Abstract:
A microwave heating construct that includes a bottom and upstanding side walls formed from a first pair of opposing side walls and a second pair of opposing side walls. The first pair of opposing side walls being substantially parallel and the second pair of opposing side walls being substantially parallel. The first pair of opposing side walls being connected to the second pair of opposing side walls along corners to form a continuous upper surface above the bottom. The construct includes at least one raised surface disposed above the bottom with the at least one raised surface being defined by an upper surface that slopes downwardly to the bottom. The construct can be packaged with a pad and a product to be heated under a film.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/289,571, filed Feb. 1, 2016. 
       INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE 
       [0002]    The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/289,571, which was filed Feb. 1, 2016, is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if presented herein in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Typical stovetop cooking of certain types of meat, such as bacon, is a cumbersome, time consuming process—often involving hot popping grease, long cook times, and heavy clean up. However, cooked meat, especially bacon, is a popular addition to any meal and is a favorite for consumers. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to a cooking device to heat raw or partially cooked meat, such as bacon, effectively in a microwave while yielding a consistent cooking, proper crisping, and successful grease mitigation. In one aspect, the present disclosure includes a microwave heating construct comprising a bottom and upstanding side walls that include at least a first pair of opposing side walls and a second set of opposing side walls with the first pair of opposing side walls being substantially parallel and the second pair of opposing side walls being substantially parallel. The first pair of opposing side walls being connected to the second pair of opposing side walls along corners to form a continuous upper surface above the bottom. The construct of the present disclosure can also include at least one raised surface with the raised surface being disposed above the bottom, with the raised surfaces being defined by an upper surface that slopes downwardly to the bottom. The present disclosure can also utilize a wicking insert and can include paperboard embossing that allows grease to be contained at prescribed locations and to be distributed evenly across the bottom. The insert acts as a microwave absorber for proper cooking while also protecting the consumer from being burned or burdened with any post cook clean up. 
         [0005]    In one aspect, the present disclosure involves a cooking device that: (1) uses an absorbent wicking insert underneath the meat and tray embossing to evenly distribute grease for consistent cooking of raw or partially cooked meat, such as bacon, and mitigate grease for an essentially “no-mess” clean up, (2) migrates grease and salt to the wicking insert at the later part of the cooking process to make the insert relatively lossy which will then subsequently become a microwave absorber improving cooking through conventional conductive heating, (3) utilizes a vacuum sealed film that tightly hugs the product to prevent excessive volume shrinkage or curling, and (4) allows for adults and young children to make cooked meat quickly and safely with a short microwave cook time and grease containment system to avoid grease spilling and burning. 
         [0006]    In another aspect, the present disclosure can include: (1) an insert with grease wicking and absorbance capabilities that is permeable to byproducts of cooked meat, such as bacon grease and salt. When saturated, the wicking material exhibits susceptor-like qualities by absorbing microwave energy and heating the meat conductively from the bottom—for bacon, for example, this bottom heating together with volumetric heating from the top results in relatively uniform heating and crisping of the bacon similar to pan frying, (2) bacon maintains integrity during cooking with less size reduction post cooking than in conventional microwaveable bacon products, and (3) a “no-mess” embossing feature that allows grease to drain away from the food product thereby essentially eliminating grease spills or burns. 
         [0007]    The foregoing presents a simplified summary of some aspects of this disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding. The foregoing summary is not an extensive summary of the disclosure and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the disclosure or to delineate the scope of the disclosure. The purpose of the foregoing summary is to present some concepts of this disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. For example, other aspects will become apparent from the following. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Having described some aspects of this disclosure in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are exemplary only, and should not be construed as limiting the disclosure. 
           [0009]      FIGS. 1A through 1D  show a first embodiment of a heating construct according to one aspect of the disclosure. 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  shows the bottom view of the heating construct of the first embodiment. 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  shows the heating construct of the first embodiment with four slices of bacon and a covering. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  shows the heating construct of  FIG. 3  after heating and with the covering removed. 
           [0013]      FIGS. 5A through 5D  show a second embodiment of a heating construct according to one aspect of the disclosure. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6A  shows a first alternate embodiment tray design without embossing or pattern. 
           [0015]      FIG. 6B  shows a second alternate embodiment tray design with raised hills or dots. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6C  shows a third alternate embodiment tray design with raised lines that form sections for individual product slices. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0017]    Various features, advantages and aspects of the present disclosure may be set forth or apparent from consideration of the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Moreover, it will be understood that the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate various aspects, advantages and benefits of the present disclosure, and together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that, according to common practice, various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale, and that dimensions of various features and elements of the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure. 
         [0018]      FIGS. 1A through 1D  show a first embodiment of the heating construct according to one aspect of the disclosure with the construct or tray  10  including a bottom wall  16  having a lower surface  23  surrounded by a substantially continuous upstanding wall comprising end walls  12  on opposite ends and upstanding side walls  14  on opposite sides. The end walls  12  and side walls  14  are connected at respective corners  15 , with four corners being shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B . In one embodiment, the tray  10  has a flange  19  forming an upper surface of the tray  10  that extends around the perimeter of the tray and extends laterally from the end walls  12 , side walls  14 , and corners  15 . The tray  10  includes a bottom corner  18  that extends around the perimeter of the container at the transitions between the bottom wall  16  and the end walls  12 , the transitions between the bottom wall  16  and side walls  14 , and the transitions between the bottom wall  16  and the corners  15 . In the illustrated embodiment, the tray  10  is generally rectangular with the end walls  12  extending between the side walls  14  and the generally rounded corners  15  connecting respective end walls and side walls, but the tray  10  could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured and could be other shapes (e.g., round, square, etc.) without departing from the disclosure. 
         [0019]    As shown in specific in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , tray  10  includes a pattern of supports  22  formed in the bottom wall  16 . In one embodiment, the supports  22  extend upwardly from the bottom surface  23  in the interior of the tray  10 . As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the supports  22  are generally curved or wave-shaped along their length, but the supports could be other shapes (e.g., straight, orthogonal, etc.) without departing from the disclosure. In one embodiment, the tray  10  includes eight supports  22 , but the tray could include more than eight or fewer than eight supports without departing from the disclosure. 
         [0020]    The supports  22  have an upper surface  24  that is spaced apart and above the bottom surface  23  of the bottom wall. In one embodiment, the each support  22  includes two inclined side surfaces  26 , each inclined side surface being on a respective side of the support and extending upwardly from the bottom surface  23  to the upper surface  24 . In one embodiment, each inclined side surface  26  extends upwardly from the bottom surface  23  and is oblique relative to the bottom surface (e.g., positioned at an angle less than  90  degrees and greater than zero degrees relative to the bottom surface), but the inclined side surfaces could be orthogonal to the upper surface  24  or bottom surface  23 , or otherwise shaped without departing from the disclosure. As shown in  FIGS. 1A and 1B , each support  22  includes two inclined end surfaces  28 ,  30  that connect each of the inclined side surfaces at the respective ends of the support. The two inclined side surfaces  28 ,  30  extend upwardly from the bottom surface  23  at an angle less than 90 degrees, but the inclined end surfaces could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. The inclined end surfaces  28 ,  30  form respective rounded ends of the supports  22 . The supports  22  could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured without departing from the disclosure. 
         [0021]    In one exemplary embodiment, the tray  10  has a height H ( FIG. 1C ) extending from the bottom wall  16  to the top of the flange  19  of approximately 0.50 inches, the bottom wall  16  has a length L ( FIG. 1D ) of 8.10 inches and a width W ( FIG. 1A ) of 5.55 inches, the top surfaces  23  of the supports  22  are raised a height H 2  ( FIG. 1D ) of 0.12 inches above the bottom wall  16 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 2  shows a bottom view of the heating construct  10  with a lower exterior surface  17  opposite the interior surface  23  of the bottom wall  16 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , the supports  22  are press formed in the bottom wall  16  so that the supports extend into the interior of the construct and form recesses  32  in the exterior surface  17  of the construct. The supports  22  could be formed by other forming techniques and could have other shapes without departing from the disclosure. 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary embodiment featuring the construct  10  shown in  FIGS. 1A through 1D . In  FIG. 3 , the construct  10  is provided with a pad P, such as a polyester absorbent pad which is placed upon the supports  22 . Above the pad P, a meat product M, such as bacon, is placed. The package including the construct  10 , pad P, and meat product M, are then enclosed in a film F, such as a heavy duty gauge film to form the package shown in  FIG. 3 . In general, the absorbent pad P is sized to fit in the center area of the tray  10  and a specified number of meat products M is placed on the pad P before the film F is formed into a pouch. The entire package is then typically vacuum packed and heat sealed closed to form the package shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  shows the heating construct  10  of  FIG. 3  after heating and with the covering or film F removed. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the product P has been cooked. 
         [0025]    In one example, the heating is performed in a microwave with a power of 1,100 W and at a cook time of two and one-half minutes. Optionally, the film can be vented prior to heating, as venting, generally, will improve the overall consistent cook throughout the individual product slices and will assist in not allowing the tray to warp or the film to be hyperinflated due to a post cook venting. Additionally, venting can provide the product to be heated to shrink less than in unvented packages, and less moisture generally will be retained in the film pouch due to venting. 
         [0026]    Additional advantages of the raised supports  22  of the construct  10  are that the supports offer an elevated cooking platform for the product, enhances the grease mitigation pattern with the grease generally moving below the raised surface of the supports  22 , and enhances the rigidity and stability of the tray during cooking by not allowing the tray to warp or deform. In another alternative to venting, the corner of the film can be torn or the plastic film can be separated. As to the pad, an additional benefit is that because the pad allows for much more grease absorption from the product, the entire package can withstand higher temperatures. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 5A through 5D  show a second embodiment of a heating construct according to one aspect of the disclosure. The tray or construct  110  shown in  FIGS. 5A to 5D  is substantially similar in several aspects to the tray  10  shown in  FIGS. 1A to 1D . However, the number of supports shown in  FIGS. 5A to 5D  is different than shown in  FIGS. 1A to 1D . The tray  110  shown in  FIGS. 5A to 5D  includes a bottom wall  116  surrounded by a substantially continuous upstanding wall comprising end walls  112  and side walls  114  connected at corners  115 . In one embodiment, the tray  110  has a flange  119  forming an upper surface of the tray  110  that extends around the perimeter of the tray and extends laterally from the end walls  112 , side walls  114 , and corners  115 . The tray  110  includes a bottom corner  118  that extends around the perimeter of the container at the transitions between the bottom wall  116  and the end walls  112 , the transitions between the bottom wall  116  and side walls  114 , and the transitions between the bottom wall  116  and the corners  115 . In the illustrated embodiment, the tray  110  is generally rectangular with the end walls  112  extending between the side walls  114  and the generally rounded corners  115  connecting respective end walls and side walls, but the tray  110  could be otherwise shaped, arranged, and/or configured and could be other shapes (e.g., round, square, etc.) without departing from the disclosure. 
         [0028]    As shown in specific in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , tray  110  includes a pattern of supports  122  formed in the bottom wall  116 . In one embodiment, the supports  122  can extend upwardly from the bottom surface  123  to an upper surface  124  that is raised above the bottom  116  along inclined surfaces  126 . The supports  122  include two inclined end surfaces  128  and  130 . As shown in  FIGS. 5C and 5D , the supports are elevated above the bottom wall  116 . Other aspects of the embodiment shown in  FIGS. 5A-5D  are similar to the embodiment of  FIGS. 1A-1D . In one exemplary embodiment, the tray  110  has a height of 0.50 inches, the tray  110  has a width of 7.00 inches and a length of 9.50 inches, the designs are spaced 0.33 inches from the descent  118  of side walls  114 , the descent  118  recedes at a 15° angle, and the perimeter of the upper surface had a width of 0.03 inches. 
         [0029]    In contrast to the wave design as discussed in the exemplary embodiment above,  FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C  show alternative tray designs.  FIG. 6A  shows a first alternative embodiment tray design that does not include embossing or a pattern.  FIG. 6B  shows a second alternative embodiment tray design that includes raised hills or dots.  FIG. 6C  shows a third alternative embodiment tray design that includes raised lines that form sections for individual product slices. 
         [0030]    In contrast to the exemplary embodiment discussed above with reference to  FIGS. 1A to 1D , the flat tray design of  FIG. 6A  provided an inconsistent cook with each product P and in general did not perform as well as the raised wave designs  22  in the embodiment discussed above. While the tray with raised hills or dots shown in  FIG. 6B  allowed for excess grease to pool on the tray bottom, the raised hill or dot design also performed inferior to the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIGS. 1A to 1D . The dot tray provided an inconsistent cook with each product slice. Although the raised lines section shown in  FIG. 6C  allowed the individual product slices to be positioned between the raised lines and provided some heat sealing between the product pieces, in contrast to the exemplary embodiment discussed above with  FIGS. 1A to 1D , the sections tray shown in  FIG. 6C  did not fit the product well because of the compartments due to the natural variability of the product involved, here bacon. The section tray did not perform as well during heating with the inner strips and outer strips varying in degree of heating. 
         [0031]    One embodiment of the present disclosure was tested with four strips of bacon placed on blotter paper resting on a tray in a vacuum sealed overwrap film and cooked in an 1100W microwave for slightly under three minutes. The bacon lost little volume, had an even overall crispy cook, and showed successful grease displacement. 
         [0032]    Some aspects of the present disclosure include: 
         [0033]    Tray or Paperboard Disc—The tray or paperboard is typically, though optionally, embossed to aid in additional grease mitigation after the grease and salt has passed through the wicking medium. The embossing is pressed in such a way that the grease will be distributed so as to cook the bacon evenly and simulate pan frying in the latter stages of the microwave cook. The embossing will also help act as a foundation for when the bacon product is firmly vacuum sealed inside the tray, allowing the bacon to maintain shape. This tray can also be thrown away with grease and wicking medium inside to save time and clean up effort. 
         [0034]    In one embodiment, the tray comprises a single layer of paperboard that is press-formed to the desired shape. The tray can comprise more than one layer of paperboard, with additional layers enhancing enhance rigidity of the tray (e.g., polymer layers) and/or increasing the moisture/grease resistance of the paperboard. The multi-layered tray could be formed as a laminate of the multiple layers or any suitable process. The tray could comprise paperboard having a coating (e.g., polymer) that increases rigidity of the tray and/or increases the moisture/grease resistance of the tray. 
         [0035]    Wicking Medium—The bacon product generally sits on an absorbent medium that allows permeation of bacon grease and salt. The grease evenly distributes across the medium from areas of higher concentration to areas of lower concentration. Once fully soaked, this wicking medium exhibits qualities similar to a susceptor by absorbing microwave energy and converting it into heat energy, essentially cooking the bacon evenly from the bottom in a method similar to pan frying. 
         [0036]    Heat Sealable Film—The tray with wicking medium and bacon product inside generally is surrounded by heat sealed film and is vacuum packed. This film generally is thicker and heavier than conventional film so as not to rise and pop during cooking from steam and pressure. The film may also be heat sealed between bacon strips for additional direct contact. These features allow for essentially constant pressure on the bacon strips during cooking inhibiting curling and excessive volume loss. 
         [0037]    According to common practice, the various features of the drawings discussed below are not necessarily drawn to scale. Dimensions of various features and elements in the drawings may be expanded or reduced to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the disclosure. 
         [0038]    In accordance with exemplary embodiments, the packaging material can be incorporated into blanks for forming respective constructs (e.g., trays, cartons, fast food containers, etc.). In such embodiments, the substrate can be formed from paperboard, corrugated cardboard or other materials having properties suitable for at least generally enabling respective functionalities described above. Paperboard can be of a caliper such that it is heavier and more rigid than ordinary paper, and corrugated cardboard can be of a caliper such that it is heavier and more rigid than paperboard. Generally, at least the side of the paperboard or cardboard that will be an exterior surface in the construct erected therefrom will be coated with a clay coating, or the like. The clay coating can be printed over with product, advertising, price-coding, and other information or images. The blanks may then be coated with a varnish to protect any information printed on the blanks. The blanks may also be coated with, for example, a moisture barrier layer, on one or both sides. The blanks can also be laminated to or coated with one or more sheet-like materials. 
         [0039]    The foregoing description illustrates and describes various embodiments of the disclosure. As various changes could be made in the above construction, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Furthermore, various modifications, combinations, and alterations, etc., of the above-described embodiments are within the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the disclosure shows and describes only selected embodiments, but various other combinations, modifications, and environments are within the scope of the disclosure, commensurate with the above teachings, and/or within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art. Furthermore, certain features and characteristics of each embodiment may be selectively interchanged and applied to other illustrated and non-illustrated embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure.