WO2001038197A1

WO2001038197A1 - Food container with inert gas-containing space

Info

Publication number: WO2001038197A1
Application number: PCT/US2000/041914
Authority: WO
Inventors: George W. Liebmann, Jr.
Original assignee: Permafresh Corporation
Priority date: 1999-11-12
Filing date: 2000-11-06
Publication date: 2001-05-31
Also published as: BR0015640A; MXPA02004657A; ZA200203540B; JP2003517403A; CA2390394A1; AU3968701A; US20020033346A1

Abstract

A container (10) for storing a product in which a storage compartment (22) is provided with the product and a head space (16) containing an inert gas (17) is provided between the product and any air which may enter the container. The original sealed container contains the inert gas and the amount of inert gas is sufficient to provide a barrier between the product and air during normal usage of the container until the product contained therein is depleted.

Description

FOOD CONTAINER WITH INERT GAS-CONTAINING SPACE

Field Of The Invention

The present invention is generally directed to a container for storing products

especially food products with limited shelf life. The container has a head space located

above a product storage compartment. The head space is filled with an inert or

substantially unreactive gas. The presence of the inert gas in a sufficient quantity within

the head space protects the product contained therein against contact with air both

when the container is closed and when it is opened while the user removes the product

therefrom. A sufficient amount of the inert gas remains within the container to protect

the product from the deleterious effects of air, without the addition of further quantities

of the inert gas. In accordance with the present invention, there is no need to add inert

gas to the container during the useful life the of the container and the product contained

therein.

Background Of The Invention

The present invention concerns a container permitting the preservation of various

products contained therein including such products as rare books, semiconductor

devices, food products and other products which tend to deteriorate under prolonged

exposure to oxygen. Preservation is maintained even afterthe container is opened and at least a portion of the product is removed therefrom. Preservation is provided by

positioning a desirable head space in the container above the product and filling the

head space with a sufficient quantity of inert gas to provide a barrier between incoming

air and the product stored within the container. A portion of the inert gas remains in the

container to act as the barrier even after repeated use of the container.

It is known in the art to provide a device that can impart an inert atmosphere into

a container containing a food product after it is opened. Such devices typically include

a pressurized cannister of an inert gas to provide replenishment of the inert gas each

time that a portion of the food product is removed therefrom. Such devices are

disclosed in Liebmann, U.S. Patent No. 5,458,165 and 5,566,730.

Most devices which make use of an inert gas to preserve a food product within

the container employ an external source of the inert gas which must be pumped into the

container and maintained therein until the container is opened. Once opened, at least

a portion of the food product is are removed (e.g. poured) with the resultant lose of the

inert gas. If only a portion of the food product has been removed from the container,

it is necessary to replenish the inert gas from a cannister or other external service

containing the same.

In the example of a bottle of wine, the packaging industry places a fluid (wine)

into the bottle, leaving as little head space therein as possible. The air within the head space is extracted with a vacuum or displaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen and

then sealed with a cork. This creates a well-controlled atmosphere within the bottle with

minimal air in contact with wine. This helps to preserve the wine because by eliminating

or greatly reducing the presence of air, deleterious reactions between the air and wine

are eliminated. However, once the container is opened and its cork removed, the wine

comes in contact with the air and degradation of the wine may occur.

It is well known that the quality of wine remaining in a container after its contents

has been partially dispensed, deteriorates rapidly. This is due to chemical reactions

between the wine and air in contact with it. The chemistry of wine is very complex, its

ingredients and flavoring agents may number over a thousand. Wine is known to be

very sensitive: slight changes in just a few of these ingredients can dramatically alter

the taste and drinkability of the wine. Oxygen is the principal reactant in air, although

there are thought to be other ingredients in air that can react with wine. Oxygen causes

oxidation of many major components of the wine, which in turn can cause chain

reactions that can dramatically alter the taste of the open container of wine after only

a few days. This problem is particularly acute with many red wines, which are often

regarded as undrinkable after more than a day of exposure to air. Almost all wines

become undrinkable after a few days of exposure to air.

In wineries, expensive, large, and elaborate devices are employed to create

powerful vacuums to eliminate air or use complex inert gas systems to isolate wine from air. However, this problem has not been sufficiently addressed at the consumer level.

This has had a profound sociological effect: individuals who might want just one or two

glasses of wine with a meal or as a cocktail, may find that it is uneconomical to fulfill

their desires, as to do so would involve wasting a significant portion of a bottle of wine.

The rapidly increasing prices of wines make these economic considerations even more

acute. Furthermore, this problem has made the enjoyment of exotic, expensive wines

economically unattainable for many. An individual might find it easier to try a bottle of

such wine if he could spread its enjoyment over a longer period of time. The present

invention would also allow small restaurants to offer larger wine lists by the glass or

carafe, as spoilage of unfinished bottles of wines would cease to become a

consideration, thereby allowing people of average means to occasionally sample fine

wines without having to make an unaffordably large expenditure on an entire bottle.

Prior art methods to diminish the damage caused by air on wine has varied from

the simple: recorking the bottle, to such as methods as inserting balloons into bottles

to help displace some of the air (U.S. Patent No. 3,343,701 ). The former is ineffective

as it fails to remove the air under the cork and the latter, impractical and ineffective, as

the balloon is subject to rupture, fails to displace all of the air, and tends to tarnish the

flavor of the wine by virtue of its direct contact. Other approaches have included

consumer devices for creating vacuums in bottles as disclosed in the U.S. Patent Nos.

4,763,803 and 4,911 ,314. Such devices are ineffective for several reasons. They do

not create vacuums strong enough to eliminate all of the air. In addition, there is the problem of possible rupture of the bottle. Seating the stopper firmly during suction

would also be problematic for most consumers. Furthermore, the slit valves utilized in

prior art methods tend to leak air over time and are inconsistent with the restraint of a

strong vacuum. The short life span of the movable parts, particularly in the pump

mechanism, also contributes toward a limited life span for the device.

The food-packing art has used non-reactive gases to displace air in the sealing

of foods and beverages. Examples of such usage is exemplified by U.S. Patent Nos.

586,632; 1 ,263,278; 2,204,833; 2,333,898; 2,705,578; 2,758,766; 2,862,528;

3,212,537; 3,406,079; 3,556,174; 3,804,133; 3,837,137; and 4,312,171. However,

these methods are directed toward the sealing of a filled container and not to the

particular problems confronted by consumers who open sealed containers and wish to

reseal them, particularly when the contents have been partially depleted.

Two devices which utilize inert gases to help preserve wine that has been

opened and partially consumed are disclosed in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,475,576 and

4,477,477. The former reference discloses multiple stoppers which are designed to

have a "dispensing head of an inert gas dispenser" plugged directly into the stopper.

The device makes use of check valves in the stopper to seal the contact point of the

injection apparatus and the evacuation aperture. Such a stopper (e.g. a tapered rubber

cork with molded check valves) is described as "a resilient tubular sleeve with a pinched

downstream end permitting gases to pass only from within the tube out through the pinched end." These pinched check valves (similar to those of U.S. Patent Nos.

4,763,803 and 4,911 ,314) are subject to degradation.

U.S. Patent No. 4,477,477 discloses a method and system for preserving wine

that includes a source of pressurized, inert gas, and a delivery apparatus to a bottle.

The device includes numerous parts and exposed connections, is awkward to use and

transport, and is easily susceptible to damage. The device requires several steps to

operate the device and would be undesirable for those consumers who are not

mechanically-inclined.

The device includes a source of inert gas, a valve, a connection tube connected

to the valve, which in turn is connected to an adjustable nozzle, which in turn is

connected to a mounting device similar to a straight stopper. The mounting device is

height adjustable by sliding the nozzle up and down. The nozzle is required to be

positioned directly above the surface of the wine. This mounting device is held in place

by a "mounting means comprising a plurality of supports projecting in spaced

relationship around the perimeter of said mounting means" The spaces between these

mounting means are designed to allow the expelled air to escape.

This '477 Patent reference device has several undesirable features. The tubing

connecting the valve on the gas source to the adjustable nozzle is prone to breakage

and/or leakage. This could shorten the life span of the device and may allow some air to be sucked into the injection tube and into the bottle. The tubing is also prone to

slipping off both the valve and the adjustable nozzle, causing failure of the device. The

device also requires that the nozzle be adjusted up and down within the stopper

(mounting device). This is undesirable, as it is prone to creating leaks over time as the

fit between nozzle and stopper becomes less snug over repeated movements of the

nozzle.

It would therefore be an advance in the art of providing an inert gas to protect

products from contact with air within a container, especially during the useful life of the

product, if the device did not require replenishment of the inert gas during useful life of

the product.

It would be a further advance in the art if the product was consistently blanketed

with a layer of inert gas even when the product was being removed from the container.

It would be a still further advance in the art to protect the product within the

container without resort to assemblies having numerous parts which can deteriorate

over time.

It would be an additional advance in the art to provide a container for protecting

food products including liquid and solid food products from deterioration by providing

a protective layer of an inert gas. Summary Of The Invention

The present invention is generally directed to an apparatus for storing a product

which provides a layer of inert gas in contact with the product during the useful life of

the product within the container, even when a portion of the product (such as a food

product) is removed therefrom by the consumer.

In a particular aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for

storing a product comprising:

a) a housing defining a storage compartment for storing said product;

b) a space positioned between the product and an opening in the container,

said space being within the housing for maintaining a sufficient quantity of a gas which

protects the stored product from contact with air; and

c) a pathway extending from the storage compartment to said opening

leading to the outside of the housing thereby enabling at least a portion of the product

to be removed from the apparatus while still maintaining the product within the

container in contact with the gas.

In one aspect of the present invention, the container is provided with a restriction

means for enhancing the retention of the inert gas within the container to maintain the

inert gas in contact with the product remaining within the container. Brief Description Of The Drawings

The following drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts are

illustrative of the embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the

invention as encompassed by the claims forming part of the application.

Figure 1 is a side view of a food container in the form of a bottle having an inert

gas contained within a head space and a neck portion leading to an opening within the

bottle;

Figure 2 is a side view of the bottle shown in Figure 1 with a portion of the food

product being removed from the bottle;

Figure 3 is a side view of the bottle shown in Figure 1 after the bottle has had a

portion of the contents contained therein removed from the bottle;

Figure 4 is a further embodiment of the present invention in which a food

container in the form of a bottle is provided with an insert to restrict the escape of inert

gas when the contents of the bottle are being decanted;

Figure 5 is a side view of the bottle shown in Figure 4 in the process of having

a portion of the contents therein removed from the bottle; and Figure 6 is a side view of a further embodiment of the invention in the form of a

food container with a restriction assembly provided to minimize the escape of the inert

gas.

Detailed Description Of The Invention

The present invention is generally directed to a container which provides a head

space for the placement of a sufficient quantity of an inert gas so that during the life of

the product contained therein, the inert gas protects the product against contact with

air. It is well known that air in contact with perishable products or products which

deteriorate on sustained contact with air such as rare books, semiconductor devices,

plants, food products including vegetables, fruits, and liquid food products such as

carbonated and non-carbonated beverages and wines, have short shelf lives. Such

products typically undergo oxidation in the presence of air which renders the product

unusable or inedible or undrinkable. As indicated above, all such products may be

protected as described herein. By way of example and for illustrative purposes only,

reference herein will be made specifically to food products.

The containers referred to in the present invention include any container which

can effectively be used to house a product by way of example herein, a food product,

such as cans, bottles, containers made of plastic or metal typically constructed in a

manner in which the opening of the food container from which food is extracted can be resealed by such devices as a lid, a cork and the like. An important feature of the

present invention is to provide in the original sealed container a sufficient quantity of

inert gas so that even when a portion of the food product is removed and the container

resealed, at least a portion of the inert gas remains within the container to provide a

protective barrier against contact with air.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to Figures 1-3, there is shown an

example of a food container in the form of a wine bottle. It will be understood that

containers for housing other products including non-food products are included within

the scope of the present invention. The container 10 has a body portion 12 and an

upper region 14 which serves as a head space for an inert gas a shown in Figure 1.

The head space 16 is filled with any inert gas 17 which is suitable for providing a

protective barrier against contact of the food product with air. The inert gas must not

itself react with the contents of the container 10 and in a preferred form of the invention

is heavier than air. Inert gases include, but are not limited to, nitrogen, neon, helium

and argon. Argon is a preferred gas because it is heavier than air and therefore has

a tendency to stay within the bottle to a greater extent than with inert gases which tend

to be lighter than air.

The container 10 shown in Figures 1-3 has a neck region 18 which defines a

pathway 20 which enables the food product (e.g. wine) contained with a storage compartment 22 to pass out of the container 10 into another vessel as may be desired

by the consumer.

The neck region 18 has a smaller cross-sectional area than the body portion 12

of the container 10. As a result, there is a restriction on the amount of food product

which may be removed from the container 10 at any one time. There is also a

restriction on the amount of the inert gas which may leave the container 10 during the

decanting of the contents therein.

As shown in Figure 2, when the bottle is tilted from an upright position as shown

in Figure 1 to a position for decanting the wine out of the bottle, the inert gas 17

contained within the head space 16 likewise moves through the pathway 20 so that it

is contiguous with the storage compartment 22 containing the wine being poured out

of the bottle. The restrictive neck region 18 of the wine bottle helps to minimize the loss

of inert gas which likewise leaves the container. Thus, after a portion of the wine has

been removed from the bottle, there still remains a sufficient quantity of inert gas within

the head space as shown in Figure 3 to provide a protective barrier for the wine

remaining in the container from air which may be present in the container.

The size of the head space 16 and the amount of inert gas 17 which is present

therein in the original sealed container is an important aspect of the present invention.

Applicant has determined that the volume of the head space and inert gas contained therein should be at least 15%, preferably at least 20% of the volume of the storage

compartment 22. In this way, there remains a sufficient quantity of inert gas within the

container to protect the food product even after several instances of removing food

product from the container and resealing.

As previously indicated, it is preferred to use an inert gas (e.g. argon) which is

heavier than air. A heavier than air inert gas has a tendency to remain within the

container during removal of the food product from the container. The heavier than air

inert gas tends to remain in the container due to gravitational forces and thus, less of

the inert gas is lost during the food product removing operation. The use of a heavier

than air inert gas may result in reducing the amount of the inert gas which need be

placed in the original container. Furthermore, a heavier than air inert gas will sink below

the air in the container when the container is in an upright position even when the

container is opened.

As shown in Figures 1-3, a bottle being exemplary of a food container typically

has a neck portion which serves as a restriction device and thus restricts the flow of the

inert gas during the food product removing operation. The present invention also

encompasses a device for further restricting movement of the inert gas during the food-

removing operation. Referring to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown a container 10 in which the neck

region 18 is provided with an insert 30 which provides a further restriction of the amount

of inert gas 17 which may leave the bottle during the food-removing operation. The

insert may be made out of plastic, metal, cork or similar material and it is intended in

part to provide a barrier to the exit of the inert gas through the pathway 20.

The restriction device may be permanently inserted into the pathway 20 or may

be removable therefrom. In a preferred form of the invention as shown in Figure 4, the

restrictive device 30 which lies within the head space 16 may provide a restriction

against exiting of the inert gas by having a pair of extensions 32A and 32B angled

outwardly or inwardly (an inwardly extending extension is shown in Figures 4 and 5) to

provide a restriction to the flow of inert gas through the pathway 20. The extensions

therefore provide a further restriction on movement of the inert gas out of the bottle.

As shown in the specific embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, when the bottle 20 is

decanted, the extensions 32A and 32B define a narrow gap 34 which minimizes the

amount of inert gas which can enter the pathway 20. The amount of this inert gas is still

sufficient to blanket the food product within the pathway with a protective layer but

minimizes the amount of the inert gas which leaves the bottle during the decanting

operation. As previously indicated, the extensions can extend outwardly and thereby

trap the inert gas or make the passage of the inert gas out of the bottle more difficult. In the embodiments shown in Figures 1-5, the inert gas is present in the sealed

bottle along with the food product (e.g. wine) and sealed therein through the use of a

cork, lid or the like. The inert gas is therefore present from the time the food product

is placed within the bottle to the time that the contents are removed therefrom. No

additional inert gas need be added to the bottle at any time during the removal of the

wine from the bottle. This is because there is sufficient inert gas present at the time of

sealing owing to the relationship between the amount of gas and the amount of food

product (e.g. wine) contained therein. In addition, the restriction assembly provided in

the bottle in the embodiments shown in Figures 1-5 provides additional means by which

loss of inert gas by pouring is minimized while still maintaining a blanket of the inert gas

in contact with the contents of the bottle.

The present invention is applicable to a wide variety of food containers. In the

embodiment shown in Figure 6, there is provided a container for storing solid food

products such as canned fruits or vegetables, bakery products, and the like. The

container 40 has a body portion 42 containing a food product 44 which is provided with

a head space 47 for housing an inert gas 48. The upper region 46 of the container 40

is sealed by a lid 50 which is conveniently removable to facilitate the removal of some

or all of the food product 44 stored within the container 40. The upper region 46 may

be provided with a restriction assembly in the form of an annular ring 52 or similar

device which reduces the cross-sectional area of the container in the upper region 46.

The restriction assembly 52 defines a gap 54 which provides a relatively narrow pathway for removal of the food product while at the same time minimizing the flow of

the inert gas 48 out of the container when the lid 50 is removed.

In operation, the user opens the lid 50 and removes all or a portion of the

contents of the food product 44 through the use of a utensil such as a spoon and the

like. The inert gas 48 will flow upwardly and out of the open end of the container.

However, the restriction assembly 52 provides a partial barrier against the flow of the

inert gas so that a sufficient amount of inert gas 48 is maintained within the container

to provide a barrier between the food product 44 and any air entering into the container

during the food-removing operation. A heavier than air inert gas tends to remain in the

container even after the container is opened.

It will be appreciated that other shapes and sizes of food-containing containers

may be employed in conjunction with the present invention. The present invention

provides protection for the food product stored within the container through the use of

an inert gas in which the inert gas need not be replenished. In the embodiment shown

in Figure 6, it is desirable to have a head space and an amount of inert gas at least

equal to about 15% of the volume of the storage compartment and food product

contained therein and preferably at least 20%. As with the embodiments of Figures 1 -5,

the embodiment of Figure 6 may employ any of the common inert gases which may be

used to protect food products such as helium, neon, nitrogen and argon. As previously indicated, inert gases which are heavier than air are most preferred because there is

less loss of the gas during the food-removing operation.

It will be understood that the inert gas provides a protective barrier for the food

product against degradation by contact with air. In some cases it may be desirable to

employ a gas which, while fulfilling this function, is not totally inert in the atmosphere

of the container. For example, it is known to employ ethylene gas as a food

preservative and gases of this type may also be employed in the present invention.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1. Apparatus for storing a product comprising:

a) a housing defining a storage compartment for storing said product;

b) a head space above the storage compartment within the housing for

maintaining a sufficient quantity of a gas which protects the stored product from

degrading contact with air; and

c) a pathway extending from the storage compartmentto an opening leading

to the outside of the housing enabling at least a portion of the product to be removed

therefrom without the substantial loss of the gas.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the gas is an inert gas.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the inert gas is heavier than air.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the gas is argon.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus is in the form of a bottle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising restriction means for

restricting the escape of a significant portion of the gas out of the opening which at least

a portion of the product is being removed therefrom.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the apparatus is in the form of a bottle

and the opening has a smaller cross-sectional area than the storage compartment.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the apparatus comprises a neck portion

extending from the storage compartment to the opening, said neck portion having a

cross-sectional area less than the cross-sectional of the storage compartment.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 comprising a neck portion and an insert

insertable into the neck portion to reduce the cross-sectional area of at least a portion

of the neck portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the insert has a pair of extensions which

extend outwardly or inwardly into the container.

11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the restriction means comprises an

annular ring.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the head space is at least 15% of the

volume of the storage compartment.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the insert restricts fluid flow of the gas

into the neck portion.