Patent Publication Number: US-2018042425-A1

Title: Crock Pot Bag

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (IF ANY) 
     None 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a bag for cooking in particular, one that can be frozen and heated and used with crock pots. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Crock-pot or slow cookers are making a comeback in American culture. Sales are on the upswing and people are dreaming up new recipes for their crock-pots. The only problem is that the clean up after a day of slow cooking food can be messy and very time consuming. This is the downside to slow cookers and one reason people dislike using them often. 
     Sometime ago people thought of using cooking bags in their slow cookers to make cleanup a snap. For cleanup, they worked great! It was a snap to clean as none of the food in the pot touched the sidewalls or bottom. The bags rarely, if ever, stuck to the pot, so the cleanup was very easy. 
     There was a problem though. The plastic in the bags would leach out of the bag and on to the food in small quantities. While not considered a danger to people by the FDA, companies began pulling their products. That was until Reynolds, the producers of Reynolds Wrap, developed a plastic bag for slow cookers. Reynolds had taken out the one ingredient that was of most concern leeching into food, Biphenyl A (BPA). 
     Today several companies are now producing similar bags without this element in them, thus they are all fine for use in slow cooker. People can now take a bag of frozen food place it in a slow cooker, letting it cook all day long and ready to eat when they get home. Little clean up, little prep time, and they do not have to worry about chemicals leeching into their food. 
     However, the new problem with these bags from all the different companies is that they are one use and then done. The bags are not developed to be resealed or closed up for convenience. 
     There is an issue with a rectangular shaped bag as a rectangular freezer bags are difficult to use and fit into an oval pot while frozen rock solid. 
     There is still room for improvement in the art. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the current invention is to provide a solution of non-reusable crock pot bags by allowing the re-usable product to be resealed with either a zipper or sealing mechanism on the bag. 
     The present invention is a crock pot container or bag. It is a reusable silicone “bag” in the shape of the most commonly used crock pots (oval or round according to the dimensions of the specific crock pots). The container would have a opening which is sealable with a fully water proof sealable zipper that would make it easy to fill, and empty even when frozen. 
     The container would have a spot to label the contents of the bag and date created and modern/contemporary design styles. The containers could be designed to be stackable. 
     The current invention is more efficient, effective, accurate and functional than the current art. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Without restricting the full scope of this invention, the preferred form of this invention is illustrated in the following drawings: 
         FIG. 1  shows the current invention and its main components; and 
         FIG. 2  shows the containers fitting into a holder. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     There are a number of significant design features and improvements incorporated within the invention. 
     The present invention is a crock pot container or bag  1  It is designed to help people like working moms or dads who want to make freezable crock pot meals ahead. 
     The crock pot bag  1 , as shown in  FIG. 1 , is a reusable silicone container  1  or bag that is in the shape of the most commonly used crock pots  30 . These shape can be oval or round bottom  20  according to the dimensions of the specific crock pots  30 . 
     In the preferred embodiment, the container  1  or bag is made of silicone which is a unique polymer containing silicon although other appropriate materials can be used. 
     The bag or container  1  would have an opening  10  which would be sealable with a sealing means such as a fully sealable zipper. The opening  10  makes it easy to fill with the ingredients that the user wants to cook, and to empty even when frozen which can be a problem with a rectangular shaped freezer bags. It is designed to just flip inside out to clean and re-use regularly. It makes it easier to “Dump and Go” with cooking. 
     The ingredients are placed into the container  1 . The container  1  can be placed into a freezer or refrigerator to be stored until used. The container  1  is placed into a slow cooker/crock pot  30  when the user wants to cook it. The ingredients are cooked while being held in the container  1  in the slow cooker/crock pot  30 . The cooked ingredients can be served out of the container  1  or dumped out into the slow cooker/crock pot  30  or a bowl or serving dish. The container  1  with the cooked ingredients can also be frozen in the container  1  to be served and eaten later. 
     In the preferred embodiment, the container  1  would have a label spot  40  which can be used to label the contents of the bag and date created and modern/contemporary design styles. 
     The preferred size is one 1 gallon which would be approximately 4-6 servings. 
     The contents of the bag  1  can be both frozen and cooked in the bag  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the bags  1  can be part of a freezer storage system with pull out “drawers”  50  in which the bags  1  are place and stored to get to particular meal easily without having to move entire “stack”. 
     The bag  1  can have a port  60  to vacuum pack for longer storage. 
     ADVANTAGES 
     The current invention offers a number of conveniences. It is easier to throw the container into a crock pot on the way out the door. It makes it easier for users to make a better effort to feed their family wholesome meals in food safe, BPA free container as the after school/work rush that can make for poor meal choices. It can reduce costs are it allows a user to capitalize on coupons, deals, and club memberships. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the point and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein. 
     As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided. With respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.