PACKAGE AND PACKAGING METHOD SEPARATING CONTENTS FROM OUTER-BREAD
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sandwich with separately stored filler
and a bread portion, and to a packing method thereof. More particularly, the
present invention relates to a sandwich of which filler is separately packed from
a bread portion and of which the bread portion having the filler inside is
further packed for being commercially distributed, wherein the sandwich is
ready to be served by removing packing materials that encompass the filler and
the bread portion when consumer intends to eat. Accordingly, freshness and
flavor of the sandwich can be maintained in its best condition during
distribution of the sandwiches to retailers and/ or consumers by preventing the
filler from contacting the bread portion. Furthermore, the sandwich according
to the present invention is provided with pocket type bread so that a stuffing
procedure, a handling procedure, and a packing procedure of the product
become much easier.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, sandwiches (including hamburgers) are widely consumed at
a convenient store or the like because of the convenience of handling,
depositing and eating. The consumption rate has been on steady increase.
However, because such sandwiches are distributed and sold in fully
prepared state, it is inevitable to lose freshness and flavor more easily in
comparison to products that are instantly prepared in a store. Namely, a
bread portion of such sandwiches absorbs moisture from filler during
distribution and/ or storage, so that the filler loses freshness due to loss of
moisture and the bread portion becomes damp, which results in losing an
original flavor of the sandwiches thus shortening the storage life.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sandwich of
which filler is separately packed from a bread portion and of which the bread
portion having the filler inside is further packed for being commercially
distributed, wherein the moisture of the filler is prohibited from being
transferred to the bread portion by avoiding a direct contact between them,
wherein the filler is shielded from oxygen of circumstance, so that not only
deterioration of properties of the filler and the bread portion can be effectively
prevented, but also growth of harmful bacteria can be kept to a minimum level.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a packing method
of a sandwich, which can maintain a flavor and a freshness of the sandwich in
the best condition by separately packing filler from a bread portion of the
sandwich.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a sandwich and
a packing method thereof, wherein the sandwich uses a pocket type bread in
order to facilitate a stuffing procedure, a handling procedure, and a packing
procedure of the product.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a stuffing
method of filler for a sandwich, which can facilitate and stabilize a stuffing
procedure in manufacturing so as to significantly improve a commercial value
of the product.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The aforementioned aspects and other features of the present invention
will be explained in the following description, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a packing
method for a sandwich according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an unpacking
method for a sandwich according to the present invention;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an inner package for filler according to the
present invention, wherein the inner package is equipped with a cutting strap
that facilitates to remove the inner package;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a sandwich according to the present
invention, which employs an airtight inner package where inert gas is filled;
and,
Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing filler of a sandwich according to the
present invention, wherein the filler is stored in two separated parts, one for
vegetables and the other for a patty and sauce by means of an inner package.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, a packing method of a
sandwich according to the present invention comprises steps of: disposing filler
on an inner package; folding inward both sides of the inner package in the
direction of width so as to encompass the filler; sticking the overlapped ends of
the inner package together to form a bar shape; sealing one end in longitudinal
direction at which the filler is not disposed, wherein the other end remains
open; inserting the filler packed by the inner package into bread to complete a
sandwich; and further packing the finalized sandwich by an outer package.
In the packing method described above, a ceiling-open frame of which
one side wall is removed is utilized in packing the filler with the inner package
to form a bar shape.
Further, in the packing method described above, a sealing part of the
inner package partially protrudes beyond the bread portion while inserting the
filler packed by the inner package into bread.
Further, in the packing method described above, the bread in which the
filler separately packed by the inner package is inserted is a pocket type bread.
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is
described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a packing method of a sandwich according to the present
invention, which comprises several steps. In such a packing method, the filler
(10) such as a hamburger patty, vegetables, and/ or sauce is packed by the inner
package (11). As shown in Fig. 1, the filler (10) is separately packed by an inner
package, and is then inserted into bread (12) to complete a sandwich, which is
further packed by an outer package (13). Therefore, the direct contact of the
filler (10) with the bread (12) is prevented by the inner package (11) so that the
freshness and the flavor of the sandwich can be maintained in a good condition
for fairly long period of time.
Namely, before a customer removes the inner package (11) in order to
consume the sandwich, it is possible to prevent the bread (12) from being damp
and to maintain the freshness of the filler (10) by storing separately the bread
(12) and the filler (10) by means of the inner package (11).
Moreover, in the packing method according to the present invention, it is
preferred to use a pocket type bread (12) so as to not only facilitate packing
processes of the sandwich, but also for a customer to readily prepare the
sandwich to eat.
Thus, a sandwich according to the present invention is completed by
inserting the filler (10) packed by means of the inner package (11) into the
pocket type bread (12) and further packing the pocket type bread (12) by means
of the outer package (13).
With this arrangement, it is advantageous in that the pocket type bread
(12) can be used as a kind of a container to accommodate the filler (10) safely,
whereby the durability of the product can be increased while slimming the
volume thereof. Another advantage of the present invention is that the
stuffing procedure and handling procedure become much easier in comparison
with those using two slices of bread. Further, the packing method of the
present invention is economically superior to a conventional packing method
using sliced bread in that an additional device such as a fixing frame for
securing position of the sliced bread is not necessary.
The present invention is provided with a ceiling-open frame (15) having
a cross section substantially similar to the inner section of the pocket type bread
(12), which is used for forming the filler (10) into a bar shape suitable for
inserting into the pocket type bread (12). The width of the ceiling-open frame
(15) is slightly smaller than that of the pocket formed in the bread (12), and the
ceiling-open frame (15) is one and a half times as long as the pocket formed in
the bread (12). A plurality of the ceiling-open frames are disposed and fixed on
a conveyer.
Subsequently, an inner package (11) made of polyvinyl, which has two
times the length of the pocket formed in the bread (12) and three times the
width of the pocket formed in the bread (12), is spread on the ceiling-open
frame (15) while aligning the center thereof with that of the frame (15).
Thereafter, predetermined amount of the filler (10) is stuffed into the
ceiling-open frame (15). Then, both sides of the inner package (11) in the
direction of width are inwardly folded to cover the filler (10) and the
overlapped inner package (11) is stuck together by means of an adhesive tape
(14).
As a result, the filler (10) is packed in a shape of a bar whose section is
substantially similar to the pocket formed in the bread (12), wherein the front
and the rear end of the inner package remain open. The front end, at which
the filler is not disposed, is folded and sealed by an adhesive tape (14). Finally,
the separately packed filler (10) is inserted into the pocket type bread (12) and
the pocket type bread is further packed by an outer package (13).
Fig. 2 shows preparing processes for consuming the product packed by
the method according to the present invention.
After removing the outer package (13), the product readily becomes
ready to be served by pulling out the partially protruded inner package (11),
wherein the filler (10) is left in the pocket of the bread (12) through the opened
rear end of the inner package (11).
Further, in order to utilize the product of the present invention as a
special food such as a military food requiring long preserving period, it is
preferable to seal the inner package (11) with vacuum or nitrogen gas in an
airtight manner as well as the outer package (13), so that oxygen is perfectly
shielded off from the filler (11) to prevent the growth of bacteria. In this way,
the preserving period of the product significantly increases. In this case, the
consumer should take out the inner package (11) enclosing the filler from the
pocket of the bread (12), and peel off the inner package. The unpacked filler (10)
is then inserted back to the pocket of the bread (12) so as to complete the
sandwich.
As shown in Fig. 3, the present invention further provides a cutting strap
(16) on the inner package (11) in order to eliminate a troublesome procedure
that takes out the inner package (11) enclosing the filler from the pocket of the
bread (12) to peel off the inner package (11). The cutting strap is formed in the
vicinity of the rear end of the inner package (11) along the circumference
thereof, wherein one end of the cutting strap is extended toward the frontal end
of the inner package (11), so that the inner package (11) can be readily removed
from the filler (10) by pulling the cutting strap, which is outwardly extended.
When pulling out the cutting strap, the rear end of the inner package (11) is
opened, and then the filler (10) is left inside the pocket of the bread (12) by
pulling out the inner package (11).
Hereinafter, another packing method according to the present invention
is disclosed with reference to the accompanying Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 4, the
inner package (11) is rather extended in a longitudinal direction, wherein gas is
inserted into the inner package along with the filler (10). The frontal end (Ha)
and the rear end (lib) of the inner package (11) are sealed with different
breaking strengths. Namely, the sealing of the rear end (lib) of the inner
package (11) is easy to break in comparison with the frontal end (11a).
Thereafter, such inner package (11) is inserted into the bread (12) so that the
frontal end (11a) is inflated by pressure of the gas. With such embodiment, the
filler (10) is readily stuffed into the bread (12) by uprightly positioning the
product and suddenly squeezing the inflated frontal end (Ha) so that the rear
end (lib) of the inner package (11) is ruptured without any damage to the filler
(10).
Further, as shown in Fig. 5, it is preferable to provide a dividing wall (17)
in the inner package (11), which is capable of dividing the inner package (11)
into two segmented spaces for accommodating vegetables, a patty or sauce,
respectively, whereby the freshness of the vegetables can be preserved for a
relatively long period of time.
As aforementioned, the present invention is advantageous in that the
freshness and flavor of the product are maintained in the best condition until
a consumer takes it, and in that the packing procedure, handling procedure
of the product, and stuffing procedure are convenient, by providing a
sandwich and a packing method thereof, wherein filler is separately packed
from a bread portion and the bread portion having the filler inside is further
packed for being commercially distributed.