Patent Abstract:
Containers having a fitment have been used to store food product. Oftentimes the product contained within the container is easier for a user to consume if a utensil such as a spoon is used. The present disclosure is directed towards an assembly for mounting to a container. The assembly includes a fitment with a passage. The spoon is at least partially disposed within the passage of the fitment. The spoon may be attached to the fitment, and covered by a protective cover. The protective cover may include a first half and a second half The protective cover can be secured with a safety seal.

Full Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application depends from and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/830,887 filed Jun. 4, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present disclosure relates to the field of food product containers. More particularly, the present disclosure is in the field of fitments for containers that are intended to hold food items such as baby food, yogurt, mashed fruits and vegetables, applesauce and other similar products that might necessitate the use of a spoon for easy consumption. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Containers having a fitment with a tube spout have been used to store food product such as such as baby food, yogurt, mashed fruits and vegetables, applesauce, etc. for quite some time. Oftentimes the product contained within the container is easier for a user to consume if a utensil such as a spoon is used. For example, if the product can be removed from the container via the tube spout of the fitment and placed directly onto a spoon. Once on the spoon the product can neatly be consumed by the user. However, at times a spoon may not be available for the user. In such cases a new design which provides a spoon to the user is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present disclosure is directed towards an assembly for mounting to a container. The assembly includes a fitment with a passage. The fitment is for mounting to the container such that one end of the passage is in communication with the interior of the container. The passage also includes an opposite end. The assembly further includes a spoon. The spoon is at least partially disposed within the passage of the fitment. 
         [0005]    The spoon may be attached to the fitment, and covered by a protective cover. The protective cover may include a first half and a second half. The protective cover may be secured with a safety seal, may be hinged at a top part of the cover, and may be hinged at a bottom part of the cover. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is an elevational front view of a container having an assembly of the present disclosure including a cover; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is an elevational side view of the container having the assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a sectional side view of the container having the assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a perspective front view of the assembly of  FIG. 1  with the cover in a closed position; 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a perspective front view of the assembly of  FIG. 1  with the cover in an open position; 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  is an elevational front view of a portion of an assembly of the present disclosure with an alternate cover in a closed position; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  is an elevational front view of the portion of the assembly of  FIG. 4  with the alternate cover in an open position. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    An assembly for mounting to a container includes a fitment  15  with a passage  20 . When the fitment  15  is mounted to the container, one end  21  of the passage  20  is in communication with an interior of the container. The passage also includes an opposite end  22 . A spoon  25  is at least partially disposed within the passage  20  of the fitment  15 . 
         [0014]    One embodiment of the container, as shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , is a flexible pouch  30 . The flexible pouch  30  includes a front panel  31  and a back panel  32 . The fitment  15  is disposed between the front panel  31  and the back panel  32  at a top portion to the flexible pouch  30 . A gusset  33  is disposed between the front panel  31  and the back panel  32  and at a bottom portion of the flexible pouch  30 . The front panel  31  and back panel  32  are sealed to each other, the fitment  15 , and the gusset  33 , in a sealed area that runs along the perimeter of the flexible pouch  30 . The front panel  31 , back panel  32 , gusset  33  and fitment  15  define the interior of the flexible pouch  30 . 
         [0015]    The flexible pouch  30  is made from a flexible material, preferably a laminate composed of sheets of plastic or aluminum or other suitable materials. The front panel  31  and back panel  32  can be separate sheets of the flexible material, or can be a single sheet folded over. An outer layer of the material may include preprinted information, such as a logo or the like, to provide the consumer with information regarding the contents of the pouch. The pouch  30  may be formed and/or filled using conventionally known manufacturing techniques, such as a horizontal form-fill-seal machine with a single or multiple lanes, a flat bed pre-made pouch machine, a vertical form-fill machine, or the like. An example of a method and apparatus for filling a flexible pouch with a product is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,601, which is incorporated herein by reference. The edges of the pouch are sealed, leaving an edge open for receiving a fitment. The spout fitment is inserted into the opened edge and the open edge is ultrasonically or heat-sealed, so as to seal the fitment to the walls of the pouch. 
         [0016]    One embodiment of the fitment  15  includes a canoe portion  35  and a spout portion  36 . The canoe portion  35  of the fitment  30  is disposed between, and sealed to, the front panel  31  and back panel  32  of the flexible pouch  30 . The spout portion  36  extends from the canoe portion  35 . The passage  20  extends through both the canoe portion  35  and the spout portion  36 . The passage  20  includes one end  21  in communication with the interior of the flexible pouch, and the opposite end  22 . The passage  20  allows product to the added or removed from the interior of the flexible pouch  30 . Partially disposed within the passage  20  of the fitment  15  is the spoon  25 . 
         [0017]    The spoon  25  includes a scoop portion  40 , and a handle portion  41 . The scoop portion  40  is disposed above the spout portion  36 , with the handle portion  41  of the spoon  25  extending into passage  20  of the fitment  15 . The spoon  25  and fitment  15  can be made of injection molded plastic, or any other material and/or method known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0018]    In the shown embodiment, the spoon  25  is secured within the passage  20  by one or more frangible ribbons  45 . The frangible ribbons  45  extend axially from the spoon  25  and secure to an inside surface  46  of the spout portion  36  of the fitment  15 . The ribbons  45  are thin enough in manufacture such that a user can twist or pull the spoon  25  to break the ribbons  45 , thereby detaching the spoon  25  from the fitment  15 . The ribbons  45  extend from the spoon  20  in an area between an extendable potion  50  of the handle portion  41  and the scoop portion  40  of the spoon  25 . 
         [0019]    The extendable portion  50  is generally located at a middle of the handle portion  41 . The extendable portion  50  has a concertina type design, enabling the handle portion  41  to be extended by a user pulling in opposite longitudinal directions from each end of the handle portion  41 , thereby allowing the handle portion  41  to have a more compact shape when attached to the fitment  15 , and a longer, more user friendly shape, when detached for use. 
         [0020]    Also attached to the fitment  15  is a protective cover  55 . The protective cover  55  is disposed above the spout portion  36  of the fitment  15 , and encloses the scoop portion  40  of the spoon  25  not disposed within the passage  20 . 
         [0021]    The first half  56  and second half  57  are generally hemispherical in shape, and are oriented in a clamshell style design. The clamshell design provides that the protective cover  55  can be transitioned from a closed position, as exampled in  FIGS. 4 and 6 , to an open position, as exampled in  FIGS. 5 and 7 . The hemispherical shape of the first half  56  and the second half  57  allows the protective cover  55  to be secured to the fitment  15  regardless of the rotational position, or orientation, of the spoon  25  within the passage  20 . 
         [0022]    In one embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 4-5 , the cover  55  includes a first half  56  and a second half  57 . The first half  56  and second half  57  are secured to the spout portion  36  of the fitment  15 , and extend upwardly to envelope the spoon  25 . The first half  56  abuts the second half  57  along a cover seam  58 . The cover seam  58  can be a physical separation between the first and second halves  56   57 , or it can be a detachable type connection, such as an area of thin frangible material capable of being broken, torn, or otherwise removed or detached to enable separation of the halves  56   57 . 
         [0023]    The first half  56  is attached to the second half  57  at the top of the first and second halves  56   57  by a top hinge  60 . The first half  56  is attached to the fitment  15  by way of a detachable portion, such as a tear away safety seal  61 . The safety seal  61  attaches to the fitment  15  and the first half  56  by way of an area of thin frangible material capable of being broken to enable separation. The second half  57  is securely attached to the fitment  15 . To access the spoon  25 , the safety seal  61  is removed, detaching the first half  26  from the fitment  15 . The first half  26  is pivoted about the top hinge  60 , separating the first half  56  from the second half  57  along the cover seam  58 , and providing access to the spoon  25 . 
         [0024]    In another embodiment, as shown in  FIGS. 6-7 , the first half  56  and second half  57  are each attached to the fitment  15  by way of a bottom hinge  65 . An alternate detachable portion, such as an alternate tear away safety seal  66 , attaches the first half  56  to the second half  57 . The alternate safety seal  66  runs along the cover seam  58 . To access the spoon  25 , the alternate safety seal  66  is removed, detaching the first half  56  from the second half  57 . Once detached from each other, the first half  56  and second half  57  are free to pivot about their respective bottom hinge  65 , thereby separating the first half  56  from the second half  57 , and providing access the spoon  25 . 
         [0025]    The fitment  15 , spoon  25 , and protective cover  55  may be made of a food grade plastic using injection molding techniques, or with any other suitable material and manufacturing method known to those skilled in the art. 
         [0026]    The present invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It is understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than limitation. As such, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1