GB2310191A

GB2310191A - Preserving container for soft-solid foodstuffs

Info

Publication number: GB2310191A
Application number: GB9702869A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Conran
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1996-02-13
Filing date: 1997-02-12
Publication date: 1997-08-20
Also published as: IES960130A2; CA2197483A1; DE29702539U1; IES69368B2; GB9702869D0

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION A preserving device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the storage and preservation of foodstuffs, in particular soft-solid foods and more especially cheeses. The invention is especially directed to arrangements and devices for such preservation and storage. More particularly the invention relates to devices for preserving soft-solid foods such as cheeses without the need for removing them fully from their original packaging.

Background of the Invention Many devices for preserving foods are known. In particular in relation to cheeses1 it is known to provide a container for storing cheeses once the original packaging of the cheese has been opened and/or removed. Usually the device comprises a base or container having a lid. The cheese is taken from its original packaging and placed in the base or container1 whereupon the lid is replaced.

Alternatively, the original packaging is left in place and the opened package placed in the container. Enclosure of the food product in the container preserves the cheese.

Such containers however contain some excess space in order to accommodate the cheese. The quality of the cheese within such a container may deteriorate due to the presence of air, within this excess space.

This deterioration is exacerbated by repeated opening and closing of the container when the cheese is being used at different times.

It is also known to provide smaller portions of cheese which are individually wrapped and optionally then enclosed in further outer packaging or wrapping. When the outer packaging or wrapping is opened and/or removed, the individual enclosure continues to preserve each portion of cheese.

In many cases, cheese is sold in relatively large rectangular blocks. Usually this cheese is vacuum packed in a plastics packaging.

When it is desired to use the cheese, the plastics packaging is cut or torn open and the cheese or a portion of the cheese is removed. In many cases not all the cheese will be used. The packaging is not resealable and therefore air is free to enter the packaging. This causes the cheese to at least partially dry out and become hard. Some users tend to roll up the free end, if any, of the packaging in order to try and prevent air from entering the packaging. in other cases, a specific separate container such as that described above is used. The cheese is placed in the storage container either with or without its packaging.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for preserving cheese which is simple in construction, easy to use and provides an alternative to using a container such as that described above for storing cheese.

According to the invention, there is provide a storage and preserving arrangement for an at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff, comprising an enclosure for receiving and accommodating at least part of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff, said enclosure having a single opening for introduction of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff and being dimensioned so that wall portions of the enclosure provide a substantially airtight seal around said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff by engagement of at least a portion of the packaging of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff between a wall portion of the enclosure and the soft-solid foodstuff within said packaging.

Said enclosure suitably tapers convergingly from said single opening so that said engagement of a portion of the packaging is effected by wedging insertion of at least part of said packaged soft-solid foodstuff into the enclosure through said single opening.

In this manner, a block of cheese which has been partially unwrapped may be pushed into the enclosure with the open end of the wrapping leading, so that this leading end is effectively resealed by the walls of the enclosure engaging the wrapping tightly against the cheese1 the other or outer end of the block of cheese remaining fully enclosed within the original wrapping. This urging of the wrapping against the cheese by virtue of the narrowing or tapered shape of the enclosure achieves a highly effective resealing of the cheese packaging. The narrowing or converging cross-sectional profile of the storage and preserving arrangement ensures that the required sealing engagement takes place substantially independently of the precise dimensions of the packaged foodstuff, within a predetermined range of such dimensions.

Suitably, the storage and preserving arrangement is also provided with a guide portion, to extend divergingly outwardly from said single opening to facilitate introduction into the enclosure of said at least part of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff. Said enclosure may be generally rectangular in cross-section in the direction of introduction of the foodstuff. In the arrangement of the invention, said enclosure is preferably dimensioned to receive and accommodate a particular nominal size of block of cheese in accordance with standards generally applicable in the industry, the tapered or convergent enclosure structure then enabling sealing reception and accommodation of individual blocks of the nominal size1 within a range of tolerance extending about the prescribed nominal size.

Alternatively said enclosure may be generally circular in cross-section in the direction of introduction of the foodstuff and dimensioned to receive and accommodate a cooked meat product of substantially predetermined nominal dimensions.

The invention also extends to an arrangement substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device or arrangement of the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 fitted to a block of cheese.

Figure 3 is a side view of the device of Figure 1 fitted to a block of cheese having end dimensions different from that of the block of cheese shown in Figure 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to Figure 1, the food-preserving and storage arrangement or device 1 according to the invention has a main body 2 which consists of a top wall 3, a bottom wall 4, two side walls 5,6 and an end wall 7. Device 1 has an open face 8 opposite end wall 7.

Open face 8 is rectangular in shape and its periphery is defined by edges of walls 3,4,5 and 6. As shown in the drawings, device 1 is formed to accommodate a rectangular block of cheese1 hence open face 8 is rectangular. If desired however, open face 8 may be substantially square to fit to a square block of cheese, or of any other desired cross-sectional configuration, as subsequently described further.

The shorter sides 9 and the longer sides 10 of open face 8 are each larger in dimension than the shorter sides 11 and longer sides 12, respectively, of end wall 7 . The main body 2 of device 1 is thus tapered1 top wall 3 and bottom wall 4 converging in the direction of end wall 7. Similarly side walls 5 and 6 are not parallel, but converge towards end wall 7. Hence all four walls 3,4,5,6 of main body 2 converge towards end wall 7, the internal transverse cross-sectional dimensions of main body 2 thus reducing uniformly from open face 8 to end wall 7.

As shown in Figure 1; the opposite walls of body 2 converge at the same rate. In an alternative construction, side walls 5 and 6 may taper inwardly at different rates, as also may top wall 3 and bottom wall 4. In addition, end wall 7 need not be rectangular in shape and may be curved or rounded. Furthermore, main body 2 need not have a defined end wall 7, but instead side walls 5 and 6 and the top and bottom walls 3 and 4 may simply taper inwardly until they meet, making the main body 2 triangular in side view.

in the preferred embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, main body 2 is fitted with a guiding or guide portion 13 for facilitating introduction into the unit of the invention of a food product to be stored and preserved within the unit. Guiding portion 13 is fitted to main body 2 at its open face 8. Guiding portion 13 has an upper wall 14, a lower wall 15, and two side walls 16 and 17.

Upper wall 14 and lower wall 15 are each joined to side walls 16 and 17 by corner portions 18. Corner portions 18 are rounded so as to obviate or remove the angular corner which would otherwise be defined where the walls meet. All walls 14,15,16 and 17 and corner portions 18 of guiding portion 13 taper inwardly and converge towards open face 8, in the same manner as described for walls 3,4,5 and 6. The angle of convergence of walls 14,15,16 and 17 is however greater than that of walls 3,4,5 and 6. Thus in effect, the guiding portion forms a "funnel" on open face 8, the funnel having rounded corners as can be seen from Figure 1. The funnel shape of guiding portion 13 allows for easier insertion of objects into the device 1. It will be appreciated however that guiding portion 13 is not essential to the device of the invention.

Figures 2 and 3 show the device of Figure 1 in use.

A block of cheese 19 is introduced or fitted into open face and or opening 8 of device 1. Other soft-solid foodstuffs may also be preserved by use of the device of the invention. The term soft-solid foodstuff as used herein refers to a food product which is solid but which may be compressed or deformed by relatively small forces exerted on its surface(s). Soft-solid foodstuffs include cheese1 cooked meats, in particular those supplied in cylindrically shaped rolls such as salami, and other such meat products. Where the device of the invention is used in conjunction with rolls of cooked meat, the opening or mouth 8 may be substantially circular in shape and the taper of the device adapted accordingly.

The block of cheese 19 is provided with a wrapper or seal 20 which may be the original product wrapper. In the cases shown, the wrapper 20 has been opened to remove part of the block of cheese 19. Open ends 21 of wrapper 20 have been pulled out past end 22 of the block of cheese 19. The device 1 is then fitted over the end 22 of the cheese 19 and the cheese 19 is inserted until device 1 is fitted snugly over the block of cheese, with the wrapper or packaging material 20, for example wrapper ends 21, engaged in gripped manner between the inwardly directed tapering walls of the device and the cheese product 19 itself. Alternatively, if the length of the open ends 21 of the wrapper 20 allows, they may be folded down over the end 22 of the cheese to substantially cover the end 22, and the block 15 then inserted into device 1.Even if however, the wrapper 20 has been opened in such a manner that no significant length of wrapper extends beyond the end 22 of the cheese block 19, to define ends 21 of wrapper material, this does not affect the way device 1 is used, in that device 1 in all cases engages the end region 22 of the cheese 19 around its periphery, with interposition of at least a portion of wrapping material between cheese and device wall.

For instance, if both the wrapper 20 and cheese 19 are cut at the same length so that no free open ends 21 are present, then the device 1 is simply pushed onto the end 22 of the cheese 19. The cut ends of wrapper 20 are then gripped between the device inner wall and the cheese around the periphery of the cut end. In all cases, the seal is effective to substantially exclude air from contact with the food product and the cheese is thereby protected against drying out and deterioration.

Guiding portion 13 allows for ease of insertion of block 19 and wrapper 20. As the block 19 and wrapper 20 are pushed more firmly into device 1, then the tapering of device 1 ensures that wrapper 22 is pressed against cheese block 19 on each of the four sides of the block 19, in a generally wedging manner.

The device 1 is suitably fitted so that the block of cheese 19 is slightly compressed and thus holds the wrapper 20 tightly against walls 3,4,5 and 6. This forms a seal whereby no air can enter wrapping 20 and thus the cheese will not dry out.

Main body 2 may be any desired shape provided open face 8 matches and fits to the end 22 of block of cheese 19 as described above, so that the cheese may be pushed into the device to sufficient extent to form the required seal by gripping the package material between the device walls and the surfaces of the cheese. For instance main body 2 may be substantially part-spherical or square in shape. The tapering of the interior of main body 2 may alternatively also be 'stepped' rather than uniformly tapered, i.e. narrowed at intervals rather than continually. Guiding portion 13 may also be stepped.

Device 1 may be suitably made from plastics material or other such materials as may be appropriate to the purpose. In particular, it may be moulded in one piece as an integral structure.

The device of the invention is capable of accommodating a diversity of nominal sizes of blocks of cheeses, even if the end dimensions of individual blocks vary somewhat due to variations in the cutting of the blocks of cheeses from the original large main cheese block produced by the maker.

In an alternative embodiment the device 1 is collapsible, i.e. it may be folded flat when not in use. This may be done by providing hinge or fold lines along the entire length of device 1 which allows the device to collapse or fold so that for instance top wall 3 and bottom wall 4 are in contact with each other. Alternatively, fold lines may be provided so that side walls 5 and 6 contact each other when the device 1 is in a collapsed position. In the collapsed condition, device 1 occupies substantially less space and is more easily stored. When required for use, device 1 is returned to its working disposition or configuration.

A device of given dimensions may accommodate a number of differently sized blocks of cheese as the block of cheese may be pushed into the device to varying degrees. At the limit, the dimensions of guiding portion 13 may also be suitable for forming a seal as described above, in the case of an oversize block. Preferably however, the cheese block 19 is inserted to the extent that the end 22 of the block of cheese may be in close proximity to or even abut the end wall 7.

The cheese block 19 may also be inserted to any intermediate position depending on its exact dimensions. Figures 2 and 3 show the same device fitted to two different blocks of cheese having different cross-sectional dimensions. The block of cheese 19 shown in Figure 3 fits further into device 1 before the required seal is formed, having a smaller cross-sectional dimension than that shown in Figure 2.

Device 1 may in particular be provided in various substantially standardized sizes so as to fit to commercially produced cheese block sizes. A number of examples are given below.

Example 1 The dimensions of one device of the invention are as follows: Dimensions of main body 2 Width of open face 8 : 56 mm Height of open face 8 : 30 mm Length of main body 2 : 60 mm Width of end wall 7 : 54 mm Height of end wall 7 : 28 mm Dimensions of guiding portion 13 The end of guiding portion 13 attached to open face 8 has exactly the same dimensions as open face 8.

Height of guiding portion 13 at free or open end : 34 mm Width of guiding portion 13 " " " " " : 60 mm Depth of guiding portion 13 " " " " " : 10 mm Example 2 The end dimensions of a second exemplary device of the invention are as follows: Dimensions of main body 2 Width of open face 8 : 70.5 mm Height of open face 8 : 41.5 mm Length of main body 2 : 50 mm Width of end wall 7 : 67.5 mm Height of end wall 7 : 38.5 mm Dimensions of guiding portion 13 The end of guiding portion 13 attached to open face 8 has exactly the same dimensions as open face 8.

Height of guiding portion 13 at free or open end : 45 mm Width of guiding portion 13 " " " II " : 74 mm Depth of guiding portion 13 " " " 11 " : 10 mm Experiment 1 The device of Example 2 was fitted to a cheese block of end dimensions 68 mm by 39 mm. The wrapping on the cheese block was opened and a portion of the cheese was removed. The open ends of the plastic wrapping were folded over the open end of the cheese block and the device was fitted to the cheese block as described above.

The cheese fitted with the device was placed in a refrigerator.

After three weeks, this cheese was fresh and unspoiled.

A second cheese block having identical dimensions and fitted with a similar wrapping was opened and a portion of the cheese was removed.

This block of cheese was then placed in the refrigerator without the protection of the device or any container. After 2 to 3 days, the cheese in the unprotected wrapper was beginning to deteriorate.

Claims

1. A storage and preserving arrangement (1) for an at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff (19), comprising an enclosure for receiving and accommodating at least part of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff (19), said enclosure having a single opening (8) for introduction of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff (19) and being dimensioned so that wall portions (3,4,5,6) of the enclosure provide a substantially airtight seal around said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff (19) by engagement of at least a portion of the packaging (20) of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff between a wall portion (3,4,5,6) of the enclosure and the soft-solid foodstuff within said packaging (20).

2. An arrangement according to Claim 1, wherein said enclosure tapers convergingly from said single opening (8) so that said engagement of a portion of the packaging (20) is effected by wedging insertion of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff (19) into the enclosure from said single opening (8).

3. An arrangement according to Claim 2, comprising a guide portion (13) extending divergingly outwardly from said single opening (8) to facilitate introduction into the enclosure of said at least part of said at least partially packaged soft-solid foodstuff (19).

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said enclosure is generally rectangular in cross-section in the direction of introduction of said foodstuff (19).

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, wherein said enclosure is dimensioned to receive and accommodate a block of cheese (19) of substantially predetermined nominal dimensions.

6. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein said enclosure is generally circular in cross-section in the direction of introduction of said foodstuff (19).

7. An arrangement according to claim 6, wherein said enclosure is dimensioned to receive and accommodate a cooked meat product of substantially predetermined nominal dimensions.

8. A storage and preserving arrangement substantially as described herein with reference to the Examples and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings