Microwaveable bag for cooking and serving food

• US 5,770,839 A
• Filed: 06/20/1996
• Issued: 06/23/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Exopack-Technology LLC (Coveris Management GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Union Carbide Corporation (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Danis, P. Elaine, Ruebush, Richard P., Olsheski, Dennis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Philip H.
• Application Number:
  US08/666,895
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 219/725, 219/727, 219/730, 219/732, 219/734, 219/735, 426/107, 426/113, 426/118, 426/234, 426/243, 99/DIG. 14
• US Class Current: 219/727
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2581/3421 Cooking pop-corn
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2581/3494 Microwave susceptor B65D2581/3487 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/3469 Pop-corn bags
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 99/14 Induction heating

Abstract

A container for storing and cooking food, especially microwave cooking of popcorn, and for use as a container in which to serve the popcorn after it is popped. The container of the invention comprises a bag having front and back panels that define a cooking chamber between them, and a fold-over flap that projects from the back panel and defines an expansion chamber in communication with the cooking chamber. A microwave susceptor is provided in the front panel to absorb microwave energy during microwave cooking to heat and cook the popcorn in the cooking chamber, and as the popcorn expands during the popping cycle, the cooking and expansion chambers expand to form a single large interior volume for containing the popped popcorn. The front and back panels and the fold-over flap define a tripartite structure which is folded flat during shipment and storage, and which is placed flat on the front panel when it is desired to pop the popcorn. During and at the conclusion of the popping cycle, the fold-over flap projects upwardly from the back panel, and the chamber defined by it is oriented at the upper surface of the bag. A frangible strip is provided at an upper free edge of the fold-over flap, and this strip is openable at the end of the popping cycle to provide a wide opening at the top surface of the bag for access to the popped popcorn. The front panel defines a wide, stable support for supporting the bag with the open side disposed upwardly, whereby the bag is especially suitable as a container from which to serve the popped popcorn.

Claims

1. A gusset-free microwavable popcorn bag for receiving, storing and popping a quantity of popcorn, and for serving the popcorn after it is popped, said bag comprising:

a folded rectangular blank of paper having opposite ends folded inwardly toward one another along a first pair of parallel fold lines spaced inwardly approximately one-third the distance from said opposite ends to define a front panel and a pair of inwardly folded panels, said inwardly folded panels being folded outwardly along a second pair of parallel fold lines spaced equidistantly between the respective first fold lines and the associated free ends of the inwardly folded panels, defining a pair of half-panel sections that form a back panel, and panel sections that extend in generally parallel coextensive relationship with one another to form a fold-over flap that extends from a longitudinal centerline of the back panel, said first pair of fold lines defining opposite side edges of the bag and the second pair of fold lines lying contiguous to one another along the longitudinal centerline of the bag, said half-panel sections each having a width substantially one-half the width of the front panel and a length the same as the length of the front panel, said front and back panels having opposite side edges and opposite ends, and closed and sealed together at said opposite ends, defining a cooking chamber between the front and back panels;

said fold-over flap having opposite ends closed and sealed together and defining an expansion chamber that is in communication with said cooking chamber and being adapted to lie flat against one half-panel section of the back panel during shipping and storage and being coextensive in length and width with the half-panel section, said fold-over flap having a free edge adapted to project laterally outwardly from the back panel as the popcorn is popped in the cooking chamber and expands into the expansion chamber; and

means for opening said bag along an outer free edge of the fold-over flap to gain access to the contents of the bag, whereby the front panel of the bag may be placed on the floor of a microwave oven to pop the popcorn in the bag, the fold-over flap then opened along an outer edge to open the bag to gain access to the popcorn, and the popcorn eaten directly from the bag.

2. A microwavable bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the opposite ends of the front and back panels and the fold-over flap are secured and sealed together by a band of adhesive placed between the respective panels, forming permanent closure seams.

3. A microwavable bag as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

outer free edges of the panels that form the fold-over flap are secured and sealed together by a band of adhesive placed along confronting surface portions of the edges, forming an openable closure seam that at least partially opens during popping of the popcorn to obtain controlled venting from the interior of the bag, and which may be readily fully opened to gain access to the popped popcorn.

4. A microwavable container as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

the bag is made from a single sheet of material folded and secured together to define the front and back panels and the fold-over flap.

5. A microwavable container as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

the sheet of material comprises a lamination of paper sheets.

6. A microwavable container as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

a microwave susceptor patch is provided in said front panel to absorb microwave energy during microwave cooking to heat and cook the food in the container.

7. A microwavable bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the bag is made from a single sheet of material folded and secured together to define the front and back panels and the fold-over flap.

8. A microwavable bag as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the sheet of material comprises a lamination of paper sheets.

9. A microwavable bag as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a microwave susceptor patch is provided in said front panel to absorb microwave energy during microwave cooking to heat and pop the popcorn in the bag.

10. A gusset-free microwavable bag for popping popcorn in a microwave oven and serving as a container from which to eat the popped popcorn, comprising;

front and back rectangularly shaped panels having opposite side edges and opposite ends, defining a cooking chamber therebetween;

a rectangularly shaped fold-over flap projecting from the back panel, defining an expansion chamber that is in communication with the cooking chamber, whereby as the popcorn expands during a popping cycle, the expansion chamber and cooking chamber open up into a single interior volume occupied by the popped popcorn, said fold-over flap adapted to lie flat against and within the boundaries of the back panel during shipping and storage of the bag, and to expand into an upright position projecting from the back panel as the popcorn is popped; and

an outer free edge on said fold-over flap being closed by an openable seam that at least partially opens during popping of the popcorn to obtain controlled venting from the interior of the bag, and which may be readily fully opened to gain access to the popped popcorn at the conclusion of a popping cycle, said front panel defining a relatively wide supporting surface for stably supporting the bag in position with the openable edge of the fold-over flap oriented upwardly, and said fold-over flap being spreadable after the outer edge thereof is opened to define a wide access opening for convenience for eating the popcorn directly from the bag.