottom and a second wall 3 at the top as seen in the figures. The first wall 6 is completely planar and the second wall 3 has a channel shape in cross section. The two walls are connected to each other along a connection line 7 and a provisional connection line 9 such that the container 1 is enclosing the butter 10. The connection along the connection line 7 can be made by gluing or any other suitable fastening means. The connection along the provisional connection line 9 can also be by gluing or the like, preferably with less bond strength than the rest of the connection. The connection along the provisional connection line 9 is intended to be released in use.

The first wall 6 at the bottom is integrated with the spreading device 2 and is made of a single piece with the spreading device. The first wall 6 together with the spreading device 2 is made of cardboard. The cardboard must be relatively rigid so that the spreading device can be used in the same way as a knife, spatula or the like.

The second wall 3 is made of a material that is flexible, such as plastic, such that it can be easily deformed by light pressure. It is preferably a laminate. The second wall has a flap extension at the end of the container 1 adjacent to the spreader. The flap extension, which forms a gripping device 4, extends from the provisional connection line 9, along the spreading device 2 and a little more than that. The gripping device 4 thus covers the entire upper surface 2a of the spreading device 2, and thus protects it from coming into contact with the environment. That surface is the supply side 2a of the spreading device 2. The gripping device 4 is attached to the upper surface 2a of the spreading device by means of an adhesive that is easily releasable. Since the gripping device 4 extends longer than the spreading device 2 there is an outer part 4a of the gripping device 4 that is not in contact with the spreading device 2. This outer part forms a gripping part 4a of the gripping device 4.

When the package is to be used, the user grabs the gripping part 4a of the gripping device 4 and pushes it upwards as indicated by the arrow. In this way the gripping device 4 is removed from the upper surface 2a of the spreading device 2 and the connection between the walls in the provisional connection line 9 is disengaged and a dispensing opening 5 is opened at this end of the container 1 as It is illustrated in Figure 4.

From there the user presses a finger against the second wall 3 in such a way that it will be deformed. In this way, the butter 10 will be compressed through the dispensing opening 5 and positioned on the upper surface 2a of the spreading device 2 as illustrated in Figure 5. From there the packaging is used in a similar manner as a butter knife using the packing end like the knife handle.

The outer end edge 8 of the spreader is inclined in relation to the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the package.

The packaging according to the example illustrated in Figures 6-9 differs from that described above with respect to the relationship between the gripping device 4 and the spreading device 2. In all other aspects they are substantially similar.

The gripping device 4 also in this example completely covers the upper side 2a of the spreading device 2, but does not go beyond that. Instead, the spreading device 2 has a cutting line 11 along which the spreading device can be easily broken by the force of the hand. Outside the cutting line 11 there is a grip part 2b.

When the package is to be used, the user first bends the spreading device in the region of the cutting line 11 so that it breaks along this line. From there the user grabs the gripping part 2b together with the outer part of the gripping device 4 that is held together to the gripping device 4. Then the gripping device 4 is pushed up and in that way releases the gripping device 4 from the rest of the spreading device 2 and opens the dispensing opening 5. From there the use is the same as described above in relation to the first example.

A third example is disclosed in Figures 9-11. The main difference in the packing in this example is the relationship between the first wall 106 and the second wall 103 of the container 101. In this example the first wall 106 aligned with the spreading device 102 is made of thin flexible material and in the form of a channel in cross section. The first wall is made of stiffer material and is substantially flat. The connection between the two walls 103, 104 is not in a single plane. As can be seen in Figure 10 the connection at the left end and along the sides 107 occurs in the plane of the second wall, while the provisional connection 109 at the other end occurs in the plane of the first wall and the device 102 to spread.

In this example the first wall 106 is a laminate that includes a plastic layer and the second wall can be made of stiffer plastic or cardboard. By compressing the butter 110 through the dispensing opening 105 in this example the pressure is applied on the first wall 106.

In this example the gripping device 104 completely covers the spreading device 102 without an extension and there is no cut line in the spreading device 102. However, it should be understood that also in this example the arrangement according to the first or second example can be applied to facilitate the removal of the grip device 102 from the spreader.

Claims (12)

1. A package in individual portions containing butter, soft cheese or other similar foodstuff intended to spread on a piece of bread or the like, whose packaging includes a closed container (1, 101) and spreader device (2, 102), whose spreading device (2, 102) is integrated with the container (1, 101) and is projected out of the container (1, 101), whose container is formed by a first wall (6, 106) and a second wall ( 3, 103) connected to each other, whose first wall (6, 106) has a first extension that forms the spreading device (2, 102), and whose second wall (3, 103) has a device (4, 104) of grip at the end of the container (1, 101) adjacent to the spreading device (2, 102), whose gripping device (4, 104) is arranged to open the container (1, 101) at this end to provide an opening ( 5, 105) of dispensing that allows the contents of the container to be compressed to the supply side (2a) stro of the spreading device (2), whose supply side (2a) is on the same side of the first wall (6, 106) as the container (1, 101), where the gripping device (4, 104) it forms a second extension from the container (1, 101) in the direction of the device (2, 102) to spread to one end of the package that is furthest from the container (1, 101), whose second extension completely covers the side (2a) for supplying the spreading device (2, 102) and that the second extension is larger than the first extension such that the second extension projects beyond at least one edge of the spreading device (2, 102), preferably a distance in the range of 2 to 10 mm, that the first wall (6, 106) is aligned with the spreading device (2, 102) and extends from the first wall (6, 106) in the direction of the plane of the first wall (6, 106), characterized in that the container (1, 101) is located at the top of the first wall (6, 106) and because the dispensing opening (5, 105) allows the contents of the container to be compressed on the top of the supply side (2a) of the spreading device (2, 102) whose side (2a) ) of supply is on the same side of the first wall (6, 106) as the container (1, 101). 2. Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one edge is an end edge (8) of the spreading device (2, 102). 3. Packaging according to claims 2, characterized in that the first wall (6, 106) and the second wall (3, 103) are connected to each other in a provisional connection line (9, 109) that allows said content of the container (1, 101) is compressed on the supply side (2a) of the device (2, 102) to smear when decoupling the provisional connection line (9, 109) and because the provisional connection line (9; 109) it is a curved line that includes two end portions and a middle portion between the end portions, wherein the middle portion of the curved line (9; 109) is located closer to the container (1, 101) of the package than the two end portions of the curved line (9; 109). 4. Packaging according to any of claims 1-3, characterized in that the first wall (6) and the second wall (3) are connected to each other along a connection line (7, 9), whose line ( 7, 9) connection is completely located in a flat with flatness. 5. Packaging according to any of claims 1-4, characterized in that the spreading device is planar. 6. Packaging according to claim 5, characterized in that the first wall (6) and the spreading device (2) are coplanar. 7. Packaging according to any of claims 1-6, characterized in that the first wall (6) and the spreading device (2) are made in a single piece and of the same material. 8. Packaging according to any of claims 1-7, characterized in that the second wall (3) is deformable by a compression force applied by a user's finger on it. 9. Packaging according to any of claims 1-8, characterized in that the second wall (3) is of another material than the first wall (6). 10. Packaging according to any of claims 1-9, characterized in that the second wall (3) is a laminate. 11. Packaging according to any of claims 1-10, characterized in that the gripping device (4) is an extension of the second wall (3). 12. Packaging according to any of claims 1-11, characterized in that the end of the spreading device (2) that is furthest from the container (3) has an end edge (8) extending at least partially inclined in relationship with the direction of packing length.