JP2017525629A - Package and cover for storing and / or cooking food products - Google Patents

Abstract

To limit spillage of a liquid food product during cooking, a portion of the package can be opened, which is convenient for adding more ingredients to the food product and then easy to consume after cooking. To provide an improved package that can be opened completely in a convenient way. The present invention relates to a package for storing and / or cooking a food product, the package being removably attached to a container for holding the food product and an upper edge of the container, the cover being spiral. And a cover, characterized in that it comprises a weakening line that forms the part. A further aspect of the invention is a food product packaged and packaged. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a package for storing and / or cooking a food product, the package being removed from the container for holding the food product and the upper edge of the container so that it can be opened by the consumer in use. And a cover attached in a possible manner. A further aspect of the invention is a cover as well as a packaged food product.

  Consumers often face difficulties in peeling and opening package films, lids, or covers that seal food containers. In most cases, the user must first identify the existing peel tab of the cover in order to begin tearing. Thereafter, while the user is tearing the package cover, the package cover may be torn or torn in an unintended direction, making it difficult or partially unsealed and spilling food. Peel tabs can also be torn or wrinkled before reaching the consumer due to rough handling of the package throughout the supply chain. The consumer is then tempted to use a knife or other sharp article to open the cover, increasing the risk of hurting himself or spilling more food.

  Further, for certain food products that can be cooked or heated in the provided package container, for example, first opened by the consumer to add water to the food product in the container and then minimize spillage Therefore, it may be necessary to temporarily reseal again during cooking. Cooking can be done through the addition of hot water or through heating in a microwave oven. Examples of such food products include instant noodles or instant soup products, which are very popular mainly in Asia. The user may then need to find something that covers the edge of the food container to prevent the boiling liquid food product from spilling.

  Still further, older consumers and those with arthritis are increasingly unable to open the latest packaged containers sealed with removable films or covers, even if provided with a release tab. . It becomes increasingly difficult to securely grasp and pull those small tabs and safely open such sealed package containers. Thus, in many cases, the elderly use cooking utensils such as forks and knives to try to open their packages with the risk of injury to themselves.

  Some of these challenges have already been solved by prior art solutions. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0237713 describes a thin package film having a closed contour, which is surrounded by a tear-off region around its entire circumference. The tear is pre-cut so as to stop the contour halfway while guiding to the rear while forming a gripping part that can be separated from the plane of the thin film. This film contains two materials, a pre-cut material and a base material, to create a swirl effect. This film allows partial separation beyond 180 °.

  European Patent No. 2662309 describes a film with weakening lines for tearing and opening the film. A pressing area is provided adjacent to the weakened line portion and has a fingertip size. The pressing area is limited on the surface side by a tear line. The tear line protrudes from the weakening line starting in a region of the film and is provided adjacent to the tongue portion of the film, the tongue portion being removable along the weakening film. The film is formed from a multilayer laminate composite and includes curls generated by stress in each layer of the composite.

  EP 1544127 describes a polymer film secured to the edge of a food package by a peripheral weld. The sealing film is accompanied by a weakening line to cleanly pull away the circular part with a tab. The peripheral weld has a stronger retention than the resistance of the weakened film wire.

  There remains a need in the art and the food industry to find alternative and / or better package improvements for storing and / or cooking food products that can be easily and conveniently opened by consumers. .

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to improve the state of the art and an improved and / or alternative package improvement for storing and / or cooking food products that can be opened easily and conveniently by consumers. Is to provide.

  Also, specifically, the object of the present invention is to be able to open a part of the package so as to limit liquid food product spillage during cooking, which is convenient for adding further ingredients to the food product. Also, to provide such an improved and / or alternative package improvement that can then be fully opened in a convenient manner so that it is easy to consume after cooking.

  More specifically, the object of the present invention is to make the package approximately 4 minutes of its potential open surface so that it is very convenient to add hot or cold, water, milk, or other ingredients to the food product. Such an improvement that can open up to one-quarter of the spill and limit liquid food product spillage during cooking, and can then be opened completely in a convenient manner after cooking. And / or providing alternative package improvements.

  The object of the invention is achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. The dependent claims develop further the idea of the present invention.

Accordingly, the present invention, in a first aspect, relates to a package for storing and / or cooking a food product, the package removably attached to a container for holding the food product and an upper edge of the container. Cover and
The cover includes a weakening line forming a spiral portion, the spiral portion starting from a central portion of the cover and extending toward the edge of the cover, wherein the spiral portion is at least one and a half rounds about the central axis of the spiral portion. It is characterized by winding.

  In a second aspect, the present invention relates to a packaged food product comprising the above package for storing and / or cooking a food product and a food product contained in a container.

  Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a cover for use in a container for storage and / or cooking of a food product, the cover comprising a weakening line that forms a helix, the helix being the center of the cover Starting from the portion and extending toward the edge of the cover, the spiral portion is wound at least one and a half times around the central axis of the spiral portion.

  For example, when providing a package such as a cup with a removably sealed lid or cover with a scored weakening line that forms a helix, the user simply pushes one finger into the middle of the helix. It has been found by the present inventor that the package can be easily opened by simply removing and removing the lid or cover film along the nicked weakening line. The main advantage of the present invention is that it allows the user to remove the membrane with minimal effort. A weakened line with a spiral notch allows easy and intuitive opening using a graphic display to guide the consumer. Also, it becomes possible to remove the torn package laminate cleanly without leaving any laminate in the pack. This package is also intended for all consumers who are somewhat clumsy, clunky, or have arthritis or joint problems on their fingers, or are simply elderly with all the inherent problems associated with aging. Opening is particularly simple, convenient and convenient.

  Another advantage of the present invention is that when a liquid food product such as, for example, instant noodle soup is used to cook directly in a package cup, to cover the edge of the package cup to prevent spilling of the soup, For example, there is no need for the consumer to use additional items such as pans, flat plates, or additional covers. The consumer simply taps with a finger to open a tear hole in the center of the cover spiral. Then, if necessary, for example, add water to the dried noodle soup product and then, for example, in the center of the cover to allow the soup to be cooked directly in the noodle cup for 2-5 minutes in the microwave That is, the depression zone is pinched by the consumer using the thumb and forefinger and peeled off about half along the spiral. Spills are prevented by the edges formed by a cover that is still safely sealed around the entire circumference of the noodle cup. Then, after cooking, the cover can be completely peeled toward the periphery of the cup for easy consumption.

  The present invention can be used for a variety of food product packaging applications, but is preferably used for dry food products. These uses include instant soups, instant noodles, biscuits, cookies, confectionery products, or other dry products, and powdered beverages such as coffee, tea, chocolate beverages.

It is a cover with a different weakening line design. A cover with a suitable weakening diagram. It is the method of opening the package of this invention.

The present invention relates to a package for storing and / or cooking food products, the package comprising:
A container for holding a food product;
A cover removably attached to the upper edge of the container,
The cover includes a weakening line that forms a helix, the helix starting from a central portion of the cover and extending toward the edge of the cover, the helix being at least one and a half turns around the central axis of the helix It is characterized by being turned. Preferably, the spiral portion is wound at least twice around the central axis of the spiral portion. More preferably, the spiral portion is wound at least two and a half turns around the central axis of the spiral portion. In order to properly and completely open and remove the cover from the container, a minimum full rotation of 360 ° about its own axis of the helix is required. However, at least about a quarter of the cover surface can be opened without removing any part of the final last ring of the spiral attached to the upper edge of the food container along its entire circumference. In order to provide a solution in which the cover can be opened at least partially in the manner, at least one and a half rotations (ie 540 °) about its own axis of the spiral are required. This last spiral ring of the cover still attached to the upper edge of the container forms a barrier that prevents any liquid or hot food from overflowing from the container when the food product is heated or cooked doing. Preferably, also for ease of handling, the spiral is wound at least twice around its own axis. It has been found that the most practical and convenient application is when the spiral is wound about 2.5-3.5 times (ie, about 900 ° -1260 °) about the axis. Preferably, the helix does not wind more than about 10 or more than about 5 about its own axis.

  The “cover” of the present invention is a means for removably covering a container suitable for holding a food product. Such a “cover” can be a lid, film, laminate sheet, membrane, or cap.

  “Removably attached” in the present invention means that the cover is sealed or glued to the upper edge of the container so that the cover can be removed from the container again by the consumer, or Means fixed in other ways.

  In a preferred embodiment, the cover of the present invention comprises only one single weakening line.

  "Single line" is defined and understood herein as a single continuous line having two ends. The line may be curved, straight, spiral, or any combination thereof. A single line is not the product of a combination of two lines that intersect each other, nor is it a line that branches into two lines.

  The advantage of having only one single weakening line in the cover is that any tearing or tearing force, for example when a finger is pushed into the cover, will inevitably tear this single single weakening line. The point is that The tearing of this single weakening line will always be limited to this only existing weakening line, and the tearing of that line will be complete. This has the advantage that, for example, the weakening line will always result in proper tearing, even if it is torn across by a clumsy consumer.

  In one embodiment, the weakening line of the present invention is a score. The notches in the cover material can be made by mechanical scoring by edging, die cutting and / or laser cutting. A preferred solution is laser cutting.

  In a preferred embodiment, the weakening line of the present invention is continuously wound around the central axis of the spiral portion without a linear or linear intersection. It has been found by the inventor that such a continuous helix stripping action is smoother and more consistent than if a linear or linear extension is present in a spiral.

  The cover of the present invention includes a recess having at least the size of a fingertip. Preferably, the recess overlaps the central axis of the spiral formed by the weakening line. This allows an optimal and simple opening of the package of the present invention.

  In a preferred embodiment, the upper edge of the cover and container of the present invention is circular. The circle is clearly the best shape for the unsealing method based on the spiral method. Still further, most single serving food products such as instant soups, instant noodles, or beverage products are usually packaged for sale in round cups. Therefore, it is advantageous that the upper edge of the cover and the container is circular. Therefore, preferably, the central axis of the spiral portion is at the center of the cover.

  In one embodiment, the cover of the present invention does not include a separate release tab. Since the cover no longer has a new and different opening scheme, a separate release tab for removing the cover from the upper edge of the container is no longer necessary. An extra separate release tab may only confuse the consumer. That is, the extra separate release tab eventually results in additional manufacturing costs and can be a hindrance during the packing and stacking of the package and / or packaged food product of the present invention.

  In a preferred embodiment, the cover of the present invention is made of a multi-layer laminate, preferably an aluminum-containing laminate or a plastic-containing laminate. More preferably, the multilayer laminate comprises a base layer selected from the group consisting of aluminum, paper, polyester (PET), oriented polypropylene (OPP), and oriented polyamide (OPA), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and A sealing layer selected from the group consisting of homopolymers or copolymers of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). Alternatively, the cover includes an intermediate layer having barrier properties such as an aluminum foil or a metallized polymer layer.

  Aluminum-containing laminates have the advantage of providing the smoothest peel and tear to open the cover along the scored weakening line. Still further, aluminum-containing laminates usually result in satisfactory continuous sections with clean, smooth edges after tearing. Plastic-containing laminates have the same effect as aluminum-containing laminates, and further have the advantage that they can also be used for cooking food products in the package of the invention, for example in a microwave oven.

  The container of the present invention is preferably made from a plastic material. Preferably, the container of the present invention is rigid and, in particular, self-supporting so as to maintain its shape regardless of whether the container is filled with a food product. The container is made of a plastic outer support layer material such as, for example, polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), or an amorphous polyester (APET) / polyethylene (PE) composite. Alternatively, the container is a paper container made of cardboard that is surface protected with a heat-sealable coating that includes a rolled container wall and a container bottom connected thereto.

  Alternatively, the container of the present invention can be made from a glass material.

  Another aspect of the present invention relates to a packaged food product comprising the package of the present invention and a food product contained within a container. In preferred embodiments, the food product is a dried soup, instant noodle product, dried coffee and / or milk beverage, or dried chocolate beverage.

  Yet another aspect of the invention relates to a cover for use in a container for storing and / or cooking food products, the cover comprising a weakening line forming a helix, the helix being a central portion of the cover Starting from the above, it extends toward the edge of the cover, and the spiral is wound at least one and a half times around the central axis of the spiral. Preferably, the cover comprises only one single weakening line.

  Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all features of the invention disclosed herein can be freely combined. In particular, the features described for the package for storing and / or cooking the food product of the present invention can be combined with the packaged food product as well as the cover of the present invention, and vice versa.

  Further advantages and features of the present invention are apparent from the drawings and examples.

「軸設定値」とは、切刃の移動方向（Ｘ水平，Ｙ垂直）である。軸設定値が高くなる程、切削力の圧力は高くなる。 A plurality of package film designs were manufactured and tested as described in FIG. Using a Graphtec cutting plotter (FC2250) with a general-purpose movable head firmly fixed to the cutting edge of the holder, spiral weakening lines were cut into different substrates, and the half-cut performance was compared. In order to start the scoring work, each drawing file including each spiral design according to FIG. 1 was sent to the plotter software. The cover material selected for the test was an aluminum-containing laminate (polyester (PET) / aluminum / polyester (PET) / polyethylene (PE) (diebot plastic and packaging) as shown in Table 1. Daibochi Plastic & Packaging Ind. Bhd.), Paper-containing laminates (paper / polyester (PET) / polyethylene (PE)) (Amcor Flexibles Farrebourg), and plastic laminates .

The “axis setting value” is the moving direction (X horizontal, Y vertical) of the cutting blade. The higher the axis setting value, the higher the cutting force pressure.

  The following results were observed: The aluminum-based material enables a smooth peeling effect and an easier tearing and peeling operation in one continuous movement compared to the paper-based material. Paper-based materials became discontinuous cutting, resulting in multiple breaks, making it difficult to penetrate the tear hole. Even when the package film was peeled off, an uneven edge was produced as compared with the aluminum-containing film. However, this problem can be solved by using laser scoring.

  The plastic-containing film enables a smooth peeling effect and an easy tearing and peeling operation in one continuous movement. However, this film requires more force to penetrate the film compared to both paper-containing and aluminum-containing films. The gestures made by the consumer will result in a clear sound during the poke action and the peeling action along the film adjacent towards the edge of the container.

  The plastic laminate cover at the time of Table 1 was further tested on a plastic container containing some liquid food for microwave heating. Before placing the package in a standard household microwave oven, the center of the cover was opened open to allow water to be added to the container, and the cover was opened about half through the spiral. Thereafter, the opened package was heated in a microwave for 2 minutes. It has been observed that the opening tab is further detached by steam generated by microwave cooking in the container, thereby making it easier to peel and completely remove the cover along the weakening line after the cooking process.

  The preferred embodiment and preferred embodiment of the present invention has a spiral design and dimensions as shown in FIG.

The package of the present invention can be opened by the following method as shown in FIG.
Step 3.1-Break through the first opening by hitting the center of the cover.
Step 3.2-Pull the released tab, peel off and open.
Step 3.3-Pull the tabs high to make the product visible.
Step 3.4-Pull the tab along the edge of the package to open it completely.

Claims (15)

A package for storing and / or cooking a food product,
A container for holding the food product;
A package comprising a cover removably attached to an upper edge of the container;
The cover includes a weakening line forming a spiral portion, the spiral portion starting from a central portion of the cover and extending toward an edge of the cover, the spiral portion having a central axis of the spiral portion. A package having at least one and a half turns as a center.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the spiral portion is wound at least twice around the central axis of the spiral portion.   The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spiral portion is wound at least two and a half times around a central axis of the spiral portion.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the cover comprises only one single weakening line.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the weakening line is a score.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the cover includes a concave portion having at least a fingertip size, and the concave portion overlaps the central axis of the spiral portion.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the cover and the upper edge of the container are circular.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the central axis of the spiral portion is at the center of the cover.   The package according to claim 1, wherein the cover does not include a separate release tab.   The package according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cover is made from an aluminum-containing laminate or a plastic-containing laminate.   The package according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the container is made of a plastic or glass material.   12. A packaged food product comprising the package according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and a food product contained in the container.   13. A packaged food product according to claim 12, wherein the food product is a dried soup, instant noodles, dried coffee and / or milk beverage, or dried chocolate beverage.   A cover for use in a container for storing and / or cooking food products, said cover comprising a weakening line forming a helix, said helix starting from a central part of said cover The cover extends toward an edge of the cover, and the spiral portion is wound at least one and a half times around a central axis of the spiral portion.   15. A cover according to claim 14, comprising only one single weakening line.

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