ICE CONFECTION IN A PACKAGE

Abstract: 3D ice confection product (1) in an impervious package, comprising a pre-shaped, self-supporting part (2), exactly conforming to the shape of part of the ice composition product, and a transparent, flexible part (3) being in tight engagement with the corresponding surface of the product (1). The self-supporting part (2) may be provided with an outwardly extending flange (4) lying in a plane, which flange (4) may be provided with a decorative design and/or shape.

Description: ICE CONFECTION IN A PACKAGE The invention relates to a 3D ice confection in an impervious package of packaging material. "3D" in the ice confection art relates to shapes comprising protruding parts preventing their demoulding by simple withdrawal from a one-end-open rigid mould. 3D ice confections and a method of manufacturing same are described in FR-A-2 348 653. This document describes thermoforming two half shells of rigid plastic material, uniting these shells to form a mould and filling this mould with ice confection or similar material. For distribution and sale this product has to be wrapped or to be closed at its filling opening, requiring one additional handling step. However the disclosure is silent about how to do this. The last few years 3D ice confection products receive a lot of attention and many fancy shapes such as fairy and strip characters and animals are moulded into ice confection material. Normally, the ready ice confection products are packed in opaque packaging material, loosely enclosing the products, such as by flow wrapping. As a result, the attractive shape is entirely hidden and becomes visible again after the consumer has bought it. Using transparent packaging material does not result in a permanent visibility because it gets dim even if anti-fogging coatings are applied. The invention seeks to take more advantage of the attractive shape of previously shaped 3D ice confection products and, in a preferred embodiment, even to add visual appeal thereto. For that the invention provides a 3D ice confection product, enclosed in an impervious package of packaging material, which product according to the invention is characterised in that part of the packaging material is self-supporting and has been pre-shaped so as to exactly conform to the shape of the ice confection product and the remainder is transparent, flexible and being put in tight engagement with the corresponding surface of the ice confection product by skin packing. A 3D ice confection product usually has a front position such as the face in case of characters and it is preferred that this front position at least is in engagement with transparent packaging material. In a convenient and referred embodiment, the self-supporting part is provided with an outwardly extending flange, which is usually lying in a plane, which flange is provided with a decorative design and/or shape. This flange may be very wide and is suitable for decoration and advertisement purposes. The invention also relates to a method of packaging a 3D ice confection product wherein a sheet of self-supporting packaging material is thermoformed by a pressure difference, so that its internal shape exactly conforms to the shape of part of the ice confection product, this product is put into this thermoformed part and is tightly enclosed therein by skin packing with a transparent packaging material. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the thermoformed part of the self-supporting packaging material is given a relatively wide flange which, while or after closing the package, is provided with a decorative shape. As an example of the so called skin packing method may be referred to US-A-3 805 486, according to which a relatively rigid, self-supporting receptacle is moulded, the product to be packed is put therein and a thin flexible film is put on top, the air is removed from between the receptacle, the product and the film and the receptacle and film are sealed together. The invention will be exemplified in the following non-limiting description of some embodiments which are shown in the drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a ball-shaped ice confection product on a racket. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1. In Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 a ball 1 of an ice confection product is shown, enclosed in a two-piece package. The lower part 2 is pre-shaped in a usual manner such as by thermoforming, so that the internal shape thereof is substantially complementary to say half of the ball 1 of ice confection material. The outwardly extending flange 4 of this part is shaped and decorated as a tennis racket. The ball-shaped ice confection product 1 is accommodated into the pre-shaped art 2 and the package is completed by a usual skin packing process with transparent, flexible material, thereby forming the other part 3 of the package, lying closely against the surface of the ice confection product 1. By the self-adhesive properties of the usual material used for skin packing the two parts of the package are united.

Claims: 1. 3D ice confection product, enclosed in an impervious package of packaging material, characterised in that part of the packaging material is self-supporting and has been pre-shaped so as to exactly conform to the shape of the ice confection product and the remainder is transparent and flexible and being put in tight engagement with the corresponding surface of the product by skin packing. 2. 3D ice confection product according to claim 1, characterised in that the self-supporting part is provided with an outwardly extending flange which is provided with a decorative design and/or shape. 3. A method of packaging a 3D ice confection product, characterised in that a sheet of self-supporting packaging material is thermoformed by a pressure difference so that its internal shape exactly conforms to the shape of part of the ice confection product, this product is put into this thermoformed part and is tightly enclosed therein by skin packing with a transparent packaging material. 4. A method according to claim 3 characterised in that the thermoformed part of the self-supporting packaging material is given a relatively wide flange which, wile or after closing the package, is provided with a decorative shape.

Inventors: VOUTE, MAGDALENA ALDONSE, Voûte, Magdalena Aldonse
Applicants: UNILEVER NV, UNILEVER PLC
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F25C1
IPC codes: A23G9, F25C1, B65D85