Abstract:
This invention provides an improved food package, and method for producing the food package, which combines an individual food container with a wrap. The food package makes the process of wrapping a food, such as a hamburger, more efficient and makes the food easier to eat. The food package may be a bag or a carton of any composition suitable for the purpose of holding a food item. The food container is attached to a wrap that has a length and width significantly larger than the dimensions of the food container. The method for producing the food package includes unwrapping and cutting of a wrap material on the same vacuum belt assembly as an adhesive application and a hopper feeder.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims priority from United States Provisional Patent application 60/225,950 filed Aug. 17, 2000. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates to a combination food package comprising a food container attached to a flexible wrap, and to a method and apparatus for combining and attaching an individual container with a flexible wrapping material.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    It is well known to enclose a food product, such as a hamburger or other sandwich type food, in a food packaging to achieve several purposes. These purposes include the conveyance of food to another person or place, the holding of a food product together, and the maintenance of temperature. Such food packages are often utilized in the fast food industry, where a wide range of sandwiches are available on a variety of different breads, including rolls, pita bread, tortillas and other sliced breads. Often, these food packages consist of a soft, flexible wrap material that encloses the food product without sealing, fastening or bonding so that a consumer may unwrap the product without tearing or breaking the package. After removing the food from the wrap, the consumer may use the wrap as a protective napkin against dripping juices and sauces that fall from the food. In this instance, however, the consumer must remove the food product completely from the wrap, most likely with their hands. Consequently, the consumer&#39;s fingers are subject to unwanted grease or heat sensations. Another problem with wrapping a food in a flexible wrap material is that the food product itself may be subject to crushing and molding if, for example, the food is transported in a paper bag with additional content.  
           [0004]    Other food containers are shaped like pockets having one open end, e.g., a French scoop, and may be made from a soft flexible material or a more rigid paperboard structure. In these containers, the food product is placed into the pocket, and is not completely covered. The uncovered part provides the consumer access to the food product without removing it from the container. Thus, the consumer may consume the food while holding still holding the container, and, as a result, the consumer&#39;s fingertips are free of the food&#39;s heat and grease. However, these containers are substantially the same size as the product they contain, and, additionally, the containers have leakage problems, as juices and sauces leak through small holes at the container&#39;s bottom. Consequently, the container provides poorer protection against dripping juices and sauces than the flexible wrap. Furthermore, by not completely enclosing the product, the food product within the container is subject to heat and moisture loss as well as outside contaminants prior to consumption.  
           [0005]    Additional types of food containers have a rigid structure and are shaped like a clamshell to completely enclose the food product. This type of container is easily opened and closed by a consumer and provides good protection of the food product. However, these rigid containers, like the pocket containers, are substantially the same size as the product that they house, and such containers also have leakage problems, as juices and sauces leak through small holes at the container&#39;s bottom. As a result, the container provides poorer protection against dripping juices and sauces than the flexible wrap. Furthermore, these containers require the consumer to remove the food product with their hands, subjecting the consumer&#39;s fingers to unwanted grease or heat sensations.  
           [0006]    To achieve the benefits of flexible wrap, which provides protection from dripping juices and sauces and completely encloses the food, and the smaller food container, which provides better protection to the food product and may allow consumption of the food by the consumer without touching the food, the food product may be placed within a container, and then wrapped in a flexible wrap. This, however, may reduce the timing and efficiency that is so important in the fast food industry by requiring a two-step wrapping process that utilizes two separate stacks of containers, which in turn takes up valuable space in a store. Thus, there is a need for a package that combines a flexible member with a smaller container to achieve the advantages attendant to each without sacrificing wrapping efficiency or storage space.  
           [0007]    Other food package constructions have combined a flexible member with a more rigid member. U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,669 to Sontag discloses a rigid but foldable member adhered to a flexible member, where the length of the rigid member equals the length of the flexible member. The rigid member folds and forms a sleeve so that the food article is surrounded on four sides, leaving two sides open. The flexible member partially wraps around the sleeve and covers the two sides left open by the sleeve. This combination of a container and a flexible wrap, however, is limited to only one type of inner container. Thus, the construction is not malleable enough to use for various types of food containers, so important in the fast food industry. Furthermore, because the flexible member is the same length as the rigid member, it does not provide much additional protection against dripping sauces and juices.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,534 to Welles discloses a bag of flexible material that is sealed around a food product. The top of the bag is ripped open at a seam, and one side folds outward and downward, providing a covering for the consumer&#39;s hands. The bottom of the bag remains closed, forming a pocket that holds the food. However, this construction requires that the food be sealed within the product during packaging. As a result, it is not feasible to use this packaging in a restaurant setting where food products are ordered by a consumer, packaged by workers, and handed over to the consumer in a time period of a few minutes.  
           [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,016,462 to Stokes discloses a method for wrapping a rigid member with a flexible member, where a conveying means brings a box blank together with a wrapper of substantially the same size, layered with adhesive, and fastens them together. Such a package has deficiencies similar to those described above. That is to say, the process is restricted to producing packages that contain a limited variety of containers and wrap sizes.  
           [0010]    It is therefore the broad object of the invention to provide a food package that combines the advantages of a flexible wrap and a container while still maintaining the ability to wrap a food product in a fast food environment. A further object of the invention is to provide a method for combining a flexible wrap and a food container in a cost efficient, one-step process that is easily adjustable to a variety of container and wrap sizes.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    In the present invention, these purposes, as well as others which will be apparent, are achieved generally by providing a method for combining individual paper bags or folding cartons with a conventional wrap material to form a combined container and wrap food package. Additionally, the invention is concerned with an apparatus and method for producing a food storage and service package comprising a food container attached to a flexible wrap.  
           [0012]    The present invention provides an improved construction for a food packaging that contains a container for supporting the food product attached to a flexible wrap, where the flexible wrap is substantially larger than the container.  
           [0013]    The invention further includes a method and apparatus of unwrapping and cutting of a wrap material on the same vacuum belt assembly as an adhesive application and a hopper feeder. The method of making the above food package comprises the steps of: unwinding wrap material, depositing the wrap material onto a vacuum belt, cutting it to a desired size, conveying cut wrap to a conventional adhesive applicator such as a nozzle or group of nozzles for spraying the adhesive in a desired pattern or to a desired location on the wrap material, delivering a container by a hopper feeder onto the wrap material, attaching container to wrap by vacuum feeding the container onto the wrap where the adhesive was applied.  
           [0014]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent when the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention are considered in conjunction with the drawings which should be construed in an illustrative and not limiting sense. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES/DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a front view of a combined container and flexible wrap where the food container is a soft textured pinch bottom bag.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a front view of a combined container and flexible wrap where the food container is a pop-up-scoop design.  
         [0017]    FIGS.  3 A- 3 D are illustrations showing how a food product may be inserted into a combined container and flexible wrap, wrapped, opened and how it may be eaten.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 shows a side view of an apparatus for combining a food container with a flexible wrap. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0019]    Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for the purpose of illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 depicts a combined food package comprising a container  50  fastened to a flexible wrap  52 . The container may be any type of container of any material suitable for holding a food item, including but not limited to pop-up scoops, pinch bottom bags and autobottom cartons. In preferred embodiments, the inner container is a pinch bottom bag. The pinch bottom bag consists of an open front  54 , two sides  56  and  58  that contain gussets to allow for size expansion, and a closed bottom  60 . The inner container also contains a top side  62  and a bottom side  63  opposite the top side.  
         [0021]    The reverse side of bottom side  63 , the side that touches the wrap, is fastened to the flexible wrap  52 . The fastener is an adhesive suitable for attaching the inner container  50  to the flexible wrap  52  so that the container is sufficiently fastened to a location on the flexible wrap. The adhesive is preferably a peelable hot melt material, although it may be a cold glue or other suitable adhesive. The type of adhesive used will depend on the type of substrate used. The adhesive may be applied to the entire area of bottom side  63 , or in spots, or just along one edge of the bottom side  63 .  
         [0022]    Flexible wrap  52  may be of any material suitable for wrapping. It contains a top side  64 , and bottom side  66 , and connecting sides  68  and  70 . In preferred embodiments, the paper is paper and polyethylene. Other types of usable paper substrates include paper and wax, foil. The paper substrates may be of either bleached or unbleached kraft.  
         [0023]    The wrap is substantially larger than the container to ensure easy wrapping and to provide ample protection for the consumer against food product juices and sauces. In preferred embodiments, the flexible wrap has a length of 9 to 15 inches for sides  68  and  70 , and a width of 9 to 15 inches for sides  64  and  66 . In FIG. 1, the wrap has a length of 14 inches and a width of 12 inches. In contrast, the container has a length of 3.5 inches for sides  56  and  58 , a width of 6 inches for sides  54  and  60 . Thus, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the flexible wrap has 400% greater length and 100% greater width than the container. If food is entered into the pinch bottom bag, the gussets on sides  56  and  58  may be pushed outwards, up to a half an inch on each side, so that the total width of the container would be 7 inches. In this instance, the flexible wrap would have a width dimension about 70% larger than the width dimension of the container.  
         [0024]    These percentages can vary depending on the size of the container. However, the wrap may be any length that covers the entire container sufficiently. Thus, the wrap should have dimensions at least about 70% greater length and width than the dimensions of the container, where the wrap will be sufficient to fully enclose the container. In this instance, the wrap will be substantially large enough to protect the consumer from dripping sauces and juices.  
         [0025]    The location of the container in FIG. 1 is slightly off from the center of the flexible wrap, so that the sandwich can be built on the wrap and immediately be slid into the container. However, the exact location the container is adhered to the wrap can be changed without altering the spirit of the invention.  
         [0026]    Another type of container is shown in FIG. 2. The container  72  is a pop-up scoop design. The container may be fastened to the flexible member in a flattened state in order to increase stackability and to conserve space. When wrapping, a worker can quickly pop up the container, which locks into place. Thereafter, a food item can be placed into the container and wrapped with the flexible wrap. This embodiment supplies rigidity in the container, largely protecting the food product from crushing allowing the consumer to consume the food without touching it directly with their hands. The embodiment also simultaneously provides a flexible wrap, substantially larger than the container, which protects the consumer from dripping juices and sauces.  
         [0027]    FIGS.  3 A- 3 D depict a food product utilized with an embodiment of the combined container and wrap. FIG. 3A shows the beginning of the wrapping process. The food is placed or built on the wrap above the open-ended potion of the container. In FIG. 3B, the food has been pushed into the container. This is made easier if the container is adhered to the wrap so that the top edge of the container&#39;s bottom side  63  is fastened tight to the wrap. This will prevent the container from flapping up on that end, which can be an inconvenience in the wrapping process. After the food is in the container, the wrap is wrapped around the container, completing the package as shown in FIG. 3C.  
         [0028]    The consumer may eat the food as depicted in FIG. 3D. Here the consumer is using the wrap to protect the consumer&#39;s hands from heat and dripping juices and sauces, while still being able to consume the food while it is still in the container.  
         [0029]    An apparatus and method for making the food package is detailed in FIG. 4. The method consists of unwinding wrap material, cutting the wrap material into a desired size, depositing the wrap material onto a vacuum belt, conveying cut wrap to a adhesive applicator for applying the adhesive in a desired pattern or to a desired location on the wrap material, delivering a container by a hopper feeder onto the wrap material, attaching a container to the wrap by vacuum feeding the container onto the wrap where the adhesive was applied, and delivering combined wrap and container to a bin.  
         [0030]    A roll of uncut flexible wrap material  74  is loaded onto a holder  76 . The roll may be of any size, preferably 24-30 inches. The holder may be of any type suitable for dispatching and unrolling the uncut flexible paper.  
         [0031]    The wrap is unrolled and deposited onto a vacuum belt  78 , which sufficiently keeps the wrap in place while moving it along the belt. The belt may be either grooved or flat. The speed of the vacuum belt may be any desired speed, preferably above 200 linear feet per minute.  
         [0032]    The wrap is conveyed past a cutting head  80 , which cuts the wrap into the desired length. The cutting head  80  is a blade type of rotary die. The preferred circumference of the rotary die is 14 inches, which will produce corresponding wraps of 14 inches long. Artisans will understand, however, that the rotary die&#39;s surface area corresponds to the size of the cut wrapper. That is to say, the larger the rotary die&#39;s surface area, the larger the length of the cut wrap, and vice versa. Thus, any desired wrap lengths can be chosen by using rotary dies of different lengths and radii. Alternatively, a die with multiple slots can be used, so that multiple blades may fit into a single die. This allows a single die to create multiple lengths of cut wraps. Other cutting devices known in the art may also be used.  
         [0033]    After the die cuts the wrap into the desired length, the wrap is conveyed along the vacuum belt to an adhesive applicator  82 , preferably a nozzle or group of nozzles for spraying an adhesive in a desired pattern or to a desired location on the wrap material. Alternatively, the adhesive can be applied with non-nozzle applicators, such as wheel type extrusions.  
         [0034]    The applicator applies the adhesive in a pattern that sufficiently holds the container in place. At the same time, the applicator does not apply more adhesive than is necessary, which is wasteful and uneconomical. In preferred embodiments, the container is sealed onto the wrap so that the top edge of the bottom of the container is sealed tight against the wrap. This facilitates the easy placement of a food item into the container without dealing with unwanted flaps. Those skilled in the art will realize that alternative patterns may be developed depending on the substrate or product.  
         [0035]    After the applicator applies the adhesive in the desired pattern on the desired location of the wrap, the wrap is conveyed along the vacuum belt to a hopper feeder  84 . The hopper feeder is preferably a rotary beater. The rotary beater is loaded with the food container of choice. The rotary beater is timed so that it registers the container onto the cut wrap where the adhesive was applied to form a combined food package. Timing can be achieved with an electric eye or other types of sensors.  
         [0036]    The wrap and container combination is then moved to a subsequent vacuum belt  86  that runs at a different speed than vacuum belt  78 . The subsequent vacuum belt may have a speed that runs faster or slower than the first vacuum belt. If the speed of the subsequent belt is quicker, the combined wraps and containers will separate from each other. Alternatively, if the speed of the second vacuum is slower, the combined wraps and containers will stack together.  
         [0037]    The speed of the second vacuum belt may be of any speed that separates or stacks the wrap and container combination efficiently and without causing any damage. Alternatively, the second vacuum belt may not be used. In this instance, the cut wrap and container combination may be separated by a different method, such as manually.  
         [0038]    The wrap and container combination is moved along the second vacuum belt and deposited into a bin  88  for holding the finished product. The bin may be changed or emptied as seen fit. The combination wrap and container may also be deposited directly into a box that can be sealed for shipment to a customer.  
         [0039]    Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications are possible in light of the above disclosure. For example, the container may be placed in various positions and orientation on the wrap sheet to facilitate assembly of a sandwich and wrapping of the finished product. All such variation and modifications are intended to be within the scope and spirit of the invention.