Abstract:
A package for use in holding, dispensing, and spreading a viscous substance, such as a condiment. The package may include a thin-walled rigid planar member with at least one centrally-located opening, a flexible membrane forming a sealed reservoir on one surface and a flexible membrane forming a removable cover over the opening on the opposing surface. The reservoir membrane may be permanently sealed to the rigid planar member about a perimeter that surrounds the perforation. The cover, reservoir membrane and the rigid planar member form a sealed cavity with which to safely store and transport the contents, with the cover being removed for dispensing and spreading purposes.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present application is generally related to the single-use/disposable packaging industry. More specifically, the application is directed to a single-use sealed condiment package that provides dispensing, spreading, and cutting functionality. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    With busier schedules and less time spent at home, more food is consumed on-the-go. This shift in the way we eat has increased the popularity of fast food, take-out, delivery, and street-fare options, all of which must provide not only the food, but also the packaging, cutlery, and other items needed to make eating fast and convenient. Even traditional store-bought foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are being packaged and marketed as single-serving, on-the-go items for children and working professionals. As such, the disposable packaging industry has experienced substantial growth over the years, with multiple new packaging designs and combination products—such as those presented in the prior art—being developed to help facilitate this lifestyle-shift. 
         [0003]    Single-use packaging for condiments and other convenience items, commonly referred to as sachets or packets, are flexible pouches that are filled with small amounts of condiment and then hermetically or heat-sealed on both ends. Typically, the ends are serrated to provide a means to grip and tear or open the package, at which point the user then squeezes the pouch to expel the contents onto the food. This form of packaging provides a low-cost and relatively low-contamination method of distributing condiments and other items necessary for on-the-go meals. 
         [0004]    Unfortunately, the current package design is focused on holding the contents but does not account for ultimate intent or usability. Most sachets are made from thin plastic, tin foil or mylar—flexible materials that enable portability and keep cost low but are poorly suited for the actual dispensing and spreading functions. Dispensing the contents is often awkward, requiring both hands to force the contents out of the pouch and onto the food. Often the contents are spread unevenly, requiring the use of a separate knife or, as is often used, the unsanitary side of the sachet itself to facilitate spreading. This is especially true with viscous substances such as mayonnaise, which tend to adhere to the package rather than flow evenly onto the food. This process often leads to unnecessary mess and a great deal of waste—unused condiment left in the package, extra napkins, and the extra utensils required for spreading. 
         [0005]    Therefore, a need exists for an improved sealed condiment package. Ideally, the improved package would hold a single-serving amount of condiment or other substance, would provide a simple, efficient method of transferring condiment to the food, and would feature integrated spreading and cutting functionality in a single, low-cost design. At least some of these objectives will be met by various embodiments described below. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The present application describes a condiment package with integrated spreading and cutting functionality. In one aspect of the present invention, a condiment package may include a thin, rigid planar member, which may in one embodiment be triangular- or fan-shaped. This thin, blade-like structure may include at least one hole or perforation placed centrally toward the larger, flared distal region of the shape. In some embodiments, a flexible membrane made from plastic or similar material may be permanently sealed to one side of the planar member, with the seal region forming a perimeter around the centrally-located hole. The cavity formed from this membrane and one side of the planar member serves as a reservoir for condiments or other materials. Another flexible membrane may be sealed over the hole on the opposing side of the planar member, providing a lid or cover which can be removed to dispense and spread the contents. In one embodiment, this seal may extend futher onto the leading or distal surface of the planar member. Once removed, the surface below the seal may provide a non-contaminated region with which to spread or distribute the contents onto food. 
         [0007]    In another embodiment, the distal edge of the large or flared shape may be serrated or beveled to provide a rigid cutting feature with which to cut or manipulate food. In another embodiment, the side of the planar member opposite the flexible reservoir may feature a contoured surface to enhance grip and control for single-handed operation for the user while dispensing the contents of the package. 
         [0008]    These and other aspects and embodiments are described in greater detail below, in conjunction with the accompanying figures. It should be noted, however, that the figures are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to exclusively define or limit the scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims of this application. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]      FIGS. 1A-1C  are a front perspective, rear perspective and side views, respectively, of a sealed condiment package, illustrating the planar member and the flexible sealed cover in place, according to one embodiment; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1D  is a rear, perspective, exploded view of the condiment package of  FIGS. 1A-1C ; 
           [0011]      FIG. 1E  is a front, perspective, exploded view of the condiment package of  FIGS. 1A-1C ; 
           [0012]      FIG. 1F  is a detailed view of the distal portion of the planar member of the condiment package of  FIGS. 1A-1C ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a front, perspective, exploded view of a condiment package, illustrating a distinct pattern of holes in the planar member and corresponding cover, according to one embodiment; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a front view of a condiment package with a cover that extends onto the distal portion of the planar member, according to one embodiment; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a condiment package in which the flexible cover is being removed prior to use; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4B  is a perspective view of a condiment package, illustrating the process by which pressure applied to the condiment reservoir results in expulsion of the contents; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4C  is a perspective view of a condiment package, showing the condiment being expelled and spread onto a piece of bread; and 
           [0018]      FIG. 4D  is a perspective view of the condiment package, illustrating the distal edge being used to cut a piece of bread. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0019]    Referring to  FIGS. 1A-1C , a condiment package  110  is shown in its sealed configuration, according to one embodiment. In  FIG. 1A , the frontal perspective view illustrates two visible components of package  110  comprising planar member  112  and flexible membrane cover  114 . The planar member  112  is shown in a roughly egg- or fan-shaped profile, according to one embodiment. In other embodiments, this profile might be circular, rectangular, or a shape optimized for gripping, dispensing, and spreading the contents. Additionally, in order to perform these functions the planar member  112  should provide a rigid or semi-rigid backbone for the package  110 . As such it should be of appropriate thickness and made from a durable, lightweight material such as plastic. Elevated features to assist in single-hand operation, such as grip  130 , may in one embodiment be incorporated into the planar member  112 . The flexible cover  114  is shown sealed to region  120  of the visible planar surface  112 . Note that only a portion of the cover  114  is sealed to the planar member  112 , leaving a portion free to grip and remove to open the reservoir and dispense the package contents. The region  120  might, in one embodiment, be elevated above the planar member  112  to provide a definitive sealing surface and help the user to grip the un-sealed portion of the flexible cover  114 . The planar member  112  also comprises a distal edge  118  and distal surface  126 , both of which provide a spreading and manipulating feature for the contents of the package. 
         [0020]      FIG. 1B  shows the condiment package  10  from the opposing rear perspective view. Again, the package  110  is shown in the as-sealed configuration, with flexible membrane reservoir  116  forming a dome or pouch which will hold the contents of the package between its inner surface and the planar member  112 . The flexible reservoir membrane  116  is shown with a perimeter that is roughly circular in one embodiment. In other embodiments, the perimeter may be oval, elliptical, rectangular or another shape suitable for forming a reservoir to hold material. This perimeter is sealed to the surface of the planar member  112  in a permanent fashion. The reservoir membrane  116  must be flexible enough to be deformed for the purpose of expelling the contents while at the same time be rigidly fixed to planar member  112  such that it cannot be removed after manufacture. Accordingly, this membrane can be made of flexible plastic, foil, mylar or a similar material. In the figure, the distal edge  118  of the planar member  112  is shown with a row of serrations  128 . These serrations are shown on one side only, but in other embodiments could be present on both sides of planar member  112 . The serrations  128  allow package  110  to be utilized as a cutting tool as well as a dispensing and spreading tool. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1C  shows a side profile view of the package  110 , illustrating the linear and thin aspects of the planar member  112 . The flexible membrane  116  is shown sealed to one side of the planar member  112 , forming a protruding reservoir of ample volume to hold the contents. Flexible cover  114  is shown partially sealed to the opposing side of planar member  112 , with a small portion unsealed to provide easier removal during use. Distal edge  118  is shown to terminate in a sharp edge in one embodiment, which may help facilitate the spreading and cutting functionality of the package  110 . In  FIG. 1D , the package  110  is shown in the exploded pre-sealed state from the rear perspective view. Here all three components can be clearly distinguished--the rigid planar member  112 , the flexible cover  114  used to form the removable seal, and the flexible membrane  116  used to form the sealed condiment reservoir. A hole  124  extends through the planar member  112 . The circular perimeter of the dome-shaped reservoir membrane  116  will seal approximately as shown along the dashed lines of region  122 . The shape of this region will depend on the specific shape of the perimeter of reservoir membrane  116 , but generally this perimeter and seal region  122  will fully surround opening  124 . When assembled, reservoir membrane  116  will thus form a reservoir that can be filled with condiment through opening  124 , be fully sealed with flexible cover  114  for storage and transport, and be used to dispense condiment through opening  124  when flexible cover  114  is removed during use. 
         [0022]    Referring now to  FIG. 1E , the package  110  is shown in the exploded pre-sealed state from the frontal perspective view. In this view, the internal concave surface of reservoir membrane  116  is clearly seen. Once sealed to planar member  112 , this surface will form the reservoir to hold the contents of the package. Additionally, the perimeter region  132  of membrane  116  is shown. This region, which can vary in shape and cross-sectional thickness, will form one part of the permanent seal. The position of the opening  124  is shown with respect to the seal region  120  of the flexible cover  114 . When sealed, this membrane will cover opening  124  and provide an aseptic barrier for the contents of the package. 
         [0023]    A detailed view of the distal section of planar member  12  is shown in  FIG. 1F . This view provides a closer look of the serrations  128  along distal edge  118 . As mentioned previously, these serrations allow the package  110  to perform the additional functions of a cutting and spreading utensil. 
         [0024]      FIG. 2  shows a package  210 , according to an alternative embodiment. In the embodiment illustrated, the single opening  124  of the previously described embodiment is replaced with an array of holes  224 . These holes can be of varying size or shape and can arranged in varying patterns, as long as each feature extends all the way through the rigid planar member  212  and is fully surrounded by the perimeter seal of the flexible membrane reservoir  216 . Additionally, the flexible cover  214  is shown modified to fully cover the array of holes  224 . Ideally, the pattern would serve to optimally dispense and spread the contents using the distal portion  226  of the planar member  212 . 
         [0025]    In  FIG. 3 , a frontal view of a package  310  is shown, according to another alternative embodiment. In this embodiment, the flexible cover  314  is shaped so as to extend the sealed region down to the distal edge  318  of the rigid planar member  312 . The flexible cover  314  would be sealed distally, with an unsealed region above region  320  that provides a pull-tab for removal. This extended flexible cover  314 , when removed, leaves a larger uncontaminated region for dispensing and spreading the contents of the package. This is especially advantageous for a single-use sealed condiment package application, since transport and storage are often performed in uncontrolled, potentially contaminated conditions. 
         [0026]    Referring to now to  FIGS. 4A-4D , which illustrate the package  410  in multiple stages of use.  FIG. 4A  depicts the first stage of use, wherein the user&#39;s hand H is shown removing the flexible cover  414  from the sealed region  420  of planar member  412 . The unsealed portion of flexible cover  414  is presented as a means to grip between the thumb and index finger. When pulled in the direction of the arrow, removal of flexible cover  414  provides access to opening  424  and the condiment reservoir. In  FIG. 4B , the package  410  is shown in use, with its contents being dispensed. In this figure, the flexible cover  414  has been removed, leaving the opening  424  unsealed. With single handed operation from user H, a pressure—indicated by arrows—is applied to the flexible membrane  416  with the index, middle, or any combination of fingers while the package  410  is gripped with the thumb in contoured region  430 . Pressing downward and toward the distal end  418 , the entire contents  438  of the package can be expelled from the flexible membrane reservoir  416  through opening  424 . Referring now to  FIG. 4C , the condiment package  410  is shown being utilized in a spreading capacity. Here the user H grips the package  410  and dispenses contents  438  distally as illustrated in  FIG. 4B  while moving the package in the transverse along the spreading substrate—in this case bread B. The distal spreading surface  426  and distal edge  418  provide a means to evenly spread the contents  438  onto the substrate. Finally, in  FIG. 4D , the package  410  is shown in use as a cutting device. With the grip demonstrated in  FIGS. 4B-4C , the user H can use the distal edge  418  to cut or manipulate food item B. The addition of serrations  128  as in  FIG. 1F  can assist in this cutting functionality.