Abstract:
A dough package has a sheet of dough and another sheet of a non-adhesive separator media cooperatively wound in a spiral assembly which is snugly fit inside a rigid container to protect the soft spiral assembly during the time that the package is an article of commerce. The sheet of separator media might be twice the size of the dough sheet in order to allow folding in about half into two flaps for covering both sides of the dough sheet while wound in the spiral. During domestic use, one flap might serve to separate the dough sheet from the countertop as the extra flap can be folded out to provide extra non-adhering working space. Cookie cutters, edible complements, and rolling pin handles might also be optionally pre-stocked with the dough package.

Description:
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a coiled dough package, some aspect being more particular to its distribution and vending as an article in commerce, others to its end-destination domestic use. 
     It is an object of the invention to provide domestic shoppers/users with a grocery product that includes a spirally-wound up sheet of dough that is ready-to-bake as soon as taken out of its container and unwound flat. 
     It is another object of the invention to package the foregoing grocery product as combination of not only the ready-to-bake dough sheet but also with a versatile set of tools and/or edible complements all so that, in today&#39;s time squeezed world, domestic users can whip out home-baked items with minimal preparation time, minimal mess, and hence minimal clean-up time too. 
     It is alternate object of the invention to more particularly provide domestic users with a time-saving dough package that highly efficiently allows caretakers to make holiday cookies with children, allowing both parties to get quickly as possible to the fun stage of cutting out cookie forms from the dough sheet and then decorating the cookies forms with such edible complements as icing, sprinkles, chocolate or nut bits and the like. 
     It is a further object of the invention to provide a dough package which eliminates so much of the conventional work of making holiday cookies as mixing up batter, rolling out dough and, also as well, the planning ahead and shopping for/buying all the other accessories which nowadays can only be bought separately but are usually desired to have on hand and complete the traditional family experience holiday-cooking making. 
     A number of additional features and objects will be apparent in connection with the following discussion of the preferred embodiments and examples with reference to the drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of the invention as presently preferred. It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, and is capable of variation within the scope of the skills of a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. In the drawings, 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a dough package in accordance with the invention, and as shown more particularly packaged for its distribution and vending as an article of commerce, wherein several different forms of cookies are shown to illustrate example operative domestic uses of or creations from the dough package in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the dough package of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a partial sectional view, with end portions broken away, taken along line  4 - 5  in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view showing the spiral assembly of  FIG. 2  or  4  unwound on top of a flat work surface, wherein the depicted cookie cutters in accordance with invention are capable of cutting out the cookie forms from the dough sheet in accordance with the invention and setting out on the extra flap of the non-adhesive separator media in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded detail taken from the upper left part of  FIG. 3  except the containment tube&#39;s end cap in accordance with the invention is shown assembled from its component parts of an outer collar in accordance with the invention and a rotational center handle in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of containment tube&#39;s end cap as shown in  FIG. 6  except showing a domestic user&#39;s fingers in dashed line to illustrate conversion of the end cap as shown into alternately a cookie cutter in accordance with the invention and a rotational rolling pin handle in accordance with the invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view comparable to  FIG. 7  except showing the outer collar and rotational center disassembled; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view comparable to  FIG. 8  except showing the rotational center flipped around relative to the outer collar in preparation for re-assembly; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view comparable to  FIG. 9  except showing the rotational center and outer collar re-assembled; and 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view showing the re-assembled end cap of  FIG. 9  and its like opposite counterpart re-coupled to the containment tube for completing its conversion into a rolling pin in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 and 3  show a dough package  20  in accordance with the invention. In  FIG. 1 , the dough package  20  is shown fully bundled up for its distribution and vending as an article of commerce. In contrast,  FIG. 3  shows the dough package  20  all taken apart to illustrate one example set of components that disassemble from the package of  FIG. 1 . Moreover,  FIG. 1  shows example three cookies  27  in various shapes, including plain round, or heart shaped, or a flat pumpkin outline and so on. 
     To turn away briefly from  FIG. 3  and visit  FIG. 2 , it shows that the dough package  20  of  FIG. 1  as fully bundled up for commerce comprises the following general aspects. That is, the dough package  20  comprises a spiral assembly  22  of a sheet of dough  24  with an interleaved sheet of a non-adhesive separator media  26  cooperatively wound around a center tube  30 , all snugly arranged inside an outer containment tube  40 . 
     The recipe of the dough sheet  24  is a matter of choice for the marketer/manufacturer and depending on the target end-destination use for the ultimate bakery goods. For instance, if the dough package  20  is designed for a holiday-cookie making end use, then the dough recipe will be a cookie dough of one type or another. Alternatively, the dough recipe might be something else, such as some other pastry, crust, biscuit, crepe, bread, roll, doughnut or pancake recipe and the like, and without limitation. Depending on which recipe for the dough (including batter or whatever), the dough package  20  can be commercially distributed either frozen or refrigerated if and as necessary. 
       FIG. 2  also shows that the center tube  30 &#39;s hollow core offers use as a compartment for supplying domestic users with modest supplies of edible complements  29  to their dough creations. For example, in the instance of making holiday cookies  27 , such edible complements  29  might include without limitation icing, confectionary products as sprinkles and chocolate bits and so on, or agricultural products as nut/coconut bits and the like. 
       FIG. 3  shows that the center tube  30  has opposite open ends that can be sealed closed or re-opened by reusable end caps  32 . Hence the center tube  30 &#39;s hollow core forms a compartment for containing a pre-stocked supply of such edible complements  29 . Either one of the end caps  32  can be removed and the center tube can be handled as a salt shaker to allow the shaking out of granulated bits (or pour or withdrawal of whatever such edible complements  29  is in there). If any of the original stock is left over, the center tube  30  can simply be re-capped and the edible complements  29  can be store there indefinitely.  FIG. 3  additionally shows that the center tube  30 &#39;s hollow core might be partitioned by an intermediate partition  34 . This partition  34  forms divides the hollow core into two compartments instead of one. That way, if such edible complements  29  as sprinkles are pre-stocked loosely in the compartments (eg., as shown in  FIG. 2 ), one compartment may be pre-stocked with black sprinkles only as the other might only be pre-stocked with saffron-colored sprinkles for conformance with the color theme of a particular holiday, as a Halloween. 
     Staying in  FIG. 3 , another function of the center tube  30  is to operate as a winding core for winding up the spiral assembly  22  of dough sheet  24  and non-adhesive separator media sheet  26 .  FIG. 3  shows the dough and non-adhesive separator sheets  24  and  26  stretched out flat. At some original time there is a food-process production line (not illustrated) which creates the spiral assembly  22  as wound on the center tube  30 . Such is when the following objects are achieved. For one, the original dough mass is formed into a flat film of preferably a uniform thickness all over. One sheet  24  of the greater dough film is cut to size and laid out over a sheet  26  of the non-adhesive separator media. Candidate media suitable for the purpose include without limitation wax paper or flour-dusted cellophane, as well as many more candidate media, and so on. 
     It is an inventive aspect of the dough package  20  in accordance with the invention that it utilizes sheet  26  of separator media that is roughly twice the size of the sheet  24  of dough. Preferably, the sheet  26  of separator media is not just merely twice the size, but includes a little bit oversize around the margins. One purpose for double-sizing the sheet  26  of separator media is, that is can be folded in about half to form two flaps, and the dough sheet  24  can be disposed inside the folded flaps like a sheet of paper filed in a file folder. This folded-over configuration provides more than one advantage. For starters, it provides double assurance that the dough sheet  24  will not contact something else, such as the center tube  30 , and stick to such during the time the dough package  20  is distributed and vended as an article of commerce. 
       FIG. 5  shows better another advantage of the folded-over configuration of the separator media sheet  26 . That is, during domestic use, after the spiral assembly  22  is unwound across a flat work surface, the upper flap of the sheet  26  can be folded out and thereafter provide extra working space. As  FIG. 5  shows, cookie forms  27  being cut out of the dough sheet  24  as it rests on sheet  26 &#39;s lower flap are being set aside on the folded-out upper flap. Also, after the cookie forms  27  are baked, they can all be set back onto the double-sized sheet  26  of separator media to cool. It is known that when cookies bake they grow a little. Hence if the sheet  26  of separator media were roughly the same size as the original dough sheet  24 , the growth of the baked cookies would disallow fitting them all onto such a small footprint. And in any event, because of the circular-like shapes of the cookies  27 , they would not readily allow such close packing together to fit on such a small footprint in any event. Hence it is more advantageous to provide domestic users with ample space to work and by way of providing a generously over-sized sheet  26  of non-adhesive separator media. 
       FIGS. 2 and 4  show the appearance of the spiral assembly  22  when it is all wound up on the center tube  30 .  FIGS. 2 and 4  also shows that the spiral assembly  22  (with center tube  30 ) are arranged to fit snugly inside the outer containment tube  40 . 
       FIGS. 3 and 4  show that the outer containment tube  40  has opposite open ends that are opened and closed by re-usable end cap assemblies  42 . Each end cap assembly comprises an outer collar  44  and an inner rotational center  46 . Preferably the outer collar  44  includes a skirt portion  48  as more particularly described below. The rotational center  46  has a main disk portion  52 , which main disk portion  52  that has a circular periphery  54 . The outer collar  44  has a circular inner track  56  that allows the disk portion  52 &#39;s circular periphery  54  to be press-fitted therein, and once there, afford relative rotational movement between the outer collar  44  and rotational center  46 . Each rotational center  46  furthermore includes a rolling-pin handle formation  58 . The rolling-pin handle formation  58  projects axially away from its origin the disk portion  52  to its own end as shown. 
     In  FIG. 3 , the end cap assemblies  42  are shown disassembled.  FIG. 6  is a detail view comparable to what is shown in the upper left quarter of  FIG. 3  except that the end cap assembly  42  is re-assembled/assembled with its component parts, namely the outer collar  44  and the rotational center/handle  46 / 58 .  FIGS. 7 through 11  are a progression of views showing how to convert the end cap assembly  42  as shipped in commerce for distribution and vending (as shown in, eg.,  FIG. 6 ) into a cookie cutter as shown in  FIG. 5  or a rolling pin handle as shown by  FIG. 11 . Accordingly, the end cap assemblies  42  have multiple uses. 
       FIG. 7  shows a domestic user&#39;s fingers in dashed line to illustrate manipulating the end cap assembly  42  at the start of process of converting it into not only a rolling pin handle, but also, alternatively, a cookie cutter.  FIG. 8  shows the outer collar  44  and rotational center  46  disassembled apart.  FIG. 9  shows the rotational center  46  flipped about relative to the outer collar  44  in preparation for re-assembly.  FIG. 10  is a shows the rotational center  46  and outer collar  44  re-assembled. Now, the handle formation  58  projects in the opposite axial direction relative to the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48 . In this configuration, the end cap assembly  42  can serve as a cookie cutter for cutting out cookie forms  27  as shown in part by  FIG. 5 . 
     However, the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48  need not be strictly circular.  FIG. 5  shows alternative endless hoop configurations for the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48 . The alternative configurations include a heart-shaped skirt  48  as well as another skirt  48  shaped for cutting a cookie form  27  having a flat pumpkin outline. Persons ordinarily skilled in the art would readily recognize that there endless variations that can be incorporated here in accordance with the invention. It will be appreciated that the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48  need not be perfectly circular for sealing purposes. As  FIGS. 4 and 6  show (among other views), air tight sealing is preferably accomplished by heat-shrinkable tubing-end cap wrapping bands  50 . It only is preferred if the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48  is sized to make a wedging contact with the outer containment tube  40 —not continuously around all 360°—but at sufficient enough spaced apart points to form a tight press fit. 
     To turn to  FIG. 11 , it shows the re-assembled end cap assembly  42  of  FIG. 9  and its opposite counterpart re-coupled to the outer containment tube  40  for completing the containment tube  40 &#39;s conversion into a rolling pin in accordance with the invention. 
     During the time the dough package  20  in accordance with the invention is an article of commerce during distribution and vending, it is preferred to have the handle formations  58  projecting axially in same direction as the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48 .  FIG. 4  shows better the reason this is preferred. That is, the handle formations  58  are preferably sized to abut against the end caps  32  of the center tube  30 . This accomplishes more than one advantage. To begin with, the opposed clamping pressure of the opposite handles  58  longitudinally stabilizes the spiral assembly  22  in about the longitudinal middle of the outer containment tube  40  without worry of the spiral assembly  22 &#39;s soft ends mashing against anything and deforming. Also, if the collar  44 &#39;s skirt  48  is non-circular (eg., heart or pumpkin shaped &amp;c.), the clearance provided by the stand-off enforced by the handles  58  abutting the center tube  30 &#39;s end caps  32  allows the nesting of the non-circular skirt  48  without worry of it too mashing into a soft end of the spiral assembly  22  and causing deformation. 
     The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoing variations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limited to the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly reference should be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoing discussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the invention in which exclusive rights are claimed.