Abstract:
A food product container includes a molded tray having at least one cell for holding a food product. A removable cover, such as lidding film, seals the cell in preparation for shipment. A utensil, such as a spoon or knife or the like, is integrally molded with the container.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field Of The Invention  
           [0002]    The invention relates generally to packaging, and to the inclusion of eating utensils in food packaging. More particularly, the invention relates to a one piece assembly of a multi-compartment container and utensil for use therewith.  
           [0003]    2. Description Of The Related Art  
           [0004]    With increasing popularity of ready-to-eat meals, various container arrangements have been proposed for transport and meal serving. Oftentimes, ready-to-eat meals are consumed either at locations of opportunity or locations remote from traditional kitchen or dining room environments. Accordingly, consideration must be given to providing eating utensils. While a separate package of eating utensils, such as a spoon, knife or spreading stick could be provided, it is desirable from a merchandising standpoint and from the standpoint of convenience to the consumer, that the utensil somehow be integrated with the food package.  
           [0005]    In the past, numerous patents have disclosed containers intended to enable consumers to eat one or more food products directly from the container. Examples of prior art food product containers of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 393,798 and No. 5,277,920. The prior art also includes patents showing food product containers that include utensils such as spreading implements or spoons, either as separate articles inserted in the containers, or as integrally molded components of the lids. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,710; No. 5,992,667; No. 5,727,679; No. 5,443,174; No. 5,251,774; No. 4,216,875; No. 4,060,176; No. 3,624,787; No. 3,550,805; and No. 3,334,778. Insertion of utensils as separate articles adds cost and can limit packaging line speeds. As mentioned in above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,920, maintaining quality control with respect to insertion of utensils and proper placement thereof within a package may require costly interruptions of packaging operations to adjust insertion equipment. Also, after utensils have been placed in the package, they may be displaced during shipping and handling to undesirable locations within the package. Inclusion of the utensils as lid components may avoid these problems, but may also unacceptably increase the cost of some packages.  
           [0006]    In providing a container for commercial packaging of food products, among the considerations that must be addressed are the ability of the container to be formed, filled and sealed economically in a high speed packaging line, the degree of difficulty that will be encountered by the consumer in opening and dispensing food product from the container, the ability of the container to withstand various loads, such as stacking loads, during filling, sealing, shipping, display and consumer use, and the ability of the container to be packed efficiently among like containers. Also, it is desirable that a container have ample label display area and an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  
           [0007]    There is a need for improved food packages with included utensils, and for improved methods of incorporating utensils in food containers.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0008]    The invention provides an improved food product container comprising a tray including at least one cell for holding a food product wherein a spoon or other utensil is included in the tray, either as part of a flange or web, or as part of a compartment. A removable cover is provided to seal the cell. The removable cover may also provide a seal over the utensil.  
           [0009]    It is an object of the present invention to provide a ready-to-eat meal kit including a multi-compartment container and an eating utensil integrally associated therewith.  
           [0010]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece molded plastic assembly of a multi-compartment container and an eating utensil, such as a spoon.  
           [0011]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a meal kit of the type described above which is made ready for closure with foil lidding material or the like, to prepare the meal kit for transport to a consumer.  
           [0012]    These and other objects according to principles of the present invention are provided in [insert claim 1]. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0013]    [0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a one piece assembly of a multi-compartment container and utensil;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 4 is an elevational view taken from one side thereof;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 5 is an elevational view taken from the other side thereof;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view thereof;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 7 is a front elevational view thereof;  
         [0020]    FIGS.  8 - 12  are perspective views showing alternative embodiments according to principles of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIGS. 13 and 14 are side elevational views showing further alternative embodiments according to principles of the present invention; and  
         [0022]    [0022]FIGS. 15 and 16 are top elevational views showing alternative methods of attaching a utensil to a container. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0023]    Turning now to FIGS.  1 - 7 , one-piece packaging or container arrangement for a meal kit or the like is generally indicated at  10 . Packaging  10  comprises a one-piece structure, including a container portion generally indicated at  12  and a utensil portion indicated at  14 . In the preferred embodiment, packaging  10  is formed in a single integral piece using conventional plastic thermoforming materials and techniques. Container portion  12  includes a larger cell or cavity  16  and a smaller cavity  18 .  
         [0024]    As shown, the bottom portions  20 ,  22  of cavities  16 ,  18  are tapered with a stepped configuration. Sidewalls of cavity  16  include stepped portions  26 ,  28  while cavity  18  includes stepped portions  32 ,  34 . As shown for example in the top plan view of FIG. 2, the cavities  16 ,  18  are continuously inwardly tapered from their top to their bottom portions. A web in the form of an upper wall  38  surrounds the cavities  16 ,  18  and utensil  14  and holds these components together in a unitary fashion.  
         [0025]    Upper wall  38  is preferably flat or planar throughout for ready closure using lidding material such as foil, adhered to the upper wall with a suitable pressure sensitive adhesive. Other methods of enclosing the upper surface of container arrangement  10  may be chosen, using conventional arrangements, and upper wall  38  need not be flat. In order to aid in the ready application of a lidding material (preferably in a rigid or flexible sheet form), utensil  14 , although given a preferred three-dimensional shape, is recessed below wall  38 .  
         [0026]    As can be seen in the drawings, utensil  14  is positioned between the cavities  16 ,  18 . As with other embodiments, it is generally preferred that the utensil, in addition to being recessed, is accompanied by a planar border surrounding the outline of the utensil. This is important, in part, to prevent interference with the lidding material. As mentioned above, the preferred lidding material, of whatever material composition is desired, is preferably provided in a sheet form. Even if the lidding material were made rigid, any surface irregularities permitted to surround the utensil may prevent an intimate securement of the lidding material to the container, and this in turn might compromise any hermetic sealing or the like needed to preserve food freshness.  
         [0027]    Utensil  14  is secured to wall  38  with a line of weakness  44 . With the lidding material removed, utensil  14  is easily removed from wall  38  with the application of light finger pressure. Although the figures depict the utensil in the form of a spoon, other conventional utensil shapes such as forks, knives and spreading sticks may be employed, as well.  
         [0028]    Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, alternative methods of attaching utensil  14  to wall  38  are shown. FIGS. 15 and 16 show the preferred manner of attaching spoon-shaped utensils to portions of a planar wall located alongside one or more container cavities. In FIG. 15, utensil  14  is defined by a line of weakness comprising an outline indentation which either cuts through the full thickness of wall  38  or is cut so deep as to render the resulting attachment of the utensil negligible. In order to reliably secure the utensil  14  to the wall  38  during filling, sealing and subsequent operations, three points of securement  39  join the outer margin of the utensil to the wall  38 . As mentioned, utensil  14  of the preferred embodiment comprises a spoon and it has been found convenient in this regard to locate three points of attachment as indicated in FIG. 15. Preferably, the points of attachment  39  comprise bridging of plastic material between the utensil margin and the wall  39 . Most preferably, the bridging is formed by substantially completely severing margin portions of utensil  14  between the attachment points  39 . Preferably, connection points  39  comprise frangible bridges. Other conventional bridging arrangements and methods of attaching the utensil to the wall can be employed, if desired. It is generally preferred that the utensil and the wall, as with remaining portions of container  10 , be formed from a single plastic sheet using conventional forming techniques.  
         [0029]    Referring now to FIG. 16, utensil  14  is joined to wall  38  by six points of attachment indicated by numeral  39 . In FIG. 16, the points of attachment are restricted to mid-portions of the spoon handle, whereas in FIG. 15 the points of attachment are located at the ends of the spoon handle. In both FIGS. 15 and 16, the hollow depression of the spoon is free of connection points  39  although one or more connection points could be added to this portion of the utensil, if desired. As a further alternative, the connection points  39  could comprise a heavier, more substantial joinder of the utensil to the container wall and the remaining outer margins of the utensil could be joined to the container wall with a line of weakness. Such an arrangement may be desirable where the plastic sheet material employed is relatively thin, for example.  
         [0030]    As mentioned above, it is preferred that the utensil be formed from the same stock material as wall  38  and the cavity portions. Two methods are generally preferred for forming the utensil in this manner. In a first method, the container arrangement  10  is formed and subsequently transferred to a secondary station where the outline of the utensil is defined by a metal punch which forms a line of weakness. In this method, delivery time to the secondary station results in the container arrangement being sufficiently cooled, such that punching is performed on a cooled and hardened workpiece. It is most preferred that the material for the metal punch be chosen to be hard enough to define the line of weakness, but yet soft enough to prevent resulting sharp edges in the utensil, once it is withdrawn from the container arrangement. In a second method, the container arrangement is operated on by a metal punch at the forming station. Accordingly, in the latter method, the metal punching is performed on warm, soft plastic which, after cooling, results in a separation edge of the utensil which is smoother to the touch.  
         [0031]    Turning now to FIGS.  5 - 7 , it can be seen that the bottom surface of utensil  14  is “nested” between the bottom portions  20 ,  22  of cavities  16 ,  18 . As can be seen, the cavities have a depth much greater than that of utensil  15 . As a result, utensil  15  is shielded from inadvertent contact, reducing or eliminating the need for additional shielding protection on the underside of the container arrangement.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 8 shows an alternative packaging embodiment generally indicated at  50 . Packaging  50  is substantially identical to container arrangement  10 , described above, except for the inclusion of three cavities  52 - 56 . As with the preceding embodiment, packaging  50  includes a utensil  58 , preferably located, at least partly, between the three adjacent cavities. As will be seen below, the utensil could also be formed to one side of the cavities.  
         [0033]    Referring now to FIG. 9, a further alternative packaging embodiment is generally indicted at  70 . Included in the packaging are four cavities  72 - 78  surrounded by an upper wall  80 . A utensil  82  includes an outer line of weakness  84  formed in upper wall  80 . In the illustrated assembly, utensil  82  is located to one side of cavity  72 , adjacent the outer periphery  88  of upper wall  80 . As with the other embodiments, it is generally preferred that utensil  82  be formed in a manner recessed from upper wall  80  and be surrounded by a flat, planar border portion.  
         [0034]    Referring now to FIG. 10, packaging  92  includes cavities  94 - 100 . A utensil  102  includes an outer line of weakness  104  formed in an upper wall  106 . Utensil  102  spans multiple adjacent cavities located on each side of the utensil. However, it is generally preferred that the utensil be surrounded by a generally flat, planar border portion, most preferably comprising a part of upper wall  105  extending throughout the container top. Utensil  102  is preferably recessed so as to be compatible with lidding materials spanning the top of the packaging.  
         [0035]    Turning now to FIG. 11, packaging  110  defines four cavities  112 - 118 . The cavities  112 - 118  are surrounded by upper wall portions  112   a - 118   a , respectively. Preferably, the upper wall portions  112   a - 118   a  are coplanar to accommodate the ready application of a continuous sheet of lidding material, such as foil. As shown in FIG. 11, the cavities  112 - 118  are arranged in two pairs, separated by a joined plurality of utensils  122 . Together, the cavities  112 - 118  and their surrounding top wall portions  112   a - 118   a  comprise respective cup portions. Preferably, adjacent cup portions are separable one from another by lines of weakness (not visible in the figure) so as to be divided from the assembly  110 , as desired.  
         [0036]    As in the preceding embodiments, it is generally preferred that the utensils  122  extend below the plane of the top wall portions  112   a - 118   a . It is generally preferred that the utensils be at least partly surrounded by generally flat, planar border portions. As can be seen in FIG. 11, the generally flat handle portion of one utensil serves as a surrounding border portion for the laterally adjacent utensil. Most preferably, the rounded end portions of the utensils also include relatively flat utensil border portions  124  which preferably are disposed co-planar with the top wall.  
         [0037]    The utensils  122  are preferably joined together along lines of weakness with the joinder being strengthened by the application of a continuous sheet of lidding material extending across the entire top of container  110 . Upon arrival at the consumer, after the lidding material is removed, the pairs of cup portions on either side of utensils  122  are separated and the utensils removed. Thereafter, the pairs of cup portions can be “folded” which will cause propagation of a separation line between the cup portions, facilitating their division for separate movement.  
         [0038]    If desired, the lidding material can be weakened in accordance with the cup portion to which it is secured. Accordingly, unused cup portions can remain sealed by portions of the lidding material. As shown in FIG. 11, it is generally preferred that the several utensils  122  be associated with respective cup portions. The lidding material can be weakened so as to join the utensils with respective cup portion.  
         [0039]    Referring now to FIG. 12, packaging generally indicated at  130  is provided with two cup portions  132 ,  134 . Cup portion  132  includes a cavity portion  136  and an outer surrounding top wall portion  138 . Cup portion  134  similarly includes a cavity portion  140  and a surrounding top wall portion  142 . A pair of utensils  144  are located between the cup portions and, as in the preceding embodiments, project below a planar alignment of top wall portions  138 ,  142 . As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 11 and 12, packaging  130  comprises a one-half portion of packaging  110 .  
         [0040]    As can be seen from the above, the various utensils have been associated with the top wall of the packaging. At times, it may be more convenient to locate the utensil on a different part of the packaging, such as a bottom wall or a side wall. Turning now to FIG. 13, packaging  150  includes a top wall  152  and four downwardly extending cavities  154 - 160 . Cavity  156  includes a sidewall  164  and a bottom wall  166 . A utensil  168  is formed in bottom wall  166  by an intervening line of weakness  172 . The utensil  168  can protrude inwardly into cavity  164  or downwardly below bottom wall  166 , or both, as may be desired. For example, when it is desired to have the packaging  150  present a flat, planar (discontinuous) bottom surface for stacking or other reasons, utensil  168  can be formed up-side-down with respect to the preceding embodiments so as to project into cavity  164 , without projecting beyond bottom wall  166 . If desired, a sheet of material, such as that used for lidding, can be positioned so as to cover bottom wall  166  so as to secure the utensil in position, preventing unintentional dislocation during shipping. As mentioned, utensil  168  is joined to bottom wall  166  by a line of weakness. When hermetic sealing of  164  is required, a lidding or other barrier material adhesively secured to the underside of bottom wall  166  (at least in the area of utensil  168 ) can be employed to ensure hermetic sealing in cooperation with lidding material secured to top wall  152 . If desired, utensil  168  formed in bottom wall  166  can be supplemented by additional utensils formed in upper wall  152  or in other portions of the packaging.  
         [0041]    Turning now to FIG. 14, packaging  170  generally resembles packaging  70  described above with reference to FIG. 9. Package  170  includes a sidewall  172  partly defining cavity  76  (see FIG. 9). Sidewall  176  partly defines cavity  74  (see FIG. 9). The sidewalls  172 ,  176  are suspended form top wall  80 . Packaging  170  further includes a utensil  182  joined to sidewall  176  by a line of weakness  184 . Sidewall  176  is generally flat and it is preferred that utensil  182  have an outer marginal portion generally co-extensive with sidewall  176  and with an interior portion recessed with respect to the outer surface of sidewall  176 , so as to project into cavity  74 . If it is desirable to maintain the interior surface of the cavity sidewalls in a flat condition, utensil  182  can be recessed with respect to the sidewall interior surface. Although the utensil has been described with reference to a generally flat sidewall, the utensil could be formed from a curved sidewall or corner of a cavity, so as to take on a rounded shape.  
         [0042]    It will now be appreciated that the present invention provides practical commercial advantages in the field of forming, filling and sealing commercial food packaging units, especially those of the type described above. The packaging units are preferably fabricated using conventional vacuum forming techniques to include one or more of the various features described above, as may be desired. Generally speaking, the packaging will include at least one cell or cavity for receiving a food product, surrounded by a top wall. At least one eating utensil, such as a spoon or other eating implement, is integrally formed as a portion of the packaging unit, and is preferably a surrounded with a line of weakness, allowing the eating utensil to be easily removed from the packaging unit. The cell is then filled with a food product and the cell is covered over with a flexible web, such as a sheet of lidding material. As mentioned above, a packaging unit may be provided with several cells, and the cells may be non-identical so as to accommodate a variety of different types and shapes of food products. It is a generally preferred in this instance, that all of the cells be covered with a common flexible web.  
         [0043]    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 one or more of the following claims.