Patent Publication Number: US-2022217983-A1

Title: Dough Product Packaging Assembly and Method of Packaging

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention generally pertains to the art of food preparation and, more specifically, to a packaged dough product, as well as a method of packaging the dough product. In particular, the invention is concerned with establishing a combined, four container packaging assembly for storing both dough and at least one additional ingredient in separate regions. 
     Due to the time demands placed on consumers by the everyday activities of modern life, the preparation of food products and meals from scratch has decreased and the popularity of pre-made or partially pre-made foods has increased dramatically. A food product that has become increasingly popular in a pre-made configuration are dough based food products such as, for example, developed and undeveloped dough products. These dough products can be stored in either a refrigerated or frozen state for extended periods and are “freshly” prepared in a matter of minutes as desired by the consumer. In some instances, these dough products can represent a substantially final product requiring only a heating or baking step such as, for example, cookies, bread, bread sticks, biscuits and croissants. Alternatively, these dough precuts can represent components or building blocks of a final product such as, for example, a pie crust or pizza dough that will be combined with a variety of other ingredients to form the final product. Regardless of whether the dough product itself constitutes a final product or merely a component of the final product, these dough products constitute enormous time savers for the consumer in that the consumer need not prepare the dough products from scratch using base ingredients such as, for example, flour, water, eggs, yeast, salt, sugar and the like. 
     One popular method for packaging and storing dough products has been to use a can format, wherein the dough product is contained within a cylindrical, paperboard body having caps at both ends of the body. Depending upon the dough product, these cans can be constructed to withstand increased internal pressures. While the can format can work very well for dough products, there are some instances in which it is desirable to include additional ingredients for use with the dough product in order to complete or enhance enjoyment of the final cooked dough product. In order to accommodate these additional ingredients in a can format, a variety of designs have been utilized for separating the additional ingredients from the dough within a common can. Certain known configurations employ the use of a separate cup or pouch to store the additional ingredients, with the cup being placed in the can either prior to or after the dough. With either arrangement, given that the dough will proof within the can and thereby expand, resulting in an increase in the internal pressure of the can, care must be taken to assure that the cup, pouch and/or overall container can withstand the increased internal pressure. Typically, this pressure issue is addressed in two ways, i.e., designing the can to release the building pressure and constructing the cup or pouch to withstand the increased pressure. Unfortunately, regardless of efforts expended in this field, it is not uncommon for the cups or pouches of additional ingredients to burst within the can. Other known configurations employ two separate, individually enclosed containers, one for the dough and one for the additional ingredient(s), and then interconnecting the two containers. At the very least, this type of configuration is more costly and time consuming to mass produce, while also being more difficult for consumers to open and otherwise handle. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with the invention, a dough product packaging assembly includes first, second, third and fourth containers which combine to separately store one or more dough pieces and one or more additional ingredients. More specifically, the overall product has one or more dough pieces arranged a first container having a closed, internal cavity, a second container supported upon the first container with an open top portion, a third container housing one or more additional ingredients, such as icing, within the second container, and an outer container extending across the open top portion of the second container and encapsulating each of the first, second and third containers. In preferred forms of the invention, the first container is a spirally wound paperboard or other fibrous tube having closed ends, the second container is an open-ended tubular member, the third container is a pouch or cup, and the outer or fourth container is a paperboard or shrink wrap container. 
     During initial packaging, one end of the first container is closed and then the first container is loaded with the one or more dough pieces. The dough piece(s) can take various forms, such as a rolled dough sheet or individually stacked dough discs. After loading, the opposite end of the first container is sealed. Thereafter, the second container is supported atop the first container and loaded through the open top portion with the third container. Finally, the first, second and third containers are surrounded by the fourth container which closely envelopes each of the first and second containers so as to extend directly across the open top portion of the second container to maintain the third container within the second container. 
     Subsequent to the initial packaging, the dough piece(s) proofs and expands within the first container, thereby increasing the pressure within the first container but not subjecting the additional ingredients to this increase in pressure. At the same time, the second container acts as a structural support while creating a void of space or compartment that can be filled with the third container. In connection with mass production, product transportation and consumer displaying of the product, the overall arrangement particularly allows the use of vertical shelf space more efficiently and reduces the need to make a wider, shorter carton. The second container provides support and transfers weight from cartons stacked above a lower dough product during shipment directly onto the first container. This arrangement allows the outer container to act as a containment vessel only versus something needed to directly provide vertical structural support. 
     Additional objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention wherein like reference numerals refer to corresponding components in the several views. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a partial cross-sectional view of a dough product constructed in accordance with the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the dough product of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is shown a canned dough product provided in a food product generally indicated at  2 . As will be detailed more fully below, food product  2  includes first, second, third and fourth containers  5 - 8  respectively (note fourth container  8  is shown in dotted in  FIG. 1  just to visually expose first, second and third containers  5 - 7 ). First container  5  takes the form of a tube  5  having an outer surface  10  and an inner surface  11 . In the embodiment shown, tube  5  is made of paperboard and includes a spiral seam  13 . Tube  5  is closed at both ends, such as with first and second end caps  15  and  16  which are crimped or otherwise secured to longitudinally spaced end portions of tube  5  to establish a closed, interior cavity  20 . Cap  15  includes a base  22  (see  FIG. 2 ) and a projecting portion which, in the preferred embodiment shown, is constituted by an upstanding peripheral rim portion  24  extending annularly about base  22 . Cap  16  is correspondingly constructed. 
     Interior cavity  20  is configured to contain one or more dough products. In the embodiment depicted, interior cavity  20  is shown to house a plurality of stacked dough products  26 - 33  (see  FIG. 1 ) in the form of dough discs used to make biscuits. However, at this point, it should be realized that the invention can be utilized in packaging various different types of dough products, including dough discs, one or more sheets of dough or even a block of dough, for making a wide range of final products, including cookies, bread, biscuits, rolls, croissants, pie crust, pizza dough and the like. 
     As shown, second container  6  extends above dough products  26 - 33 . More specifically, second container  6  is sized to be snuggly received inside upstanding rim portion  24  and rests directly upon base  22  and against rim portion  24  of end cap  16 . In accordance with a preferred form of the invention, second container  6  is tubular in construction with opposing open ends. However, at the very least, second container  6  includes an opening  36  (shown as an open top portion) leading to an interior compartment  39 . In accordance with the invention, second container  6  is designed to fully receive and house third container  7  within compartment  39 . 
     Third container  7  can take various forms, such as a sealed pouch (as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 ), cup or can, and contains additional ingredients for use with the dough products  26 - 33  in order to complete or enhance enjoyment of the final cooked dough product. For instance, in the case of the illustrated embodiment wherein dough products  26 - 33  constitute discs used to make biscuits, third container  7  can be employed to contain icing which can be spread upon the cooked biscuits. In other embodiments, third container  7  can contain other ingredients, such as garlic, cheese, butter or the like. Although only one third container  7  is shown, one or more additional ingredient containers could be provided in upper compartment  39  to store the additional ingredient(s). 
     Finally, the first, second and third containers  5 - 7  are surrounded by the fourth container  8  to establish food product  2 . Here, it is important that fourth container  8  closely envelopes each of the first and second containers  5  and  6 , thereby extending directly across opening  36  of second container  6  to maintain the relative positioning between second container  6  and first container  5 , as well as maintaining third container  7  within second container  6 . With a top portion (not separately labeled) of fourth container  8  essentially extending directly atop second container  6 , second container  6  acts as a structural support while creating the void of space which establishes compartment  39  for third container  7 . 
     During initial packaging, one end of first container  10  is closed, such as with end cap  15 , and then first container  10  is loaded with the one or more dough pieces  26 - 33 . As indicated above, the dough piece(s) can take various forms, such as a rolled dough sheet or individually stacked dough discs. After loading, the opposite end of first container  10  is sealed, such as by crimping on end cap  16 . Thereafter, second container  6  is supported atop base  22  and within the confines of upstanding rim  24  of first container  5  and loaded, through opening  36 , with third container  7 . Finally, first, second and third containers  5 - 7  are surrounded by fourth container  8  which closely envelopes first container  5  and second container  6 , while extending directly across open top portion  36  of second container  6  to maintain third container  7  within compartment  39  in establishing food product  2 . As discussed above, dough products  26 - 33  at least partially proof within container  5 . That is, as is known in the art, the dough includes a leavening agent, such as yeast, which will cause dough products  26 - 33  to expand within container  6  and the pressure within container  6  to increase. Certainly, container  6  is made to withstand this pressure change and, in connection with the invention, this expansion and pressure change does not affect the other components of food product  2  so there is no concern with third container  7  bursting. 
     Although described with reference to preferred embodiments of the invention, it should be understood that various changes and/or modification can be made without departing from the invention. In connection with mass production, product transportation and consumer displaying of food product  2 , the overall arrangement particularly allows the use of vertical shelf space more efficiently and reduces the need to make a wider, shorter carton. The second container  6  advantageously provides support and transfers weight from any cartons stacked above a lower dough product during shipment directly onto first container  5 . This arrangement allows the outermost or fourth container  8  to act as a containment vessel only versus something needed to directly provide vertical structural support. Therefore, fourth container  8  can be made of a thin, light weight material, such as thin paperboard. On the other hand, other materials could be employed, such as a film which shrink or otherwise wraps together first, second and third containers  5 - 7 . If a transparent material is used for fourth container  8 , product information can be provided on outer surface  10  of first container  5  and also perhaps the exposed surface (not separately labeled) of second container  6 . However, if an opaque material is used for fourth container  8 , the outside of container  8  would provide product information. Of course, fourth container  8  could constitute a hybrid package, such as a paperboard carton with a transparent window portion, in which case multiple containers of the invention could present product information. In addition, it should be noted that the sizes and shapes of the various containers employed in connection with the invention are not limited to those depicted but rather other complementary container configurations could be employed, including a wide range of polygon designs.