Abstract:
A packaging system for a meal kit that includes multiple, pre-packaged food items, optionally including a relatively massive component such as a beverage container. The packaging system generally comprises an outer container having two parts, a lid part and a tray part, separably joined together with a separable hinge portion and with a removable tear strip that leaves corners of the container parts reinforced so as to retain an enhanced stacking strength. Preferably, food items are supported by both the lid part and the tray part.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to packaging systems for food products such as meal kits. In particular, the invention relates to a packaging system which, when opened, provides multiple food preparation modules.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Meal kits, pre-packaged and ready for immediate serving, heating or cooling, have increased in popularity. Generally, meal kits contain a variety of ready-to-eat food items chosen to provide an essentially complete meal. The various food items may comprise a complete food serving, a side dish, condiments or spices provided either in a separate form or in sauces or dips. The food servings may include meat, meat products, cheese, beverage and dessert items.  
           [0005]    In the prior art, arrangements have been provided for assembling a variety of different items in a pre-arranged kit form. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,167,181 provides for the packaging of various dealer-aid advertising newspaper mats on a common backer member folded to resemble a portfolio. Double-faced tape is used to secure the mats to the backer. U.S. Pat. No. 3,323,643 discloses packages for first-aid and survival kits in which individual articles are arranged in a container according to a pre-determined pattern. Several items are disposed on the lid flaps of the package and are secured thereto with pressure-sensitive adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 3,389,784 provides a sheet of backing material to which a plurality of different survival kit items are secured, using adhesive. The sheet is folded and stored in an outer container. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,352 a variety of emergency kit items are disposed in a metalized foil pouch. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,378 a sanitary disposable baby change kit is provided. Elements of the kit are secured to a plastic backer which is folded into the form of a pouch for ready transport.  
           [0006]    The above-mentioned arrangements are generally unsuitable for use with meal kit packaging systems. For example, a need arises in packaging meal kits for separating relatively heavy items from food items which are fragile. Further, the above arrangements do not provide self-supporting container means needed to preserve the food quality and attractiveness unique to meal kit systems. While various paperboard cartons have been made available, such s those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,240,419; 3,310,222; 4,083,455 and Reissue Patent No. Re. 26,471, the need remains for a commercially effective packaging systems especially adapted to the requirements of meal kit systems.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    Depending on the food products involved and the taste of the consumer, the same food items of a meal kit may be served at different temperatures. In addition, consumers may prefer to serve several different food items of a meal kit at different temperatures. Accordingly, the need has arisen for packaging systems to accommodate these various consumer preferences. For example, some of the meal kits offered by a provider, such as a vegetable salad, may lend themselves to a cold serving, while a hot serving is preferred for other types of meal kits, such as pizza. As a further challenge to providers of meal kits, one individual may prefer to consume a food item, such as a meat sandwich, at a lower temperature, while another individual may prefer to consume the same food item at a heated temperature. It is desirable that a meal kit packaging system be suitable for both heading and cooling, according to individual consumer tastes.  
           [0008]    Typically the food items of many meal kits display a wide variety of texture and softness, as well as varying susceptibility to crushing. For a variety of reasons it is desirable to provide the food items (i.e., the various components of a meal kit system) in separate, independent packages. Food items may be individually pre-packaged in a variety of different ways, including containers having removable lids, pouches, film wrap, plastic bags and small paperboard containers. Due to shipping constraints placed on commercially competitive meal kits, packaging systems for individual food items cannot provide optimal crush resistance. For example, potato chips and other low density chip products are packaged in a foil bag, being rendered susceptible to crumbling into smaller pieces under applied pressure from a heavier component of the meal kit, such as a beverage container. Other products are also susceptible to applied pressure. For example, bread sticks and pizza dough may be deformed by a heavy item placed on it. It is desirable to arrange the various food items of a meal kit so as to separate heavy and crushable items during shipping and handling and to prevent crushing and the like pressure-related damage to the food items so as to preserve the desired visual presentation of the meal kit when opened by a consumer.  
           [0009]    Care must therefore be exercised in arranging the food items in the container during transport and handling to prevent unfavorable and unintended consequences. One problem that has arisen is that of adequately constraining food items included in the meal kit which may be heavier or more dense than the other food items. If the heavy food items are not adequately contained in a generally stable position, they may crush food items in the package and may re-arrange the contents of the package in an undesirable manner. For example, it is desirable to isolate a beverage container, when provided, from the other items in the meal kit package. At times, this may be difficult or impossible because of the relative size of the beverage container with respect to the size of the other items, and to the overall internal volume within the meal kit package. For example, certain popular food items such as pizza crusts, bread sticks and nacho chips frequently have a size as large as the major dimensions of the packaging system itself.  
           [0010]    It is generally desirable to limit the size (and especially the ratio of package material to product weight or volume) of a commercial package, particularly packages which are sold in great numbers. As mentioned, meal kit packaging systems are becoming increasingly popular and a significant number of products units are required to meet market demand. Accordingly, attention has been paid to the overall density of meal kit packaging systems and ways for reducing void space within such systems are continually being sought. As mentioned, it is desirable to isolate heavy items from items which are crushable and deformable, an objective which is at odds with reduction of package void space. A need still remains to develop an optimized meal kit packaging system which strikes an optimal balance between competing considerations, such as those mentioned above.  
           [0011]    Meal kits may take on various levels of complexity, depending upon the nature of the food items included. For example, a pizza meal kit may require a pizza crust to be loaded with a variety of optional toppings and then covered in a sauce. Typically, the pizza, with its toppings and sauce, must be heated in some manner, before serving. Beverages and side dishes provided in the same meal kit may be best served when chilled. Accordingly, when opening the meal kit package, food items contained in the package must be separated into two or more groups, one to be maintained in a chilled condition and the other to be heated before serving. It is desirable to provide multiple packaging components for use by a consumer in organizing the meal kit for preparation and serving.  
           [0012]    Portability is an attractive feature of meal kits, allowing the meals to be consumed at a place in which table and chairs may not be provided. For example, a consumer may wish to enjoy a meal kit in a park setting on a bench or on an improvised seat, for example. It is important that the meal kits be self supporting when opened and remain self-supporting so as to allow a consumer to concentrate on the meal presented, rather than on preserving the integrity of a flexible package. It is further desirable that the package be separable into individual package parts to allow the consumer an ability to organize the food items as desired.  
           [0013]    Some meal kits have become more sophisticated, requiring a number of ordered steps to be taken to prepare the meal. At the same time, considerable effort has been expended to make the advantages of meal kits available to children and young adults. It is possible to present the food items of a meal kit in such a way as to suggest the order of their assembly and use, and such is an object of the present invention. Such suggestion can be especially helpful for children and young adults in helping them to learn meal presentation skills. It is generally preferred that useful suggestions be provided in some manner other than an instruction sheet, such as by giving the consumer visual cues from the ordered arrangement of the food items within the meal kit package.  
           [0014]    These and other objects of the present invention are provided in a meal kit packaging system for ready-to-eat food and beverage items, comprising:  
           [0015]    a container having first and second parts joined together by a hinge;  
           [0016]    at least one line of separation dividing the container into said first and said second parts, with one container part to be hingedly movable toward and away from the other container part so as to render the container reclosable;  
           [0017]    the first and second parts of the container each having a support wall at least partly surrounded by containment walls upstanding from the support surface; and  
           [0018]    the first and second parts of the container having sufficient strength and stiffness to function as tray modules for food preparation and serving. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    [0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a meal kit packaging system according to principles of the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 2 shows the meal kit package in an opened position;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 3 is a plan view of a single piece carton blank for the meal kit system;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 4 and 5 show carton blanks which, when folded and combined together, result in the package for the meal kit system of FIGS. 1 and 2;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6 is a plan view of a blank for an alternative carton for use with the meal kit system;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 7 shows a meal kit system with a carton constructed from the blank of FIG. 6;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 8 and 10 are plan views of cooperating carton blanks;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 9 shows the blank of FIG. 10 folded and assembled;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is a perspective view similar to that of FIG. 12 but with the contents of the meal kit system removed;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative meal kit system;  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 is a plan view of a carton blank for an alternative carton for a meal kit assembly; and  
         [0030]    [0030]FIGS. 14 and 15 are fragmentary perspective views of variations of the carton shown in FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0031]    Referring now to the drawings and initially to FIGS.  1 - 3 , a meal kit packaging system is generally indicated at  10 . The meal kit packaging system includes a carton  12  which is generally rectilinear and is preferably formed of paperboard material, from a single carton blank  8 . FIG. 3 shows the various parts of container  12  formed from the integral paperboard blank  8 , with the dashed lines indicating fold lines, with fold line  24  further serving as a hinge joining a lid member and a base member together, as will be described herein. Carton  12  includes lines of separation in the form of tear strips  70  diagonally arranged along its end walls  16 . When tear strip  70  is removed from carton  12 , end walls  16  are divided into two portions, an upper portion  16   a  and a lower portion  16   b.  A perforated line or other line of weakness could also be used in place of the tear strip, if desired.  
         [0032]    Referring to FIG. 2, the carton  12  is shown in an opened position with an upper tray module or lid member generally indicated at  20 , hingedly joined to a lower tray module or base member  22  along the hinge line  24 . Preferably, hinge line  24  is weakened so as to be selectably separable by the user, if desired. If the hinge line  24  is left intact, as illustrated in FIG. 2, carton  12  is reclosable by the user, allowing continued storage of various food items  30  and a beverage item  32 . Beverage item  32  is shown in the form of a soft package or liquid-type pouch, but could also comprise an aluminum can or other conventional beverage container.  
         [0033]    Preferably, the food items  30  are provided in separate, independent packages. Due to shipping constraints placed on commercially competitive meal kits, it is generally preferred that the packaging systems for the individual food items  30  are compact and light weight and are not capable of optimal crush resistance. Accordingly, fragile and deformable food items are rendered susceptible to damage with applied pressure from heavier components of the meal kit, such as the beverage item  32 . Accordingly, it is preferred that the various food items of the meal kit are arranged so as to isolate heavy items from deformable or crushable items. It is further preferred that the isolation of heavy and soft or crushable food items be provided with a minimum of additional paperboard material, such as dividers located internally within container  12 . It is most preferred that the heavy and crushable items be separated through the use of adhesives. As illustrated in FIG. 2, beverage item  32  is held in place on lid member  20  by a suitable adhesive. Accordingly, lid member  20  supports the weight of beverage container  32 , thereby avoiding the need to subject food items  30  to this weight.  
         [0034]    Turning again to FIG. 2, the lid member  20  of carton  12  includes an upper support or lid wall  40 , surrounded by upstanding containment walls which include a front wall  42  and end wall portions  16   a.  Lid member  20  has the stiffness and strength to function as a tray for food preparation and serving. Efficient use of the preferred integral blank allows lid member  20  to retain its properties as a self-supporting tray whether it is left joined to the bottom portion  22  or it is separated for independent use.  
         [0035]    Base member  22  includes a lower, bottom wall  46 , front and rear walls  48 ,  50  and end walls  52 . The partial end walls  16   b  are originally provided as part of the lid member  20  and after removal of tear strips  70  remain joined to end walls  52  of bottom member  22  by a suitable adhesive. The preferred carton blank is divided into container walls and flaps or tabs which are secured to the container walls in a manner providing improved strength and rigidity in each container part which functions as an independent, separable tray module. When combined in a reclosable container, strength and rigidity of the tray parts are combined to form the strength and rigidity of the overall container  12 . For example, flaps  56  extend from front wall  48  and are secured to end walls  52 , while flaps  58  extend from rear wall  50  and are secured to end walls  52 , as shown in FIG. 2. The upper lid member  20  includes flaps  62  which extend from front wall  42  and are secured to end wall portions  16   a.  Upper lid member  20  also includes a hingable tab  66  formed in front wall  42  by lines of weakness, allowing a user to readily obtain a secure finger hold on lid member  20  (see FIG. 1).  
         [0036]    If desired, the opened container  20  shown in FIG. 2 can be separated into independent tray modules by severing along hinge line  24 . The upper tray module comprises the substantial portion of lid member  20 , except for end wall portions  16   b  which remain secured to the second tray module comprised substantially of base member  22 . Each tray module exhibits the rigidity, stiffness and strength required for stand alone support and containment of food and beverage items that a user may desire. As can be seen for example in FIG. 2, the tray module comprising the substantial portion of lid member  20  includes a major supporting surface  40  enclosed on three sides by upstanding containment walls  16   a,    42 . The tray module formed from the upper lid member is configured with the strength and rigidity needed to be self supporting, even on an irregular surface such as might be encountered in a picnic or park bench setting.  
         [0037]    A user may wish to organize the food and beverage items in different groups. With two independent tray modules a user can separate food and beverage items into different categories, such as one category requiring heating and the other category to remain at pre-chilled temperatures. In a kitchen setting, the user may wish to organize items to be heated in a tray module. Further, either tray module can be used for heating of desired food and beverage items in a microwave oven or other heating appliance. For example, the beverage container  32  may contain a hot cocoa mix to be heated in a microwave oven along with food items such as breakfast rolls, bagels or muffins.  
         [0038]    As can be seen in FIG. 2, the tray module formed from the upper lid member has reinforced corners, with tabs  62  overlying end wall portion  16   a.  The remaining tray module, comprised substantially of base member  22 , includes a major support surface (lower bottom wall  46 ) bordered by four upstanding containment walls. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the corners of the lower tray module are reinforced by tabs  56 ,  58  and by added end wall thickness members  16   b.    
         [0039]    Turning now to FIG. 14, the lower central portion of FIG. 1 is shown on an enlarged scale. As shown, the leading end  70   a  of tear strip  70  has a free end located immediately adjacent front wall  42 . Portions of the end wall  16  are removed adjacent leading end  70   a  to allow a user an opportunity to grasp a portion of the tear strip before tearing is initiated. Referring to FIG. 15, an alternative arrangement is shown with a shortened front wall  42 . The arrangement of FIG. 15 allows a user to grasp the lower edge  42   a  of front wall  42 , once tear strip  70  is removed, to open the container. As a further advantage, it is noted that the leading end  70   a  of tear strip  70  is exposed to a greater extent, further contributing to the ease with which a user can grasp the tear strip, prior to tearing. As can be seen in FIG. 15, a portion  42   b  is relieved preventing formation of a corner between front wall  42  and end wall  16 . This allows the front wall  42  to be swung slightly away from front wall  48  as the container is opened, preventing inward crushing of front wall  48  which might crush or otherwise disturb fragile food items disposed within the container.  
         [0040]    An important feature of container  12  is its ability to be top-loaded with the various food and beverage items prior to closure. This arrangement allows use of the container in an economical, high speed production line environment, where the food and beverage items are picked and placed as required to meet a particular meal kit composition. Carton  12  could, for example, be transported down an assembly line containing food and beverage items for a number of different meal kit products. After the required food and beverage items are loaded into the carton, the manufacturer lowers lid member  20  (with its lower end portion  16   b  and tear strips  70  remaining intact—see FIG. 3) onto a fully formed base member. Adhesive portion  72  shown in FIG. 3 joins end wall portions  16   b  to end walls  52 , with carton  12  thereby being made ready for shipment to a consumer of the meal kit product.  
         [0041]    With additional reference to FIG. 3, the layout of container blank  8  further adds to the inherent strength of the container when employed in a reclosable manner. For example, it will be observed that the front wall  42 , upper lid wall  40 , rear wall  50 , lower bottom wall  46  and front wall  48  are joined together as a continuous strip of blank material. Further, tabs  56 ,  58  and  62  extend to join end walls to this continuous structure. Container  12  can be completely formed using conventional tray forming equipment.  
         [0042]    As a further advantage, the carton formed from blank  8  allows top loading of food and beverage items into the container interior, prior to adhesive joinder of lid and base members by the manufacturer. When loaded by the manufacturer, the container  12  generally resembles the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, except that lower end wall portions  16   b  are joined to the upper end wall portions  16   a  by tear strips  70 . If desired, container  12  can be used with cost effective computer-controlled pick and place equipment to select food and beverage items from a large variety located along an automated assembly line. With computerized control, container  12  can be advanced along the assembly line to allow picking and placing of those particular food and beverage items as may be required for a particular meal kit product. In this manner, a number of different meal kit products can be assembled from a common assembly line, for example. When all of the desired items are located in the container, and principally on the major surfaces of the lid wall and bottom wall, the lid member is lowered onto the base member bringing end wall  16  in overlying relationship with end walls  52 , being secured thereto with a suitable adhesive.  
         [0043]    Turning now to FIGS. 4 and 5, carton  12  can be fabricated from two separate components, a lid member component  20 ′ shown in FIG. 4 and a base member component  22  shown in FIG. 5. Using this arrangement, lid member  20 ′ is formed to include a rear wall  78  which overlays rear wall  50  of base member  22 , being secured thereto with adhesive portions  80  shown in FIG. 4. An optional window  86  is shown formed in upper lid wall  40 . A sheet of translucent or transparent plastic film is secured to the inside surface of upper lid wall  40  by a suitable adhesive, thereby providing a dust seal for the window opening formed in the upper lid wall. The size and shape of window  86  can vary, as desired. For example, window  86  can be reduced in size and shifted to allow adhesive joinder of a food or beverage item to lid member  20 ′ without obstructing view through the widow.  
         [0044]    Turning now to FIGS.  6 - 10 , a container  90  includes an upper lid member  92  and a lower base member  94 . Container  90  is substantially identical to container  12  except for the substitution of a weakened line or line of separation  92 , provided in place of tear strips  70 . Preferably, all other features are the same as those shown and described above for carton  12 . FIG. 9 shows base member  94  fully assembled and awaiting joinder with lid member portion  98 , shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 9 shows optional adhesive portions which may be employed, if desired, to secure food and beverage items to the lower, bottom wall  46 . FIGS. 8 and 10 show an alternative arrangement for carton  90 , in which separate lid member and base member portions are provided. FIG. 8 shows a lid member portion  98  including a rear wall  102  carrying adhesive  104  for joinder to rear wall  50  of base member portion  94  shown in FIG. 10. Other features are the same as those described above for carton  90 , shown in FIG. 7.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 6 shows the carton blank  91  from which carton  90  is formed. As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 3 and 6, carton blank  91  is substantially identical to carton blank  8  except for the substitution of weakened lines  93 , preferably single perforation lines, for the tear strips  70 .  
         [0046]    Turning now to FIGS. 11 and 12, a meal kit is generally indicated at  110  and includes the carton  112  shown in FIG. 11. Meal kit  110  includes ready-to-eat food items  114 , preferably individually wrapped and placed within container  112  in a desired, pre-determined pattern. A beverage item  116  is also provided and is shown carried on the upper portion of container  112 , although, as mentioned above, the beverage item could also be obtained in the lower portion of the container. If desired, one or more food items could be carried by the upper portion of container  112 . In the preferred embodiment, food and beverage items are held in place by adhesive portions  118  shown in FIG. 11.  
         [0047]    Referring again to FIG. 11, container  112  includes a lid member  120  hingedly joined at  124  to a base member  122 . Preferably, container  112  is formed from a unitary paperboard blank with hinge line  124  being provided as a line of weakness formed in the container blank. Lid member  120  includes an upper lid wall  128 , a front wall comprising a center portion  130  and lateral portions  132 . Base member  122  includes a lower bottom wall  152 , end walls  154 , a front wall  156  and a rear wall  158  joined to upper lid wall  128  by hinge line  124 . FIG. 11 shows container  112  in an opened condition with a line of weakness, comprising either a tear strip or a perforated line, for example, having been severed, allowing the lid member  120  to be opened in the manner shown in FIG. 11. The lateral portions  132  remain secured to base member  122  by adhesive, not shown. Lid member  120  further includes end walls including portions  136  and  138 . A line of weakness  142  has been severed to allow lid member  120  to be swung open in the manner indicated in FIG. 11. Separation of severing line  142  causes end wall portions  138  to remain secured to base member  122  by adhesive (not shown).  
         [0048]    Preferably, hinge line  124  is readily separable by the user, when formation of separate, independent tray modules is desired. With separation along hinge line  124 , lid member  120  can be discarded, leaving base member  122  with the stiffness and strength required to function as an independent tray. Food and beverage items from the meal kit can then be arranged in the base member, as desired. Alternatively, hinge line  124  can be left intact, thereby allowing container  112  to be re-closed so as to allow subsequent storage of the food and beverage items, as desired. As will now be appreciated, with re-closure, container  112  retains its original stacking strength with upper lid wall  128  coming into contact with the upper edges of base member  122 , and with the base member  122 , and with the base member  122  retaining its reinforced corner construction.  
         [0049]    Turning now to FIG. 13, a carton blank  170  is shown, for an alternative meal kit container, according to principles of the present invention. As can be seen upon comparison with FIG. 6, container blank  170  bears resemblance to container blank  91 , except for the omission of diagonal lines of weakness in end wall  16  and the addition of an extra, closure wall  174  joined to front wall  42  of the base member. Closure wall  174  includes portions  176 ,  178  joined together by a tear strip  182 . Closure wall  174  is secured by adhesive portion  184  to a front edge portion of lid member  46 . With removal of tear strip  182 , a user is allowed to gain access to the interior of the container and to the food and beverage items located therein. Unlike the preceding embodiments, overlying end walls of the upper lid member and lower base member are not secured together with adhesive, nor are the overlying front walls  42 ,  48 . Accordingly, with removal of tear strip  182  the lid member is allowed to be swung away from the base member, with flexure about hinge line  192 .  
         [0050]    As can be seen from the above, meal kit packaging systems according to principles of the present invention provide an attractive, cost effective delivery of ready-to-eat food items and beverages for use in outdoor work sites and natural settings as well as kitchens and dining rooms. The package system provides separable tray modules suitable for food preparation as well as meal servings. Alternatively, the packaging system can be left intact, once opened, so as to be reclosable for storage, awaiting a subsequent meal serving when desired by the user. Further, as indicated above, packaging systems for meal kits, according to principles of the present invention, provide advantages to meal kit manufacturers by improving automated assembly of meal kits in a high speed production environment.  
         [0051]    The drawings and the foregoing descriptions are not intended to represent the only forms of the invention in regard to the details of its construction and manner of operation. Changes in form and in the proportion of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalents, are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient; and although specific terms have been employed, they are intended in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being delineated by the following claims.