Field of the Invention:

[001] This invention relates to keeping food dry. In particular, this invention relates to preventing food from absorbing ambient moisture and becoming soggy.

Background:

[002] Hot food delivery food often arrives soggy because food containers trap condensation inside the container. As a result, condensate comes to rest on the food or settles on the bottom of the inside of a food delivery container, resulting in undesirable, soggy food. Food stored temporarily for delivery, or stored long term, can be ruined by condensation forming on the food.

[003] Some previous solutions add holes to the container to vent the inside air. That approach does not work well because the holes release heat and undesirably cool the food prior to its arrival on its destination.

[004] What is needed is a solution for contained food so that it does not arrive cold or soggy.

Summary

[005] This invention keeps delivery food, dry and crisp by removing condensate before it forms on food. This invention is not just limited to restaurant food delivery. This invention can be used from any meal prepared in advance of transportation and or consumption.

[006] This invention utilizes any container (“housing”) suitable for enclosing hot food. When the food container encloses hot food, the dew point temperature inside the container is inherently higher than the temperature outside the food container.

[007] A perforation (or perforations) in the wall of the container permits ambient air to flow between the inside of the container and the outside of the container.

Ordinarily, a perforation (i.e., a hole) in the food container that allows air to pass through would not be advantageous. But this invention employs an absorbent material (i.e. a coalescer), preferably a dry absorbent material, to cover the perforation or hole(s). When configured this way, warmer air from inside the container encounters a relatively cooler absorbent material, cooled by the air outside air. Recall the absorbent material is covering the perforation. When the inside hot air does reach the cooler absorbent material, moisture held by the inside air will condense onto the absorbent material. As a result, moisture held by the absorbent material will be trapped and kept off the hot food inside the container.

[008] Another benefit of forcing the condensate to form inside the food container, rather than vent/exit the container, is the exothermic nature of condensation. When condensate forms it releases heat. This heat will serve to keep the food inside the container warm.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[009] The objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated upon reference to the following disclosure when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein reference numerals are used to identify the components in the various views.

[010] Fig. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a food container with a perforation. Also shown is an absorbent material covers the perforation and is adhered to the inside of the container.

[Oi l] Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view looking inside of the container of Fig.

1. The container is empty. The absorbent material is shown covering the perforation. The perimeter of the absorbent material is adhered to the inside face of the container.

[012] Fig. 3 illustrates a top perspective view of a flexible plastic container holding a typical burger and fries. The container is open, and the absorbent material is covering the perforation.

[013] Fig. 4 illustrates the same container with the burger and fries as Fig. 3, but from the opposite side and the container closed.

[014] Fig. 5 illustrates a top perspective of a flexible paper bag holding a typical burger and fries. The container is open, and the absorbent material is covering the perforation.

[015] Fig. 6 illustrates the same container with the burger and fries as Fig.5, but from the opposite side. In this example, the absorbent material is adhered to the outside face of the bag around the perimeter of the opening.

[016] Fig 7 illustrates a perspective view looking inside of the container of Fig.

1. The absorbent material is shown covering the perforation. The perimeter of the absorbent material is adhered to the inside face of the container. [017] Fig 8 illustrates a bag having a perforation with a pleated absorbent material covering the opening. The pleated absorbent material is glued via adhesive to the inside face of the bag around the perimeter of the perforation.

[018] Fig. 9 illustrates a bag having a perforation with a frame adhered to the inside of the bag, the absorbent material is adhered to the frame and covers the opening.

[019] Fig. 10 is a section view from Fig. 9.

[020] Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of Fig. 10.

[021] Fig. 12 is a view from inside the bag of Fig. 9.

[022] Fig 13 is a clamshell-style container that has a perforation in the top lid, the perforation covered by an absorbent material.

[023] Fig. 14 illustrates a perspective view of an open container, a frame pinning the absorbent material across the opening.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiment

[024] The invention is embodied in a food storage device comprising three principal elements: (a) a container 10 for enclosing hot food, (b) a perforation 14 (or opening) in the container 10, and (c) an absorbent layer 18 positioned within the perforation 14 or covering the perforation 14 on the inside or the outside of the container 10, wherein air inside the container 10 is thermally exposed to air outside the container 10 via the perforation 14.

[025] For the purposes of this specification, “thermally exposed” means air inside the container 10 is exposed to the ambient outside air temperature via absorbent layer 18. When the absorbent layer 18 is covering the perforation, air preferably does not flow through the perforation 14. The inside air is exposed to the outside (air) temperature air via an absorbent layer 18 material with low thermal resistivity. Tn an embodiment using a plant cellulose absorbent structure 18, the thermal resistivity of the absorbent material 18 should be less than 20 meter* K/Watt (for conventionally accepted ambient conditions, i.e., 25C and 1 ATM). This embodiment is most effective when the container 10, has a thermal resistivity above that of the absorbent material 18.

[026] In the event that the embodiment employs a configuration where the absorbent material is clad with an (outside) layer (aluminum foil, for example, or metal mesh or wax or clay), the ideal thermal resistivity of the (outer) clad layer is less than 1 meter*K/Watt (for standard ambient conditions, 25C & 1 ATM).

[027] An embodiment of the invention is shown in Figs. 1- 7. The container 10 would typically be a plastic or paper bag. Plastic is preferred, particularly when it has a zip-style sealing mechanism as shown in Figs. 1-4. A paper bag is also a suitable container 10 because it can be closed by rolling, stapling, or folding the top. But any closable container should work. For example, the container 10 could be a bag, a box, a clamshell structure, a plastic container with a press-fit lid, it could be a cardboard box, or it could be a more rigid container. By way of example, a clamshell style container is illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14.

[028] The perforation 14 could be one perforation or it could be multiple perforations. The aggregate size of the perforation 14 or perforations for a single-serving of hot food would preferably be between six (6) and fourteen (14) square inches for a container configured to contain 400 to 1,000 grams of food. The ideal surface area for a bag configured to contain 700 grams of food is 10 square inches. This range of surface area has been found suitable to extract a desirable amount of condensate from the air inside the container without letting the food inside the container appreciably cool.

[029] Many materials known in the art could be suitable to serve as the absorbent material 18. This material can be constructed from the same material as paper towels, cotton, airlaid, linen, papyrus, hemp, natural or synthetic sponge, or an unmentioned plant cellulose. Any absorbent material, whether it is woven or non-woven should suffice. The preferred absorption capacity of the absorbent material is 0.5 mb (or greater) per square inch. This absorbent material 18 should preferably remain dry up until the point it begins to absorb condensate from inside the container 10. As previously noted, the absorbent material preferably does not allow air to flow through it, but the invention can still work as long as the inside air is at least exposed to the outside air temperature.

[030] The absorption capacity per unit of surface area can be reduced if the cutout/hole/perforation(s) covered by the absorbent material is increased to achieve the desired effect. Alternatively, the cutout/hole/perforation(s) can be reduced if the absorbent material is pleated to increase the effective absorbent surface area (at the relatively cooler ambient outside air temperature). An ideal pleat is preferably between 0.03 inches to 0.7 inches deep with the “bellows” (pleats) having an angle between faceted adjacent surfaces of 15 degrees to 115 degrees. Ideally the angle and depth of the adjacent faceted surfaces (i.e. bellows) creates uniform spacing and distribution of the surface area. The edges of the pleated absorbent material is flattened at its perimeter to create a minimum of 0.2 inches edge distance such that sufficient surface area of the pleated absorbent material may be adhered to the container such that the perforation/opening is completely covered/closed without leaking along the perimeter of the absorbent material.

[031] The nature in which the absorbent material is affixed to the container can vary depending on the circumstances. It is preferred that the absorbent material covers the hole. This absorbent material could be affixed to the container by adhesive, sonic weld, or bonded under pressure, or tapes, or rivets, Velcro, etc. Given the embodiment with the foil facing ambient air, adjacent to the absorbent material which faces the food, the foil and absorbent material and the container could be secured in many of the same methods already proffered. Typically, the absorbent material would be oversized compared to the perforation (opening) so that the excess material 22 could be adhered to the container 10. The excess material 22 could be adhered to the inside face of the container as shown in Fig. 2 or the outside face of the container as shown in Fig. 6.

[032] The thickness of the absorbent material is preferably determined by the absorption capacity and its porosity. A more open absorbent material can be thicker to prevent outside airflow from penetrating the absorbent material and entering the inside volume of the container. A less porous absorbent material can be thinner because the cooler ambient air will only be able to influence the temperature of the thinner absorbent material at its outer surface. A combination of layers of various absorbent materials may be used to create a desired effect, maximizing temperature transfer and absorption while minimizing air flow/ leakage of ambient air into the container through the p erfor ati on/cutout/hol e .

Pleated absorbent material embodiment

[033] Fig. 8 illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, comprising a pleated absorbent layer 18. The pleated absorbent layer 18 increases the surface area. Pleats are preferred, but not required. The pleated absorbent layer 18 is preferably connected to the inside face of the container via adhesive. But other suitable connections include sonic weld, staked, or melted, particularly if the container is plastic. The rounded corners of the perforation 14 help mitigate tearing.

Reinforced opening embodiment

[034] Turning to Figs, 9-12 a frame 20 can be used to strengthen the connection between the absorbent material 18 and the container 10. The frame 20 could be flexible or rigid and could be made out of most any material. It is preferred to make the frame out of the same material as the container.

[035] The frame 20 is preferably connected to an inside surface of the container. The absorbent material 18 is placed inside the perforation 14. The frame 20 is connected to both the container 10 and the absorbent material 18. As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the frame 20 is connected to the container 10 and the absorbent material is connected to the frame 20, covering the opening. Again, adhesive is preferred but other connection methods known in the art would be suitable. It is preferred to have at least two lines of connection 22 to the container 10 and absorbent material respectively.

[036] When sizing the frame 20, it is preferred that the frame have a surface area facing the container roughly equal to the surface area of the hole in the container. For the purposes of this specification, roughly equal means having a tolerance of +/-25%.

Clamshell Embodiment

[037] Figs. 13 and 14 illustrate a clamshell style box embodiment. This embodiment is similar to the bag embodiment but with a clamshell style box instead of bag. Those in the art will recognize this as just one of many possible variations. This embodiment illustrates a frame 20 connecting the pleated absorbent material 18 to the container 10, but the pleated absorbent material 18 could be adhered to the container via adhesive around the perimeter (like in Fig. 1).

[038] When the container is enclosing hot food, the relative humidity inside the food container ordinarily will be higher than the humidity outside the container. The resulting dew point temperature inside the container would resultingly be higher than the dew point temperature outside the food container. In other words, the ambient outside air temperature would be lower than the (elevated) dew point temperature inside the container. When the inside air meets the outside air, condensation will form and be absorbed by the absorbent layer 18.

[039] In some instances, food containers sit under a heat lamp where the container and the food are sitting at an elevated temperature. In this instance, the absorbent material 18 can simply be a single layer of absorbent material that is adhered to the container 10 to cover the perforation 14. In these instances, the absorbent material 18 will not begin to be exposed to the (relatively) colder ambient air until it is removed from the heated environment.

[040] In other instances, food is packaged and immediately transported to its destination. In these instances, it is preferred to add an additional layer to the absorbent layer. Specifically, it is preferred to add a thermally conductive material, clad to the absorbent material. This thermally conductive material could be most any thermally conductive material. Aluminum foil, steel wire mesh, or copper foil, for example, have been found suitable. In this way, the absorbent material covering the container hole becomes more effective because the thermally conductive foil, or similar material, will more readily communicate the cooler ambient air outside the container to the absorbent material, which in turns forms condensate from the air inside the container.

[041] One benefit of forcing the condensate to form inside the food container, rather than vent/exit, is the exothermic nature of condensation. When condensate forms it releases heat. This heat will serve to keep the food warm. This invention keeps delivery food, dry and crisp by removing condensate before it forms on food. The applications are not just limited to restaurant food delivery. This invention can be used from any meal prepared in advance of transportation and or consumption as well as simply storing food.

[042] This invention is the system which employs the ambient temperature outside any container to force condensation inside the container, which due to the different environment inside said container, the ambient outside air temperature is at or below the dew point temperature inside the container.

[043] The embodiments and examples set forth herein were presented in order to best explain the present invention and its practical applications and to thereby enable those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. However, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the foregoing description and examples have been presented for the purposes of illustration and example only. The description as set forth is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the teachings above without departing from the spirit and scope of the forthcoming claims. Accordingly, any components of the present invention indicated in the photos or herein are given as an example of possible components and not as a limitation.