GB2303112A - Food product package - Google Patents

Abstract

A container 10 with a removable closure 16 holds sealed product units 12 of elongate, tubular shape arranged parallel to one another. Each unit 12 contains a single serving of food product, e.g. sauce, which is ejectable when a removable end portion of the unit is removed. The units 12 stand upright so as to project from the top of the container 10. The closure 16 may be a push-fit cap of transparent plastic with a tamper evident seal 18. The units 12 may be formed of flexible, transparent plastic from an elongate strip rolled and sealed edge-to-edge or from preformed tube. Both the container 10 and the units 12 may carry decoration and/or labelling 30.

Description

FOOD PRODUCT PACKAGE The present invention relates to a food product package, and in particular to a product package for a food in liquid or semi-liquid form such as a sauce.

Packaging of foods such as sauces gives rise to particular difficulties if the food is to be packaged in a reliably sealed enclosure which can be readily opened when required and which is hygienic, most particularly for use in restaurants, cafes and other public establishments. In such situations, the product package also, preferably, presents the product in a manner pleasing to the consumer.

It is well known to provide sauces, mustard and the like in flexible plastics containers, such as the familiar plastics "tomato" commonly placed on an eating table used to dispense tomato ketchup. However, such dispensers have a tendency to become caked in dispensed product, and this can lead to a lack of hygiene.

A solution to this particular problem is provided by the well-known expedient of providing sufficient product for one portion in a small sachet of flexible plastics material, which may be supplied in a display carton.

However, this has the disadvantage of being inconvenient in use, opening of the sachet (itself a difficult task) often resulting in spilling or even spurting of the product.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a system for packaging a food product which facilitates use and provides good hygiene, and provides a satisfactory display of the product for use or sale where required.

According to the invention there is provided a food product package comprising a container having a removable closure, within which is a multiplicity of sealed product units, each containing a quantity of product that might be expected to be used in one serving, and each product unit being elongate and tubular and having an end potion removable such that product can be ejected from the unit for consumption, the product units being stored within the container generally parallel to each other.

In storage and transit, the closure protects the units from damage. The closure is then removed in order that the units can be removed one-by-one for consumption.

The container may conveniently be in the form of an open topped, generally cylindrical tub, preferably dimensioned such that a portion of each of the product units projects from the open top during storage. The container may have applied to its outside decoration and product information.

The closure may take any suitable form but is conveniently a push-fit cap. The closure may be transparent such that the units are visible through it.

Additionally, a removable seal is preferably provided to seal the closure in place prior to opening in order that a consumer can be sure that the product has not been previously opened.

Each unit can be formed from a flexible plastics material. The material may be transparent to allow he product to be seen. Decoration and/or product information may be applied to the outside of the unit.

Preferably, each unit is formed as a tube along the greater part of its length, with a robust seal at one end and openable at the other. The tube may be rendered openable by providing a weakness in its structure such that an end portion of it can be removed. The tube can conveniently be formed from a flat, elongate strip of plastics material, sealed lengthways edge-to-edge, or may be formed from a pre-formed plastics tube.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a product package according to the invention in a condition as it might be ready for sale; Figure 2 shows the product package of Figure 1 opened for use; and Figure 3 shows one product unit of the package of Figures 1 and 2.

With reference to Figure 1, a product package embodying the invention is shown in a condition in which it might be sold. The product package comprises a container 10 being an upright cylinder of opaque plastics material, the cylinder having a closed base and being open upwardly.

Within the container 10 is stored a plurality of sealed product units 12. Each product unit 12 comprises an elongate sealed tube, as will be described in further detail below. The product units 12 are arranged upright within the container 10 to be generally parallel to one another and to the axis of the container 10. The units 12 are of length slightly greater than the depth of the container from its opening to its base such that a short upper end portion 14 of each unit projects from the container 10.

A closure 16 is provided on the container 10. The closure 16 has the form of an inverted cylindrical cup, the internal diameter of which allows it to fit tightly over an upper portion of the container 10. In this example, the closure 16 is formed from transparent plastics material in order that the upper portions 14 of the units 12 are invisible when the closure 16 is in place.

In this embodiment, a band of adhesive tape 18 is applied to the package to overlap a lower portion of the closure 16 and an adjacent portion of the container 10.

The tape provides a seal for the package. The tape 18 is preferably formed such that it cannot be removed without tearing it in order that any attempt to open the product prior to sale is evidenced by tearing of the tape 18. Of course, many other forms of tamper evident closure and containers are known, and any suitable arrangement may be used in connection with this invention.

As shown in Figure 2, following removal of the closure 16 from the container 10, a product unit 12 can easily be removed for use by grasping its projecting upper portion 14 and simply pulling it from the container 10.

Many forms of product unit will be contemplated by those skilled in the art, and just one of these is shown in Figure 3. With reference to Figure 3, an example of a suitable product unit comprises a tube formed from a flat sheet of plastics material folded and sealed to itself along three sides, as shown at 20, to define a product space 22 therein. The plastics material from which the unit is made must, of course, be of a composition suitable for containing a food product, but such plastics are well known to those skilled in the art.

Close to one end of the unit 12, a small notch 24 extends a small distance into the sealing line 20. By grasping a portion 26 of the unit outwardly of the notch 24, that portion 26 can be torn relatively easily, the notch 24 providing a source of weakness where a tear can be initiated.

Once the tear has been made, the unit can be squeezed to eject its contents from the opening thus caused. The contents will be exected in a thin, elongate line, and can thust be directed accurately, so minimising mess and waste.

As a refinement, decoration and/or product identification 30 can be applied externally to the container and also to the units themselves.

As will be seen, the invention provides a product package which, prior to sale, is sturdy and protects its contents from damage. Following sale, it provides a dispenser suitable for use at a point of sale, or in a domestic environment. By providing a secure container, the units that it contains may be less tough than the plastic sachets of the prior art, making them easier to open.

It is envisaged that the package of the present invention can be used to contain such foodstuffs as sauce, relish, mustard and so on. However, many other possibilities also exist. It is expected that, for commercial purposes, the package will contain just one product, and where a variety of products is to be offered, a multiplicity of packages will be put on display for sale. Alternatively, more particularly suited to the domestic environment, each package may contain a variety of different products.

Claims (16)

1. A food product package comprising a container having a removable closure, within which package is a multiplicity of sealed product units, each containing a quantity of product that might be expected to be used in one serving, and each product unit being elongate and tubular and having an end potion removable such that product can be ejected from the unit for consumption, the product units being stored within the container generally parallel to each other.

2. A food product package according to claim 1 in which the container is in the form of an open topped, generally cylindrical tub.

3. A food product package according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which the container dimensioned such that a portion of each of the product units projects from the open top during storage.

4. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which the container may have applied to its outside decoration and product information.

5. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which the closure is a push-fit cap.

6. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which the closure is transparent such that the units are visible through it.

7. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which a removable seal is provided to seal the closure in place prior to opening in order that a consumer can be sure that the product has not been previously opened.

8. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which each unit is formed from a flexible plastics material.

9. A food product package according to claim 8 in which the material of the units is transparent to allow he product to be seen.

10. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which decoration and/or product information is applied to the outside of the units.

11. A food product package according to any preceding claim in which each unit is formed as a tube along the greater part of its length.

12. A food product package according to claim 11 in which each unit has a robust seal at one end and is openable at the other.

13. A food product package according to claim 12 in which the tube of each unit is rendered openable by providing a weakness in its structure such that an end portion of it can be removed.

14. A food product package according to any one of claims 11 to 13 in which each tube is formed from a flat, elongate strip of plastics material, sealed lengthways edge-to-edge

15. A food product package according to any one of claims 11 to 13 in which each tube is formed from a preformed plastics tube.

16. A food product package substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.