WO1995014623A1

WO1995014623A1 - Food package

Info

Publication number: WO1995014623A1
Application number: PCT/GB1994/002569
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arthur Neville Jones
Original assignee: United Biscuits (Uk) Limited
Priority date: 1993-11-24
Filing date: 1994-11-23
Publication date: 1995-06-01
Also published as: LU88760A1; GB9324171D0; GB9610582D0; NL9420037A; AU1073195A; GB2298840A; DE4499142T1; GB2298840B; DK60096A

Abstract

A food pack comprises two containers (1, 2), each container having a plurality of food-containing pockets (4 to 6), the mouths of the pockets (4 to 6) of each container (1, 2) being substantially coplanar, the pockets (4 to 6) of each container (1, 2) extending on the same side of the plane containing the mouths of those pockets (4 to 6), and the mouths of the pockets (4 to 6) of each container being sealed by means of a film (11) that is adhesively united with the container (1, 2) around the mouths of the pockets (4 to 6), and the pack also comprises means so releasably securing the two containers (1, 2) together that the sealing film (11) of one container (1, 2) is contiguous with the sealing film (11) of the other container (1, 2).

Description

Food Package

The invention relates to food packs, for example, luncheon packs or packs containing portions of biscuits, cake pieces or snack foods.

The invention provides a food pack which comprises two containers, wherein each container has a plurality of food-containing pockets, the mouths of the pockets of each container are substantially coplanar, the pockets of each container extend on the same side of the plane containing the mouths of those pockets, and the mouths of the pockets of each container are sealed by means of a film that is adhesively united with the container around the mouths of the pockets, and means so releasably securing the two containers together that the sealing film of one container is contiguous with the sealing film of the other container.

It will be appreciated that, in the assembled pack, the pockets of the two containers extend away from the plane where the sealing film of one container is contiguous with the sealing film of the other container, the pockets of one container extending on one side of that plane and the pockets of the other container extending on the other side of that plane. Thus, in the the assembled pack, the sealing film of each container is protected by the other container. That protection is best when, as is preferred, the contiguous faces of the container are of substantially the same size and shape, and the two containers are so releasably secured together that those two faces are substantially in register.

When it is desired to open the pack, the securing means is released to enable the two containers to be moved relative to one another so that the sealing films are exposed. Then, access to the food products contained in one or more pockets can be gained by peeling back or otherwise removing or rupturing the sealing film that is sealing the mouth of the or each of the pockets in question.

Advantageously, the releasable securing means comprises a wrapper of a flexible sheet material, which is preferably cardboard and which extends round the two containers, and one end portion of which is releasably secured to the other end portion. Preferably, when the sheet material is cardboard, one end portion of the wrapper is formed with a slit and the other end portion is formed with a tongue that is in releasable engagement with the slit.

Each container may have pockets arranged in at least two parallel rows. For example, the pockets may be arranged in two parallel rows. Advantageously, however, the container has several, preferably, three, pockets

I arranged in a single row. Also, each container is advantageously formed with lines of weakness between adjacent pockets to enable the container to be broken down into sealed pockets that are not interconnected. The two containers are preferably substantially identical in size and shape.

When each container has several pockets arranged in a single row, the releasable securing means is advantageously a wrapper of a flexible sheet material which extends around the containers in a direction transverse to the direction in which the rows of pockets extend. The wrapper then limits or prevents relative movement between the two containers in a direction in the plane in which the two containers are contiguous and transverse to the directions in which the rows of pockets extend. In order also to limit or prevent relative movement between the two containers in that plane and in a direction parallel to the directions in which the rows of pockets extend, it is advantageous, when the flexible sheet material of which the wrapper is made, that the wrapper is formed with lugs that extend into spaces between adjacent pockets, at least one lug extending into a space between pockets of one container, and at least one lug extending into a space between pockets of the other container.

The pockets of the containers are conveniently made by deforming, for example, by blow-moulding, a sheet of a plastics material, of which sheet undeformed portions surround the mouths of the pockets and are adhesively united with the sealing film. The food pack of the invention is useful with a variety of different food products and it may have different food products in different pockets. It is especially useful, however, when the food products are biscuits or cake pieces. The expression "cake pieces" is used throughout the specification to include not only pieces cut or otherwise separated from a cake, but also pieces that are made individually, for example, pieces that are known as "Jaffa Cakes". The cake pieces or biscuits may be of reduced size as compared with the corresponding food products that are sold in conventional boxes or other packs.

One form of food pack in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the assembled pack;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the two containers in the pack;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2, but with one pocket of the container partially opened;

Fig. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the container shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end view, partly in section, of the container shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 6 is a view from below of the container shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a side view of the pack, but with the wrapper removed;

Fig. 8 is an end view of the pack, but with the wrapper removed;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the asembled pack; Fig. 10 is a cross-section taken on the line A-A in Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the blank from which the wrapper is formed.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, the pack consists of two similar containers which are indicated generally by the reference numerals 1 and 2, respectively, and a wrapper which is indicated generally by the reference numeral 3 and which serves to secure the two containers together, while being releasable to enable them to be separated.

Referring to Figs. 2 to 6, the container 1 comprises three pockets 4, 5 and 6 which are similar to one another and are arranged side by side in a row. They have been formed by blow-moulding a planar sheet of a plastics material. The part 7 of that sheet that remains undeformed is shown at 7, (see for example, Fig. 6). The pockets 4, 5 and 6 are themselves open at the top. The open tops, or mouths, of the pockets 4, 5 and 6 lie in the plane of the sheet 7 and hence are coplanar. The sheet 7 is formed with two lines of weakness 8 and 9, respectively, the line 8 extending across the width of the sheet between the pockets 4 and 5, and the line 9 extending across the width of the sheet between the pockets 5 and 6.

When the food product or products (biscuits 10 being indicated schematically by dashed lines in Figs. 4 and 5) have been placed in the pockets 4, 5 and 6, the mouths of those pockets are sealed by a film 11 of sealing material, which extends over, and is adhesively united with, the entire undeformed portion of the upper surface of the sheet 7. The second container 2, which is the same as the first container 1 in size, shape and manner of construc¬ tion is, in the assembled pack, inverted and located on top of, and in register with, the first container 1 (see Figs. 7 and 8) . Thus the outer surfaces of the two sealing films 11 are juxtaposed to one another. The two containers are releasably secured in that configuration by the wrapper 3.

The wrapper 3 is formed (see Fig. 11) with a slit 12, which can be engaged by a tongue 13 to secure the two end portions of the wrapper together. When the two end portions of the wrapper 3 have been secured together in that way, the containers 1 and 2 are secured against relative movement in a direction perpendicular to the planes of the sealing films 11 and also in a direction parallel to the planes of the sealing films but perpen¬ dicular to the direction in which the rows of pockets 4, 5 and 6 extend. The wrapper 3 is also formed with two pairs of lugs

14 and 15. One lug 14 of one pair extends into the space between the pockets 4 and 5 of the container 1 and the other lug 14 of that pair extends into the space between the pockets 5 and 6 of the container l. Similarly, one lug 15 of the other pair extends into the space between the pcokets 4 and 5 of the container 2 and the other lug

15 of that other pair extends the space between the pockets 5 and 6 of the container 2. The lugs 14 and 15 prevent relative movement between the containers 1 and 2 in a direction parallel to the planes of the sealing films and in the direction in which the rows of pockets 4, 5 and 6 extend. Thus when the wrapper 3 is in place, and its end portions are releasably secured together by virtue of the tongue 13 being in engagement with the slit 12, the containers 1 and 2 are kept substantially in register with one another and the two sealing films 11 are hidden from view and shielded against damage.

In use, the tongue 13 is released from the slot 12 to enable the wrapper 3 to be removed and the two containers 1 and 2 to be separated from one another to expose the sealing strips 11. If desired, the pockets 4, 5 and 6 of each of the containers 1 and 2 may be separated from one another, without rupturing the seals, by breaking the plastic sheets 7 along the lines of weakness 8 and 9. The sealing films 11 may then be removed, for example by peeling them off as indicated in Fig. 3. If desired, in order to facilitate pealing them off, each sealing film 11 may be provided with a tab (not shown) which may extend beyond the perimeter of the associated plastic sheet 7 or merely not be adhesively united with the plastic sheet.

It will be understood that, although in the form of pack described with reference to the drawings, the two containers 1 and 2 are separate, being held together only by the releasable securing means, they could be hinged together along one edge. In that case, the releasable securing means could take the form of a releasable clasp arranged to secure the two containers 1 and 2 together at the edge remote from the edge at which they are hinged. Also, in place of the wrapper 3, the releasable securing means could be replaced by, say, ribbons (which could be untied) or elastic bands (which could be stretched) , one extending round the "waist" between the two pockets 4 and the two pockets 5, and the other extending round between the two pockets 5 and the two pockets 6.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A food pack which comprises two containers, wherein each container has a plurality of food-containing pockets, the mouths of the pockets of each container are substantially coplanar, the pockets of each container extend on the same side of the plane containing the mouths of those pockets, and the mouths of the pockets of each container are sealed by means of a film that is adhesively united with the container around the mouths of the pockets, and means so releasably securing the two containers together that the sealing film of one container is contiguous with the sealing film of the other container.

2. A food pack as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contiguous faces of the containers are of substantially the same size and shape, and the two containers are so releasably secured together that those two faces are substantially in register.

3. A food pack as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the releasable securing means comprises a wrapper of a flexible sheet material, which extends round the two containers, and one end portion of which is releasably secured to the other end portion.

4. A food pack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each container has several pockets arranged in a single row.

5. A food pack as claimed in claim 4, wherein each container has three pockets arranged in a single row.

6. A food pack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each container has pockets arranged in at least two parallel rows.

7. A food pack as claimed in claim 6, wherein the said pockets are arranged in two parallel rows.

8. A food pack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 1 , wherein each container is formed with lines of weakness between adjacent pockets to enable the container to be broken down into sealed pockets that are not interconnected.

9. A food pack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to

8, wherein the two containers are substantially identical in size and shape.

10. A food pack as claimed in any one of claims 1 to

9, wherein the pockets of each container have been made by deforming a sheet of a plastics material, of which sheet undeformed portions surround the mouths of the pockets and are adhesively united with the sealing film.

11. A food pack as claimed in claim 10, wherein the deformation of the sheet of plastics material has been effected by blow-moulding.

12. A food pack as claimed in claim 11, wherein the food products are biscuits or cake pieces.