KR20170052571A - Packaging for storing and/or cooking a food product and cover therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a packaging material for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, the packaging material comprising a container for holding foodstuffs and a cover removably fastened to the upper rim of the container, the cover comprising a fragile line . Other aspects of the invention are cover as well as packaged food.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a packaging material for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs,

The present invention relates to a packaging material for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, the packaging material comprising a container for holding foodstuffs and a cover removably fastened to the upper rim of the container to be opened by the consumer at the time of use. Other aspects of the invention are cover as well as packaged food.

Consumers are often faced with difficulties in peeling and opening packaging films, lids or covers that seal food containers. Most often, users need to first identify existing peel tabs in the cover to initiate tearing. The package cover may then be torn or split in an unintended direction while the user is tearing it, leading to difficult or partially open opening and pouring of food. The peel tab may also have been torn or wrinkled prior to reaching the consumer due to packaging carelessness throughout the supply chain. Subsequently, consumers are tempted to use knives or other sharp items to open the cover, increasing the risk of harming themselves and spilling more food.

In addition, in the case of certain foodstuffs that can be cooked or heated in a packaging container as provided, they may be opened, for example, by a consumer first, filled with foodstuffs in the container, and then temporarily dispensed during cooking to minimize pouring. It may need to be resealed again. Cooking can be done by adding hot water or heating in a microwave oven. Examples of such foods are instant noodles or instant soup products, which are very popular in Asia. Users may then need to find an object to cover the edge of the food container to ensure that boiling liquid food is not overflowing.

Moreover, elderly consumers and those suffering from arthritis can not open more and more of the latest packaging containers sealed with removable films or covers, even with a peel tab. It is becoming increasingly difficult to reliably pull these small taps and safely open such sealed packaging containers. Thus, the elderly sometimes try to open these packages with the risk of hurting themselves by using kitchen tools such as forks or knives.

Some of these problems have already been addressed by prior art solutions. For example, US2012 / 0237713 describes a thin packaging film having a closed contour, which is surrounded by a cut-out region over its entire periphery, and an initial tear is made of such film And forms a grip which can be detached from the flat surface of such a thin film. The film comprises two materials, i.e., pre-cut material and underlying material, to create a vortex effect. The film enables partial separation of more than 180 degrees.

EP2662309 describes a film having a weakening line for tearing open the film. The pressing area is provided adjacent to one section of the fragile line and has the size of the fingertip. The pressing region is limited by a tearing line at one side of the surface. The tear line starts from one area of the film and protrudes from the line of weakness and is provided adjacent to the protruding features of the separable film along the fragile film. The film is formed of a multilayer laminate-like compound and includes curls produced by stresses in the layers of the compound.

EP1544127 describes a polymer film secured to the rim of a food packaging material by a peripheral weld. The sealing film carries the fragile line so that the circular section is reliably pulled by the tab. Perimeter welds have stronger retention than weak film lines.

There is still a need in the art and the food industry to find alternative and / or better packaging solutions for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs that consumers can easily and conveniently open.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved and / or alternative packaging solution for improving the prior art and for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs which can be opened easily and conveniently by consumers.

In particular, it is also an object of the present invention to provide a packaging material which is convenient to add additional ingredients to the foodstuff and to limit the pouring of liquid foodstuffs during cooking, so that the packaging material can be opened only partially, It is an object of the present invention to provide such an improved and / or alternative packaging solution that can be fully opened in a convenient manner.

More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for packaging food that can open up to about 1/4 to 3/4 of its potential open surface so that hot water or cold water, milk or other ingredients are added to the foodstuff, To provide an improved and / or alternative packaging solution which is very convenient to limit the pouring of the packaging material and which, after cooking, can be fully opened in a convenient manner.

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

Accordingly, the present invention provides, in a first aspect, a packaging material for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, the packaging material comprising a container for holding foodstuffs and a cover removably fastened to the upper rim of the container;

Characterized in that the cover comprises a fragile line forming a spiral, the spiral starting from the center of the cover and running towards the rim of the cover, wherein the spiral is wound at least 1.5 times about the central axis of the spiral. will be.

In a second aspect, the invention relates to a packaging product comprising the packaging material for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, and the foodstuff contained in the container.

Another aspect of the present invention is a cover for use in a container for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, the cover comprising a fragile line forming a spiral, the spiral starting from the center of the cover and traveling towards the rim of the cover , And the spiral portion is wound at least 1.5 times around the center axis of the spiral portion.

The present inventors have found that when providing a wrapping material, such as a cup, having a removably sealed lid or cover that includes a scored line of weakness forming a spiral, it is possible to simply staple the middle of the spiral with one finger, It is found that the packaging material can be easily opened by the user by peeling and opening the lid or the cover film. A major advantage of the present invention is that it allows the user to peel off the film with minimal effort. The scored line of vulnerability in the spiral allows easy and intuitive opening by graphical displays that guide consumers. It also allows clean stripping without leaving any ripped packaging laminate on the pack. The opening of such packaging is also particularly simple, convenient and advantageous for all consumers who are a little elderly with somewhat poor and immature or allergies who have joint inflammation or arthritis problems on their fingers, Do.

Another advantage of the present invention is that when a liquid foodstuff such as instant noodle soup is used to cook directly into a packaging cup, it is possible for the consumer to cover the edge of the packaging cup to prevent spillage of the soup, It will not be necessary to use additional objects such as a bowl or additional cover. Consumers will open the tearing hole in the center of the spiral part of the cover by stabbing it directly with the fingers. The center of the cover, i.e. the depression area, is then picked up by the consumer using the thumb and forefinger and released about halfway along the spiral to open up, for example, to add water to the dried noodle soup product And then cook the soup directly into the noodle cup for 2 to 5 minutes in a microwave oven, for example. The pouring is prevented by the rim formed by the cover which is still securely 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 invention may be used in a variety of food packaging applications, but preferably for dry foodstuffs. Such applications include instant soup, instant noodles, biscuits, cookies, confectionery or other dry products, and powdered drinks such as coffee, tea, and chocolate beverages.

Figure 1 shows a cover with a different flaw line design.
Figure 2 shows a cover with a preferred weak line design.
Figure 3 illustrates a method of opening the package of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a packaging material for storing and / or preparing foodstuffs,

- containers for holding foodstuffs, and

- a cover removably fastened to the upper rim of the container,

Characterized in that the cover comprises a fragile line forming a spiral, the spiral starting from the center of the cover and running towards the rim of the cover, wherein the spiral is wound at least 1.5 times about the central axis of the spiral. will be. Preferably, the spiral portion is wound at least twice about the central axis of the spiral portion. More preferably, the spiral portion is wound at least 2.5 times about the central axis of the spiral portion. In order to properly and fully open and remove the cover from the container, a minimum complete 360 ° rotation of the spiral around its own axis is required. However, it is also possible to at least partially cover the cover in a manner such that at least about a quarter of the cover surface can be opened along its circumference without removing any part of the ultimate final ring of spirals attached to the upper rim of the food container In order to provide a solution that allows opening, at least 1.5 turns (i.e., 540 degrees) of the spiral around its own axis are required. This final spiral ring of the cover still attached to the upper rim of the container forms a barrier rim that prevents any liquid or hot food from overflowing onto the container rim during heating or cooking of the foodstuff. Preferably and for easier handling, the spiral is wound at least twice about its own axis. The most practical and convenient application has been found when the spiral portion is wound about 2.5-3.5 times (i.e., about 900 ° to 1260 °) about the axis. Preferably, the helix is not wound more than about 10 times or about 5 times about its own axis.

A "cover" of the present invention is a means for removably covering a container suitable for holding food food. Such "cover" may be a lid, film, laminated sheet, film or cap.

The term " removably fastened " of the present invention means that the cover is sealed, adhered or otherwise secured to the upper rim of the container in such a way that the cover can be removed from the container again by the consumer.

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

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

The advantage of having only one single vulnerable line in the cover is that any tearing or tearing force, for example when striking the cover with a finger, results in only and inevitably tearing apart this single single vulnerable line. This tearing of a single vulnerable line will always be limited to only this one existing vulnerable line, and the tearing of the line will be complete. This has the advantage that it always leads to an appropriate tearing of the vulnerable lines, for example, even if torn by a poor consumer.

In one embodiment, the fragile line of the present invention is a score. The score in the cover material can be formed by machine scoring, edge machining, die cutting and / or laser cutting. The preferred solution is by laser cutting.

In a preferred embodiment, the fragile line of the present invention is continuously wound around the central axis of the spiral without having a straight or liner-shaped cross-section. It has been found by the inventors that the peeling action of such a continuous spiral is smoother and more consistent than when a straight or liner-like stretch is present in the form of a spiral.

The cover of the present invention includes a recessed area having at least the size of the fingertip. Preferably, this depression area overlaps the central axis of the helix formed by the fragile line. This makes it possible to open the packaging material of the present invention optimally and simply.

In a preferred embodiment, the top rim of the cover and container of the present invention is round. The circle is the optimal form for an open system based on a clear spiral system. Also, most single serving foodstuffs, such as instant soups, instant noodles or beverage products, are typically packaged in a round cup. Advantageously, therefore, the upper rim of the cover and container is circular. Accordingly, 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 peel tab. Since the cover now includes a new and different opening system, a separate peel tab for removing the cover from the top rim of the container is no longer needed. The extra extra peeling tab can only confuse consumers; This may add up to additional manufacturing costs and may interfere with the packing and stacking of the packaging materials and / or packaged food products of the present invention.

In a preferred embodiment, the cover of the present invention is made of a multilayer laminate, preferably an aluminum-containing or plastic-containing laminate. More preferably, the multilayer laminate comprises a base layer selected from the group consisting of aluminum, paper, polyester (PET), stretched polypropylene (OPP) and stretched polyamide (OPA); And a single polymer or copolymer of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). Alternatively, the cover comprises an intermediate layer having barrier properties, for example an aluminum foil or a metallized polymer layer.

Aluminum containing laminates have the advantage that they provide the best smooth peel and tear to open the cover along the scored vulnerable line. In addition, they typically lead to clean continuous cuts after tearing with clean, smooth edges. Plastic-containing laminates have an effect similar to that of aluminum-containing laminates and also have the advantage that the foodstuffs in the packaging materials of the present invention can also be used to cook, for example, in a microwave oven.

The container of the present invention is preferably made of a plastic material. Preferably, the container of the present invention is rigid, and is freestanding to maintain its shape, particularly whether the foodstuff is filled or not. The container is made of, for example, a plastic outer support material, for example, a composite of polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), or amorphous polyester (APET) / polyethylene (PE). Alternatively, the container is a paper container of a heat sealable coated surface protective cardboard comprising a wound container wall and a bottom of the container connected thereto.

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

Another aspect of the present invention relates to a packaging article of the present invention, and a packaged food article comprising the food article contained in the container. In a preferred embodiment, the foodstuff is dried soup, instant noodle product, dry coffee and / or milk drink, or dried chocolate drink.

Another aspect of the present invention is a cover for use in a container for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, the cover comprising a fragile line forming a spiral, the spiral starting from the center of the cover, And the spiral portion is wound at least 1.5 times around the central axis of the spiral portion. Preferably, the cover comprises only one single vulnerable line.

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

Other advantages and features of the present invention are apparent from the drawings and embodiments.

Example 1:

As shown in Figure 1, several packaging film designs were fabricated and tested. Using a Graphtec cutting plotter (FC2250) with a multipurpose moving head with a cutting blade fixed in the holder, the spirally fragile line was cut into several different substrates and the half-cutting performance Respectively. The illustration files containing the spiral designs according to FIG. 1 were transmitted to the plotter software and the scoring work was started. The cover materials selected for testing were selected from aluminum containing laminates (polyester (PET) / aluminum / polyester (PET) / polyethylene (PE)) (Daibochi Plastic & Packaging Ind. Bhd.), Paper (Paper / polyester (PET) / polyethylene (PE)) (Amcor Flexibles Sarrebourg), and plastic laminates.

[Table 1]

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

The following results were observed. Aluminum-based materials have been able to achieve a smooth peeling effect and a tear off and peel operation more easily in one continuous motion than a paper-based material. The paper-containing film caused discontinuous cutting, resulting in a lot of gaps and difficulty in penetrating the tearing hole. In addition, due to the peeling of the packaging film, the edges are uneven as compared with the aluminum-containing film. However, this problem can be solved through the use of laser scoring.

The plastic-containing film has a smooth continuous peeling effect in one continuous motion and can easily tear and peel. However, such films require more strength to pierce and puncture the film compared to both paper-containing films and aluminum-containing films. The gestures performed by the consumer make a clear sound during the sticking and peeling motion along the adjacencies of the film towards the edge of the container.

The plastic laminate covers of Table 1 were further tested in plastic containers containing several liquid foods for microwave heating. Before putting the package into a standard domestic microwave oven, the center of the cover was pierced and opened, and the cover was opened about halfway through the spiral so that some water could be added to the container. Thereafter, the opened package was heated in a microwave oven for 2 minutes. It has been found that the open tab is further released by the steam generated by the microwave cooking in the vessel, making it easier to peel and completely remove the cover along the fragile line after the cooking step.

Example 2:

Preferred working examples and preferred embodiments of the present invention have a spiral design and dimensions as shown in Fig.

Example 3:

The packaging material of the present invention can be opened in the following manner as shown in Fig. 3:

Step 3.1 - Punch the center of the cover to open the initial opening

Step 3.2 - Pull the released tab to release it

Step 3.3 - Pull the tab higher to reveal the product

Step 3.4 - Pull the tab along the edge of the package to ensure full opening.

Claims (15)

A packaging material for storing and / or preparing foodstuffs,
A container for holding the foodstuff, and
- a cover removably fastened to the upper rim of the container,
Wherein the cover comprises a weakening line forming a spiral which starts from the center of the cover and runs towards the rim of the cover, the spiral being wound at least 1.5 turns about the central axis of the spiral, Wherein the wrapping material is a wrapping material. The wrapping material according to claim 1, wherein the spiral portion is wound at least twice about the central axis of the spiral portion. The packaging material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spiral portion is wound at least 2.5 times around the central axis of the spiral portion. The packaging material as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cover comprises only one single line of weakness. The packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fragile line is a score. 6. The wrapping material according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the cover comprises a recessed area having at least a size of a fingertip, the recessed area overlapping a central axis of the spiral. 7. The wrapping material according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cover and the upper rim of the container are round. The packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the center axis of the spiral portion is at the center of the cover. 9. The packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cover does not include a separate peeling tab. 10. The packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cover is made of an aluminum-containing laminate or a plastic-containing laminate. 11. The packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the container is made of plastic or a glass material. 12. A packaged food product comprising a packaging material according to any one of claims 1 to 11 and foodstuffs contained in said container. 13. The packaged food product of claim 12, wherein the foodstuff is dried soup, instant noodle, dry coffee and / or milk beverage, or dried chocolate beverage. A cover for use in a container for storing and / or cooking foodstuffs, said cover comprising a fragile line forming a spiral portion, said spiral portion starting from a central portion of said cover and running toward the rim of said cover, Wherein the spiral portion is wound at least 1.5 times about the central axis of the spiral portion. 15. The cover of claim 14, wherein the cover comprises only one single vulnerable line.

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