Thermal history change type indicator

• US 10,545,056 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ueno, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Courson, Tania
• Application Number:
  US15/509,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20170261384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,600 Days
• Field of Search: 116207, 116216, 116219, 116200, 116206, 426 88, 426232, 374 E3004, 374159-162, 374100, 374150, 374157, 374208, 374141
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 7/113 Parboiled or instant pasta
• CPC Class Codes: A23V 2002/00 Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 25/205 Means for the attachment of labels, cards, coupons or the like; cards or coupons for the other types of rigid or semi-rigid containers B65D25/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/816 into which liquid is added and the resulting preparation is retained, e.g. cups preloaded with powder or dehydrated food
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/06 using melting, freezing, or softening
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/12 using changes in colour, translucency or reflectance
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/18 of materials which change translucency

Abstract

There are provided: a thermal history change type indicator by which the degree of reconstitution with hot water of instant cup noodles can be easily visually recognized in conjunction with the temperature in a container; and a set of a thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles comprising the thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles.

The thermal history change type indicator comprises: a thermally meltable material layer containing a thermally meltable material; a permeation layer, wherein the permeation layer becomes transparent or translucent when the thermally meltable material melts and permeates the permeation layer; a thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer for inhibiting the permeation of the thermally meltable material into the permeation layer, wherein the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer is arranged between the thermally meltable material layer and the permeation layer; and a protective layer, wherein the thermally meltable material layer, the permeation layer, and the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer are layered, and the permeation layer side of the layered product is covered with the protective layer. The set of a thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles comprises the thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles.

Claims

1. A thermal history change type indicator, comprising:

a thermally meltable material layer comprising a thermally meltable material;

a permeation layer, to one side of which color is applied,

wherein the permeation layer becomes transparent or translucent when the thermally meltable material melts and permeates the permeation layer;

a thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer that prevents permeation of the thermally meltable material into the permeation layer through the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer; and

a protective layer,

wherein the thermally meltable material layer, the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer, and the permeation layer are layered vertically in this order, so as to form a laminate,

the protective layer covers the laminate from a side of the permeation layer of the laminate, and

the melted thermally meltable material in the thermally meltable material layer permeates the permeation layer from a rim portion of the permeation layer toward a center portion thereof, so that the thermal history change type indicator visualizes a cumulative value of heat that the thermally meltable material has received with time, with a permeation area in the permeation layer.

2. A set of a thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles, comprising:

the thermal history change type indicator according claim 1 and instant cup noodles.

3. The thermal history change type indicator according to claim 1, wherein the indicator is in a quadrangular shape or a round shape.

4. The thermal history change type indicator according to claim 1,

wherein the thermal history change type indicator further comprises a base material under the thermally meltable material layer of the laminate,

the protective layer and the base material enclose the laminate entirely, and

when the thermally meltable material is melted, the thermally meltable material moves from the thermally mealtable material layer to the rim portion of the permeation layer along the protective layer.

5. A thermal history change type indicator, comprising:

a thermally meltable material layer comprising a thermally meltable material;

a colored paper;

a permeation layer,

wherein the permeation layer becomes transparent or translucent when the thermally meltable material melts and permeates the permeation layer;

a thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer that prevents permeation of the thermally meltable material into the permeation layer through the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer

wherein the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer is arranged at least between the thermally meltable material layer and the colored paper or between the colored paper and the permeation layer; and

a protective layer,

wherein the thermally meltable material layer, the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer, the colored paper, and the permeation layer, are layered vertically in this order or in an order of the thermally meltable material layer, the colored paper, the thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer, and the permeation layer, so as to form a laminate,

the protective layer covers the laminate from a side of the permeation layer of the laminate, and

the melted thermally meltable material in the thermally meltable material layer permeates the permeation layer from a rim portion of the permeation layer toward a center portion thereof, so that the thermal history change type indicator visualizes a cumulative value of heat that the thermally meltable material has received with time, with a permeation area in the permeation layer.

6. A set of a thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles, comprising:

the thermal history change type indicator according to claim 5 and instant cup noodles.

7. The thermal history change type indicator according to claim 5, wherein the indicator is in a quadrangular shape or a round shape.

8. The thermal history change type indicator according to claim 5,

wherein the thermal history change type indicator further comprises a base material under the thermally meltable material layer of the laminate,

a combination of the protective layer and the base material encloses the laminate entirely, and

when the thermally meltable material is melted, the thermally meltable material moves from the thermally mealtable material layer to the rim portion of the permeation layer along the protective layer.

9. A thermal history change type indicator, comprising:

a thermally meltable material layer comprising a thermally meltable material;

a permeation layer,

wherein the permeation layer becomes transparent or translucent when the thermally meltable material melts and permeates the permeation layer;

a colored thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer that prevents permeation of the thermally meltable material into the permeation layer through the colored thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer; and

a protective layer,

wherein the thermally meltable material layer, the colored thermally meltable material permeation-inhibiting layer, and the permeation layer are layered vertically in this order, so as to form a laminate,

the protective layer covers the laminate from a side of the permeation layer of the laminate, and the melted

thermally meltable material in the thermally meltable material layer permeates the permeation layer from a rim portion of the permeation layer toward a center portion thereof, so that the thermal history change type indicator visualizes a cumulative value of heat that the thermally meltable material has received with time, with a permeation area in the permeation layer.

10. A set of a thermal history change type indicator and instant cup noodles, comprising:

the thermal history change type indicator according to claim 9 and instant cup noodles.

11. The thermal history change type indicator according to claim 9, wherein the indicator is in a quadrangular shape or a round shape.

12. The thermal history change type indicator according to claim 9,

wherein the thermal history change type indicator further comprises a base material under the thermally meltable material layer of the laminate,

the protective layer and the base material enclose the laminate entirely, and

when the thermally meltable material is melted, the thermally meltable material moves from the thermally mealtable material layer to the rim portion of the permeation layer along the protective layer.