Container for sliced and fluffed food products

• US 8,911,807 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC (The Kraft Heinz Company)
• Original Assignee: Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC (The Kraft Heinz Company)
• Inventors: Hinze, Bonita M., Schmitt, James F., Wiseman, David W., Feldmeier, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dye, Rena L
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, CHAIM A
• Application Number:
  US12/613,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20110111099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: 426/123, 426/396, 426/129, 426/418, 426/419, 426/395, 426/404, 220/656, 220/657, 220/4.21, 220/4.22, 220/4.23, 220/4.24, 534/33, 535/11, 534/53, 535/59
• US Class Current: 426/123
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 51/00 Shaping by thermoforming , i.e. shaping sheets or sheet like preforms after heating, e.g. shaping sheets in matched moulds or by deep-drawing; Apparatus therefor blow moulding of tubular preforms B29C49/00, deforming of tubular or hollow preforms B29C67/0014
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/712 Containers; Packaging elements or accessories, Packages closures therefor B29L2031/56; ink or toner cartridges B29L2031/7678; squeeze tubes B29L2023/20; suitcases B29L2031/7418
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/7162 Boxes, cartons, cases
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 77/2072 Mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/62 for stacks of articles; for special arrangements of groups of articles

Abstract

A food package for sliced food products to be maintained with a fluffed appearance, the package including a base member forming a compartment for receiving the food product and a lid sealed to the compartment. The base member has a gripping portion and the lid has a tab which overlies the gripping portion when the lid is connected to the base member. In one form, the gripping portion of the base member has a plurality of edges that define an outer profile of the gripping portion and expose a portion of a lower surface of the tab. The outer profile limits tacking of the tab to the gripping portion when the lid and base member are cut from respective webs of material. Additionally, a method is provided for assembling a food container.

Claims

1. A food package for containing a food product, the package comprising:

a base member having a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls upstanding from the bottom wall that define an opening of the base member opposite the bottom wall, the plurality of side walls including a pair of side walls that extend generally perpendicular to one another, the side walls each having an upper section that extends substantially vertically downward from the opening, the base member having a ridge and a gripping portion thereof, the ridge extending outward from the plurality of side walls about the opening and defining an outer periphery of the base member, the ridge having a pair of straight portions extending outward from the pair of side walls and substantially straight peripheral edges of the ridge straight portions that extend generally perpendicular to one another;

a lid having a cover wall for covering the opening of the base member, the lid having a plurality of walls that extend upward a distance from the cover wall and terminate at a lip, the cover wall and the plurality of walls being sized to fit within the opening of the base member, the plurality of walls of the lid nesting within the upper section of the base member side walls with the lid connected to the base member, the lip of the lid having a tab with upper and lower surfaces, the tab of the lid covering the gripping portion of the base member with the lid connected to the base member, the tab having a pair of substantially straight edges that are generally perpendicular to each other and are connected by a corner, the tab straight edges being aligned with the straight peripheral edges of the base member ridge with the lid connected to the base member;

the gripping portion of the base member ridge having a plurality of edges which define an outer profile of the gripping portion, the plurality of edges comprising a substantially straight edge that extends inward from the straight peripheral edge of one of the pair of straight portions of the ridge, a semicircular edge that extends inward from the straight peripheral edge of the other of the pair of straight portions of the ridge about a first radius of curvature, and a rounded edge disposed between the inwardly extending straight edge and the semicircular edge of the gripping portion such that the rounded edge connects the inwardly extending straight edge and the semicircular edge, the rounded edge having a second radius of curvature;

a portion of the lower surface of the lid tab that is uncovered by the gripping portion of the base member with the lid connected to the base member, the uncovered portion of the tab lower surface being disposed outward from the outer profile of the gripping portion such that the tab of the lid may be readily separated from the gripping portion of the base member;

a generally straight diagonal side wall of the plurality of base member side walls that connects the pair of side walls and extends at an angle relative to each of the pair of side walls;

an enlarged region of the base member ridge intermediate the straight portions thereof and adjacent the generally straight diagonal side wall of the base member, the enlarged region of the base member ridge including the gripping portion and the plurality of edges thereof which define the outer profile of the gripping portion.

2. The food package of claim 1 wherein the lid is generally rectangular and the corner includes a rounded edge, with one of the straight edges and the rounded edge of the lid tab each having a portion that is disposed outward from the outer profile of the base member gripping portion.

3. The food package of claim 1 wherein the ridge of the base member has a sealing area surrounding the opening of the base member and the lip of the lid has a sealing area surrounding the plurality of walls of the lid, the sealing areas of the ridge and the lip being in overlapping relation when the lid is connected to the base member.

4. The food package of claim 3 further comprising a seal between the sealing areas of the ridge of the base member and the lip of the lid which provides a substantially hermetic seal of the food package when the lid is connected to the base member.

5. The food package of claim 1 further comprising a sealing area of the enlarged region of the ridge of the base member, the sealing area having a straight portion that generally extends along the straight edge of the gripping portion.

6. The food package of claim 1 wherein the first radius of curvature of the semicircular edge is approximately nine millimeters and the second radius of curvature of the rounded edge is approximately six millimeters.

7. The food package of claim 1 wherein the gripping portion of the base member has a protuberance adjacent the semicircular edge that provides a localized gap spacing between the tab of the lid and the gripping portion of the base member.

8. The food package of claim 7 wherein the protuberance is spaced from the semicircular edge of the gripping portion by a distance that is less than the radius of curvature of the semicircular edge.

9. The food package of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of aligned lugs and recesses on the walls of the lid and the upper sections of the base member side walls, the lugs and recesses engaging to generally secure the lid relative to the base member when the lid is connected to the base member.

10. The food package of claim 1 in combination with a food product contained within the food package.

11. The food package of claim 1 wherein the straight peripheral edge of the one straight portion of the base member ridge and the straight edge of the lid tab aligned therewith are formed by cutting the lip of the lid and the ridge of the base member with the lid connected to the base member.

12. The food package of claim 1 wherein the lid tab corner includes a curved edge;

and

a crest of the base member gripping portion semicircular edge disposed along a radial line of the base member ridge gripping portion extending substantially perpendicular to the straight peripheral edge of the one of the pair of the straight portions of the base member ridge so that the crest is disposed inward from the lid tab curved edge with the lid connected to the base member, the radial line extending between the rounded edge of the gripping portion and the straight edge of the other of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge.

13. The food package of claim 1 wherein the second radius of curvature of the rounded edge of the base member gripping portion is smaller than the first radius of curvature of the semicircular edge.

14. A method of assembling a package, the method comprising:

providing a web of material for a base member and a web of material for a lid, the base member web including a ridge that defines an outer periphery of the base member, the ridge having a pair of straight portions that extend generally perpendicular to one another;

forming a gripping portion in the ridge of the base member by removing material from only the base member web, the gripping portion having a plurality of edges which define an outer profile of the gripping portion, the plurality of edges comprising a substantially straight edge that extends inward from one of the pair of straight portions of the ridge, a semicircular edge that extends inward from the other of the pair of straight portions of the ridge about a first radius of curvature, and a rounded edge disposed between the straight edge and the semicircular edge such that the rounded edge connects the straight edge and the semicircular edge, the rounded edge having a second radius of curvature;

shaping a compartment of the base member in the base member web using a different operation than the operation used to remove material from the base member web and form the ridge gripping portion, the compartment having a bottom wall, an opening opposite the bottom wall, and a plurality of side walls upstanding from the bottom wall, wherein each of the side walls has an upper section that extends vertically downward from the ridge about the opening;

the lid web including a lip that defines an outer periphery of the lid, the lip having a tab with upper and lower surfaces;

shaping a plurality of walls of the lid that extend downward a distance from the lip and terminate at a cover wall, the plurality of walls and cover wall being sized to fit within the opening of the compartment;

bringing the base member web and the lid web together so that the cover wall of the lid closes the opening of the compartment of the base member and the plurality of walls of the lid nest with the upper section of the sidewall portions of the compartment, and the tab of the lid overlaps the gripping portion of the base member formed before bringing the base member web and the lid web together with a portion of the lower surface of the tab being uncovered by the gripping portion, the uncovered portion of the tab lower surface being disposed outward from the outer profile of the gripping portion; and

cutting the base member web and the lid web after the base member web and the lid web have been brought together to form a pair of aligned, straight peripheral edges of the tab of the lid and one of the straight portions of the base member ridge with a section of the straight peripheral edge of the lid tab being disposed outward of the outer profile of the base member gripping portion.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein forming the gripping portion in the ridge of the base member comprises shifting a male punch and a female punch together and removing a portion of the ridge of the base member to shape the plurality of edges of the gripping portion.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising simultaneously shifting a second male punch and a second female punch together and removing a portion of the base member web to form an opening outside of the ridge of the base member.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising clamping opposed portions of the base member web and the lid web after the webs have been brought together;

and

inserting a nozzle through the opening of the base member web and using a vacuum or a gas flush to evacuate substantially all of the air from the compartment of the base member.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein bringing the base member web and the lid web together comprises aligning a diagonal side wall of the base member with a complimentary wall of the lid and nesting the complimentary wall of the lid against an upper section of the diagonal side wall of the base member.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising removing the base member from the base member web of material by cutting through the material and forming another straight peripheral edge of the ridge of the base member that is perpendicular to the other straight peripheral edge of the ridge of the base member, one of the straight peripheral edges of the base member forming a juncture with the inwardly extending straight edge of the gripping portion, and the other of the straight peripheral edges of the base member forming a juncture with the semicircular edge of the gripping portion.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising forming a hermetic seal between the lid and the base member.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising forming a protuberance in the gripping portion of the ridge of the base member.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising placing a food product within the compartment of the base member before bringing the base member web and the lid web together.

23. The method of claim 14 wherein the base member gripping portion semicircular edge includes a crest disposed along a radial line of the base member gripping portion extending substantially perpendicular to the one of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge, the radial line extending between the rounded edge of the gripping portion and the other of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge, and the method further includes:

cutting the lid web after the base member web and the lid web have been brought together to form a curved edge of the lid tab disposed outward from the crest of the base member semicircular edge.

24. The method of claim 14 wherein forming the gripping portion in the ridge of the base member by removing material from only the base member web includes forming the gripping portion such that the second radius of curvature of the gripping portion rounded edge is smaller than the radius of curvature of the semicircular edge.

25. A food package for containing a food product, the package comprising:

a base member having a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls upstanding from the bottom wall that define an opening of the base member opposite the bottom wall, the plurality of side walls including a pair of side walls that extend generally perpendicular to one another, the side walls each having an upper section that extends substantially vertically downward from the opening, the base member having a ridge and a gripping portion thereof, the ridge extending outward from the plurality of side walls about the opening and defining an outer periphery of the base member, the ridge having a pair of straight portions extending outward from the pair of side walls and substantially straight peripheral edges of the ridge straight portions that extend generally perpendicular to one another;

a lid having a cover wall for covering the opening of the base member, the lid having a plurality of walls that extend upward a distance from the cover wall and terminate at a lip, the cover wall and the plurality of walls being sized to fit within the opening of the base member, the plurality of walls of the lid nesting within the upper section of the base member side walls with the lid connected to the base member, the lip of the lid having a tab with upper and lower surfaces, the tab of the lid overlapping the gripping portion of the base member with the lid connected to the base member, the tab having a pair of substantially straight edges that are generally perpendicular to each other and are connected by a corner, the tab straight edges being aligned with the straight peripheral edges of the base member ridge with the lid connected to the base member;

the gripping portion of the base member ridge having a plurality of edges which define an outer profile of the gripping portion, the plurality of edges comprising a substantially straight edge that extends inward from the straight peripheral edge of one of the pair of straight portions of the ridge, a semicircular edge that extends inward from the straight peripheral edge of the other of the pair of straight portions of the ridge about a first radius of curvature, and a rounded edge disposed between the inwardly extending straight edge and the semicircular edge of the gripping portion such that the rounded edge connects the inwardly extending straight edge and the semicircular edge, the rounded edge having a second radius of curvature;

a sealing area surrounding the opening of the base member;

a protuberance of the base member upstanding from the gripping portion, the protuberance having a center separated from the sealing area by a first distance and separated from the semicircular edge by a second distance, the first distance being between about equal to about five times the length of the second distance;

a generally straight diagonal side wall of the plurality of base member side walls connecting the pair of side walls and extending at an angle relative to each of the pair of side walls; and

an enlarged region of the base member ridge intermediate the straight portions thereof and adjacent the generally straight diagonal side wall of the base member, the enlarged region of the base member ridge including the gripping portion and the plurality of edges thereof which define the outer profile of the gripping portion.

26. The food package of claim 25 wherein the first radius of curvature is between about 1.0 and about 2.2 times longer than the second radius of curvature.

27. The food package of claim 25 wherein the first radius of curvature has an origin and the center of the protuberance is separated from the origin by a distance that is between about one-eighth and about two-thirds the length of the first radius of curvature.

28. The food package of claim 25 wherein a portion of the lower surface of the lid tab is uncovered by the gripping portion of the base member with the lid connected to the base member, the uncovered portion of the tab lower surface being disposed outward from the outer profile of the gripping portion such that the tab of the lid may be readily separated from the gripping portion of the base member.

29. The food package of claim 25 wherein the lid is generally rectangular and the corner includes a rounded edge, with one of the straight edges and the rounded edge each having a portion that is disposed outward from the outer profile of the base member gripping portion.

30. The food package of claim 25 wherein the straight peripheral edge of the one straight portion of the base member ridge and the straight edge of the lid tab aligned therewith are formed by cutting the lip of the lid and the ridge of the base member with the lid connected to the base member.

31. The food package of claim 25 wherein the lid tab corner includes a curved edge;

and

a crest of the base member gripping portion semicircular edge disposed along a radial line of the base member ridge gripping portion extending substantially perpendicular to the straight peripheral edge of the one of the pair of the straight portions of the base member ridge so that the crest is disposed inward from the lid tab curved edge with the lid connected to the base member, the radial line extending between the rounded edge of the gripping portion and the straight edge of the other of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge.

32. The food package of claim 25 wherein the second radius of curvature of the rounded edge of the base member gripping portion is smaller than or about equal to the first radius of curvature of the semicircular edge.

33. A method of assembling a package, the method comprising:

providing a web of material for a base member and a web of material for a lid;

forming a cutout in the web of material for the base member by removing material from only the base member web, the base member web including a ridge that defines an outer periphery of the base member and a pair of straight portions of the ridge that extend generally perpendicular to one another, the cutout at least partially defining an outer profile of a gripping portion of the ridge;

shaping a compartment of the base member in the base member web using a different operation than the operation used to remove material from the base member web and form the cutout, the compartment having a bottom wall, an opening opposite the bottom wall, and a plurality of side walls upstanding from the bottom wall, wherein each of the side walls has an upper section that extends vertically downward from the ridge about the opening;

shaping a cover wall in the web of material for the lid, the lid web including a lip that surrounds the cover wall and defines an outer periphery of the lid, the lip having a tab with upper and lower surfaces;

bringing the base member web and the lid web together so that the cover wall of the lid closes the opening of the compartment of the base member and the tab of the lid overlaps the gripping portion of the base member formed before bringing the base member web and the lid web together with a portion of the lower surface of the tab being uncovered by the gripping portion, the uncovered portion of the tab lower surface being disposed outward from the outer profile of the gripping portion;

cutting the base member web and the lid web after the base member web and the lid web have been brought together to form a pair of aligned, straight peripheral edges of the tab of the lid and one of the straight portions of the base member ridge with a section of the straight peripheral edge of the lid tab being disposed outward of the outer profile of the base member gripping portion.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein forming the straight peripheral edge of the lip of the lid includes forming the straight peripheral edge of the lip to be longer than the straight peripheral edge of the base member ridge.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein forming the cutout in the base member web includes forming a plurality of edges of the outer profile of the gripping portion, the plurality of edges comprising a straight edge that extends inward from one of the pair of straight portions of the ridge and a semicircular edge that extends inward from the other of the pair of straight portions of the ridge.

36. The method of claim 35 further comprising trimming material from the base member web by forming another straight peripheral edge of the base member ridge that is perpendicular to the other straight peripheral edge, one of the straight peripheral edges of the base member forming a juncture with the inwardly extending straight edge of the gripping portion, and the other of the straight peripheral edges of the base member forming a juncture with the semicircular edge of the gripping portion.

37. The method of claim 33 wherein forming the cutout in the base member web comprises shifting a male punch and a female punch together and removing a portion of the ridge of the base member to shape the outer profile of the gripping portion.

38. The method of claim 33 wherein forming a cutout in the web of material for the base member includes forming a substantially straight edge of the base member gripping portion extending inward from one of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge, forming a semicircular edge of the base member gripping portion extending inward from the other of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge, and forming a rounded edge disposed between the substantially straight edge and the semicircular edge of the base member gripping portion,

the semicircular edge of the gripping portion includes a crest disposed along a radial line of the base member ridge gripping portion extending substantially perpendicular to the straight edge of the one of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge, the radial line extending between the rounded edge of the gripping portion and the other of the pair of straight portions of the base member ridge, and the method further includes:

cutting the lid web after the base member web and the lid web have been brought together to form a curved corner edge of the lid tab disposed outward from the crest of the semicircular edge of the base member gripping portion.