Patent ID: 8063345

Claim:
A container system for heating food in a microwave oven, comprising: an inner container consisting essentially of microwave energy transparent material, the inner container for receiving a food item having a top surface, a side surface that is prone to overdrying when exposed to microwave energy, and an interior area that is prone to underheating when exposed to microwave energy; and an outer container for receiving the inner container, the outer container including a top panel including a plurality of tear lines that define a removable portion, the removable portion including a viewing window comprising a polymer film through which the top surface of the food item can be viewed, a bottom panel opposite the top panel, the bottom panel including a microwave energy distributing element comprising a plurality of metal segments arranged to direct microwave energy to heat the interior area of the food item, and a microwave energy transparent area circumscribing the microwave energy distributing element, wherein the plurality of metal segments of the microwave energy distributing element are spaced apart from one another and arranged in a plurality of clusters, the plurality of clusters each comprising four metal segments, the metal segments each resembling a quadrant of a circle, a plurality of upstanding walls joining the top panel and the bottom panel, and a microwave energy shielding element joined to a peripheral area of the bottom panel and extending at least partially upwardly along the side walls, the microwave energy shielding element being positioned to reduce transmission of microwave energy to the side surface of the food item, wherein the inner container is within the outer container, and at least a portion of the inner container is spaced from the outer container, such that the food item is spaced from at least one of the plurality of metal segments of the outer container, and the microwave energy shielding element of the outer container.