Abstract:
An improved container for multiple food products comprising a receptacle and a nested insert. The receptacle and nested insert are injection molded. One removable seal covers the resultant container having two separate food product compartments. The container allows a consumer to hold the container having both food product compartments in one hand, thus enabling the consumer to mix and eat the food products with the other hand. The container is ideal for chips and salsa, crackers and cheese, or any other compatible food products that are desirably kept separate until shortly before consuming.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Technical Field  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to a container suitable for storing multiple food products (consumables) by using a container having an insert nested within a receptacle.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     The design and construction of packaging for containers of consumables, such as potato chips, tortilla chips, or other snack products, requires the consideration of several sometimes competing factors.  
         [0005]     One factor to consider regarding a consumables container design is application specific design criteria. For example, and related to marketing considerations, it may be desirable to construct the container so that it can separately hold two or more complementary food products. Mixing separate, complementary food products just prior to consumption is often popular with consumers. For example, it may be desirable for a container to hold both a crispy food such as a tortilla chips, crackers, or potato chips and a non-crispy condiment such as a salsa, cheese, or onion dip.  
         [0006]     Food ingredients are typically enclosed in a hermetically sealed food package and thus approach equilibrium with the relative humidity of the inside of the package. Because of this moisture migration it can be difficult to achieve a long shelf life on multiple compartment packages storing snack products sharing the same headspace. For example, the crispy food ingredient (e.g. tortilla chip) having a lower moisture content can absorb evaporated moisture from a non-crispy food ingredient (e.g., salsa or cheese) having a higher moisture content. As the lower moisture content food ingredient absorbs water it becomes less crispy. As the higher moisture content food ingredient loses water, it hardens. Additionally, oxygen and moisture migration into a container reduces the product&#39;s shelf life. Thus, any container for holding separate food products should contain a moisture and oxygen barrier layer encompassing each food product compartment.  
         [0007]     A second factor to consider regarding a consumables container design is the ease in which a consumer can access product. For example, the container can be designed with an easy-open top, a dimension or shape that makes it easy to grip the container in one hand, and an opening sufficient in size for the consumer to retrieve the product from the container by pulling out the product with the other hand. Likewise, the ergonomics of the container must be considered. The container can be designed to be easily grasped and held in one hand.  
         [0008]     A third factor in consumables container design is the economics and efficiencies of filling and shipping the container. It may be beneficial to have the ability to separately stack food product compartments for easy shipment and handling prior to the filling of the compartment with a food product. Further, once filled, sealed, and assembled, the containers must fit economically into boxes or crates in order to minimize shipping costs.  
         [0009]     Unfortunately, the prior art fails to disclose a container having all of the above advantages. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,277,920, 5,853,105, and 5,657,574 all disclose multi-compartment food packages where the containers are adjacent and integrated with one another. Unfortunately, because the compartments do share a common bottom and because the compartments are typically held together with a thin flexible flange, a consumer must attempt to balance the container in the palm of one hand while using the other hand to mix then eat the packaged food products. However, it is very difficult to balance or hold integral, adjacent, multi-compartment food packages that fail to share a common bottom. Thus, it is often difficult for a consumer to hold any of the disclosed integral containers in one hand while using the other hand to mix a first food product with a second product and then consume the two food products.  
         [0010]     In addition, it is difficult to use the disclosed prior art containers to package a second food product at a location remote from where the final filling, sealing, and labeling of an integral multi-compartment food package occurs.  
         [0011]     Consequently, a need exists for a multi-compartment food container that allows a consumer to easily eat multiple food products within the container with one hand while holding the container with the other hand. Further, the container should be rigid enough to allow a consumer to hold both food products in one hand so the other hand can be used to mix and then consume the food product combination. Such design should be simple and inexpensive to manufacture and be intuitively functional to the consumer. The container should economically fit into boxes or crates in order to minimize shipping costs.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0012]     The proposed invention comprises a food product container for storing multiple food products having a nested insert cup in a receptacle. In one embodiment, the first food product can be placed into the receptacle, the insert cup can be nested in the receptacle, and a second food product can be placed into the insert cup. Both food products can then have a single removable seal placed over the receptacle and insert.  
         [0013]     The invention is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, provides adequate protection for the product contained therein, and is easy to use for the consumer. The container permits a consumer to easily eat multiple food products within the container with one hand while holding the container with the other hand. The container is an improvement over the prior art in the packaging efficiencies, and functional use by the consumer. The above as well as additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following written detailed description.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]     The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0015]      FIG. 1   a  is a top perspective view illustrating the receptacle without the insert and without the seal;  
         [0016]      FIG. 1   b  is a partial top plan view of the receptacle depicted in  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0017]      FIG. 1   c  is a cross-sectional side view of the portion of the receptacle taken along line  1   c - 1   c  of  FIG. 1   b;    
         [0018]      FIG. 2   a  is a top perspective view of the insert in one embodiment of the invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2   b  is a bottom perspective view of the insert depicted in  FIG. 2   a;    
         [0020]      FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of the insert shown in  FIGS. 2   a - 2   b  prior to nesting with the receptacle shown in  FIG. 1   a;    
         [0021]      FIG. 3   b  is a perspective view of the receptacle with the nested insert in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0022]      FIG. 3   c  is a top plan view of the container shown in  FIG. 3   b;    
         [0023]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the container depicted in  FIG. 3   b  having a single heat sealed lid covering both the container and nested dip insert.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0024]      FIG. 1   a  is a top perspective view illustrating the receptacle without the insert and without the seal. Referring to  FIG. 1   a , the receptacle  100  comprises a receptacle mouth end  102  and a receptacle base  104  coupled with a receptacle wall  106 . In one embodiment, the receptacle  100  comprises a recessed base  104 . In one embodiment, the receptacle  100  comprises a tapered receptacle wall  106 . The receptacle  100  provides for the rigidity of the container as well as necessary moisture barrier properties. The receptacle  100  can also be opaque in order to preclude exposure to light on the product contained therein. The receptacle  100  is typically injection molded and can be constructed of materials comprising polypropylene, which provides for effective moisture barrier properties. Such material can provide a container having a water vapor transmission rate of about 0.004 g/m 2 /day and an oxygen transmission rate of 7.2 cubic centimeters/m 2 /day. Examples of other suitable material for use in constructing the receptacle include high density polyethylene. In one embodiment, the receptacle  100  and insert  200  are made of microwaveable materials.  
         [0025]      FIG. 1   b  is a partial top plan view of the receptacle depicted in  FIG. 1   a .  FIG. 1   c  is a cross-sectional side view of a portion of the receptacle taken along line  1   c - 1   c  of  FIG. 1   b . Referring to  FIGS. 1   b  and  1   c , the receptacle mouth end  102  comprises a flange  108 . In one embodiment, the flange  108  is integral the receptacle wall  106  about the receptacle mouth end  102 . The flange  108 , in one embodiment, comprises a flat section  112 , a protruded section  114 , and a ledge section  110 . The ledge section  110  extends about the outer perimeter of the flange  108 . The protruded section  114  protrudes slightly inward in the vicinity of the rounded corners of the container. The amount of protrusion has been exaggerated in the drawing for purposes of illustration. In one embodiment, the protruded section  114  extends beyond the receptacle wall  106  by about 0.50 millimeters. In one embodiment, the flange  108  does not have a protruded section  114  in the non-rounded portion  116  of the container.  
         [0026]      FIG. 2   a  is a top perspective view of the insert  200  in one embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 2   b  is a bottom perspective view of the insert depicted in  FIG. 2   a . Referring to  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b , the insert  200  comprises an insert cup  201  and a rim  210 . The insert cup  201  further comprises an insert mouth end  202  and an insert base  204  connected by an insert wall  206 . In one embodiment, the rim  210  is an L-shaped rim  210  that extends beyond the insert cup  201  to form a pass-through opening  220 . In one embodiment, the rim  210  is integral with the insert mouth end  202 . In an alternative embodiment, the rim  210  is snap-fit on the insert cup  201 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 3   a  is a perspective view of the insert shown in  FIGS. 2   a  and  2   b  prior to nesting with the receptacle shown in  FIG. 1   a .  FIG. 3   b  is a perspective view of the receptacle with the nested insert in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.  FIG. 3   c  is a top plan view of the container shown in  FIG. 3   b . Referring to  FIGS. 3   a ,  3   b , and  3   c , in one embodiment, the L-shaped rim  210  having a perpendicular section  212  is dimensioned so as to mate above the flange flat section  112  of the receptacle  100  and substantially abut the first receptacle ledge  110  to enable the insert  200  to be nested within the receptacle  100 . Hence the rim  210  is dimensioned so as to mate with and nest inside the receptacle  100 . In one embodiment, the protruded section  114  snaps into a channel  214  (shown in  FIG. 2   b ) disposed about the four corners within the perpendicular section  212  of the L-shaped rim  210 . In one embodiment, the channels  214  are dimensioned to ensure a tight fit with the protruded section  114 . The pass-through opening  220  permits a consumer to conveniently retrieve food from the receptacle  100 .  
         [0028]     In an alternative embodiment (not shown), a different snap fitting means is used couple the insert  200  with the receptacle  100 . There are numerous ways to snap fit a smaller nested insert into a larger receptacle as those skilled in the art are aware. For example, in one embodiment, the flange  108  having a groove capable of receiving a lip can be placed about the mouth end  102  of the receptacle  100 . A lip can then be placed about the insert rim  210  so as to mate with the groove to enable the insert  200  to be snap fit with the receptacle  100 . Similarly, the groove can be placed on the insert rim  210  and the lip can be placed about the flange  108 . The disclosed methods are shown by way of illustration and not limitation. Any method of snap fitting or placing the insert  200  into the receptacle  100  in a nested fashion known in the art can be used.  
         [0029]     The first step in manufacturing the container of Applicants&#39; invention involves constructing the receptacle  100  and insert  200 . Construction of each is typically performed by injection molding of the material selected, but could also be accomplished by blow molding, thermoforming, or other means used in container manufacturing. Manufacture of the receptacle  100  and insert  200  are performed separately. After each receptacle  100  is removed from the mold, the receptacles can be efficiently nested and stored in one another and then shipped to a food processing facility where it can be filled with product or consumables. Alternatively, the receptacle, shortly after manufacture, can be filled with a first food product, such as corn-based snack foods, dropped into the receptacle  100  through the mouth end  102 .  
         [0030]     In one embodiment, after each insert  200  is removed from the mold, the inserts can be nested in one another for storage or shipment separate from the receptacle  100 . In an alternative embodiment, inserts  200  can be immediately nested into a receptacle  100  that has been filled with a first food product and a second food product including, but not limited to, a non-crispy condiment such as spreadable cheese, salsa, or bean dip, can then be dropped into the insert  200  through the insert mouth end  202 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the container depicted in  FIG. 3   b  having a single removable seal covering both the container and the nested dip insert. After the insert  200  is nested in the receptacle  100  and filled with a second food product, a removable seal (shown as reference  410  in  FIG. 4 ) is secured over both the receptacle mouth end  110  as well as the insert mouth end  210  by methods well known in the industry. Such seals can be found, for example, on the top of some plastic ketchup bottles. This removable seal can be, for example, a metalized polyester secured by a heat and pressure seal or other means. In one embodiment, once the removable seal is placed over each mouth end  110   210 , a label can be affixed about the receptacle and the container can be shipped to consumers. It should be noted, however, that a label can be affixed about the receptacle at any time after the receptacle is manufactured.  
         [0032]     The instant invention provides numerous other advantages as well. First, it provides for a multi-compartment food package that allows a consumer to easily eat the food products within the container with one hand while holding the container with the other hand. For example, referring to  FIG. 3   b , because of the nested insert  200 , the consumer can easily hold both the insert  200  and the receptacle  100  in one hand. The consumer can then, with the other hand, reach through the pass-through section  220  into the mouth end of the receptacle, and retrieve a first food product such as a tortilla chip. The consumer can then place the first food product into the mouth end of the insert and mix the first food product with a second food product, such as salsa. Moreover, if the second food product in the insert requires the application of some pressure to retrieve, the consumer can still apply the requisite pressure without additional difficulty in holding the container. For example, if spreadable cheese is placed in the nested insert, application of pressure first downward and then toward an insert side wall may be required to scoop the cheese onto a cracker. The instant invention permits a consumer to more easily perform this task than previously because the container can be gripped in one&#39;s first hand and pressure can be applied in numerous directions within the insert (e.g. scooping can occur with one&#39;s second hand) while still having the ability to easily hold the container with the first hand. Second, the shape of the receptacle can be fashioned such that it is ergonomic and easy to hold. Third, the manufacture of the container can be performed by inexpensive molding methods consisting of injection molding, blow molding and thermoforming. Fourth, in one embodiment, the container requires only a single heat-sealed lid that covers both food products making it easier to manufacture a multi-compartment food container. Further, the container lid can be easily removed by one hand as the other hand holds the container. Moreover, the container shape provides for easy stacking in boxes for shipping and on shelves for display to a consumer.  
         [0033]     While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.