US2576834A - Margarine package - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 27, 1951 B. T. HENSGEN MARGARINE PACKAGE Filed Sept. 8, 1948 JNVENTOR @erna/a Z' 7? Patented Nov. 27, 1951 MARGARINE PACKAGE Harvey, Ill., assignor to Bernard T. Hensgen,

Swift & Company, Chicago, Ill.,

of Illinois a. corporation Application September 8, 1948, Serial No. 48,201

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to the packaging of margarine, and more particularly to an improved flexible container in which margarine may be distributed together with a coloring ingredient and in which the two materials may subsequently be mixed by the consumer to color the margarine.

It is on object of this invention to provide an improved package for facilitating the mixing of margarine with a coloring dye.

It is another object of this invention to provide a container in which the coloring ingredient is held separated from the margarine during normal distribution in the retail trade.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved package wherein the margarine may be brought into contact with the coloring material.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved package for automatically bringing the margarine into contact with the coloring material upon squeezing of the package.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved package for distributing margarine and a coloring ingredient in paste form.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved package that is filled in such a way that the folds may be opened up upon manipulation of the margarine in the package to bring it and the coloring ingredient into contact.

Other objects will appear from the specification below.

In the drawingavFigure 1 shows a top plan view of the margarine package with the color in the end of the package, and the end closed and loosely folded over a print of margarine.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the package of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the package as shown in Figure 2 after it has been squeezed to drive the margarine into the end fold to straighten out the walls of the package to bring the margarine and the paste coloring ingredient into contact.

As is well known. margarine is usually distributed in the retail trade as an uncolored product, and a packet containing dye is placed in the same package and held apart from the margarine in order that the consumer may color the margarine yellow if desired. Recently it has been proposed to place the margarine and the coloring ingredient in the same sealed, airtight bag, the arrangement being such that the consumer may release the coloring and mix the margarine and the dye together by squishing them around together in the sealed package. f

In commercial use, this prior art structure takes the form of a flexible transparent container to hold margarine, and the color is held enclosed as a liquid solution in a gelatin bean. The bean is xed against the inside of the wall and healed margarine package by means of a perforated patch, and when the consumer desires to color the margarine, the bean is pinched to burst it. After the liquid is released from the bean, it may be worked out through the perforated patch to be brought in contact with the margarine. Thereafter the margarine and the coloring are squished around together in the bag or container until the margarine acquires a uniform color.

Other arrangements have been proposed for holding a powder form of the dye in such-a package, but such means have not met with any considerable commercial success. In any event, however, where either a powder or a liquid coloring dye has been used in the past, the consumer has been required-to yperform a special manipulation of the package to release the dye in order to bring it in contact with the margarine so that it may be subsequently mixed therewith.

After the margarine has been colored in a flexible bag, as above described, it may be shaped and the margarine hardened before the package is opened. l

This invention is an improvement upon inargarine packages of this color-mixing type, and provides a bag having dimensions somewhat larger than the print of margarine to be placed within the bag. Preferably the container is designed to confine a rectangularly shaped onepound print of margarine with a portion of the container extending beyond the end of the print wherein a coloring dye may be confined. The coloring ingredient may be disposed within the .extending end portion of the package, and then that portion is folded over upon itself to hold the coloring dye separate from the margarine during shipment.

When it is desired to color the margarine in such a package, it is only necessary to squeezex the plastic mass of margarine to force it into the folded end of the package. As the margarine oozes into the folds, the wall of the bag is straightened out to bring the margarine and the coloring ingredient into contact. Thereafter the margarine may be colored by squishing the dye and the margarine together within the sealed flexible package.

Referring more particularly to the drawings for a preferred showing of this invention, it will be seen that a bag I0 is provided to receive 3 a print of margarine Il. The bag III may be 'formed for any material that is flexible and substantially impervious to air. Preferably it is made'of a transparent plastic sheet and may be constructed by sealing two sheets,v I2 'and I 3, of such a material together around their perimetersas indicated at I 4. When the margarine and the coloring ingredient are placed between the sheets, all of the excess air may be removed and thesealing of the package completed.

The print of margarine II, as above stated, is somewhat smaller than the space which is provided within the sealed bag I0, and as best seen in Figure 2, the extending end portion of the bag may be folded back over the end of the margarine contained in the bag, about an axis I5. Preferably the end portion is again folded back upon itself about an axis I6, and a line of colo:- ing dye I'I is confined between the walls I2 and I3 at about the very outermost edge of the foldedover portion. In this manner the coloring dye is conned within the package, and because of the folding of the end portion of the package, it is held spaced from the margarine print so that the margine cannot come in contact with the dye under the conditions encounteredv during normal distribution.

The coloring material I 1 is preferably prepared in the form of a paste whereby it maybe applied to one of the wall elements of the bag in the form of a thin line. When the consistency of the paste is selected so that the paste is not substantially fluid, the paste remains neatly in place and cannot be dislodged upon shaking or compression of the folded portion of the package. Such a paste may be prepared by dissolving a liquid or a powder form of dye in a small portion of the oils usually found in margarine. This procedure of wetting the dye with a small quantity of the oils has the further advantage of speeding up the ultimate coloring or mixing process.

With a bag constructed as above described, it is necessary only to squeeze the margarine confined between the sealed walls I2 and I3 to force the margarine past folds I5 and I6 to straighten out the wall of the bag whereby the package assumes a shape about like that shown in Figure 3. The margarine and the paste coloring dye may then be squished around Within the package until the margarine attains a uniform color.v

When the bag is constructed in the manner described above, it being somewhat larger than the print of margarine, ample room is provided in which to manipulate the margarine therein to bring the various phases of the mass of margarine and coloring together whereby the dye may be quickly and uniformly spread throughout the entire mass.

The paste form of dye is particularly adapted to this type of package, since a dry form of dye would tend to dust and, perhaps, come in contact with the margarine to color a portion of it. This would be objectionable and requires special constructions and handling during distribution. It is obvious that a liquid dye could not be placed within the container without providing a means 4 to hold the liquid out of contact with the margarine in the package. In order to ensure complete separation as between a dry form of dye and a liquid dye, a positive separation in the container must be provided to avoid any possibility of coloring the margarine during shipment.

When a paste form of coloring dye is used, however, the paste is not dusty and cannot migrate from its position in the package until the packageis opened up, as shown in Figure 3. The use of a paste form of coloring dye eliminates the necessity for providing a positive separation as between the dye and the margarine as has been necessary in packaging margarine with a dry form of dye or a liquid-type dye.

In the use of this package. as above described, the margarine and coloring dye are brought into contact by merely squeezing the plastic margarine material. This automatically opens the folds which hold the coloring ingredient separate from the margarine, and no other manipulation is needed than that normally performed in squishing the margarine in the package. This simplies the work which must be done by the consumer, and yet a quite effective separation as between the margarine and the dye is provided.

While in the preferred form of the invention the f olds have been shown as provided at the end of the package, it is obvious that a fold along the side could be made which would serve the same function. It is probable that other modifications of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art, which will fall within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

An improved package in which to distribute and thereafter color margarine, comprising a iiexible sealed bag to hold the margarine; said bag being formed of two sheets sealed together adjacent their periphery; a print of margarine in said bag; said print being substantially smaller in volume than the volume of the bag; the two sheets forming one end of said bag being twice folded back; and a paste form of coloring dye disposed within the bag between the last fold and the adjacent seal connecting the sheets at said end of the bag whereby the dye is held out of contact with the margarine until it is desired to color it, whereupon it is necessary to merely squeeze the margarine in the bag to cause said wall to unfold in order to place the margarine and paste in contact with each other so that. with further squishing of the margarine and coloring dye together, the margarine acquires a uniform color.

BERNARD T. HENSGEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,137,243 Hegman Nov. 22, 1938 2,347,640 Peters May 2, 1944 2,454,420 Adler et al. Nov. 23, 1948 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,576,834 November 27, 1951 BERNARD T. HENSGEN It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 2, line 5, for and healed read of the sealed; column 3, line 25 a for margine read margamfw;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that, the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oice.

Signed and sealed this 4th day of March, A. D. 1952.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Uommzsez'oner of Patents.

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