GB2538765A

GB2538765A - Sleeve for food heating

Info

Publication number: GB2538765A
Application number: GB1509141.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Darell Unwin Guy
Original assignee: Planit Products Ltd
Current assignee: Planit Products Ltd
Priority date: 2015-05-27
Filing date: 2015-05-27
Publication date: 2016-11-30
Also published as: GB201509141D0

Abstract

A sleeve having two conjoined sides 4 and two open sides for heating food 2,3, the sleeve having at least one panel 1 made of material comprising layers of PTFE (polytetrafuoroethylene) with or without a core layer of glass fibre, Kevlar or similar mesh, although the invention can equally be made from other suitable materials such as skived or laminated PFA (perfluoralkoxy) and FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) or other copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene. The material may be in the form of a film, the mesh being very fine in nature if present, or in the form of a mesh, with relatively large thread sizes and gaps between the warp and weft of the mesh. The sleeve may be formed from one piece of material folded upon itself and connected by welding or other known means of adhesion or connection, or it may be made from two pieces of material connected by similar means at both ends. It may be formed as a rectangle to completely encompass the food or toast product, and equally may for reasons of economy be made with a wider base and a narrower top, thus forming a truncated pyramidal shape.

Description

SLEEVE FOR FOOD HEATING

This invention relates to heating food, and more particularly but not exclusively heating sandwiches by an apparatus providing radiant heat, for example a bread toaster or grill.

Background to the invention:

Patent no. GB2367806 / W02001000501 UNVVIN discloses a container for heating food in a radiant heat device such as a toaster. The container is in the form of a flat pouch made of woven fabric coated and/or impregnated with electrically nonconductive and heat resistant material having an open mouth. A sandwich or other foodstuff, baked beans for example, may be placed in the pouch and then inserted in a bread slot of an electric toaster. The toaster can then be switched on and this heats the food in the sleeve. The present invention is an extension of this work, directed primarily at the preparation and heating of toasted cheese and other sandwiches. It became apparent that the invention could be made more simply, thus avoiding waste and production costs. Experiment showed that, for the staple favourite of a toasted cheese sandwich at least, there was no spillage of the filling from the sleeve despite being heated in the vertical position. It also showed that the sandwich benefitted from the additional ventilation that the present invention provides as compared with the applicant's initial invention of Patent W02001000501.

Searches revealed the following patent applications; US5853781 BONO reveals a perforated rigid liner for cooking fried potatoes while US3891775 MURRAY shows a pouch to be placed in to an upright toaster. US3554770 LIPSKY shows means of forming a packet for insertion into a toaster to heat the enclosed food and GB1374937 TOY° discloses a hermetically sealed bag formed from aluminium sheet for placing in a toaster. EP0240071 YATES reveals a steam permeable packet for heating par fried chips in a microwave. However, none of these match the simplicity of the present invention.

According to the present invention, there is provided a sleeve for heating food, in particular a sandwich or other toast product, the sleeve having at least one panel made of material comprising layers of PTFE (polytetrafuoroethylene) with or without a core layer of glass fibre, Key!are or similar mesh, although the invention can equally be made from other suitable materials such as skived or laminated PFA (perfluoralkoxy) and FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) or other copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene. Said material may be in the form of a film, the mesh being very fine in nature if present, or in the form of a mesh, with relatively large thread sizes and gaps between the warp and weft of the mesh. The sleeve may be formed from one piece of material folded upon itself and connected by welding or other known means of adhesion or connection, or it may be made from two pieces of material connected by similar means at both ends. It may be formed as a rectangle to completely encompass the food or toast product, and equally may for reasons of economy be made with a wider base and a narrower top, thus forming a truncated pyramidal shape. Another form envisaged within this patent is to cut away both corners at the top of the rectangular sleeve giving the impression of a "neck and shoulders" to said sleeve. This shape can also have an extended "neck" featuring material that forms a handle, and this handle may also be adapted to feature an orifice to aid in handling the article.

Fluid-absorbing means may be included inside the sleeve, such materials having hydrophilic and lipophilic properties to absorb excess moisture or fats released from the food during heating. Such means may be attached in a variety of known ways or loosely placed at the base of the sleeve. Said sleeve may be fashioned in a variety of shapes and sizes as described later, and may feature a tab or loop at its upper end for ease of handling.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of heating food wherein said food is provided in a sleeve having at least one panel made of flexible multilayer film comprising layers of PTFE (polytetrafuoroethylene), PFA (perfluoralkoxy) and FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) or other copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene with or without a core layer of glass fibre, the method further comprising the application of heat to the food while it is within said sleeve. The method typically consist of the stages of: Inserting a filled sandwich into one of the open sides of the sleeve, Placing the filled sleeve into the slot of an upright toaster or other heating means, Heating the sleeve for the required length of time, Removing the sleeve from the heating means, Removing the sandwich from the sleeve and Placing the sandwich on a plate before consuming.

Different means may be provided in order to alter the thermal conductivity of the sleeve material in circumstances where it is necessary to cook the centre of an article thoroughly, as generally the outer surface of the food cooks more quickly. The inside of the sleeve preferably may have a reflective coating or layer of metal foil or wire. It is also within the scope of the invention to alter the thermal conductivity of the sleeve by varying the pigmentation of the material; while a white pigment will retard the heating process a black pigment will aid the transfer of heat to the foodstuff in the sleeve.

The sleeve will generally be sized so as to fit into the slot of a toaster, and of sufficient height to accommodate a standard size slice or slices of bread. While this may be of any size to accommodate local preferences and styles, it has been found that a sleeve of overall dimensions 115 millimetres by 160 millimetres is of an adequate size to accommodate slices from a standard British loaf. Likewise, the sealed seams which run along the shorter ends of the sleeve may be of any width but 5-10mm is found to be adequate for the purpose. It may be desirable to allow a proportion of the sleeve to project above the top of the toaster body in use, in order that the user will feel less heat from the sleeve when removing it from the toaster. The sleeve may have a welded seam, or be otherwise attached either at one end, being formed from a loop of material, or at each end, being formed of 2 sheets of material. The sleeve may also be formed in a more narrow aspect, so that it covers a portion of the foodstuff, being, say, 50 mm wide and in rectangular form. Furthermore, in another aspect, it may be of full width at the base, but reduced at its upper end to, say, 50 mm wide at the central part of the sleeve to form a truncated conical or pyramidal sleeve. It may also be shaped as described above to feature a "neck and shoulders" profile and any form may have an extended section or tab to aid handing, with or without a cutout therein.

In some aspects of the invention, it may be desirable to include an insert. This may be made of light card or similar material and will extend at least across the full width of the base to the depth of the toast product or may be of a size to surround the periphery of the sandwich. Such an insert will be of a suitable width to hold the sandwich or other foodstuff and is preferably formed from a length of material which is folded to create a rectangular form of a size to encompass the sandwich. The ends of said insert may be secured together in a variety of known means, and particularly may be cut laterally near to said ends for half their width on opposite sides so that when pressed together the lateral cuts form a joint. Said joint may be arranged on any of the faces of the rectangle thus formed.

Additionally, the sleeve may contain one of a variety of sandwiches or foodstuffs wrapped within an outer package for storage prior to sale, in order to form a range of convenience foods. The package may be provided with means for manual opening such as a draw string or tear strip provided on one or more sides. Advantageously, the sleeve with foodstuffs therein is hygienically sealed within an outer wrapper. Such a range of convenience foods would be ideal for sale at garages, pubs and the like, where instant heating is paramount. Instead of a toaster, an alternative heating means may be used, for example an oven, an infra-red contact heating device, a grill or a microwave oven, although such microwave ovens tend to make the food sweat and not to become crisp and so is not desirable for use in making toasted sandwiches.

In the following drawings it is not intended to exclude features from another Figure from each specific embodiment but rather to provide a basis for their combination in specific applications. While the invention has been disclosed in its preferred forms, it is to be understood that the specific embodiment thereof, as described and illustrated herein, is not to be considered in a limited sense, as there may be other forms or modifications of the invention which should also be construed to come within the scope of the appended claims.

The invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the invention in its most basic form; Figure 2 shows the invention in an alternative form applied to a sandwich and equipped with a rectangular insert; Figure 3 shows the invention applied to a sandwich with a smaller insert supporting the base of the sandwich only, additionally equipped with an absorbent pad.

Referring to Figure 1, the sleeve 1 is made from a sheet 2 or sheets 2 and 3 of material which have been laid together or folded to form the rectangular sleeve 1 closed at two sides and open at the third and fourth. The materials are from the selection as described earlier. The edges of the sheet are adhered at a seam or seams 4 to form the sleeve with two facing opposite walls 2 and 3. As an alternative, a projecting tab 5 can be provided at the top junction of each side to aid removal from the appliance A sandwich may be placed in the sleeve 1 and the sleeve 1 is then placed in the bread slot of an electrical bread toaster. The radiant heat from the toaster elements then cooks or heats the contents of the sleeve 1.

Referring to Figure 2 the food to be cooked is placed in the sleeve 1; in this case the sleeve 1 holds a cheese sandwich 6 to be heated. In this Figure the sleeve is shown with a base covering the full width of the sandwich 6 contained therein. The sleeve 1 is formed from one sheet of material sealed or welded along the shorter top side of the truncated pyramid forming seam 4. Equally the sleeve 1 may be formed by two strips of the material and sealed by a seam 4 as above, and in either case optionally to form a tab or loop 5 which can be used as a handle. A handle may also be formed by leaving excess material on one sheet of film so that when sealed or welded it protrudes beyond the sealed seam to form said tab or loop 5.

In some aspects of the invention, it may be desirable to include an insert 9, which may be made of light card or similar material and formed to surround the periphery of the sandwich 6. Said insert 9 will be of a suitable width to hold the sandwich 6 and is preferably formed from a length of material which is folded to create a rectangular form of a size to encompass the sandwich 6. The ends of said insert 9 may be secured together in a variety of known means, and particularly may be cut laterally near to said ends for half their width on opposite sides so that when pressed together the lateral cuts 8 form a joint 10.

For retail purposes the sleeve 1 and sandwich 6 may be contained in a hygienic outer wrapper (not shown), which can be of any food grade material suitable for long shelf life on display in a supermarket or similar retail environment. This wrapper may be printed with consumer information and graphics, while the sleeve 1 itself may also be printed and then wrapped in a transparent film wrapper. Alternatively a printed paper or card insert may be placed between the sleeve 1 and said outer wrapper. To achieve optimum heating characteristics, the sleeve walls 2 and 3 could comprise material which is pigmented or aluminised and/or a metallic foil or mesh could be incorporated while the walls could be perforated to improve porosity. The outer wrapper and insert if applicable are removed prior to heating.

Referring to Figure 3, the sleeve 1 is shown in an alternative form wherein the front sleeve wall 2 and rear sleeve wall 3 are joined by base 11 and upper end 12, with welded seam or seams 4 or other known means of connection (not shown) joining their respective ends. In such a form it may be desired to include an insert 9 as shown previously, or at least as a full width sheet of rigid absorbent material such as card 13 laid across above the base 11. In addition Fluid absorbing material 7 may be located in the bottom of the sleeve to draw excess moisture and fats away from the sandwich allowing it more easily to brown, and to prevent spillage into the toaster or other heating means.

Referring to Figure 4, the sleeve 1 is shown in an alternative form having cutaways 13 at either side of its upper end 12 showing a "neck and shoulders" profile wherein the front sleeve wall 2 and rear sleeve wall 3 are joined at the base 11 and upper end 12. As before, the sleeve walls 2 and 3 may be extended to form a tab or loop 5 which can be used with or without a hole 14 cut away to use as a handle.