Patent Publication Number: US-2012040063-A1

Title: Dual Pie Crust Bag, Kit and Method

Description:
This utility patent application is based on and claims the filing date benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/372,578, filed on Aug. 11, 2010. 
    
    
     Notice is hereby given that the following patent document contains original material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile or digital download reproduction of all or part of the patent document, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to devices and methods for making upper and lower pie crusts. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Many pies have a lower crust and an upper crust. Many individuals find pie crusts that are light and flaky, have uniform thickness, and visually appetizing, most desirable. 
     Pies are typically made in shallow, circular, 9 to 11 inch diameter pie pans. When a cook makes a pie, two balls of dough are created for the upper crust and the lower crust. Each ball of dough is then manually molded into a circular, flat configuration using a cutting board, a rolling pin, a sheet of wax paper and flour. To make the crust ‘flaky’, it is important that the precise amount of ingredients be used. It is also important the that dough be knelled an optimal amount and not ‘overworked’, and that it be pressed into a flat configuration while cool to minimize adhesion to the cook&#39;s hand, wax paper or rolling pin. 
     After flattening, the dough for each pie crust is circular. The diameter of the lower pie crust is approximately 2 inches longer than the diameter of the dough for the upper pie crust because the lower pie crust must cover the bottom and side walls of the pie pan. Also, because the upper crust is visible, greater care is usually taken to align the edges of the upper and lower crusts and to prevent tears or visual imperfections in the upper pie crust. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide device that enables a cook easily manufacture a pie with two coaxially aligned pie crusts formed over a circular pie pan that does not require special cooking utensils or tools that take up valuable space in pantry or drawer in a kitchen. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide such a device that is relatively inexpensive, disposable after one use and can be safely used by cooks of all ages. 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a device used to roll one or two balls of crust dough into flat configurations that can then be used to make upper and lower pie crusts for use on a pie. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide such a device that allows two flat circular pie crusts to be easily coaxially aligned over a circular pie pan easily and quickly without excessive mess. 
     It is further object of the present invention to provide a method to easily align the upper crust over the lower crust and to prevent tears or imperfections in the upper crust. 
     These and other objects are met by a disposable bag used to make pie crusts. The bag is made of thin, flexible, FDA approved plastic that, when placed on a horizontal surface, is sufficient in width and length to hold at least a circular 11 inch diameter pie. The bag is square or rectangular and includes a top layer and a bottom layer that are sealed together along three perimeter edges. The perimeter edges on one side of the bag are detached, thereby forming a large side opening that allows a pie pan to be easily placed into and removed therefrom. The side opening may also include an optional sealing edge that enables the side opening to be selectively closed and sealed for temporarily storing the balls or flat configurations of dough for chilling in a refrigerator. 
     Formed on the top layer of the bag is a perforated line that can be easily torn to allow a prepared pie to be easily removed from the bag. Imprinted of the top layer are one or two, centrally aligned pie pan outlines to help the user make the two flat dough&#39;s for a 11 inch pie pan. An optional pie dough recipe may also be imprinted on the top surface on the bag. 
     The bag may be distributed individually or sold with a plurality of bags in an outer container. 
     Using the above bag, a method for manufacturing a pie is also disclosed. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a pie in a pie pan that includes an upper crust laye, filling, and a lower crust layer. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the bag showing two balls of dough being placed therein. 
         FIG. 3  is an illustration showing an upside down pan being placed into the bag shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the bag with the top layer being folded over and disclosing a flat upper pie crust located therein and the user&#39;s hand being positioned under the bag&#39;s bottom layer. 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a large container holding a plurality of bags. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) 
     Referring to the accompanying Figs. there is shown a disposable bag  10  used to make lower and upper crusts  92 ,  96 , respectively, for a circular pie  90 . The bag  10 , shown more clearly in  FIGS. 2-4 , is made of thin plastic film and sufficient in width and length to received a pie  90  disposed over the inside surface of the bag&#39;s bottom layer  22 . The bag  10  is square or rectangular structure that includes a planar top layer  12  and a planar bottom layer  22  that are sealed together along their perimeter edges  14 , 16 ,  18 , and  24 ,  26 ,  28 , respectively. The fourth edges  19 ,  21  of the top and bottom layers  12 , and  22 , are detached, thereby forming a large side opening  30  into the bag  10  so that allows a 11 inch circular pie pan  91  to be easily placed into and removed therefrom. The detached edges of the top and bottom layers  12 ,  22 , respectively may include optional sealing gutters  32 ,  34  that enables the side opening  30  to be selectively closed for temporarily storing the balls  93 ,  97  or flat configurations  92 ,  97  of dough in a refrigerator. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , formed on the top layer  12  is a centrally, transversely aligned perforated line  40  can be easily torn to allow top layer  12  to be opened and unfolded (see  FIG. 4 ) so that the flat configuration dough  96  ration used for the upper crust  96  may be easily aligned and deposited over the pie pan  91 . Imprinted on the outside surface of the top layer  12  are one or two, centrally aligned pie pan outlines or templates  50 ,  55  that the cook uses to coaxially align the two flat circular configured doughs  93 ,  97  over the pie pan  91 . An optional pie crust recipe and cooking instructions indicia  80  may be printed on the top layer  12 . 
     The bag  10  may be distributed as a kit  11  containing a plurality of bags  10 ′,  10 ″ in an outer large container  85  as shown in  FIG. 5  or distributed individually  10  in an outer smaller container  85 . 
     During use, a large ball of pie dough  93  for the lower pie crust  92  and a small ball of pie dough  97  for an upper pie crust  96  are prepared. The bag  10  is then unfolded and positioned on a flat countertop or food preparation area with the outside surface of the top layer  12  facing upward as shown in  FIG. 2 . If the balls  93 ,  97  have reached room temperature, they may be inserted into the bag  10  which is then placed in a refrigerator the lower their temperatures. Once cooled, the larger ball of pie dough  93  is then selected and inserted through the side opening  30  and placed in a central location inside the bag  10  and centrally aligned under the large pan template  50  when provided. The top layer  12  of the bag  10  is then forcibly pressed against the ball of pie dough  93  molding it into a large flat dough configuration  94  as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     After the large flat dough configuration  94  has been formed, the pie pan  91  is then selected and turned upside down and into the bag  12  as shown in  FIG. 3 . The pan  91  is coaxially aligned over the large flat dough configuration  94 . The bag  12  with the large flat dough configuration  94  and the pie pan  91  are then flipped over 180 degrees so that the large flat dough configuration  94  is supported by the outer rim on the pie pan  91 . The pie pan  91  and large flat dough configuration  94  are then removed from the bag  12 . The large flat dough configuration  94  is then manually forced downward into the pan  91  to form the lower crust  92 . 
     The bag  12  is then repositioned on the flat countertop with the top layer  12  facing upward. Next, the small ball of dough  97  is selected and inserted through the side opening  30  and placed in a central location inside the bag  12 . The top layer  12  of the bag  10  is then forcibly pressed against the ball of dough  97  molding it into a flat dough configuration  98  that matches the small pie crust template  55 . After the flat dough configuration  98  has been formed, the bag  12  is then opened and unfolded along the perforated line  40  thereby exposing the flat dough configuration  98 . The user then places his or her hand  100  under the bottom layer  22  of the bag  10  and positions the bag  12  over the pie pan  91  and then rotates the bag  10  so that the upper crust layer falls through the top opening and onto the pie pan  91  filled with filling as shown in  FIG. 4  The perimeter edges of the upper crust  96  and the lower crusts  92  are then joined and molded in the desired crust edge decorative design. 
     The bag  10  is made of FDA approved, thin (1 mil), virgin, polyethylene and measures approximately 15 inches long and 15 inches wide. In the preferred embodiment, bag  10  is made of at least partially transparent material so that the balls  94 ,  97  and flat dough configurations  96 ,  98  may be seen through the top layer  12 . The joined perimeter edges of the top and bottom layers  12 ,  22 , respectively, are heat or radio frequency welded together. 
     In compliance with the statute, the invention described herein has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features. It should be understood however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown, since the means and construction shown, is comprised only of the preferred embodiments for putting the invention into effect. The invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the amended claims, appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.