GB2526347A

GB2526347A - Container

Info

Publication number: GB2526347A
Application number: GB1409146.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: James Falvey; Lee Hemmington; Roger Morris; Terry Widdison
Original assignee: RPC Group Ltd
Current assignee: RPC Group Ltd
Priority date: 2014-05-22
Filing date: 2014-05-22
Publication date: 2015-11-25
Anticipated expiration: 2034-05-22
Also published as: GB201409146D0; GB2526347B

Abstract

The invention relates to a container 10 for soup or similar liquid food products. The container is in the form of a relatively deep pot, with a base 12, a side wall 14, and a mouth 16 which is generally teardrop-shaped in plan view. The tip 18 of the teardrop has a relatively small radius of curvature to facilitate pouring. Vertical ribs (26, 30 fig. 4) can be provided on the side wall, to increase the strength of the container and to facilitate handling when the container is hot. The cross-section of the pot may be teardrop shaped along its entire length, and may comprise a tamper-evident tab (32 fig. 6) at the tip of the teardrop. The invention also extends to a combination of the container and a lid with a corresponding teardrop shape.

Description

CONTAINER

The invention relates to a container for soup or similar food products, and more particularly to a container in which soup or a similar food product can be sold.

At least in the United Kingdom, soup is often sold in supermarkets or the like in plastic containers, consisting of a relatively deep circular pot with a removable lid.

A label on the pot, which normally extends around the entire circumference of the pot, identifies the product. Some form of tamper-evident feature is often used, so that the purchaser of the product can be certain that the container has not been opened prior to purchase. The product is normally sold from chiller cabinets.

If a soup is to be served hot, then it can be heated in a microwave without needing to be removed from the container first. However, the container cannot simply be placed in a microwave and heated, as the expansion of the air in the container will tend to force the lid off; the ensuing release of pressure can result in the soup being forced from the container, and soiling the interior of the microwave.

Thus, it is normal to remove the lid from the container, and then replace it loosely prior to heating so that expanding air can escape. However, this brings with it a further problem, in that the container is then already open when it is removed from the microwave, and so soup could easily be spilt.

This can be a particular problem as the container may have become hot as a result of the heating of the product, and a user may remove the container from the microwave by hand without realizing how hot the outside of the container is. It normally takes one or two seconds for a person to become aware of a high temperature when they touch something, and in this time period they may have removed the container from the microwave, and then have the problem of needing to put the open container down relatively carefully (to avoid spillage) while in discomfort or pain as a result of the high temperature.

In addition, the high temperature can also lead to some softening of the container, which as a result may distort when picked up, particularly if the user puts a hand around the container. This distortion may reduce the internal volume of the container, and may lead to hot soup being squeezed from the top of the container, possibly onto the user's hand.

Once the container has been removed from the microwave, it is then necessary to pour the soup out of the container. A round container is not particularly suited to this, due to the relatively large radius of curvature, and again there may be spillage of the soup during pouring. F The invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide (at least in its preferred embodiments) an improved container for soup or similar products, where the soup can be heated in the container and poured from the container more conveniently.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a container for soup or a similar liquid food product, comprising a relatively deep pot with a base, a side wall and a mouth, wherein the mouth of the pot is generally teardrop shaped in plan view, the teardrop having a body with a relatively large radius of curvature and a tip with a relatively small radius of curvature.

As the tip of the teardrop-shaped mouth of the container has a relatively small radius of curvature, it can be used as a pouring spout, so that the soup can be poured from the pot more easily.

It is possible for the mouth of the pot to be teardrop shaped, and for the base of the pot to be circular (or some other shape). However, it is preferred for the cross-section of the pot to be teardrop shaped along its entire height Preferably, a plurality of vertical ribs are provided on the outer wall of the pot, near the mouth, the plurality of vertical ribs extending around the body of the teardrop but not the tip of the teardrop.

The ribs are located in areas which will naturally be grasped by a user when they come to remove the pot from a microwave after heating the soup. The user's hand will contact the tops of the ribs, but will not come into contact with the side H wall of the container itself Further, there will be a thin layer of air between the user's hand and the side wall of the container, and this layer of air will serve as insulation. Thus, the ribs can reduce the risk of the user experiencing discomfort or pain as a result of touching the hot container.

Preferably, a step is located in the side wall, below the mouth.

This step allows the pots to be nested together more conveniently; when one pot is placed inside another, the step of the upper pot will rest on the mouth of the lower pot. Since the sidewalls of the pots are not in close contact, there is less chance of the pots "seizing" together, and so they will be easier to separate.

Preferably, the pot is provided with a circumferential flange which extends radially outwardly from the side wail of the container, and a wall which extends upwards from the radially outer edge of the flange and terminates below the mouth of the pot.

The pot will in practice be closed by a lid. The flange and the wall, together with the side wall of the pot, form a channel into which the outer edge of a lid will fit, and this channel prevents access to the outer edge of the lid. Thus, unauthorized access (such as tampering) is prevented.

In a further preferred form, the part of the flange at the tip of the teardrop is provided with a tamper-evident tab, wherein means are provided on the tamper-evident tab and the side wall of the container to latch the tamper-evident tab in a position folded down from the flange.

The tamper-evident tab can be folded down, to allow access to the lid and thus allow the lid to be removed from the pot. Further, by latching the tamper-evident down in a folded-down position, there is less chance of the tamper-evident tab interfering with the pouring of soup from the pot.

The invention also extends to a combination of a container as described above and a lid, the lid having a teardrop shape matching the mouth of the container.

In a preferred form of this combination of a container and lid, the lid is formed with tear slots at the tip of the teardrop to allow the tip of the lid to be torn and moved upwards relative to the rest of the lid. This, in combination with the latching of the tamper-evident tab in a folded-down position, provides a small opening for air to escape from the pot during heating.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the preferred embodiment Qf the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view of the container of the preferred embodiment; Figure 3 is a side view of the container of the preferred embodiment; Figure 4 is a front view of the container of the preferred embodiment; Figure 5 is a detail cross-sectional view, showing two containers nested together; Figure 6 is a detail cross-sectional view showing the top of the side wall of the container; F Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 but taken through a rib; Figure 8 is a detailed plan view of a tamper-evident feature on the container; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the tamper-evident feature; Figure 10 is a perspective view of a lid for use with the container; Figure 11 is a plan view of the lid; and Figure 12 is a side view of the Ud.

As best shown in Figure 1, the container of a presently preferred embodiment is in the form of a pot 10 with a base 12, a side wall 14 and a mouth 16. The pot is relatively deep (that is, the height of the pot is greater than its diameter). In plan view, the container is shaped like a teardrop. In the specific embodiment (as best shown in Figure 2), the container is generally of circular cross-section, but one quadrant of the circle is extended radially outwardly. The circumference of the container is formed from around three-quarters of the circle, two tangent lines, and a second curved part at the tip 18 of the teardrop which has a substantially smaller radius of curvature than the circle.

The container is tapered; with the bottom (the base 12) smaller than the top (the mouth 16). The inclination of the side walls relative to the vertical is generally the same around the entire circumference of the container, and the containers can be nested one within another (see Figure 5) In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, the cross-sectional shape of the container is constant along its entire height (that is, it is teardrop-shaped at the mouth and at the base). However, in an alternative form, only the top part of the container is teardrop-shaped, and the lower part of the container can have a circular cross-section. The cross-sectional shape may change gradually from circular to teardrop, or there may be an abrupt transition.

Near the top of the container, as best shown in Figure 6, there is provided a circumferential flange 20 which extends radially outwardly from the side wall 14 of the container. A wall 22 extends upwards from the radially outer edge of this flange 20, and this outer wall terminates below the top of the container. This wall 22, together with the flange 20 and the top part of the side waIl 14, forms a channel 24 which extends around the top of the container. In use, the channel 24 will accommodate the rim of a lid 100, which will be described in more detail later.

Below the flange 20 are formed a series of ribs 26, which extend between the outside of the side wall 14 of the container and the underside of the flange 20.

As can be seen from Figures 1, 3 and 4, the ribs 26 extend along most of the circumference of the container, but are not present in the region near the tip 18 of the teardrop. The ribs 26 help to support the flange 20.

Just below the flange 20, a step 28 is formed in the side wall 14 of the container as best shown in Figure 6. Further ribs 30 are formed below the step 28, and in this embodiment are aligned with the ribs 26 beneath the flange 20. As best shown in Figure 7, the bottom ends of the further ribs 30 are chamfered.

A tamper-evident feature 32 is provided at the tip 18 of the teardrop. A live hinge 34 is provided in the flange 20, and two frangible portions 36 are formed in the outer wall 22 at the points where the tangent lines meet the second curved part.

In use, the tip of the flange 20 (at the sharp end of the teardrop) is pressed down, the frangible portions break 36, and the tip pivots around the live hinge 34.

The part of the tip which pivots around the live hinge 34 is provided with an opening 38 (best shown in Figures 8 and 9), and a projection 40 is formed on the side wall 14 of the container below the flange 20 at the tip of the second curved part. When the tip of the flange 20 is pressed down so as to pivot about the live hinge 34, the projection 40 can engage in the opening 38, thus latching the tamper-evident feature 32 in position.

The container is formed as a one-piece plastic moulding using an injection moulding process. The plastic used should of course be able to withstand the low temperatures encountered in chiller cabinets and the high temperatures experienced during heating of the product.

A lid 100 for the container is shown in Figures 10 to 12. In plan view, the lid is teardrop shaped to allow engagement with the container. At the circumference of the lid 100 is a downwardly-open groove 102, into which the upper end of the side wall 14 of the container fits. The groove is flared outwardly at its bottom. The bottom end of the outer wall of the groove fits into the channel 24 at the top of the container, and is shielded by the outer wall of the channel 22 when the lid 100 is in engagement with the container 10. This is a further deterrent to tampering, as the rim of the lid cannot be accessed.

As best shown in Figure 10, tear slots 104 are formed in the outer wall of the groove 102 at the tip of lid (at the sharp end of the teardrop). These tear slots 104 allow the tip of the lid to be lifted up, away from the flange 20 of the container, so that it can be grasped to facilitate removal of the lid 100 from the container 10.

The lid 100 is more flexible than the container 10, so that the lid 100 can be removed without deforming the container 10. This can be achieved by forming the lid 100 from a more flexible material than the container 10. However, it is preferred for the container 10 and the lid 10 to be formed from the same material, and for the thickness of the lid 100 to be less than the thickness of the side wall 14 of the container 10, so that the lid is more flexible.

Like the container, the lid is formed as a one-piece plastic moulding using an injection moulding process.

The design of the container and lid provide the following advantages.

The teardrop shape of the mouth 16 of the container allows the tip 18 of the teardrop, which has a relatively small radius of curvature, to be used as a pouring spout. This makes it much easier to pour soup (or a similar liquid product) from the container 10 than with a comparable container of circular cross-section, which has a larger radius of curvature.

The ribs 26 are located in the area where a user will naturally tend to put their hand when grasping the container in order to take it out of a microwave after heating the soup. Because the ribs project outwardly from the side wall 14 of the container, the user's hand will not actually come into contact with the side wall 14 itself; instead, their hand will be spaced from the side wall 14 by the ribs 26. A thin layer of air will be present between the user's hand and the side wall 14, and this layer of air will serve as insulation. As a result, the user can grasp the container 10 to remove it from a microwave immediately after heating, without risk of pain or discomfort from the hot side wall 14.

Further, the tamper-evident feature 32 on the container 10 and the tear slots 104 at the tip of the lid 100 co-operate to allow air to escape from the container during heating. Before placing the container into a microwave to heat the soup, the user pushes down on the tip of the flange 22, and latches the tip down by engaging the projection 40 in the opening 36. The user can then access the tip of the lid 100, and pull this upwards. This will tear the lid along the tear slots 104, and will partially disengage the lid 100 from the container 10 at the tip. This partial disengagement leaves a small gap through which air canescape when the container is heated, without the need for the entire lid to be removed as with conventional containers.

Thus, even if the container is knocked over or dropped after heating1 spillage of the contents is avoided, or at least reduced.

The shape of the container 10 allows it to be stacked with other similar containers, for more convenient storage and transport. In particular, when one container is placed inside another, the step 28 of the upper container 10 rests on the mouth 16 of the lower container 10 (as shown in Figure 5), and this makes it easier for the containers to be denested.

Furthermore, the inside of the side wall 14 of the lower container contacts the outside of the ribs 30 of the upper container. As a result, there is a smaller surface area in contact, and so the containers are easier to separate, which is an important consideration on automatic filling lines. In addition, the chamfer at the lower end of the ribs 30 ensures that when the containers are nested in a stack, they are properly centred.

With regard to lid, because the bottom of the groove 102 is flared outwardly, the upper end of the groove of one lid can be accommodated in the bottom of the groove of a second lid. Thus, the lids can also be stacked for more convenient storage and transport.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in detail, it will be appreciated that modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A container for soup or a similar liquid food product, comprising a relatively deep pot with a base, a side wall and a mouth, wherein the mouth of the pot is 6 generally teardrop shaped in plan view, the teardrop having a body with a relatively large radius of curvature and a tip with a relatively small radius of curvature.
2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the pot is teardrop shaped along its entire height.
3. A container as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a plurality of vertical ribs are provided on the outer wall of the pot, near the mouth, the plurality of vertical ribs extending around the body of the teardrop but not the tip of the teardrop.
4. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein a step is located in the side wall, below the mouth.
5. A container as claimed in any preceding claim, provided with a circumferential flange which extends radially outwardly from the side wall of the container, and a wall which extends upwards from the radially outer edge of the flange and terminates below the mouth of the container.
6. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein the part of the flange at the tip of the teardrop is provided with a tamper-evident tab, wherein means are provided on the tamper-evident tab and the side wall of the container to latch the tamper-evident tab in a position folded down from the flange.
7. A combination of a container as claimed in any preceding claim and a lid, the lid having a teardrop shape matching the mouth of the container.
8. A combination of a container and a lid as claimed in claim 7, wherein the lid is formed with tear slots at the tip of the teardrop to allow the tip of the lid to be torn and moved upwards relative to the rest of the lid.